Items aren't added to 'Recent Items' in Win7

[wisekat]

When I double-click say a txt or pdf file in a TC file panel, they aren't added to the special Recent Items folder in Widnows. All works ok if I do that in the Windows Explorer.

[Hacker]

wisekat,
Well, I assume the Recent folder is an Explorer feature that TC does not touch just like it does not change Explorer's sorting when you change sorting in TC.

Roman

[wisekat]

I guess it should touch that special folder.

By the way, when I open an MS Word .docx file from TC, it is added to Recent Items! Maybe, it is done under the hood in MS Word itself.

[karlchen]

Hello, wisekat.

Total Commander does not add any items to the "Recent Items" list in any Windows version. This is by design as the programme author explains:

Total Commander nimmt z.Zt. keine Einträge in der "Recent"-Liste vor, weil dies meiner Meinung nach eine Liste des Explorers ist, und nur bei diesem etwas bewirken sollte.

Total Commander does not currently add any entries to the "Recent" list, because in my opinion this is an Explorer list and it should have any effect only inside Explorer.

Cheers,
Karl

[umbra]

Maybe, it is done under the hood in MS Word itself.

Hi, if I'm not mistaken, that's the way, how it's supposed to be. According to SHAddToRecentDocs, the application that opens a file should add that file to Recent Items. However because many applications are not doing so, Windows Explorer does it on their behalf. (If I've misunderstood something, please correct me.)
I don't think TC should be fixing other apps so I would leave it as it is.

[MVV]

I think it is possible to create a little launcher that will open files from TC and add them to Explorer's recent list. So internal associations would be useful here to associate some file types (e.g. .txt and .pdf) with such launcher.

[wisekat]

I think it is possible to create a little launcher that will open files from TC and add them to Explorer's recent list. So internal associations would be useful here to associate some file types (e.g. .txt and .pdf) with such launcher.

After reading all your answers (thanks for 'em!!), my opinion is the following.

TC is in fact a GOOD-GOOD replacement for the Explorer, so it should allow to have all its main features. One of 'em is adding to Recent Items all the items we double-clicked. I'm also a programmer and can say that it is really enough easy to do with one call to the SHAddToRecentDocs WinAPI function. Why not to have it as an option somewhere in TC's Options dialog? It's very easy...

By the way, the Explorer "patches" other apps this way, and this only gives us additional benefits

[ghisler(Author)]

Indeed it's currently not planned to call SHAddToRecentDocs.

[wisekat]

Indeed it's currently not planned to call SHAddToRecentDocs.

Why? It's so easy...

And I'm sure many users will appreciate it.

[umbra]

And I'm sure many users will appreciate it.

I would definitely not. The application that opens some file should decide on its own, whether it will report that file to Windows or not.

A good example is Media Player Classic - HC. It has an option to set, whether you want it to keep a history of played files or not. If I run a video file from TC, the setting works perfectly. However if I open the file from Explorer, Windows ignores that setting and adds that file to Recent Items anyway. And that is simply wrong.
For me it's not a missing feature in TC but a bug in Explorer.

[wisekat]

Tastes differ...

That's why this should be an option. I do not ask for this behavior in all 100% cases. Just an OPTION.

[Sir_SiLvA]

And I'm sure many users will appreciate it.

I would definitely not. The application that opens some file should decide on its own, whether it will report that file to Windows or not.

I second that! Imagine you run TC from USB and every file you run would be added to recent - no thank you....

[9kvD38n6]

I think it is possible to create a little launcher that will open files from TC and add them to Explorer's recent list. So internal associations would be useful here to associate some file types (e.g. .txt and .pdf) with such launcher.

Here is a tiny Autohotkey script that accomplishes this:

Code: Select all

Target = %1%
EnvGet, APPDATA, APPDATA
LinkFile := APPDATA . "\Microsoft\Windows\Recent" . SubStr(Target, InStr(Target, "", 0, 0)) . ".lnk"
FileCreateShortcut, %1%, %LinkFile%
Run, %1%

To make any file type (e.g. "*.pdf") that you want TC to create shortcuts for in the Windows 'Recent' folder run this script, use menu: "Files|Internal Associations" and add the file type. In the input box next to "Open", put:

Code: Select all

"[PathAndFullNameOfAHKScript]" "%1"

Hope someone finds this useful

[Stepc0re]

Hello,

Hope someone finds this useful

Thanks, I was looking for something like this.

I have the issue with Adobe Reader, OpenOffice and Visual Studio.

The Script works fine. It creates a shortcut in the "/recent"-directory every time I open files with TC. But the shortcut never appears in any "recent"-list in start menu.
I think there is also something else to do to show shortcuts in the list.

I also recognized that OpenOffice is creating shortcuts without the .ahk-script. But also, there is no shortcut in the Start Menu list. I think that OpenOffice tries to put a shortcut in the list but there is also this one step missing.

Has anyone an idea what this step is?

[9kvD38n6]

Hey. Maybe use this workaround rather than the native Windows recent items list:

"Create Recent Items Shortcut in Windows 10 Customization Tutorials - https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/17456-create-recent-items-shortcut-windows-10-a.html" https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/17456-create-recent-items-shortcut-windows-10-a.html

Also, there are other 'recent' folders in Windows, for example somewhere under Appdata/...?.../Office. Maybe that's what the system is using for your recent list?

The feature has been removed from Windows 10 so I can't try this myself.

Good luck!