Create a shortcut at run time

[zekeman]

I'm trying to get my VB.Net program to create one shortcut on the

desktop not during install but while running. I found this code at site:

http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=6127

[SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Imports[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] IWshRuntimeLibrary 
[/SIZE]
Private Function CreateShortCut(ByVal shortcutName As String, ByVal creationDir As String, ByVal targetFullpath As String, ByVal workingDir As String, ByVal iconFile As String, ByVal iconNumber As Integer) As Boolean
  Try
    If Not IO.Directory.Exists(creationDir) Then
      Dim retVal As DialogResult = MsgBox(creationdir & " does not exist. Do you wish to create it?", MsgBoxStyle.Question Or MsgBoxStyle.YesNo)
      If retVal = DialogResult.Yes
        IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(creationDir)
      Else
        Return False
      End If
    End If
 
    Dim shortCut As IWshRuntimeLibrary.IWshShortcut
    shortCut = CType([COLOR=red]wShell[/COLOR].CreateShortcut(creationDir & "\" & shortcutName & ".lnk"), IWshRuntimeLibrary.IWshShortcut)
    shortCut.TargetPath = targetFullpath
    shortCut.WindowStyle = 1
    shortCut.Description = shortcutName
    shortCut.WorkingDirectory = workingDir
    shortCut.IconLocation = iconFile & ", " & iconNumber
    shortCut.Save()
    Return True
  Catch ex As System.Exception
    Return False
  End Try
End Function

I also added a reference to a com named:
''Windows Script Host Object Model''.

My problem is that the 'wShell' shown in red in the code above is
underlined as an error and says:

'Name wShell is not declared'.

How do I declare it?

 

[vis781]

WshShell is an interface in the IWshRuntimeLibrary, you need to create an object of it first

Dim wShell As WshShell = New WshShell

Not sure why that example doesn't?

 

[jmcilhinney]

There's no need to create an instance. The problem is that the author has misspelled the name. It should be "WshShell", not "wShell". Here's a link that uses essentially the same method and works:

http://www.knowdotnet.com/articles/createshortcutondesktop.html

 

[jmcilhinney]

This thread has nothing to do with Windows Forms so it has been moved.

 

[vis781]

Are you sure Jmcilhinney? it's only i tried that and it didn't work. I did make a small typo in my original post though. everything i tried needed me to create an instance of the WshShellClass. Which is what i ment to say in my original post. So it should have been...

Dim WshShell as new WshShellClass

 

[zekeman]

Private Function CreateShortCut(ByVal shortcutName As String, ByVal creationDir As String, ByVal targetFullpath As String, ByVal workingDir As String, ByVal iconFile As String, ByVal iconNumber As Integer) As Boolean
   [SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]
   Dim[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] wShell [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]As[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] WshShell = [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]New[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] WshShell[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=2] ...[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=2]end sub[/SIZE]

I added the:

Dim wShell as WshShell = New WshSell

and all seems to work OK

 

[jmcilhinney]

I was sure, but now not so. I could have sworn that I used that link I posted a long time ago and it worked, but maybe my memory is murky.