How to create "Send to "FOLDER" " similar to send to desktop shortcut?

Question

I've been trying to keep some files in a separate folder as shortcut, so that I can keep track of my favourite media files and images etc in a specified folder as shortcut. I don't want to always copy these files everytime to that location so I was thinking of making it easier by adding a shortcut to the "send to" menu... I have windows 7 on my pc.

I'm trying to create a shortcut similar to the "send to Desktop (create shortcut)" that can simply place a shortcut in my "C:\Fav Media" folder, or similar location AS A SHORTCUT. Methods I had in mind:

1. Create a batch file that takes any file as input and creates a shortcut of that file in that folder. Thus any file can be dropped to the batch.bat.lnk shortcut and it's shortcut is sent to that folder. If file drop is successful, then I believe that send to option will do the same thing.

2. I checked the "desktop (create shortcut).desklink" and it's extension is as already mentioned: .deskling.

I don't intend to play with registry, so if there's any file like a xml or txt or bat in windows that manages .desklink kind of extensions and does place shortcut from sendto menu no matter what the shortcut.desklink is named as, then maybe I could edit that xml and place the "C:\fav folder" as an addition in extensions to that xml with extension: ".favlink" ...

Is this possible? Can this be done in windows 7?

Thanks for any help.

Answer 1

Using DeskLink as an extension in the SendTo, it will send it TO THE DESKTOP. What a waste of a file extension that only does one thing.

A batch file is going to be needed here.

@echo off
:: For my testing purposes, change this to whatever you need
set targetfolder=d:\Temp
shortcut /f:"%targetfolder%\%~n1%~x1.lnk" /a:c /t:%1

1. Download this shortcut utility. : http://optimumx.com/download/Shortcut.zip
2. Copy the above code and paste into a blank text file.
3. Change the default folder name (fully qualified, and no quotes, even if there are spaces)
4. Save the above in a file with a filename you want, and an extension of .cmd (ie, filename.cmd)

5. Create a shortcut in your SendTo to this batch file. To locate the sendto folder, simply copy this to start>run and hit enter: %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

   • Send To the shortcut all you want. I've taken care of the issues with quoted names as well (and yes, there were some issues o_O).
   • The first line turns echo off, so you don't see the magic.
   • The third sets the fully qualified target folder. Technically, you could just replace the %targetfolder% with the default, but it's easier to see what needs to be changed later.
   • I then manipulate my 1st argument, the fully qualified file name that I get, and strip the target file name down to the target folder, the file name and extension, and then add the .lnk extension. The target is of course the fully qualified file name. The /a:c creates it.
   • If you don't like the black box showing, hit properties of the SendTo shortcut and just make it minimized.
   • There really is no error checking so if there is another .lnk file with the same name, it will be overwritten. That is why I make sure I include the extension as well, just to make better differentiation.