23. Dual File Coverage
By default, Windows 95 opens files of a particular type in a particular application. For example, if you double-click a *.txt file, it opens in Notepad. But sometimes--or perhaps many times--you'll want to open files of a certain type in an application other than the one with which it's associated. (For example, you might frequently open *.txt files in WordPad.) Assuming you want to keep the original association intact, an easy way to streamline this task is to add the secondary application to the right-mouse menu of that file type.
Sticking with the same example, here's how to add WordPad to the right-mouse menu of *.txt files (feel free to follow these same steps with your own file type and application choices):
Inside any Explorer window, select View, Options and click the File Types tab. Scroll through the list of Registered file types and select Text Document. Click the Edit button, and in the resulting dialog box,
click New. In the text box under Action, type the command name that will appear in the right-mouse menu, such as "Open with WordPad." Click Browse, navigate your way to the file that opens WordPad
(Program Files\Accessories\Wordpad.exe), select it, and click Open. Click OK to exit the New Action dialog box, and you'll see the new command in the Actions list. Click Close twice.
From now on, you can open any *.txt file in WordPad by right-mouse-clicking the file and selecting Open with WordPad. (Note: Double-clicking a *.txt file still opens it in Notepad.)
Microsoft® Windows®95 Hints & Tips by Stuart Martin.
