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The right-click menu is called. Detailed analysis of Windows context menu options

Secrets Productive work on the computer

Context menu in Windows

The menu is the most important element of the graphical user interface, with which you can select the desired program option.

Types of menus on a computer:

    by execution – text and graphic

    by function - the main thing application menu, pop-up, context and system menus

What is a context menu and how to call it

A context menu is a separate type of menu on a computer; a list of available commands for working with this file.

Where is the context menu?

Its storage location is the Windows registry, which consists of two sections. One part of the programs is stored in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell section, the other in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers section.

How does the context menu open?

There are different ways to bring up the context menu

    There is a special button at the bottom of the keyboard, between the "ALT" key and the "CTRL" key. It shows the additional functions and actions available in relation to of this file. It usually has a sign and a mouse pointer on it.

    This button brings up the context menu. It is used if you need to highlight shortcuts necessary files

    , as well as inside already running programs. When you click this button, the context menu is called up according to the current situation. Right mouse button on keyboard

    can also be successfully replaced with this button.

    This method is for those who prefer to use the keyboard, while you can open the context menu using the mouse. Mouse over required file , select it by clicking the left button. Click right click

    in the selected area will open a context menu. When you select multiple items, the context menu will display the actions available for the selected group of files.

How to open the context menu when working on a laptop or netbook? On these devices, the mouse function is transferred to the built-in touchpad. The context menu is called up by right-clicking on the highlighted area.

How to customize the right-click context menu

For the right mouse button, a simple program called Context Menu Tuner will help you configure the context menu. She will tell you how to configure the Windows 7 context menu.

    Let's look at how to configure the right mouse button.

    The program interface consists of two different panels: the left one contains a list of commands supported by the program, the right one includes the OS explorer areas. Set the Russian language in the settings

    Adding a command. To do this, select it on the left side and “connect” it with the preferred element on the right. Click "Add".

Other commands are added in the same way.

To delete a command, select it and click "Delete"

The right-click context menu is now configured.

In order for the computer to understand the user, and the user to explain to the computer what he wants from him, there are elements such as menus (there are several types) and graphical interface. We will devote this publication to one of the categories related to this topic - how to call the context menu in Windows and what it is.

Menu is an element GUI Windows

When people talk to each other, they do not think about the fact that the language of communication is one of the types of interface.
">Basically, the user, when issuing commands from the set available list, receiving requests from the OS, opening windows, using scroll bars, uses a graphical interface without thinking about what it is.

GUI

The concept of interface is quite broad. If we talk about the Context Menu ( Context Menu, English), as a component of the graphical interface, then it should be imagined as an element of dialogue with operating system(by computer).

Calling

Context Menu is a list (list, set) of commands available to the user regarding some object. Now let's look at how the context menu opens. Before opening the context menu, you need to place the cursor (mouse) on some object (activating it). And after that you can call it in different ways:

  • Right mouse;
  • A combination of “Shift” and “F10”;
  • Also, the context menu is called by pressing special button- it is located between “ALT” and “CTRL”.

The set of its commands can be different and depends on what object was called on (in which area of ​​the screen):

Filling

The Context Menu is sometimes also called the “Explorer” or “Action” menu. Its appearance really does not depend on the object of the call, which cannot be said about the different content it contains with commands.

Compare the Context Menu invoked on the desktop:

with Context Menu called above the folder:

Do you feel the difference?

Conclusion - this set possible actions depends on what type of object it is applied to in a particular case (file, shortcut, folder, desktop, etc.).

Pay attention to the first picture - if a triangle-arrow is visible at the right end of the list line, this means the existence of a submenu in it (in this case, the submenu directory is the one that has opened).

Add Shift

If, when calling the Context Menu with the right mouse, we add to this the pressing of the “Shift” button, we will see a list that has increased from one to several lines (on the right). This sometimes gives additional convenience:

Context menu (right-click menu)– handy tool to speed up work in Windows. Today we will reveal several simple secrets working with the context menu and system registry. Read how to customize this important element to suit your needs without third-party applications, using only the built-in registry editor regedit.

How convenient is the context menu (right-click menu) and why clear it

I would like to immediately define the terminology so that there is no confusion in the future.

The Explorer context menu, or action menu as it is sometimes called, is a set of clickable commands right(contextual) mouse buttons on any file or folder. Depending on the object it is called on, the menu will have different type or "context".

Note. Of course, not only Windows Explorer, and for the majority installed applications, because this the most convenient way access to the most important commands.

Immediately after installing the operating system, the context menu has a standard and neat appearance, but as installation progresses additional software, new items are constantly being added to it. Eventually, there are so many of them that using this useful tool turns to flour. Therefore, it is critically important to be able to maintain the contents of the Windows context menu in order for fast and comfortable work.

This can be done in two ways:

  • In semi-automatic mode, using third-party software.
  • Manually, using the Windows Registry Editor.

Perhaps the first method may be a little easier, but with the second method there is no need to use various dubious programs downloaded from the Internet, everything is done using standard means.

Moreover, using the registry will allow you to delve deeper into the internal processes of the system and learn a lot of new things, so we will talk about the second option.

How to edit the Explorer context menu through the registry

Launch the registry editor:

  1. Enter the menu Start.
  2. Enter the command in the search bar regedit and press Enter.

Important! Any careless and thoughtless operations can have dangerous consequences, including complete failure Windows boot. To protect yourself from errors, be sure to make a backup copy of the registry before you start editing it!

Procedure for creation backup file registry:

  1. Go to the menu " File" in an open editor.
  2. Select the item “ Export».
  3. In the window that opens, in the lower field " Export range", select " Entire registry».
  4. Specify the desired location and name of the new file and click “ Save».

Note.If problems arise after manual editing, the registry can be restored to its original state from backup using the item " Import" on the menu " File» editor regedit.

As you can see, the registry itself has an original tree structure. The tree itself is displayed on the left side of the editor, and the list of parameters in the selected branch is displayed on the right. To work with the context menu, we are interested in only one section: “ HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT».

As already mentioned, different sets of commands correspond to different objects (folders, files), so you will have to edit them in the registry separately. Our main goals: clearing folder context menu And common menu items for all file types.

Important! We will not change the standard system context menu items through the registry. Only items added by installed applications are edited.

Clearing the folder context menu

All directory context menu settings are stored in branches:

... Directoty Shell.

... Directory Shellex ContextMenuHandlers .

... Folder Shell ex ContextMenuHandlers .

If you look closely, you can easily see familiar commands among the branches of these branches. So, a branch of the registry " Directory Shell" contains the items at the top of the menu, and " Directory Shellex ContextMenuHandlers» – bottom. " Folder ShellEx ContextMenuHandlers", basically repeats the content of the previous thread, so remove the same items from both threads if necessary.

All that remains is to delete extra commands. The choice of what to remove and what to leave on the list is a personal matter for everyone. Moreover, depending on the list of installed applications, the contents of the menu will differ significantly. Right click on the the desired entry in the registry and select " Delete" Then repeat this operation for the remaining selected elements.

This is the neat appearance of the registry branches in question and the menu itself after the cleaning procedure is completed.

Clearing the file context menu

The procedure itself is no different from that carried out in the previous section. Only the branches of the registry branch " HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT", storing the necessary parameters.

Now this:

...*shellexContextMenuHandlers.

They store common elements for all file types registered in the system.

Following the example of cleaning for folders, we delete all unnecessary branches in the registry and get a beautiful and convenient context menu.

In this lesson we will look in detail at the functions of very useful key, which is on any keyboard. This key is called the "Context Menu key". It is located in the lower right part of the keyboard between ALT keys and CTRL

When you press this key, a CONTEXT MENU CALLS UP, exactly the same as if you pressed the RIGHT mouse button.

The trick of this button is that the menu called up when you press will display functions (menu items) that can be applied in current program, V active window, on the desktop, etc. Those. This menu adapts to the process in which you are directly working, and this is very convenient.

Now let's take a closer look at the main options for displaying the context menu in different environments and the functions that can be performed using this menu.

1. Pressing the RIGHT mouse button or the “Context Menu” key on the Desktop Windows desktop

For Windows 7
When you RIGHT-click or right-click the Context Menu key on the Windows 7 desktop, a menu appears the following type:

1. At the very top of the menu - setting parameters Your video card.
2.View- customize the display of icons on the desktop

3. Sorting- setting sorting by displaying icons on the desktop

4. Update- updating the display of content on the Desktop.
5.Insert- if you copied something, you can paste it onto the Desktop.
6. Create. Here you can create on the Desktop: a folder, a shortcut, Text Document, archive, MS Office documents - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. (if installed)


7. Screen resolution. Here you can install required settings screen: select a screen (there may be several), find out or set the screen resolution, determine the screen orientation, and also configure other parameters for working with the screen, for example, connecting a projector.

8. Gadgets- selection and installation Windows gadgets 7. Windows XP does not have this feature.

9. Personalization. Here you can configure appearance The worker began to change the background, screensaver, sounds, theme, window color, etc.

For Windows XP

In Windows XP, as many people certainly know, the context menu looks simpler, but performs almost the same functions.

When you press the RIGHT mouse button or the “Context Menu” key on the Windows XP desktop, the following menu appears:

1. Using the first menu item Arrange icons we can fulfill following operations:

Screen resolution configured on the tab Options

2. Clicking the RIGHT mouse button or the “Context Menu” key on a file or folder in Explorer or any other file manager.

When you click the RIGHT mouse button or the “Context Menu” key on a file in Explorer or any other file manager, the menu is also adjusted to the file of a certain type. For example, I clicked by video file. The following menu opens:

In this case, the menu offers functions that correspond specifically to the video file: play, add to the list of the player that is selected by default for of this type file. And a number of standard functions: open with, add to archive (if the archiver is installed), send, cut, copy, delete, rename and file properties.

If you click with the RIGHT mouse button or on the “Context Menu” key on graphic file , then a menu will open that will correspond graphic type file:

Here you can immediately open, edit or print the selected file in your default image program. In my case, this is the ACDSee program.

You can immediately make the selected file background image for the Desktop, very convenient when you choose from big list. And then they go again standard features for working with files.

There are no significant differences in Windows XP,


standard functions for working with a file are called by the command Change

I will dwell in more detail on the “Open with” and “Send” items.

Why is the “Open with” function useful?

Here you can select or assign any installed program, which understands the selected file format. IN in this case, I clicked on the video file and on my computer several programs can work with this format: Light Allow, WinAmp and of course Windows Media Player.

If not on the list the desired program, but you know for sure that it is installed, select the menu item "Select program". Windows will prompt you to select programs from a list of recommended or other programs.


In Windows XP, the appearance of this window is slightly different, but the meaning is the same:

If you want the selected file format to always be opened by the program you choose, then check the box “Use the selected program for all files of this type”.

If the desired program is not in the list of recommended programs or in others, but you know for sure that the program is installed, then press the button "Review…" and select it from the folder where the program is installed.

Why is the “Send” function useful?


Using this function, you can, so to speak, “without leaving the cash register”, you can send (transfer, transfer) the selected file via BlueTooth (bluetooth), Skype, mail, to the Desktop, to the archive, for burning to a CD/DVD disk, to a flash drive etc.

3. Press the RIGHT mouse button or the “Context Menu” key in any Internet browser.


And here, too, the menu adapts to different situations, depending on where you click on the web page. For example, if you click link, then the following menu will open:

Using this menu, you can open the contents of the link in a new tab or window, add the link to bookmarks, send the link, copy the link, if the link is a file, then you can save it using “Save Target As...”. If you have download programs installed, you can download the contents of the link using them.

If you click the RIGHT mouse button or the “Context Menu” key from the picture on the web page, then a menu with other functions will open:

Here you can copy the image to the clipboard and paste, for example, into Word document, you can save the image to your computer using “Save image as...”, send the image by mail, take the selected image background image desktop, find out information about the image (type, size, file name), etc.

Let me sum it up. In this lesson, we looked at the most popular options for using the context menu, which is called by clicking the RIGHT mouse button or pressing the “Context Menu” key on the keyboard.
Namely:
1. Click the RIGHT mouse button or the “Context Menu” key on the Windows Desktop

2. Clicking the RIGHT mouse button or the “Context Menu” key on a file or folder in Explorer or any other file manager.

3. Press the RIGHT mouse button or the “Context Menu” key in any Internet browser.

The essence this lesson is to learn how to use the useful functions of your computer's specific active environment. In any environment, by RIGHT-clicking or pressing the “Context Menu” key, you will get a list useful functions available in this moment time relative to the selected object.

In order for the computer to understand the user, and the user to explain to the computer what he wants from him, there are elements such as menus (there are several types) and graphical interface. We will devote this publication to one of the categories related to this topic - how to call the context menu in Windows and what it is.

A menu is an element of the Windows graphical interface

When people talk to each other, they do not think about the fact that the language of communication is one of the types of interface.
In principle, the user, giving commands from a set of available lists, receiving requests from the OS, opening windows, using scroll bars, uses the graphical interface without thinking about what it is.

GUI

The concept of interface is quite broad. If we talk about the Context Menu (English) as a component of the graphical interface, then we should imagine it as an element of dialogue with the operating system (computer).

Calling

Context Menu is a list (list, set) of commands available to the user regarding some object. Now let's look at how the context menu opens. Before opening the context menu, you need to place the cursor (mouse) on some object (activating it). And after that you can call it in different ways:

  • Right mouse;
  • A combination of “Shift” and “F10”;
  • Also, the context menu is called up by pressing a special button - it is located between “ALT” and “CTRL”.

The set of its commands can be different and depends on what object was called on (in which area of ​​the screen):

Filling

The Context Menu is sometimes also called the “Explorer” or “Action” menu. Its appearance really does not depend on the object of the call, which cannot be said about the different content it contains with commands.

Compare the Context Menu invoked on the desktop:

with Context Menu called above the folder:

Do you feel the difference?

Conclusion - this set of possible actions depends on what type of object is applied to in a particular case (file, shortcut, folder, desktop, etc.).

Pay attention to the first picture - if a triangle-arrow is visible at the right end of the list line, this means the existence of a submenu in it (in this case, the submenu directory is the one that has opened).

Add Shift

If, when calling the Context Menu with the right mouse, we add to this the pressing of the “Shift” button, we will see a list that has increased from one to several lines (on the right). This sometimes gives additional convenience: