File Type Description & Type Column Issue

Help & Support
1

I'm not sure whether this is a DOpus problem or a Windows 10 problem - I suspect the latter and I've searched the forums but couldn't find anything relevant.

According to the DOpus manual, if I change the Description field using the File Type Editor, then that field text should appear in the Type column of a lister - but it doesn't appear to work.

I wanted to reduce the width of my Type column by changing long file type descriptions to something shorter i.e. change "Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet" to "Excel Spreadsheet". I tried this using the File Type Editor in DOpus but even after a reboot, the original file type description still remains.

As I said at the beginning, I suspect this is a Windows problem as the text doesn't change in File Explorer either. I used Leo's "FileTypeDiag1007" utility to capture the registry settings for the .xlsx extension and have attached the output file.

I know I can adjust the column width in the Folder Options dialogue but that's not what I want to do.

xlsx.txt (255.7 KB)

Thanks.

2

Use RegEdit to look under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Excel.Sheet.12, and try deleting the FriendlyTypeName value.

Excel may put it back there the next time it updates, though.

If you want a shorter Type column, the Extension column may work just as well and is usually much shorter.

If the aim is just to be able to sort by type / extension, you can also shift + click the Name column to do that, without having any extra columns.

3

Thanks for the reply Leo. I deleted that registry entry and the Type column displayed the Description text I had entered.

I then immediately checked for Office 365 updates and once it had finished, the original Type description text was back as you suspected it would be.

I have no particular reason for changing the long descriptions other than to reduce the column width without truncating the text. I might switch that column off and use the ext column instead.

Thanks again for the help.

1 Like
4

Just to be clear here Leo, the issue with the Description text not being used in the Type column applies to other file types as well, not just Office 365 files. I changed the .txt description to "Text Doc" but the Type column doesn't change to what I input.

However, .zip files did change when I altered the description to "Zip File" from "Zip Compressed File". DOpus Command File (.dcf) was changed OK as well.

5

The file type editor is more for adding menu items (to new or existing types) and adding new types, not so much for modifying existing types or menu items other programs have added. The registry is the only real way to do that as it has become far too complicated and overloaded over the years.

Microsoft removed their file type editor from Windows entirely a long time ago, but we've left ours in as we think it's still important to provide an easy way to add things (and then be able to edit what you've added).