Computer shortcut
Encyclopedia
A file shortcut in Microsoft Windows
is a small file containing a target URI
or GUID
to an object, or the name of a target program file that the shortcut represents. The shortcut might additionally specify parameters to be passed to the target program when it is run. Each shortcut can have its own icon. Shortcuts are very commonly placed on a desktop
, in an application launcher panel such as the Windows Start menu
, or in the main menu of a desktop environment
.
. Microsoft Windows
uses .lnk as the filename
extension for shortcuts to local files, and .URL for shortcuts to remote files, like web pages. Commonly referred to as "shortcuts" or "link files", both are displayed with a curled arrow overlay icon by default, and no filename extension
. (The extension remains hidden in Windows Explorer even when "Hide extensions for known file types" is unchecked in File Type options, because it is controlled by the NeverShowExt option in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile in the Registry. The IsShortcut option causes the arrow to be displayed.) Shortcut files can be used to launch programs in minimized or maximized window states if the program supports it.
Microsoft Windows
.lnk files operate as Windows Explorer
extensions, rather than file system extensions. As a shell extension, .lnk files can't be used in place of the file except in Windows Explorer, and have other uses in Windows Explorer in addition to use as a shortcut to a local file (or GUID). These files also begin with "L".
A link file with the magic name "target.lnk" may be used as the target of "desktop.ini", the folder customization file. A folder customized in this way becomes an alias for the target specified in the lnk file. That is, the customized folder becomes the effective shortcut. This technique is used by Microsoft Windows for items like WebDAV folders.
Generally the effect of double-clicking a shortcut is intended to be the same as double-clicking the application or document to which it refers, but Windows shortcuts contain separate properties for the target file and the "Start In" directory. If the latter parameter is not entered, attempting to use the shortcut for some programs may generate "missing DLL" errors not present when the application is accessed directly.http://www.gearhack.com/Forums/DisplayComments.php?file=Computer/Games/Dawn_of_War_-_Dark_Crusade._Error_Loading_Module
Although shortcuts when created point to specific files or folders, they may break if the target is moved to another location. Microsoft Windows has standard algorithms for fixing up shortcuts when they are moved. Windows 9x
-based versions of Windows use a simple search algorithm to fix broken shortcuts . On Windows NT
-based operating systems and the NTFS
file system, the target object's unique identifier is stored in the shortcut file and Windows can use the Distributed Link Tracking service
for tracking the targets of shortcuts, so that the shortcut may be silently updated if the target moves to another hard drive. Windows Installer
introduced in Windows 2000
introduced another special type of shortcuts called Advertised shortcuts.
For Windows shortcuts that are located in the Start Menu
, a hotkey can be defined in the shortcut's properties. Windows 2000 onwards, file shortcuts can also store comments which are displayed as a tooltip when the mouse hovers over the shortcut.
File system links
can also be created on Windows systems, which serve a similar function, although they are a feature of the file system
. Windows shortcuts are files and work independently of the file system
.
or KDE
provide freedesktop.org
.desktop files. These can be used to point to local or remote files, folders, and applications. Symbolic link
s can also be created on Unix systems, which serve a similar function.
s support the use of shortcut icons on the desktop
;
The extension .webloc is used for internet urls within the Safari browser. Macintosh System 7
through Mac OS 9
used "aliases"
, which distinguished themselves visually to the user by the fact that their file names were in italics. In Mac OS 8 and later, another distinguishing mark was added, badging with an "alias arrow" – a black arrow on a small white square – similar to that used for shortcuts in Microsoft Windows.
In Mac OS X
, the filenames of aliases are not italicized, but the arrow badge remains. In Mac OS X an alias retains its dynamic reference to an object and does not have to be specified even when calling files on remote servers.
to execute an application
or render
a file
, the user
had to click on the representation of the actual file
or executable in the location where the application or file was.
The concept of disassociating the executable from the icon
representing an instruction to perform a task associated with that file or executable so that they may be grouped by function or task rather than physical organisation in the file structure was first described in the research paper "A Task Oriented Front End For The Windows Graphical User Interface" published in 1991 by Kingston University
and presented to both Microsoft
and Xerox EuroPARC that same year under an academia/business technology sharing agreement.
A simplified form of this research was incorporated into System 7
in 1991, and four years later into Windows 95
.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
is a small file containing a target URI
Úri
Úriis a village and commune in the comitatus of Pest in Hungary....
or GUID
Globally Unique Identifier
A globally unique identifier is a unique reference number used as an identifier in computer software. The term GUID also is used for Microsoft's implementation of the Universally unique identifier standard....
to an object, or the name of a target program file that the shortcut represents. The shortcut might additionally specify parameters to be passed to the target program when it is run. Each shortcut can have its own icon. Shortcuts are very commonly placed on a desktop
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
, in an application launcher panel such as the Windows Start menu
Start menu
The Start Menu and Start Button are user interface elements used in the later versions of the Microsoft Windows operating systems and in some X window managers...
, or in the main menu of a desktop environment
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
.
Microsoft Windows
File shortcuts (also known as Shell Links) were introduced in Windows 95Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
. Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
uses .lnk as the filename
Filename
The filename is metadata about a file; a string used to uniquely identify a file stored on the file system. Different file systems impose different restrictions on length and allowed characters on filenames.A filename includes one or more of these components:...
extension for shortcuts to local files, and .URL for shortcuts to remote files, like web pages. Commonly referred to as "shortcuts" or "link files", both are displayed with a curled arrow overlay icon by default, and no filename extension
Filename extension
A filename extension is a suffix to the name of a computer file applied to indicate the encoding of its contents or usage....
. (The extension remains hidden in Windows Explorer even when "Hide extensions for known file types" is unchecked in File Type options, because it is controlled by the NeverShowExt option in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile in the Registry. The IsShortcut option causes the arrow to be displayed.) Shortcut files can be used to launch programs in minimized or maximized window states if the program supports it.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
.lnk files operate as Windows Explorer
Windows Explorer
This article is about the Windows file system browser. For the similarly named web browser, see Internet ExplorerWindows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface...
extensions, rather than file system extensions. As a shell extension, .lnk files can't be used in place of the file except in Windows Explorer, and have other uses in Windows Explorer in addition to use as a shortcut to a local file (or GUID). These files also begin with "L".
A link file with the magic name "target.lnk" may be used as the target of "desktop.ini", the folder customization file. A folder customized in this way becomes an alias for the target specified in the lnk file. That is, the customized folder becomes the effective shortcut. This technique is used by Microsoft Windows for items like WebDAV folders.
Generally the effect of double-clicking a shortcut is intended to be the same as double-clicking the application or document to which it refers, but Windows shortcuts contain separate properties for the target file and the "Start In" directory. If the latter parameter is not entered, attempting to use the shortcut for some programs may generate "missing DLL" errors not present when the application is accessed directly.http://www.gearhack.com/Forums/DisplayComments.php?file=Computer/Games/Dawn_of_War_-_Dark_Crusade._Error_Loading_Module
Although shortcuts when created point to specific files or folders, they may break if the target is moved to another location. Microsoft Windows has standard algorithms for fixing up shortcuts when they are moved. Windows 9x
Windows 9x
Windows 9x is a generic term referring to a series of Microsoft Windows computer operating systems produced since 1995, which were based on the original and later modified Windows 95 kernel...
-based versions of Windows use a simple search algorithm to fix broken shortcuts . On Windows NT
Windows NT
Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...
-based operating systems and the NTFS
NTFS
NTFS is the standard file system of Windows NT, including its later versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7....
file system, the target object's unique identifier is stored in the shortcut file and Windows can use the Distributed Link Tracking service
Windows Service
On Microsoft Windows operating systems, a Windows service is a long-running executable that performs specific functions and which is designed not to require user intervention. Windows services can be configured to start when the operating system is booted and run in the background as long as...
for tracking the targets of shortcuts, so that the shortcut may be silently updated if the target moves to another hard drive. Windows Installer
Windows Installer
The Windows Installer is a software component used for the installation, maintenance, and removal of software on modern Microsoft Windows systems...
introduced in Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
introduced another special type of shortcuts called Advertised shortcuts.
For Windows shortcuts that are located in the Start Menu
Start menu
The Start Menu and Start Button are user interface elements used in the later versions of the Microsoft Windows operating systems and in some X window managers...
, a hotkey can be defined in the shortcut's properties. Windows 2000 onwards, file shortcuts can also store comments which are displayed as a tooltip when the mouse hovers over the shortcut.
File system links
Symbolic link
In computing, a symbolic link is a special type of file that contains a reference to another file or directory in the form of an absolute or relative path and that affects pathname resolution. Symbolic links were already present by 1978 in mini-computer operating systems from DEC and Data...
can also be created on Windows systems, which serve a similar function, although they are a feature of the file system
File system
A file system is a means to organize data expected to be retained after a program terminates by providing procedures to store, retrieve and update data, as well as manage the available space on the device which contain it. A file system organizes data in an efficient manner and is tuned to the...
. Windows shortcuts are files and work independently of the file system
File system
A file system is a means to organize data expected to be retained after a program terminates by providing procedures to store, retrieve and update data, as well as manage the available space on the device which contain it. A file system organizes data in an efficient manner and is tuned to the...
.
Unix
Some desktop environments for Unix-like operating systems, such as GNOMEGNOME
GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...
or KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
provide freedesktop.org
Freedesktop.org
freedesktop.org is a project to work on interoperability and shared base technology for free software desktop environments for the X Window System on Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. It was founded by Havoc Pennington from Red Hat in March 2000.The organisation focuses on the user....
.desktop files. These can be used to point to local or remote files, folders, and applications. Symbolic link
Symbolic link
In computing, a symbolic link is a special type of file that contains a reference to another file or directory in the form of an absolute or relative path and that affects pathname resolution. Symbolic links were already present by 1978 in mini-computer operating systems from DEC and Data...
s can also be created on Unix systems, which serve a similar function.
List of X window managers that support desktop shortcuts
The following window managerWindow manager
A window manager is system software that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a windowing system in a graphical user interface. Most window managers are designed to help provide a desktop environment...
s support the use of shortcut icons on the desktop
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
;
- 4dwm4Dwm4Dwm is a window manager normally used on Silicon Graphics workstations running IRIX. 4Dwm is derived from the older mwm window manager and uses the Motif widget toolkit on top of the X Window System found on most Unix systems....
- aewm++
- cwmCwm (window manager)cwm is a stacking window manager for X Window System available on OpenBSD , NetBSD, DragonFlyBSD and Linux distributions using pkgsrc, Gentoo Linux and some other Linux distributions....
- dwmDwmdwm is a dynamic tiling window manager for X11 exhibiting the principles of minimalism which is known for having influenced the development of other window managers, including xmonad and awesome. It is externally similar to wmii, but internally much simpler. dwm is written purely in C and, for...
- ecomorph
- epiwm
- fpcbol
- ion2
- metacityMetacityMetacity was the window manager used by default in the GNOME desktop environment until GNOME 3, where it was replaced by Mutter. The development of Metacity was started by Havoc Pennington and it is released under the GNU General Public License....
- windowmaker
Apple Macintosh
Apple does not have extensions for shortcuts although symbolic links can be created within the unix subsystem.The extension .webloc is used for internet urls within the Safari browser. Macintosh System 7
System 7 (Macintosh)
System 7 is a single-user graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers. It was introduced on May 13, 1991 by Apple Computer. It succeeded System 6, and was the main Macintosh operating system until it was succeeded by Mac OS 8 in 1997...
through Mac OS 9
Mac OS 8
Mac OS 8 is an operating system that was released by Apple Computer on July 26, 1997. It represented the largest overhaul of the Mac OS since the release of System 7, some six years previously. It puts more emphasis on color than previous operating systems...
used "aliases"
Alias (Mac OS)
In Mac OS System 7 and later, an alias is a small file that represents another object in a local, remote, or removable file system and provides a dynamic link to it; the target object may be moved, and the alias will still link to it...
, which distinguished themselves visually to the user by the fact that their file names were in italics. In Mac OS 8 and later, another distinguishing mark was added, badging with an "alias arrow" – a black arrow on a small white square – similar to that used for shortcuts in Microsoft Windows.
In Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, the filenames of aliases are not italicized, but the arrow badge remains. In Mac OS X an alias retains its dynamic reference to an object and does not have to be specified even when calling files on remote servers.
History
With early Graphical User InterfacesGui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
to execute an application
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
or render
Render
Render or rendering may refer to:In Computing:* Artistic rendering, creating, shading and texturing of an image* Architectural rendering, creating two-dimensional images or animations showing the attributes of a proposed architectural design...
a file
Computer file
A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...
, the user
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
had to click on the representation of the actual file
Computer file
A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...
or executable in the location where the application or file was.
The concept of disassociating the executable from the icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
representing an instruction to perform a task associated with that file or executable so that they may be grouped by function or task rather than physical organisation in the file structure was first described in the research paper "A Task Oriented Front End For The Windows Graphical User Interface" published in 1991 by Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
and presented to both Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and Xerox EuroPARC that same year under an academia/business technology sharing agreement.
A simplified form of this research was incorporated into System 7
System 7 (Macintosh)
System 7 is a single-user graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers. It was introduced on May 13, 1991 by Apple Computer. It succeeded System 6, and was the main Macintosh operating system until it was succeeded by Mac OS 8 in 1997...
in 1991, and four years later into Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
.
External links
- "Shell Link (.LNK) Binary File Format" from Microsoft
- IShellLink interface for accessing .lnk files in the Windows API
- "Shellify" Shellify is a 100% managed .NET implementation of the Microsoft Shell Link (.LNK) Binary File Format for accessing .lnk files without the Windows API
- Perl library
- Windows LNK file parser Free tool that can be run on Windows, Linux or Mac OS-X