1. Introduction to the Shell and the Basics of COM

   1. Chapter 1 Introduction

      1. COM and the Shell
      2. Programming for the Shell
      3. Kinds of Shell Extensions
      4. Conclusion

   2. Chapter 2 COM Basics

      1. What Is COM?
      2. Interfaces
      3. Classes
      4. Type Libraries
      5. IUnknown
      6. IDispatch
      7. Conclusion

   3. Chapter 3 Shell Extensions

      1. Folders and File Objects
      2. Shell Extensions
      3. Registry Settings
      4. The .rad File
      5. The Shell Extension Project
      6. Restarting the Shell
      7. When the Shell Crashes

2. Shell Extensions

   1. Chapter 4 Context Menu Handlers

      1. Static Context Menus
      2. Static Context Menus in IE 5.0
      3. Dynamic Context Menus
      4. Context Menu Handler Interfaces
      5. Creating a Context Menu Handler

   2. Chapter 5 Icon Handlers

      1. How Icon Handlers Work
      2. Icon Handler Interfaces
      3. Creating an Icon Handler

   3. Chapter 6 Property Sheet Handlers

      1. How Property Sheet Handlers Work
      2. Property Sheet Handler Interface
      3. Creating a Property Sheet Handler
      4. Registering the Property Sheet Handler

   4. Chapter 7 Drop Handlers

      1. How Drop Handlers Work
      2. Drop Handler Interfaces
      3. Creating a Drop Handler
      4. Registering the Drop Handler

   5. Chapter 8 Data Handlers

      1. How Data Handlers Work
      2. Data Handler Interfaces
      3. Creating a Data Handler
      4. Adding Additional Formats

   6. Chapter 9 Copy Hook Handlers

      1. How Copy Hook Handlers Work
      2. Copy Hook Handler Interface: ICopyHook
      3. Implementing ICopyHook
      4. Registering Copy Hook Handlers
      5. Testing the Handler

   7. Chapter 10 InfoTip Handler

      1. How InfoTip Handlers Work
      2. InfoTip Interfaces
      3. The Project

3. Namespace Extensions

   1. Chapter 11 Namespace Extensions

      1. Namespace Fundamentals
      2. Explorer Architecture
      3. The PIDL
      4. Namespace Interfaces
      5. Creating the Namespace Extension
      6. The PIDL Manager
      7. Registering DemoSpace
      8. Practical Coding Examples

4. Browser Extensions

   1. Chapter 12 Browser Extensions

      1. Browser Helper Objects
      2. Browser Extensions

   2. Chapter 13 Band Objects

      1. How Band Objects Work
      2. Band Object Interfaces
      3. The Project: FileSpider
      4. Registry
      5. Tool Bands

   3. Chapter 14 Docking Windows

      1. How Docking Windows Work
      2. Docking Window Interfaces
      3. The Project
      4. Registration

5. Appendixes

   1. Appendix A VBShell Library Listing

   2. Appendix B Pointers

      1. CopyMemory
      2. The Undocumented VBA Functions
      3. Some CopyMemory Examples

1. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Visual Basic Shell Programming is a Globigerina foraminifer, commonly referred to as a foram. Forams are single-celled protozoans that are rarely visible to the naked eye. Their sizes range from 100 micrometers to 20 centimeters. A foram's physiology consists primarily of a calcium carbonate exoskeleton, which is a porous shell (or test) divided into multiple chambers and separated by partitions. The final chamber built in the shell acts as an aperture that opens to the exterior. Forams use various organic materials to build their shells—including calcite, sand grains, sponge spicules, and mica flakes—and pack these particles together with a natural cement-like substance. Strands of cytoplasm known as reticulopodia extend through the pores of the shell and aid with the forming of additional shell, as well as with swimming and feeding. Some species eat dissolved organic molecules, bacteria, and single-celled phytoplankton. Other species of forams derive their nourishment from algae living within their shells, sharing in a symbiotic relationship. In addition, forams play a large part in the food chain as a food source for other animals, including snails, sand dollars, and fish.

The 4,000 species of living foraminifera are mostly marine organisms, found in all temperatures and depths of the world's oceans. Many species are planktonic and float in the water. Others live on the ocean floor in the sand and mud or attach themselves to shells, rocks, or seaweed. In Bermuda, the ocean's bottom sediment is so dense with the foram shells of Homotrema rubrum that the beach sand is pink in color. Forams also contribute in part to the oceans' complex coral reef systems.

Of all the species of forams, 90% are extinct and have only been discovered as fossils. In fact, much of the Earth's sedimentary rock consists of fossilized foraminifer shells. These fossils are extremely helpful in the dating techniques used by paleontologists. Since many foram species have short geological life spans and are found in very specific marine environments, paleontologists use their fossils to determine the age and past environmental conditions of sedimentary rock. Jeffrey Holcomb was the production editor for Visual Basic Shell Programming. Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary was the copyeditor. Mary Sheehan, Nancy Kotary, and Madeleine Newell provided quality control. Mary Sheehan and Emily Quill provided production assistance. Nancy Crumpton wrote the index.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

Alicia Cech and David Futato designed the interior layout based on a series design by Nancy Priest. Mike Sierra implemented the design in FrameMaker 5.5.6. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Rhon Porter using Macromedia FreeHand 8 and Adobe Photoshop 5. This colophon was written by Jeff Holcomb.

Whenever possible, our books use RepKover™, a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. If the page count exceeds RepKover's limit, perfect binding is used.