Re: How to create a relative shortcut ?

On 2025/9/3 7:21:58, Paul wrote:
> On Tue, 9/2/2025 7:34 PM, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>> On 2025/9/2 10:36:46, R.Wieser wrote:
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I'm trying to create relative shortcuts* (for use on a removable USB 
>>> harddisk) and can't seem to find out how it works.
>>>
>>> * the target of the link is relative to the location of the link itself.
>>
>>
>> []
>>
>> I'm puzzled; don't . and .. work in shortcuts?
>>
> 
> A shortcut is designed to be copied or moved anywhere.
> 
> If the shortcut icon is sitting on the desktop, and
> it says ..\programname.exe , that's not going to work.

I wouldn't expect it to - unless the target was moved/copied to the same
relative location. But that's what R.Wieser said he _wanted_: a shortcut
the refers to a target relative to where the shortcut is.

But I don't know - if the "Start in" field is not filled in, does the
shortcut [or, perhaps more accurately, whatever's processing it] assume
it is in some prefefined location, such as %windows%\system32 or
something like that, rather than where the shortcut actually is?>
> If the shortcut icon uses an absolute path, then it can be copied

Yes, but that's not "relative".

> or moved anywhere. If the Original file is moved (somewhere), you
> are required to create a new Shortcut (new absolute path).

R didn't say _why_ he wanted "relative shortcuts": all I could think of
was that he wanted to be able to move/copy an entire structure -
shortcuts and targets - to a different location (say, another machine,
or a memory stick or external drive which might have a different letter
at times).>
> If you want a file to appear in two places (on the same partition),
> then mklink or junction.exe might work. Then, the item is no longer

I've never got into those (-:

> a shortcut, it's a file, and it looks like a file icon. A hardlink
> of a file can be moved to the desktop, but when the program
> "works out where it is", as some programs do, it is going to find
> that it is not located in the portable folder where all the
> DLLs are located.
> 
> Right now, the betting money is on a shortcut with an absolute
> path inside it. Then, the executable that is loaded, is loaded
> from the same folders as where the DLLs are located (right next
> to the EXE).
> 
> *******
> 
> The rules are different for Metro.App , but the newsgroup
> list does not hint that this is a requirement.
> 
> # A folder full of scum and villainy (mixed types are present)
> 
> explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder
> 
> # These are two shortcuts, compared.
> # I might even find both of these in AppsFolder (on a newer OS).
> 
>       [Picture]
> 
>        https://i.postimg.cc/ZR6KdXfH/shortcut-comparison.gif
> 
>    Paul
So far, I've (AFAIK) managed to not get involved with metro "app.s";
from your picture, I see they _have_ Target and Start in parameters, but
not in editable fields.

-- 
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"The wish of the lazy to allow unsupervised access [to the internet] to
their children should not reduce all adults browsing to the level of
suitability for a five-year-old."
Yaman Akdeniz, quoted in Inter//face (The Times, 1999-2-10): p12