Question

I have an installer that is supposed to set up a menu item in the context menu of Excel add-ins (.xla, .xlam).

Manually, I know how to modify the registry to get that item which launches my .exe on the selected file. The key has to be something like :

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Excel.Addin\shell\Name of my program\command

With command containing one string of key “(Default)” and value “my exe.exe %1”.

By using the below wizard in Visual Studio installer (to get the location of my .exe which the user can choose to put where he prefers), I manage to place this command just where needed.

Problem is that it also creates another “(Default)” just before mine in the “command” key when I look at the registry. The result is of course that my “Default” is not considered…

Answer 1

From Ken White’s comment:

Don’t create a key named (Default). Just create one without a name,
but with a value. It will replace the existing default one. (The
default key is one that is used if no specific key is used, eg. “” –
that’s why yours isn’t the same. Yours is named (Default), and the one
that was already there is the one used if nothing is specified, which
is different.)