Adding custom toolbar button to launch an exe

You can register any exe to show up in the custom toolbar by putting it in the registry. The full instructions are in the SDK under _External Application Usage with FalconView - Interface Control Document_ but these examples should get you going:

  1. In the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PFPS\FALCONVIEW” path, create a new key called “Custom Tools” (right-click on FALCONVIEW and select New > Key).
  1. Create a new key under the Custom Tools key called “ButtonX” where X is a number between 1 and 20, inclusive (right-click on Custom Tools and select New > Key).
  1. add the following keys:
    • Icon
    • Text
    • Path
    • Window (this is a text string that the client app has in the main window bar when it is running)
    • Modal

The following examples are REGEDIT 4 format snippets.

To launch the Windows Calculator as a modeless child: 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PFPS\FALCONVIEW\Custom Tools\Button1]
Icon = "f:\toolbar\test.ico"
Text = "Windows Calculator"
Path = "C:\WINNT\system32\CALC.EXE"
Window = "Calculator"
Modal = dword:00000000

To launch notepad (with help opened to contents) as a modal child: 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PFPS\FALCONVIEW\Custom Tools\Button2]
Icon = "c:\toolbar\notepad.ico"
Text = "Windows Notepad Editor"
Path = "C:\WINNT\system32\notepad.exe"
Window = "Notepad"
Modal = dword:00000001
Delay = dword:00000064
HelpFile = ”c:\winnt\system32\notepad.hlp”
HelpID = dword:00000000

Once the external application has been added to the registry, open FalconView and go to the View menu. If FalconView is already open, close it and then reopen it. The new menu item “Custom Toolbar” will be displayed. Select and left-click this item to enable the Custom Toolbar. The Custom Toolbar will normally display to the right of the Editor Toggle Toolbar with the external application(s) added. Go to the Tools menu, and the external applications will also be added as options.

-- Main.ChrisBailey - 15 Jun 2005