UIStuff plugin for Take Command / TCC / TCC/LE

beta version 0.81.0 2024-09-24

Charles Dye

Purpose:

This plugin adds a few miscellaneous user-interface features. You can get or set the screen resolution for any monitor, the wallpaper image and style, the desktop background color, the screen saver settings, and the master sound volume and mute state. You can create, modify, display, or parse shortcut files. You can display or set file associations and shell verbs.

This plugin might be useful for setting user defaults in a logon script, customizing freshly-imaged computers, or to temporarily change settings while running some particularly demanding program.

Windows XP or later is required.

Installation:

To use this plugin, copy the files UIStuff.dll and UIStuff.chm to some known location on your hard drive. (If you are still using the 32-bit version of Take Command, take UIStuff-x86.dll instead of UIStuff.dll.) Load the plugin with a PLUGIN /L command, for example:

plugin /l c:\bin\tcmd\test\uistuff.dll

If you copy this file to a subdirectory named PlugIns within your Take Command program directory, the plugin will be loaded automatically when TCC starts.

Plugin Features:

New commands:
`BGCOLOR`	`CONICON`	`DEFAUDIOOUT`	`INSTALLFONTS`	`LISTFONTS`
`MINIMIZEALL`	`MKSC`	`SCREENRES`	`SCRNSAVER`	`SETFOCUS`
`SETMOUSEPOS`	`SHELLVERB`	`SOUNDVOL`	`UISTUFFHELP`	`WALLPAPER`
New functions:
`@FIRSTFONT`	`@IMGCOLOR`	`@NEXTFONT`	`@RGBCOMPL`	`@RGBLUM`
`@SCINFO`	`@SCREENRES`	`@SHELLVERB`	`@SHFOLDER`
New variables:
`_BGCOLOR`	`_BGCOLORNAME`	`_BROWSER`	`_DEFAUDIOOUT`	`_MOUSEX`
`_MOUSEY`	`_MUTE`	`_MUTED`	`_SAFEMODE`	`_SOUNDVOL`
`_SSVRNAME`	`_SSVRTIME`	`_SSVRUP`	`_VOLUME`	`_WALLPAPER`
`_WALLSTYLE`	`_WINOSVER`

Syntax Note:

The syntax definitions in the following text use these conventions for clarity:

`BOLD CODE`	indicates text which must be typed exactly as shown.
`CODE`	indicates optional text, which may be typed as shown or omitted.
Bold italic	names a required argument; a value must be supplied.
Regular italic	names an optional argument.
ellipsis…	after an argument means that more than one may be given.

New Commands:

BGCOLOR — Display or change the desktop background color.

Syntax:
BGCOLOR /S color

`/S`	save color to the registry
color	the name or RGB value of the color to set

You may specify the color as a single RGB value in either hexadecimal (e.g. #8B4513) or decimal (9127187); as three separate values for red, green, and blue, in that order (0x8b 0x45 0x13 or 139 69 19); or as a W3C color name (SaddleBrown).

If you specify the color in hexadecimal with a leading # sign, it must be either three or six hex digits long. If it’s three digits long, each digit is doubled; #8ac is the same as #88aacc. Alternatively, you can use a leading 0x and the rules above do not apply; the number of digits is not significant.

The color change only affects the current session and will be lost at logout, unless /S is specified. Note that /S must be typed before any color name.

rem Set the background color to dark slate gray: bgcolor darkslategray

See also: the _BGCOLOR variable, which which reports the current background color as a hexadecimal value; the _BGCOLORNAME variable, which reports it as a W3C color name if possible; the @IMGCOLOR function, which returns the color of a pixel in a graphics file; and the @RGBCOMPL function, which returns a complementary color.

CONICON — Set the icon for the console window.

Syntax:
CONICON /C /D /I:n filename…

`/C`	use the icon in TCC.EXE; equivalent to `"%_cmdspec"`
`/D`	restore the system default console icon
`/I:`n	the icon’s index within the file

This command is only useful in a standalone console window. Changes to the console icon in a Take Command tab are not visible.

rem Show several different console icons: for /l %i in ( 3, 1, 11 ) ( conicon "%@shfolder[37]\shell32.dll" /i:%i & delay 1 ) conicon /c

DEFAUDIOOUT — Display or change the default audio output device.

Syntax:
DEFAUDIOOUT /Q device

`/Q`	quietly
device	the device’s name, or its index 1 - n

If you do not specify a device, DEFAUDIOOUT will display a list of available audio outputs.

rem Use my monitor for audio output: defaudioout "dell u3415w*"

• Note: This command requires Windows Vista or later; it will not work in Windows XP.

See also: the _DEFAUDIOOUT variable, which returns the name of the current default audio output device.

INSTALLFONTS — Install font files.

Syntax:
INSTALLFONTS /O /X filename…

`/O`	overwrite existing files in the Fonts directory
`/X`	delete source files after successful install
filename…	the files to install

You must specify at least one filename. Wildcards are supported.

Matching files will be copied to C:\Windows\Fonts, and entries will be created in the registry.

This command requires elevation (‘Run as Administrator’). So far, I have only tested it with .TTF and .OTF files.

rem Install fonts from the C:\Download directory: installfonts c:\download\*

LISTFONTS — List available fonts.

Syntax:
LISTFONTS /C:charset /D:flags /F:family /P:pitch /T:type name

`/C:`charset	character set; see below
`/D:`flags	display extra info: `L` line numbers, `F` family and pitch, `S` script, `T` font type, `K` final count
`/F:`family	filter by font family: `R` Roman (serif), `S` Swiss (sans-serif), `M` modern (unstressed), `H` hand (script), `D` decorative, `N` no family specified
`/P:`pitch	filter by pitch: `F` fixed pitch, `V` variable pitch
`/T:`type	filter by font type: `R` raster fonts, `V` vector fonts, `O` OpenType fonts, `T` TrueType fonts
name	may contain wildcards

LISTFONTS dumps a list of all matching fonts to standard output.

/C:charset lets you specify the character set to be supported. The default is 0, to list only fonts which include Western (Roman) letters.

0	ANSI (Western — the default)
1	don’t care
2	symbol
128	Shift JIS (Japanese)
129	Hangul (Korean)
130	Johab (Korean)
134	GB 2312 (simplified Chinese)
136	Big-5 (traditional Chinese)
161	Greek
162	Turkish
163	Vietnamese
177	Hebrew
178	Arabic
186	Baltic
204	Cyrillic (Russian)
222	Thai
238	Eastern Europe
255	OEM character set

listfonts *black*

MINIMIZEALL — Minimize or restore all windows.

Syntax:
MINIMIZEALL /U

`/U`	undo the previous `MINIMIZEALL`

rem Minimize all windows for three seconds: minimizeall & delay 3 & minimizeall /u

MKSC — Create, modify, or display a shortcut file.

Syntax: (to create or modify a shortcut file)
MKSC linkfile target /A:args /Bx:value /C:comment /D:directory /I:iconfile /J:index /K:key /M:mode /N:flags /U:level /Z

Syntax: (to display shortcut files)
MKSC linkfile /F:fields /N:flags /P /S

linkfile	the shortcut file to create, change, or display
target	the filename or object that the shortcut points to
`/A:`args	command-line arguments to be passed to the target
`/B`x`:`value	set various console properties
`/C:`comment	a descriptive comment
`/D:`directory	the default directory
`/F:`fields	specify which information to display
`/I:`iconfile	filename of an .EXE or .DLL file containing an icon
`/J:`index	number of the icon in iconfile to use; 0 = the first
`/K:`key	a hotkey which can be used to launch the shortcut
`/M:`mode	the suggested window mode: Normal, MINimized, or MAXimized
`/N:`flags	disable features; flags may include:
	`C` — disable highlighting (display mode only)
	`D` — don’t canonicalize directory
	`E` — suppress many error messages (display mode only)
	`H` — don’t search into hidden subdirectories; only useful with `/S`
	`I` — don’t canonicalize iconfile
	`J` — don’t search into junctions; only useful with `/S`
	`T` — don’t canonicalize target
	`Z` — don’t search into system subdirectories; only useful with `/S`
`/P`	page output
`/S`	recurse into subdirectories; only useful when displaying shortcuts
`/U:`level	the UAC level: Normal or Elevated
`/Z`	overwrite read-only files

This command can be used for three different tasks: to create a new shortcut file, to modify an existing shortcut file, or to dump the contents of shortcut files to standard output.

Create a shortcut file:

You can create a new shortcut to a file or a folder; a TCC command, alias, or batch file; or one of a small number of Explorer objects. To create a shortcut, pass a filename for the new shortcut as the first argument, linkfile. The second argument, target, is required when creating a new shortcut; it specifies the file or object that the shortcut will open.

rem Create a shortcut to the calculator: mksc "%@shfolder[16]\Calculator.lnk" "%windir\system32\calc.exe" /k:control-alt-=

Other kinds of files are legal too. If the file is a document, Windows will use the registered program to open it. You can even create a shortcut to a directory:

rem Create a shortcut to the Fonts folder: mksc "%@shfolder[16]\Fonts.lnk" "%windir\Fonts"

To create a shortcut to an internal command, alias, or batch file, specify "%_cmdspec" as the target. Set args to either /C or /K followed by the desired command. (/C causes TCC to close immediately after running the command; /K keeps it open after the command finishes.) For instance, to create a shortcut which runs the command TIME /S, you might use:

rem Create a shortcut to run TIME /S command: mksc "%@shfolder[16]\Sync System Time.lnk" "%_cmdspec" /a:"/c time /s" /m:min

MKSC also recognizes a short list of Explorer objects. You can use any of the following as target:

<Desktop>	the desktop
<Computer>	the list of drives
<Documents>	the default save location for many applications
<Music>	the suggested save location for music files
<Pictures>	the suggested save location for graphics files
<Video>	the suggested save location for video files
<Printers>	the list of printers
<Network>	Network Neighborhood; LAN locations
<Connections>	network interfaces
<Recycle Bin>	deleted-but-recoverable files
<Control Panel>	Windows configuration utilities
<Recent>	list of shortcuts to recently-opened files
<SendTo>	Explorer’s list of send-to locations

Note that all of the above must be quoted to protect the angle brackets. See Objects Supported for more information.

rem Create a shortcut to My Computer: mksc "%@shfolder[16]\My Computer.lnk" "<Computer>"

The linkfile should normally end in .LNK. If you do not specify an extension, MKSC will supply the extension by default. Directory aliases are supported in linkfile.

Target should name a file, directory, or one of the Explorer objects listed above. Directory aliases are supported, and the filename is automatically canonicalized (“truenamed”) when the shortcut file is created. If the target is not qualified at all — if it has no drive letter or directory — the plugin will search the path for a matching file. You can bypass canonicalization and the path search with /NC, which stores a non-canonical filename; doing this also disables directory aliases in target. Canonicalization will also be skipped if the target begins with a percent sign followed by a letter.

/A:args specifies the command-line arguments for a target program. Different programs support different arguments, and some ignore them altogether. See the program’s documentation for information about its command-line options.

/AX:args works like /AX:, but supports the use of C-style character escapes in the string. If you need problematic characters like double quotes or backquotes in the arguments list, you can use /AX: with escapes like \q or \k. Note that any backslashes in the arguments must be doubled.

/C:comment specifies a descriptive comment to be stored in the shortcut file. Explorer can display this comment in a tooltip when you hover the mouse pointer over the shortcut icon.

/CX:comment works like /C:, but expands C-style character escapes in the comment. If you need a backslash in the comment, you must double it.

/D:directory sets the starting directory for the target program. Some programs use this as a default directory; others ignore it. The directory is canonicalized, and directory aliases are supported. You can use /ND to store a non-canonicalized filename; this will also disable directory aliases in directory. If you give a directory of *, MKSC will choose an appropriate directory based on target: the parent directory if target is a filename, target itself if it names a directory, and nothing if target names an object. If the directory begins with a percent sign followed by a letter, canonicalization will be disabled automatically. If the directory is a ~ or begins with ~\, the tilde will automatically be replaced with the string %USERPROFILE%; this also will disable canonicalization.

/M:mode sets the default window state for the target program. Most programs will honor this option, but a few set their own window size at startup; /M won’t appear to affect these. Mode should be one of Normal, MINimized, or MAXimized; case is not significant, and only the letters shown in uppercase are required.

/K:key specifies a hotkey which can be used to launch the target with a keystroke. The exact requirements for this feature to work don’t seem to be documented anywhere. For best results, I suggest that (1) the shortcut file should be created in the user’s desktop directory; and (2) the hotkey should be in the form Control-Alt-letter, Control-Alt-digit, or Control-Alt-Numdigit. See Hotkeys for a list of the hotkey names supported by this command; note that some of them differ from the names used by KEYSTACK. You can also specify a hotkey of None, which will remove any hotkey associated with the shortcut.

/I:iconfile and /J:index specify the icon which Explorer uses to display the shortcut. When creating a shortcut, you should specify both or neither. When modifying an existing shortcut file, you can use /J:index alone to select a different icon within the same iconfile.

/U:level sets the UAC level for the shortcut; level is either Normal or Elevated (only the first letter is significant). If it’s not specified, the default level is Normal. This option has no effect under Windows XP.

Console properties:

MKSC allows you to set or change many of the console properties stored in a shortcut. Setting console properties for things that don’t run in a console window is possible, but pointless. Console properties options all start with /B.

/BB:n sets the console font’s weight. n is 400 for normal, 700 for bold.

/BF:font set the console font’s name. Quote it if it contains spaces. If font doesn’t match the name of an actual font, or if it isn’t suitable for use in a console window, Windows will substitute some other font at random — generally the ugliest available.

/BG:x,y sets the desired size of the console font. x is the width, and y is the height. If you’re using a TrueType font, the width is not relevant and may be set to 0.

/BB, /BF, and /BG all affect the console font. If you want to set one of them, it’s probably a good idea to set all three.

/BA:n sets the console’s auto-position option. 0 disables auto-positioning; the console window will open at the screen position specified in the “Layout” tab. 1 allows the system to position the window automatically; the coordinates in the “Layout” tab will be ignored.

/BC:n sets the cursor size. n is a percentage, 10 to 100. (This setting does not affect TCC, which sets its own cursor size.)

/BD:n set the console’s default colors. You may specify the new value either as decimal, or hexadecimal with a leading 0x. The usual value is 0x0007, white on black.

/BHn:color lets your redefine the console palette. n is the color index, 0 (black) through 15 (bright white). Color is a W3C color name or an RGB value. You may give a name, or a three- or six-digit hex value preceded by a number sign. For example, you could use either /BH7:ORANGE or /BH7:#FFA500 to redefine ‘white’ as orange.

You can give more than one color name, separated by commas or semicolons, to define multiple consecutive colors. For example, /BH0:#000,#009,#090,#099,#900 would set values for black, blue, green, cyan, and red.

/BI:n sets the console’s insert mode. 0 disables insert (the console defaults to overtype mode); 1 enables it. (This setting does not affect TCC, which has its own default edit mode settings.)

/BO:x,y sets the console window’s starting screen position (its origin). Using this option automatically disables the auto-position option, as if /BA:0 had been specified.

/BP:n set the console’s “popup” colors. You may specify the new value either as decimal, or hexadecimal with a leading 0x. (TCC does not use these colors for anything; CMD.EXE uses them for its command history popup.)

/BQ:n sets the console’s QuickEdit mode. 0 disables QuickEdit, 1 enables it.

/BS:x,y sets the size of the console scrollback buffer. x is the width and y is the height.

/BS also has an optional third argument to set the height of the visible window: /BS:x,y,h. The height h must be between 5 and 100, and not greater than the screen buffer height y. If you do not specify h, the plugin will supply a reasonable value.

Modify a shortcut file:

To modify an existing shortcut file, the syntax is the same, except that the target parameter is optional. You don’t have to specify a target when changing an existing shortcut, and you probably shouldn’t.

Display shortcut files:

To display the contents of shortcut files, specify only a linkfile. It may contain wildcards to dump multiple shortcut files, and you can use /S to recurse into subdirectories. To prevent MKSC from searching into junctions, use /NJ; to skip hidden subdirectories, use /NH; to skip system subdirectories, use /NZ. If linkfile names a directory, all .LNK files in that directory will be shown.

You can use /F:fields to choose which fields to display. Fields is letters:

`T`	the link target
`A`	command-line arguments
`D`	startup directory
`K`	hotkey
`C`	comment
`M`	start mode
`I`	icon filename and index
`U`	UAC level (only under Vista and later)
`N`	normal (default) fields; short for `TADKCMIU`
`B`	console screen buffer info, if available
`F`	console font info, if available
`H`	the console palette, if available

If no fields are specified, the default is TADKCMIU.

/P causes MKSC to pause after each screenful of data.

mksc /s "%@shfolder[23]"

• Note: You must quote any argument containing spaces, angle brackets, or any other special characters.

See also: the @SCINFO function, which returns values from a shortcut file, and the @SHFOLDER function, which returns the pathname to a folder.

SCREENRES — Display or change the screen resolution.

Syntax:
SCREENRES /A /C:bits /D /L /M:monitor /NR /Q /R:rate /X:width /Y:height

`/A`	show resolution for all monitors
`/C:`bits	change the color depth
`/D`	don’t save new settings in the registry
`/L`	list available display modes
`/M:`monitor	zero-based number of the monitor to display or change
`/NR`	no report on a successful change
`/Q`	do not prompt for confirmation when making changes
`/R:`rate	change the refresh rate
`/X:`width	change the display width
`/Y:`height	change the display height

Specifying any of /C:bits, /R:rate, /X:width, or /Y:height will change the display settings. If you use /X:width you should also supply a /Y:height, and vice versa. If you don’t supply a /M:monitor, the primary monitor will be changed.

If you make any changes to the display settings without specifying /Q, SCREENRES will prompt you to enter a random three-digit number to verify that you can still read the display. If you don’t enter the same number within fifteen seconds, the display will revert to its previous settings.

rem Set the primary monitor to 1280 by 1024 pixels: screenres /x:1280 /y:1024

Option /L will cause SCREENRES to list available display modes, instead of setting or displaying the current mode. The primary monitor will be shown by default, unless you specify a different one with /M:monitor or use /A to list available modes for all monitors. If you combine /L with any of /X:width, /Y:height, /C:bits, or /R:rate, the list will only include modes matching the specified values. Note that just because a display mode is listed as available does not mean that your monitor is capable of displaying it!

See also: the @SCREENRES function, which returns information about the current display settings.

SCRNSAVER — Display or change the screen saver settings.

Syntax:
SCRNSAVER /A /D /E /N /S /T:timeout /U filename

`/A`	activate (run) the screen saver
`/D`	disable the screen saver
`/E`	enable the screen saver
`/N`	no screen saver
`/S`	secure (show login screen when the screen saver is dismissed)
`/T:`timeout	idle time before the screen saver is started
`/U`	unsecure (no login screen)
filename	the screen saver filename; must end in .SCR

If the filename does not have a path, the Windows system directory will be assumed. If it does not have an extension, .SCR will be appended automatically.

The timeout may be specified either in seconds, or in mm:ss format (or even hh:mm:ss for extremely long delays.) /T:300 is the same as /T:5:00. The maximum timeout value is 24 hours (86400 seconds).

If /A is specified, the selected screen saver will be run after any settings changes.

rem Run "Mystify" after 5 minutes of inactivity: scrnsaver /e /t:5:00 mystify.scr

See also: the _SSVRNAME and _SSVRTIME variables, which return the current screen saver filename and timeout respectively.

SETFOCUS — Give focus to the specified window.

Syntax:
SETFOCUS /C:class /Q "title"

`/C:`class	the window class name
`/Q`	quietly
title	the caption of the window to focus

The title and class names may contain wildcards. If no title or class is specified, TCC will be given the focus.

Note that the title must be the last option on the command line.

Under some versions of Windows, “stealing” the focus from another window is subject to privilege levels. You may not be able to move the focus away from an administrative window such as the Registry Editor unless TCC is also running with administrative privileges.

SETMOUSEPOS — Move the mouse pointer to the specified screen coordinates.

Syntax:
SETMOUSEPOS /Q /X:x /Y:y

`/Q`	quietly
`/X:`x	the new horizontal position
`/Y:`y	the new vertical position

This command might be useful on a kiosk system which just displays web pages. If you don’t want the mouse cursor to be visible, move it to the lower-right corner with:

setmousepos /x:%@dec[%@screenres[,X]] /y:%@dec[%@screenres[,Y]]

The range of valid coordinates will depend on your screen size.

SHELLVERB — Display or change file associations and shell verbs.

Syntax:
SHELLVERB /C /D:string /M:string /Q /R /S /T:ftype /U /V:verb /Z ftype=command

`/C`	replace any safechars in command with ASCII
`/D:`string	descriptive name for the file type; shown in Explorer
`/M:`string	descriptive name for the verb, used in menus
`/Q`	do it quietly
`/R`	remove file association or shell verb
`/S`	display or change system-wide settings (the default)
`/T:`filetype	specify the file type; only useful when ftype is an extension
`/U`	display or change per-user settings
`/V:`verb	the shell verb to display or change
`/Z`	make the specified verb the default
ftype	may be either an extension or a descriptive file type
command	the command Windows should execute for the specified verb

This command can display or change file associations and “shell verbs” — the actions that Explorer can perform on a file. It can be used as a combination of the ASSOC and FTYPE commands, but it can also display and customize file types in ways that ASSOC and FTYPE cannot.

Windows Explorer uses a two-layer approach in determining how to work with a file. The extension (the final part of the filename, everything after the last period) is mapped to a file type, and the file type in turn has various actions associated with it. For example, a file named ReadMe.txt has the extension TXT, which maps to the file type “txtfile”. The file type txtfile then has certain actions defined — Open, Print. This command’s ftype parameter may be either an extension (beginning with a period), or else a descriptive file type. If ftype is an extension, SHELLVERB will automatically use the associated file type, or else create a new one.

Complicating matters further, Windows actually keeps multiple sets of file-association info: one set of system-wide file associations which applies to all users; and a per-user set of associations for each user, allowing him to override the system-wide settings. SHELLVERB can list or change either set. Specify /S to work with the system-wide file assocations, or /U to use the current user’s personal assocations. You can use both together. If you don’t specify either /S or /U, /S is the default.

To display the file type and actions associated with an extension, just type SHELLVERB followed by the extension. Note that the extension should begin with a period:

shellverb .txt

You can also use wildcards in the extension:

shellverb .htm*

If the ftype does not begin with a period, it’s interpreted as a file type instead. (Wildcards don’t work in this format.)

shellverb regfile

Notice that most file types have an “Open” verb. This verb is used to open, edit, or play a file, typically by double-clicking on its icon. You can use the =command syntax to set the command used to open a file. For example, if we want all .ZZZ files to open in Notepad:

shellverb .zzz=notepad.exe "%%1"

Note the use of "%1" as a placeholder for the filename in the command string. (Double the percent sign to prevent TCC’s variable expansion from expanding the variable reference before the SHELLVERB command gets it.)

You can set the command for other verbs with the /V: option:

shellverb /v:print .zzz=notepad.exe /p "%%1"

If you don’t specify /V:verb, the Open verb will be used by default. If you specify /V (without any verb), the default verb will be used; this is usually Open, but not always.

If you examine the .REG extension with

shellverb .reg

you’ll see that the Open verb has an alternate name: Mer&ge. I call this the verb’s “menu name”. This is generally done for one of two reasons: to give the command a more intuitive name (Merge instead of Open), or to set an accelerator key (the ampersand makes the G an accelerator key). You can set the menu name for a verb using the /M: option:

shellverb /v:Open /m:"&Edit" .zzz=notepad.exe "%%1"

creates an Open verb for .ZZZ files, which will appear as Edit (hotkey E) in the context menu.

The default verb, the one used when double-clicking on a file’s icon, is marked with an asterisk. Usually, but not always, this is Open. You can set the default verb with /Z:

shellverb /z /v:edit .reg

Now double-clicking on a .REG file will open it in Notepad, rather than trying to install it using RegEdit. /Z requires that you specify the verb to make the default with /V:; in fact you can combine the two options:

shellverb /z:edit .reg

You can set the descriptive name for a file type (shown in Explorer) with /D:string. Use /D: alone, without a string, to remove the descriptive name. Note that new or changed descriptions usually don’t take effect until Explorer restarts — after you reboot or log out.

shellverb /d:"Configuration file" .cfg

When ftype is an extension (i.e., when it begins with a period), SHELLVERB automatically supplies the appropriate file type, either using the file type already associated with that particular extension, or else creating a file type from the extension. For example, if you supply a ftype of .ZZZ and there is no file type associated with that extension, then SHELLVERB will create a new file type “zzzfile”. This is usually the desired behavior. However, on rare occasion you may want to associate an extension with some other file type; /T:filetype allows this. /T essentially replicates the functionality of the ASSOC command; however, you can combine it with other options to, say, associate an extension with a file type, set a description for the new file type, and define an Open verb, all in one command.

shellverb /t:TCC.Batch .btm

To remove an extension’s association with a file type:

shellverb /r .zzz

To remove a verb from a file type:

shellverb /r /v:print .zzz

To remove a file type altogether: (Warning — this deletes an entire tree from the registry, and cannot be undone!)

shellverb /r zzzfile

Note that SHELLVERB /R ZZZFILE deletes a file type and all the information associated with it (the description and all its defined verbs), while SHELLVERB /R .ZZZ merely breaks the connection between the extension and the file type. Usually the latter is to be preferred.

If you use /R to remove something, you will be prompted first. Use /Q to suppress the prompt and perform the action immediately. /Q also prevents the report that you get after making other changes.

If you specify /C, any characters in the command in the range U+FF01 through U+FF5E will be replaced with ASCII equivalents. For example, you can include an %@CHAR[0XFF05] in the command, and /C will translate it to a percent sign. This can be handy when copying shell verbs using the @SHELLVERB function.

Putting it all together, we can define a new file type for .BTM files, describe it, and define some basic shell verbs:

rem Create a new file type for .BTM files: shellverb /t:btmfile /d:"Take Command batch file" .btm rem Create an Open verb to run .BTM files: shellverb /m:"R&un" .btm="%_cmdspec" /c "%%1" rem Create an Edit verb to edit them like .TXT files: shellverb /c /v:Edit .btm=%@shellverb[.txt,open,128] rem Create a Print verb to print them using Notepad: shellverb /v:Print .btm=notepad.exe /p "%%1" rem If BDEBUGGER is available, create a Debug verb: iff isinternal bdebugger then shellverb /v:Debug /m:"Debu&g" .btm="%_cmdspec" /c bdebugger "%%1" endiff

See also: the @SHELLVERB function, which returns the command string for the given shell verb.

SOUNDVOL — Display or change the master sound volume.

Syntax:
SOUNDVOL /B /M /O /Q /U volume

`/B`	beep after changing settings
`/M`	mute the sound
`/O`	display the current settings on-screen
`/Q`	quietly
`/U`	unmute the sound
volume	new volume level, 0 — 100

If /Q is not specified, the current volume will be displayed.

rem Crank it all the way up: soundvol 100

See also: the _VOLUME and _MUTE variables, which return the current master sound volume and mute state respectively.

UISTUFFHELP — Open the UIStuff plugin help file.

Syntax:
UISTUFFHELP /C /F /S /S:text /V topic

`/C`	select the ‘Contents’ tab
`/F`	select the ‘Favorites’ tab
`/S`	select the ‘Search’ tab
`/S:`text	select the ‘Search’ tab and search for text
`/V`	show detailed plugin version info
topic	the page to display

The UISTUFFHELP command will locate and open this plugin’s help file. In most cases, the internal HELP command, and the F1 and Ctrl-F1 keys, will be more convenient. The main advantage of this command is that it can be used to open the help file to any desired topic, not only to the names of commands, functions, and variables.

Note that any /C /F or /S must precede any topic on the command line. (This command has a very simple-minded parser.)

WALLPAPER — Display or change the desktop wallpaper.

Syntax:
WALLPAPER /B /C /N /R /S /T filename

`/B`	best style
`/C`	center the wallpaper
`/N`	no wallpaper
`/R`	recursive
`/S`	stretch the wallpaper
`/T`	tile the wallpaper
filename	a graphics file to display on the desktop

The filename specifies a graphics file with an extension of .BMP, .JPG, .JPEG, .PNG, .GIF, .TIF, or .TIFF. Alternatively, it may name a directory which contains graphics files of those types, in which case WALLPAPER will pick one at random. Directory aliases are supported in filename.

If there is a bitmap on the clipboard, you can use it as wallpaper by specifying a filename of CLIP:

/B chooses a style automatically, based on the image size and the primary monitor’s resolution. Small images (not more than a quarter of the screen width or a third of the screen height) will be tiled. Larger images (at least 60% of the screen width) with a similar width/height ratio to the screen’s will be stretched to fit. All others will be centered.

/N removes any wallpaper.

If no arguments are specified, the current filename will be displayed.

rem Tile the background with "Santa Fe Stucco.bmp": wallpaper /t "c:\windows\santa fe stucco.bmp" rem Pick a random image file from the user's Pictures folder: wallpaper /b /r "%@shfolder[39]"

• Note: Setting the wallpaper under Windows Vista or Windows 7 will disable any slide show.

See also: the _WALLPAPER and _WALLSTYLE variables, which return the current wallpaper filename and display style respectively.

New Functions:

@FIRSTFONT — Returns the name of the first matching font.

Syntax:
%@FIRSTFONT[name,charset,type,pitch-and-family]

name	may contain wildcards
charset	see below
type	one of: `R` raster fonts, `V` vector fonts, `O` OpenType fonts, or `T` TrueType fonts
pitch-and-family	one of: `R` Roman, `S` Swiss, `M` modern, `H` hand (script), `D` decorative, or `N` no family;
	and/or one of: `F` fixed pitch, or `V` variable pitch

If no matching font is found, @FIRSTFONT returns an empty string. If a matching font is found, its name is returned, and you can continue enumerating fonts with @NEXTFONT.

Supported charset values include:

0	ANSI (Western — the default)
1	don’t care
2	symbol
128	Shift JIS (Japanese)
129	Hangul (Korean)
130	Johab (Korean)
134	GB 2312 (simplified Chinese)
136	Big-5 (traditional Chinese)
161	Greek
162	Turkish
163	Vietnamese
177	Hebrew
178	Arabic
186	Baltic
204	Cyrillic (Russian)
222	Thai
238	Eastern Europe
255	OEM character set

rem List available script fonts: set font=%@firstfont[,,,h] do while defined font echo %font set font=%@nextfont[] enddo

@IMGCOLOR — Returns the color of a pixel in an image file.

Syntax:
%@IMGCOLOR[filename,position]
%@IMGCOLOR[filename,x,y]

filename	the image file to examine
position	which pixel’s color to return:
	1 — the top left
	2 — the top center
	3 — the top right
	4 — the center left
	5 — the center of the image
	6 — the center right
	7 — the bottom left
	8 — the bottom center
	9 — the bottom right
x`,`y	the coordinates of the pixel to return

The filename specifies a graphics file with an extension of .BMP, .JPG, .JPEG, .PNG, .GIF, .TIF, or .TIFF. Directory aliases are supported in filename.

If you do not specify a position or x,y coordinates, the default is to grab the pixel at the center. The x and y values may be decimal, or hexadecimal with a leading 0x. If x is negative, it is interpreted as pixels from the right edge; a negative y is pixels up from the bottom.

The selected pixel’s color is returned as a six-digit hexadecimal value, #rrggbb; for example, #5b6d85. It can be used as the color argument to the BGCOLOR command.

rem Set the background color to match the wallpaper: if "%_wallpaper" ne "*none*" bgcolor %@imgcolor["%_wallpaper"]

See also: the BGCOLOR command, which sets the background color; the @RGBCOMPL function, which returns a complementary color; and the @RGBLUM function, which returns a luminance value for a given color.

@NEXTFONT — Returns further matching font names.

Syntax:
%@NEXTFONT[]

This function continues an enumeration started with @FIRSTFONT. When there are no more matching fonts, @NEXTFONT returns an empty string.

@RGBCOMPL — Returns a complementary color.

Syntax:
%@RGBCOMPL[color,rotate]

color	may be specified as `#`rrggbb or as a W3C color name.
rotate	degrees to rotate the color’s hue; defaults to 180

The input color is plotted on a color wheel, and the color opposite (180° around, or according to rotate) is returned. The resulting color is returned as a six-digit hexadecimal value, #rrggbb; for example, #5b6d85. It can be used as the color argument to the BGCOLOR command.

rem Set the background color to contrast with the wallpaper: if "%_wallpaper" ne "*none*" bgcolor %@rgbcompl[%@imgcolor["%_wallpaper"]]

See also: the BGCOLOR command, which sets the background color; the _BGCOLOR variable, which returns the current background color; and the @IMGCOLOR function, which returns a color from a graphics file.

@RGBLUM — Returns a luminance value for a color.

Syntax:
%@RGBLUM[color]

color may be specified as #rrggbb or as a W3C color name.

A luminance value from 0 (darkest) to 1000 (brightest) is returned. You can use this to pick a contrasting color. For example, if a background has a luminance of less than 500, white would make a good contrasting color for text; if it’s at least 500, then black would be a better choice.

The three color channels are given different weights: green is 58.7% of the luminance value, red is 29.9%, and blue is 11.4%.

rem Is yellow bright or dark? if %@rgblum[yellow] ge 500 ( echo It's bright! ) else ( echo It's dark! )

See also: the _BGCOLOR variable, which returns the current background color; and the @IMGCOLOR function, which returns a color from a graphics file.

@SCINFO — Returns values from a shortcut file.

Syntax:
%@SCINFO[filename,field]

filename	the file to examine
field	which field to return:
	`0`	the target filename or object name (default)
	`1`	the command-line arguments
	`2`	the working directory
	`3`	the descriptive comment
	`4`	the hotkey
	`5`	the startup window mode
	`6`	the icon filename
	`7`	the icon index
	`8`	the UAC level
	`32` †	the width of the console screen buffer
	`33` †	the height of the console screen buffer
	`34` †	the width of the visible window
	`35` †	the height of the visible window
	`36` †	the console font name
	`37` †	the font width in pixels (may be 0 for TrueType fonts)
	`38` †	the font height in pixels
	`39` †	the font weight: 400 = normal, 700 = bold
	`40` †	the cursor size: 25 = small, 100 = large
	`41` †	QuickEdit mode: 0 = disabled, 1 = enabled
	`42` †	auto position window: 0 = disabled, 1 = enabled
	`43` †	insert mode: 0 = overstrike, 1 = insert
	`44` †	default console colors as hex, e.g. 0x0007 = white on black
	`45` †	console popup colors as hex, e.g. 0x00F5 = magenta on bright white
	`46` †	console window position (if auto position is disabled) as x`,`y

† Console property. If the shortcut does not contain a console properties block, @SCINFO will return -1.

The filename is required. Quote it if is contains commas or other special characters. Wildcards are not allowed, but directory aliases are supported.

If field is 0 or absent, @SCINFO will attempt to return the shortcut’s target. The return value will be quoted. It may be empty if the target is an object which the plugin doesn’t recognize.

A field of 1, 2, or 3 returns the shortcut’s command-line arguments, working directory, or description, respectively. These return values are all quoted; any of them may return an empty string if the respective field is not defined in the shortcut.

A field of 4 returns the shortcut’s hotkey. This value is not quoted. It will return None if the shortcut has no hotkey defined.

A field of 5 returns the shortcut’s startup window mode. This value is not quoted; possible values are Normal, Maximized, and Minimized.

Values of 6 and 7 return the shortcut’s icon filename and offset, respectively. The filename will be quoted. If there is no icon, the filename will be empty and the index will be 0.

If field is 8, the shortcut’s UAC level will be returned; possible values are Normal and Elevated. (Under Windows XP and earlier, the value is always Normal.) The returned string is not quoted.

If you add 256 to the field number, the return string will not be automatically quoted. If you add 512, the return string will be escapified.

rem Read info from a shortcut file: set shortcut="%userprofile\desktop\test.lnk" set target=%@scinfo[%shortcut,0] set args=%@scinfo[%shortcut,1] set dir=%@scinfo[%shortcut,2]

See also: the MKSC command, which creates, modifies, or displays shortcut files.

@SCREENRES — Returns the current settings for the specified monitor.

Syntax:
%@SCREENRES[monitor,info]

monitor	zero-based number of the monitor to examine
info	what to return:
	`0` or `I` — all info in one long string
	`1` or `X` — screen width (pixels)
	`2` or `Y` — screen height (pixels)
	`3` or `C` — color depth (bits per pixel)
	`4` or `R` — refresh rate (Hz)
	`8` or `T` — horizontal and vertical only

If you do not specify a monitor, the primary monitor will be examined by default.

Instead of a number, you may specify the info to return as a letter or word; only the first letter is significant.

rem Get display settings for the primary monitor: set screenwidth=%@screenres[,1] set screenheight=%@screenres[,2] set screenbpp=%@screenres[,3]

See also: the SCREENRES command, which displays or changes the current screen resolution.

@SHELLVERB — Returns the command string for the specified shell verb.

Syntax:
%@SHELLVERB[ftype,verb,flags]

ftype	either an extension or a descriptive file type
verb	if omitted, the default verb is used
flags	bitmapped:
	1 — user-specific file association
	2 — systemwide file association
	128 — map dangerous characters to SafeChars

Verb must be the actual verb name, not its cosmetic or “menu” name.

If bit 7 of flags is set, the following characters in the command string will be replaced with high-order Unicode equivalents:

Character:		ASCII:	Remapped to:
percent sign	%	37 / 0x25	U+FF05
ampersand	&	38 / 0x26	U+FF06
open parenthesis	(	40 / 0x28	U+FF08
close parenthesis	)	41 / 0x29	U+FF09
less-than sign	<	60 / 0x3C	U+FF1C
greater-than sign	>	62 / 0x3E	U+FF1E
open bracket	[	91 / 0x5B	U+FF3B
close bracket	]	93 / 0x5D	U+FF3D
caret	^	94 / 0x5E	U+FF3E
grave accent / backquote	`	96 / 0x60	U+FF40
vertical bar	¦	124 / 0x7C	U+FF5C

If the extension, filetype, verb, or command string is unknown, this function returns the string *ERROR*.

See also: the SHELLVERB command, which displays or changes file associations and shell verbs.

@SHFOLDER — Returns the full pathname of a Windows special folder.

Syntax:
@SHFOLDER[n]

This function works much the same as the internal function of the same name. However, it can accept the index n as decimal, hexadecimal, or a descriptive CSIDL name. Also, error checking is tighter; if you pass this @SHFOLDER something it doesn’t understand, it will complain.

Not all values of n refer to actual directories, and not all values are supported under all versions of Windows. If you pass a value which doesn’t work on your system, this function will return an empty string.

When using the symbolic names, case is not significant, spaces and underscores are ignored, and you may omit the leading CSIDL_; “My Music” is equivalent to CSIDL_MYMUSIC.

Dec	Hex	Name	Returns:
0	0x00	`CSIDL_DESKTOP`	the desktop
2	0x02	`CSIDL_PROGRAMS`	the user’s “Programs” menu
5	0x05	`CSIDL_PERSONAL`	the user’s “Documents” folder
6	0x06	`CSIDL_FAVORITES`	the user’s “Favorites” folder
7	0x07	`CSIDL_STARTUP`	the user’s “Startup” programs folder
8	0x08	`CSIDL_RECENT`	shortcuts to the user’s recently opened files
9	0x09	`CSIDL_SENDTO`	the user’s “Send To” shortcuts
11	0x0b	`CSIDL_STARTMENU`	the user’s Start menu
13	0x0d	`CSIDL_MYMUSIC`	the user’s “Music” folder
14	0x0e	`CSIDL_MYVIDEO`	the user’s “Videos” folder
16	0x10	`CSIDL_DESKTOPDIRECTORY`	the user’s Desktop folder
19	0x13	`CSIDL_NETHOOD`	the user’s network shortcuts
20	0x14	`CSIDL_FONTS`	the system fonts directory
21	0x15	`CSIDL_TEMPLATES`	the user’s templates folder
22	0x16	`CSIDL_COMMON_STARTMENU`	Start menu for all users
23	0x17	`CSIDL_COMMON_PROGRAMS`	“Programs” menu for all users
24	0x18	`CSIDL_COMMON_STARTUP`	“Startup” programs folder for all users
25	0x19	`CSIDL_COMMON_DESKTOPDIRECTORY`	Desktop folder for all users
26	0x1a	`CSIDL_APPDATA`	the user’s application data folder
27	0x1b	`CSIDL_PRINTHOOD`	the user’s printer shortcuts
28	0x1c	`CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA`	the user’s local applications data
29	0x1d	`CSIDL_ALTSTARTUP`	the user’s nonlocalized Startup folder
30	0x1e	`CSIDL_COMMON_ALTSTARTUP`	nonlocalized Startup folder for all users
31	0x1f	`CSIDL_COMMON_FAVORITES`	“Favorites” folder for all users
32	0x20	`CSIDL_INTERNET_CACHE`	the user’s Internet Explorer cache
33	0x21	`CSIDL_COOKIES`	the user’s Internet Explorer cookies
34	0x22	`CSIDL_HISTORY`	the user’s Internet Explorer history
35	0x23	`CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA`	application data for all users
36	0x24	`CSIDL_WINDOWS`	the Windows directory
37	0x25	`CSIDL_SYSTEM`	the Windows system directory
38	0x26	`CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES`	default location for applications
39	0x27	`CSIDL_MYPICTURES`	the user’s “Pictures” folder
40	0x28	`CSIDL_PROFILE`	the user’s profile directory
41	0x29	`CSIDL_SYSTEMX86`	x86 system directory on x64 Windows
42	0x2a	`CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILESX86`	x86 applications on x64 Windows
43	0x2b	`CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES_COMMON`	shared application components
44	0x2c	`CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES_COMMONX86`	shared x86 app components on x64 Windows
45	0x2d	`CSIDL_COMMON_TEMPLATES`	templates folder for all users
46	0x2e	`CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS`	documents folder for all users
47	0x2f	`CSIDL_COMMON_ADMINTOOLS`	“Administrative tools” folder for all users
48	0x30	`CSIDL_ADMINTOOLS`	the user’s “Administrative tools” folder
53	0x35	`CSIDL_COMMON_MUSIC`	“Music” folder for all users
54	0x36	`CSIDL_COMMON_PICTURES`	“Pictures” folder for all users
55	0x37	`CSIDL_COMMON_VIDEO`	“Video” folder for all users
56	0x38	`CSIDL_RESOURCES`	the system resources directory
59	0x3b	`CSIDL_CDBURN_AREA`	used for burning CDs

New Variables:

_BGCOLOR — Returns the desktop background color.

Syntax:
%_BGCOLOR

The color will be returned as a six-digit hexadecimal number with a leading # sign.

rem Save the current background color: set backcolor=%_bgcolor

See also: the BGCOLOR command, which sets or displays the background color; and the _BGCOLORNAME variable, which reports it as a W3C color name if possible.

_BGCOLORNAME — Returns the desktop background color as a W3C color name.

Syntax:
%_BGCOLORNAME

If no matching name is found, the color will be returned in hexadecimal, the same as _BGCOLOR.

rem Save the current background color: set backcolor=%_bgcolorname

See also: the BGCOLOR command, which sets or displays the background color; and the _BGCOLOR variable, which reports it as a hexadecimal number.

_BROWSER — Returns the filename of the default web browser.

Syntax:
%_BROWSER

The filename will be returned in double quotes. On any error, this function returns an empty string.

rem Make a shortcut to open Google in the default browser: mksc "%@shfolder[16]\Google.lnk" "%_browser" /a:"https://www.google.com/"

_DEFAUDIOOUT — Returns the name of the current default audio output device.

Syntax:
%_DEFAUDIOOUT

The returned name will probably contain spaces and maybe weirder stuff, so it might be a good idea to quote it.

rem Save the current setting: set oldaudioout="%_defaudioout" rem ...and restore it later: defaudioout %oldaudioout

• Note: This variable requires Windows Vista or later; it will not work in Windows XP.

See also: the DEFAUDIOOUT command, which displays or changes the default audio output device.

_MOUSEX — Returns the current horizontal position of the mouse pointer.

Syntax:
%_MOUSEX

This variable might be useful with SETMOUSEPOS if you want to move the mouse pointer relative to its current position.

The range of possible return values depends on your monitor size.

_MOUSEY — Returns the current vertical position of the mouse pointer.

Syntax:
%_MOUSEY

This variable might be useful with SETMOUSEPOS if you want to move the mouse pointer relative to its current position.

The range of possible return values depends on your monitor size.

_MUTE — Returns the master sound mute state.

Syntax:
%_MUTE

The value returned is 1 if the sound is muted, or 0 otherwise.

rem Check whether the audio is muted: if %_mute == 1 echo The audio is muted!

See also: the SOUNDVOL command, which sets the master sound volume and mute state; and the _VOLUME variable, which returns the current volume.

_MUTED — Returns the master sound mute state.

Syntax:
%_MUTED

The value returned is 1 if the sound is muted, or 0 otherwise.

• Note: This is the old name of the _MUTE variable, retained for backward compatibility with older versions of this plugin. Please use _MUTE instead. _MUTED may disappear in future versions of UIStuff.

_SAFEMODE — Indicates whether Windows was started in safe mode.

Syntax:
%_SAFEMODE

The documented return values are:

0	Normal boot
1	Clean boot
2	Clean boot with network support

_SOUNDVOL — Returns the master sound volume level.

Syntax:
%_SOUNDVOL

The value returned is in the range 0 through 100.

• Note: This is the old name of the _VOLUME variable, retained for backward compatibility with older versions of this plugin. Please use _VOLUME instead. _SOUNDVOL may disappear in future versions of UIStuff.

_SSVRNAME — Returns the filename of the current screen saver.

Syntax:
%_SSVRNAME

If no screen saver is defined, the value returned is *None*. Note that the returned filename will be quoted.

rem Get the current screen saver filename: set screensaver=%_ssvrname

See also: the SCRNSAVER command, which configures the screen saver; and the _SSVRTIME variable, which returns the current screen saver timeout value.

_SSVRTIME — Returns the current screen saver timeout, in seconds.

Syntax:
%_SSVRTIME

rem Get the current screen saver timeout: set timeout=%_ssvrtime

See also: the SCRNSAVER command, which configures the screen saver; and the _SSVRNAME variable, which returns the current screen saver filename.

_SSVRUP — Indicates whether the screen saver is currently running.

Syntax:
%_SSVRUP

The return value is 1 if the screen saver is currently running, 0 if it is not.

rem Check whether the screen saver is running: if "%_ssvrup" == "1" echo You can't read this yet (%_time).

See also: the SCRNSAVER command, which can be used to start the screen saver.

_VOLUME — Returns the master sound volume level.

Syntax:
%_VOLUME

The value returned is in the range 0 through 100.

rem Display the current master volume level: echo The master sound volume is at %_volume%%%.

See also: the SOUNDVOL command, which sets the master sound volume and mute state; and the _MUTE variable, which returns the current mute state.

_WALLPAPER — Returns the filename of the current desktop wallpaper.

Syntax:
%_WALLPAPER

If no wallpaper is defined, the value returned is *None*. Note that the returned filename will be quoted.

rem Get the current wallpaper filename: set wallpaper=%_wallpaper

• Note: If the wallpaper was converted or resized by the WALLPAPER command, the return value will be the converted filename, not the original source file.

See also: the WALLPAPER command, which sets the current wallpaper; and the _WALLSTYLE variable, which reports the current wallpaper style.

_WALLSTYLE — Returns the current wallpaper style.

Syntax:
%_WALLSTYLE

The style is returned as a string; possible values are Centered, Tiled, or Stretched.

rem Check whether the wallpaper is stretched: if "%_wallstyle" == "Stretched" echo The wallpaper is stretched to fit.

See also: the WALLPAPER command, which sets the current wallpaper; and the _WALLPAPER variable, which reports the current wallpaper filename.

_WINOSVER — Returns the Windows version and build numbers.

Syntax:
%_WINOSVER

The version will be reported as major.minor.build with periods between components.

Reference Information:

W3C Color Names	used in `BGCOLOR` and `_BGCOLORNAME`
Objects Supported	by the `MKSC` command
Hotkeys	for the `MKSC` command
Character Escapes	supported in the `MKSC` command
Highlight Variable	Choose your colors.
Startup Message	and how to suppress it
Acknowledgments	some of my guides through the jungle
Changes	What’s new?
Status and Licensing

W3C Color Names:

BGCOLOR, _BGCOLORNAME, and MKSC all use W3C color names, not the much shorter list of VGA colors familiar from most TCC commands and functions. Here is a list of the color names supported by this plugin, with their equivalent values. (Names containing “gray” may be spelled using “grey” if you prefer.)

AliceBlue	0xF0F8FF	LightSalmon	0xFFA07A
AntiqueWhite	0xFAEBD7	LightSeaGreen	0x20B2AA
Aqua	0x00FFFF	LightSkyBlue	0x87CEFA
Aquamarine	0x7FFFD4	LightSlateGray	0x778899
Azure	0xF0FFFF	LightSteelBlue	0xB0C4DE
Beige	0xF5F5DC	LightYellow	0xFFFFE0
Bisque	0xFFE4C4	Lime	0x00FF00
Black	0x000000	LimeGreen	0x32CD32
BlanchedAlmond	0xFFEBCD	Linen	0xFAF0E6
Blue	0x0000FF	Magenta	0xFF00FF
BlueViolet	0x8A2BE2	Maroon	0x800000
Brown	0xA52A2A	MediumAquaMarine	0x66CDAA
BurlyWood	0xDEB887	MediumBlue	0x0000CD
CadetBlue	0x5F9EA0	MediumOrchid	0xBA55D3
Chartreuse	0x7FFF00	MediumPurple	0x9370DB
Chocolate	0xD2691E	MediumSeaGreen	0x3CB371
Coral	0xFF7F50	MediumSlateBlue	0x7B68EE
CornflowerBlue	0x6495ED	MediumSpringGreen	0x00FA9A
Cornsilk	0xFFF8DC	MediumTurquoise	0x48D1CC
Crimson	0xDC143C	MediumVioletRed	0xC71585
Cyan	0x00FFFF	MidnightBlue	0x191970
DarkBlue	0x00008B	MintCream	0xF5FFFA
DarkCyan	0x008B8B	MistyRose	0xFFE4E1
DarkGoldenrod	0xB8860B	Moccasin	0xFFE4B5
DarkGray	0xA9A9A9	NavajoWhite	0xFFDEAD
DarkGreen	0x006400	Navy	0x000080
DarkKhaki	0xBDB76B	OldLace	0xFDF5E6
DarkMagenta	0x8B008B	Olive	0x808000
DarkOliveGreen	0x556B2F	OliveDrab	0x6B8E23
DarkOrange	0xFF8C00	Orange	0xFFA500
DarkOrchid	0x9932CC	OrangeRed	0xFF4500
DarkRed	0x8B0000	Orchid	0xDA70D6
DarkSalmon	0xE9967A	PaleGoldenrod	0xEEE8AA
DarkSeaGreen	0x8FBC8F	PaleGreen	0x98FB98
DarkSlateBlue	0x483D8B	PaleTurquoise	0xAFEEEE
DarkSlateGray	0x2F4F4F	PaleVioletRed	0xDB7093
DarkTurquoise	0x00CED1	PapayaWhip	0xFFEFD5
DarkViolet	0x9400D3	PeachPuff	0xFFDAB9
DeepPink	0xFF1493	Peru	0xCD853F
DeepSkyBlue	0x00BFFF	Pink	0xFFC0CB
DimGray	0x696969	Plum	0xDDA0DD
DodgerBlue	0x1E90FF	PowderBlue	0xB0E0E6
FireBrick	0xB22222	Purple	0x800080
FloralWhite	0xFFFAF0	Red	0xFF0000
ForestGreen	0x228B22	RosyBrown	0xBC8F8F
Fuchsia	0xFF00FF	RoyalBlue	0x4169E1
Gainsboro	0xDCDCDC	SaddleBrown	0x8B4513
GhostWhite	0xF8F8FF	Salmon	0xFA8072
Gold	0xFFD700	SandyBrown	0xF4A460
Goldenrod	0xDAA520	SeaGreen	0x2E8B57
Gray	0x808080	Seashell	0xFFF5EE
Green	0x008000	Sienna	0xA0522D
GreenYellow	0xADFF2F	Silver	0xC0C0C0
Honeydew	0xF0FFF0	SkyBlue	0x87CEEB
Hotpink	0xFF69B4	SlateBlue	0x6A5ACD
IndianRed	0xCD5C5C	SlateGray	0x708090
Indigo	0x4B0082	Snow	0xFFFAFA
Ivory	0xFFFFF0	SpringGreen	0x00FF7F
Khaki	0xF0E68C	SteelBlue	0x4682B4
Lavender	0xE6E6FA	Tan	0xD2B48C
LavenderBlush	0xFFF0F5	Teal	0x008080
LawnGreen	0x7CFC00	Thistle	0xD8BFD8
LemonChiffon	0xFFFACD	Tomato	0xFF6347
LightBlue	0xADD8E6	Turquoise	0x40E0D0
LightCoral	0xF08080	Violet	0xEE82EE
LightCyan	0xE0FFFF	Wheat	0xF5DEB3
LightGoldenrodYellow	0xFAFAD2	White	0xFFFFFF
LightGray	0xD3D3D3	WhiteSmoke	0xF5F5F5
LightGreen	0x90EE90	Yellow	0xFFFF00
LightPink	0xFFB6C1	YellowGreen	0x9ACD32

Objects Supported:

These are the Explorer objects explicitly supported in the target parameter to the MKSC command:

<Desktop>	the desktop
<Computer>	the list of drives
<Documents>	the default save location for many applications
<Music>	the suggested save location for music files
<Pictures>	the suggested save location for graphics files
<Video>	the suggested save location for video files
<Common Documents>	the suggested location for shared documents
<Common Music>	the suggested location for shared music files
<Common Pictures>	the suggested location for shared graphics files
<Common Video>	the suggested location for shared video files
<Printers>	the list of printers
<Network>	Network Neighborhood; LAN locations
<Connections>	network interfaces
<Recycle Bin>	deleted-but-recoverable files
<Control Panel>	Windows configuration utilities
<Recent>	list of shortcuts to recently-opened files
<SendTo>	Explorer’s list of send-to locations
<Search>	the Windows file-search utility
<Help and Support>	Help and Support Center
<Run...>	Explorer’s mini-command line
<E-mail>	the registered email application
<Set Program Access and Defaults>	configure default applications

Note that all of the above must be quoted to protect the angle brackets.

If you supply a name in angle brackets and it doesn’t match any of the above, MKSC will search for items with a matching display name in: (1) Control Panel, (2) Administrative Tools, (3) Printers, and (4) Windows’s “Constant Special Item ID List”, in that order.

Hotkeys:

These are the key names recognized by the MKSC command. Be aware that they differ somewhat from the key names used by the KEYSTACK command. In particular, MKSC distinguishes between the number keys on the numeric keypad, and those above the alphabetic keys.

Modifier keys: use one or more of these before a named key. Case is not significant. Modifiers listed on the same line are equivalent.

`Control-`	`Ctrl-`	`C-`	the `Ctrl` key
`Alt-`		`A-`	the `Alt` key
`Shift-`		`S-`	the `Shift` key

Named keys. Case is not significant. Some have two names; names on the same line are equivalent.

Name	Alternate name	Comments
`A` — `Z`		letter keys
`0` — `9`		number keys on the top row
`Num0` — `Num9`		numbers on the numeric keypad when `NumLock` is on
`Backspace`	`Bksp`
`Tab`		not recommended
`Enter`	`Return`	not recommended
`Esc`		not recommended
`PageUp`	`PgUp`	also `9` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`PageDown`	`PgDn`	also `3` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`Home`		also `7` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`End`		also `1` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`Left`		also `4` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`Right`		also `6` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`Up`		also `8` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`Down`		also `2` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`Insert`	`Ins`	also `0` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`Delete`	`Del`	also `.` on the keypad when `NumLock` is off
`Num*`	`*`	`*` on the numeric keypad
`Num+`		`+` on the numeric keypad
`Num-`		`-` on the numeric keypad
`Num/`		`/` on the numeric keypad
`F1` — `F12`		function keys
`;`	`Semicolon`
`=`	`Equals`
`,`	`Comma`
`-`	`Minus`
`.`	`Period`
`/`	`Slash`	the key with the question mark on U.S. keyboards
`Grave`	`	the key with the swung dash on U.S. keyboards
`[`	`LeftBracket`
`]`	`RightBracket`
`\`	`Backslash`
`'`	`Apostrophe`
`Space`	`Spacebar`	not recommended

• Note: Some key combinations are reserved by Windows, and others may not be recognized. Also, while it may be possible to use a named key without any modifiers, it’s probably a Bad Idea.

Character Escapes:

The MKSC command recognizes these escape sequences:

Code:	Expands to:	Example:
`\a`	ASCII BEL character (0x07)
`\b`	ASCII backspace (0x08)
`\c`	comma
`\e`	ASCII ESC character (0x1b)
`\f`	form feed (0x0c)
`\k`	grave accent (0x60)
`\n`	line feed (0x0a)
`\q`	double quotes (0x22)
`\r`	carriage return (0x0d)
`\s`	space (0x20)
`\t`	tab (0x09)
`\v`	vertical tab (0x0b)
`\\`	backslash (0x5c)
`\u`nnnn	Unicode character, up to U+FFFF	`\u03a3` → Σ
`\U`nnnnnnnn	Unicode character, up to U+10FFFF	`\U0001f63a` → 😺
`\nnn`	octal value, up to 777	`\101` → A
`\x`nnnn	hexadecimal value, up to FFFF	`\x0041` → A
`\#`nnnnn	decimal value, up to 65535	`\#65` → A

Note that case is significant for the letter after the backslash. All must be lowercase, except for \Uxxxxxxxx.

Case is not significant in hexadecimal values. \uxxxx and \xxxxx read up to four hexadecimal digits; \Uxxxxxxxx reads up to eight. You may use fewer than four (or eight) digits if the following character is not a valid hex digit.

Similarly, octal character escapes read up to three octal digits. You may use fewer than three if the following character is not an octal digit. Decimal escapes read up to five decimal digits; you may use fewer than five if the following character is not a digit.

Highlight Variable:

MKSC features highlighted output. You can customize this feature by setting an environment variable Highlight:

rem Disable highlight: set highlight=none rem Set the highlight foreground: set highlight=bright cyan rem Set both foreground and background: set highlight=bri whi on blu rem Numbers are also supported: set highlight=46

If the Highlight environment variable is not defined, the plugin will check the registry for a value named Highlight of type REG_SZ. The plugin will search, in this order:

• `HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\JPPlugins\UIStuff`	(affects this plugin only)
• `HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\JPPlugins`	(affects several of my plugins)

You can also use /NC to disable highlighting in MKSC.

Startup Message:

This plugin displays an informational line when it initializes. The message will be suppressed in transient or pipe shells. You can disable it for all shells by defining an environment variable named NOLOADMSG, for example:

set /e /u noloadmsg=1

Acknowledgments:

The Windows XP (and earlier) mixer API is the kind of Byzantine, bodged-together Rube Goldberg monstrosity that gives “crawling horror” a bad name. This page (by Alberto di Bene?) was instrumental in saving my sanity.

… And then Microsoft said “Let there be Vista.” And lo, there was much confusion. Setting the master volume using the old API doesn’t work in Vista and later. The new interface is much simpler to use, and this page (by Sayyeid Mostafa Hashemi) was extremely helpful to me in making it work. Of course, the new Vista method won’t work in Windows XP and earlier; so this plugin must incorporate two utterly different routines to get and set the volume and mute state. Isn’t Windows amazing?

It seems that Microsoft doesn’t want us to change the default audio device programatically. Why not? I don’t know. I don’t care. I have perfectly valid reasons for wanting to do this; maybe you do too. To do the seemingly impossible I am using IPolicyConfig.h by EreTIk, which I found here. Thank you, EreTIk, whoever you are.

This page, by Kent Reisdorph, was useful in battling through the bizarre complexities of the Windows shell namespace. (May 2021: Page is gone; try the Wayback Machine.)

The syntax of the SCREENRES command borrows shamelessly from Anders Kjersem’s QRES utility.

I compress the binary using UPX.

Changes:

Version:	Date:	Changes:
0.81.0	2024-09-24	Added `DEFAUDIOOUT` and `_DEFAUDIOOUT`. Updated versions of NewHelp.cpp, FindMyWindow.cpp, and conlist.cpp. ParseInt() now supports octal numbers.
0.80.0.4	2024-04-03	Updates the QuickHelp for the `UISTUFFHELP` command.
0.80.0.3	2024-04-02	Minor tweak to FindMyWindow.cpp: now Windows Terminal detection does not rely on the `WT_SESSION` environment variable.
0.80.0.2	2024-03-13	Trivial code tweaks.
0.80.0.1	2024-03-13	Minor tweaks to ForceForegroundWindow().
0.80.0	2024-01-04	`MKSC` updated to use conlist.cpp v1.1 to better support Ctrl-C and Ctrl-Break. `SETFOCUS` updated to use FindMyWindow.cpp; now it recognizes Windows Terminal.
0.79.3	2023-11-16	The “Plugin not loaded” message is no longer shown in transient or pipe shells. When it is shown, it now includes the plugin’s name.
0.79.2.4	2023-10-18	Updated to the current version of NewHelp.cpp.
0.79.2.3	2023-10-13	Tweaked ShowCmdHelp() to also report `VER_PATCH`.
0.79.2.2	2023-10-12	Updated the plugin’s web address.
0.79.2	2023-07-25	Updated w3ccolors.cpp to the current version.
0.79.1	2023-07-21	Updated OsdCmd.cpp and conlist.cpp. Rearranged code to make `UISTUFFHELP /V` more informative. Other minor code tweaks. Removed FTP download link from the docs.
0.79.0	2023-06-13	Removed all calls to QueryIsFile() to work around around an issue in TCC v30.00.20.
0.78.3	2023-05-18	Moved `SOUNDVOL`’s OSD display slightly up and to the left.
0.78.2	2023-04-18	Now `\b` correctly expands to ASCII backspace in `MKSC`. Updated to the latest versions of ExpandEscapes.cpp and conlist.cpp.
0.78.1	2023-04-03	Tweaks to `SOUNDVOL`’s OSD display.
0.78.0	2023-02-01	Moved all the sound volume stuff out to SoundVol.cpp. The volume and mute variables are now `_VOLUME` and `_MUTE` respectively. `_SOUNDVOL` and `_MUTED` are retained for backward compatibility, but deprecated.
0.77.12	2023-01-02	Minor tweaks to `SOUNDVOL`’s OSD display.
0.77.11	2022-12-27	Rewrote `_BROWSER` for Windows 10.
0.77.10	2022-12-26	Updates and fixes for `SOUNDVOL`.
0.77.9	2022-01-12	Removed `MKSC`’s `/X` and `/Y`, and replaced them with `/AX:` and `/CX:`.
0.77.8	2021-12-19	`MKSC`: Added `/NE` to suppress many error messages. Fixed a problem with extensionless files being incorrectly included.
0.77.7	2021-12-16	`MKSC`: Split `/FB` into `/FB` (buffer info) and `/FF` (font info). Added `/F?` to list available fields. Documented the optional third argument to `/BS`.
0.77.6	2021-12-15	Added `MKSC /FH` to dump the console color palette. Renamed `MKSC`’s `/BK`n`:` option to `/BH`n`:` (think H for hue).
0.77.5	2021-12-15	Now `MKSC /BK`n`:` can accept multiple color names, separated by commas or semicolons, to define more than one color at a time.
0.77.2	2021-12-08	`MKSC`: Reworked `/N` a bit. Now `/NC` disables highlighting, and `/NT` prevents canononicalizing the target filename. Also added a semi-undocumented `/N?` which describes the available `/N` flags.
0.77.1	2021-11-29	`MKSC` and `@SCINFO`: Added the ability to decode installer ‘Darwin’ ID strings, and return either a product name or a GUID.
0.77.0	2021-11-26	Removed `SETTHEME`, which hasn’t worked as designed since Windows 7.
0.76.4	2021-11-24	Fix for `MKSC` crashing on an unknown symbolic name.
0.76.3	2021-11-23	Added `/P` to `MKSC`.
0.76.2	2021-11-23	OsdCmd.cpp version 1.0.7.2. Further code tweaks.
0.76.1	2021-11-23	Added `/Y` to `MKSC`.
0.76.0	2021-11-23	In `@SCINFO`, adding 512 to info escapifies the return string. Now all commands display help text via ShowCmdHelp().
0.75.2	2021-07-30	Added `/X` and `/NZ` to `MKSC`. Minor tweaks to the version info resource; now the platform (x64 or x86) is included.
0.75.1	2021-05-18	`INSTALLFONTS` bug fix: only save the filename to the registry, not the full pathname. Added `/X`.
0.75.0	2021-05-18	Removes `STARTPIN` and `TASKBARPIN`, which haven’t worked since Windows Vista. (Thanks, Microsoft!) Adds `INSTALLFONTS`. Changed the .DLL filenames; now the 32-bit build is UIStuff-x86.dll, and the 64-bit version is UIStuff.dll. Newer version of the OSD code. Various other tweaks and updates.

Status and Licensing:

Consider this beta software. It may well have issues. Try it at your own risk. If you find bugs, you can report them in the JP Software support forum.

UIStuff is currently licensed only for testing purposes. I may make binaries and source code available under some free license once I consider it ready for use.

Download:

You can download the current version of the plugin from https://charlesdye.net/dl/uistuff.zip.

— Quick Links —