I need to publicly distribute a script only on Windows XP.
The script needs to allow users to select icons of their
choice from any files.  With AutoItX, I've been able to
come up with a routine that uses the Windows built-in
"Change Icon" dialog, by creating a LNK in the temporary
folder with a default icon, using ShellExecute "properties"
to open the LNK properties, and running the "Change Icon"
dialog by Send.  After the user closes the "Change Icon"
dialog, the routine applies the change through Send,
closes the properties dialog, and polls the LNK any icon
change, so that any icon selected can be used.  A workable
extract is at the bottom.

Although I think AutoItX is great, I would strongly
prefer to distribute a self-contained script without
requiring a third-party add-in.  I can effect a workable
version of the routine (not as smooth, but quite
acceptable) with VBS-only commands, with one
major exception -- I cannot figure out how to know
when the "Choose Icon" dialog is closed by the user,
so that I can reactivate the script to apply and close the
properties dialog and poll the LNK file.  If I use the
IE6 file dialog (which I learned from this newsgroup),
the user will have to blindly input the numeric icon
index for multiple-icon files, without being able to
view or select the icon, which is much less desirable.

1) Does anyone know how to directly access the Windows
"Change Icon" routine (wherever it is) and get a return
value without jumping through these hoops?

2) Any ideas on how to make the routine below work
without AutoItX (i.e., how do I know when the user
closes the "Change Icon" box)?

3) To test for Windows XP, I'm testing the
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\
"CurrentBuildNumber" value for leftmost two characters
"26".  This works as expected on all the WinXP, Win2k
and Win98 machines that I have tried it on, but is there
a more "official" way to check for WinXP?

Thanks in advance.  I scan this newsgroup semi-regularly,
search it through Google groups and vist the MVP websites,
so you've answered most of my questions in the past
without my even needing to ask them.  But this one has me
stumped.

Regards,
Joe Earnest

======================
lines may wrap
======================

Option Explicit

Dim Default, FSO, Shell

Set FSO= WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set Shell= WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

Default= FSO.BuildPath(FSO.GetSpecialFolder(1), "Shell32.dll,0")

WScript.echo IconDialog(Default, "Get Icon", "Select Icon")

WScript.Quit

Function IconDialog (DefaultIcon, PropTitle, ChangeTitle)

Dim AIX, App, File, Icon, IniTitle, LNK, TXT

Set App= WScript.CreateObject("Shell.Application")
Set AIX= WScript.CreateObject("AutoItX.Control")
AIX.SetWinDelay 100

ChangeTitle= Trim(ChangeTitle)
PropTitle= Trim(PropTitle)
IniTitle= PropTitle & " Properties"
LNK= FSO.BuildPath(FSO.GetSpecialFolder(2), PropTitle) & ".lnk"
TXT= FSO.BuildPath(FSO.GetSpecialFolder(2),
FSO.GetBaseName(FSO.GetTempName)) & ".txt"

Icon= "ERROR"
Do ' faux error exit loop
   ' create null temp-txt, create temp-lnk to txt with default icon and user
title
  On Error Resume Next
    If FSO.FileExists(TXT) Then FSO.DeleteFile TXT, True: If Err Then Exit
Do
    Set File= FSO.CreateTextFile(TXT, True): If Err Then Exit Do
    File.Close
    Set File= Nothing

    If FSO.FileExists(LNK) Then FSO.DeleteFile LNK, True: If Err Then Exit
Do
    Set File= Shell.CreateShortcut(LNK): If Err Then Exit Do
    File.TargetPath= TXT: If Err Then Exit Do
    File.IconLocation= DefaultIcon: If Err Then Exit Do
    File.Save: If Err Then Exit Do
    Set File= Nothing
  On Error GoTo 0

   ' open temp-lnk properties box, error ext after 3 sec, rename, activate

  App.ShellExecute """" & LNK & """",,,"properties"
  If AIX.WinWait(IniTitle, "", 3) Then Exit Do
  AIX.WinSetTitle IniTitle, "", PropTitle
  AIX.WinActivate PropTitle, ""

   ' send change icon key, error exit after 3 sec, rename, wait indefinitely
to close

  AIX.Send "!c"
  If AIX.WinWait("Change Icon", "", 4) Then AIX.WinClose Title, "": Exit Do
  AIX.WinSetTitle "Change Icon", "", ChangeTitle
  AIX.WinWaitClose ChangeTitle, "", 0

   ' activate temp-lnk properties box, send apply key, close

  AIX.WinActivate PropTitle, ""
  AIX.Send "!a"
  AIX.WinClose PropTitle, ""

   ' get icon, cancel if default icon, expand, delete temp-lnk & temp-txt

  On Error Resume Next
    Set File= Shell.CreateShortcut(LNK): If Err Then Exit Do
    Icon= File.IconLocation: If Err Then Exit Do
    Set File= Nothing
    If FSO.FileExists(LNK) Then FSO.DeleteFile LNK, True: If Err Then Exit
Do
    If FSO.FileExists(TXT) Then FSO.DeleteFile TXT, True: If Err Then Exit
Do
Loop Until True

Err.Clear
On Error GoTo 0

Select Case Icon
  Case "ERROR"
  Case DefaultIcon: Icon= "CANCEL"
  Case Else: If Instr(Icon, "%") Then Icon=
Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings(Icon)
End Select

IconDialog= Icon

End Function

====================

Sorry to repost, but the sample script wrapped
far worse than I expected in the original post.
This should be better.

 I need to publicly distribute a script only on Windows XP.
 The script needs to allow users to select icons of their
 choice from any files.  With AutoItX, I've been able to
 come up with a routine that uses the Windows built-in
 "Change Icon" dialog, by creating a LNK in the temporary
 folder with a default icon, using ShellExecute "properties"
 to open the LNK properties, and running the "Change Icon"
 dialog by Send.  After the user closes the "Change Icon"
 dialog, the routine applies the change through Send,
 closes the properties dialog, and polls the LNK for any icon
 change, so that any icon selected can be used.  A workable
 extract is at the bottom.

 Although I think AutoItX is great, I would strongly
prefer to distribute a self-contained script without
requiring a third-party add-in.  I can effect a workable
version of the routine (not as smooth, but quite
acceptable) with VBS-only commands, with one
major exception -- I cannot figure out how to know
when the "Choose Icon" dialog is closed by the user,
so that I can reactivate the script to apply and close the
properties dialog and poll the LNK file.  If I use the
IE6 file dialog (which I learned from this newsgroup),
the user will have to blindly input the numeric icon
index for multiple-icon files, without being able to
view or select the icon, which is much less desirable.

1) Does anyone know how to directly access the Windows
"Change Icon" routine (wherever it is) and get a return
value without jumping through these hoops?

2) Any ideas on how to make the routine below work
without AutoItX (i.e., how do I know when the user
closes the "Change Icon" box)?

3) To test for Windows XP, I'm testing the
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\
"CurrentBuildNumber" value for leftmost two characters
"26".  This works as expected on all the WinXP, Win2k
and Win98 machines that I have tried it on, but is there
a more "official" way to check for WinXP?

Thanks in advance.  I scan this newsgroup semi-regularly,
search it through Google groups and vist the MVP websites,
so you've answered most of my questions in the past
without my even needing to ask them.  But this one has me
stumped.

Regards,
Joe Earnest

======================
lines may wrap
======================

Option Explicit

Dim Default, FSO, Shell

Set FSO= WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set Shell= WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

Default= FSO.BuildPath(FSO.GetSpecialFolder(1), "Shell32.dll,0")

WScript.echo IconDialog(Default, "Get Icon", "Select Icon")

WScript.Quit

Function IconDialog (DefaultIcon, PropTitle, ChangeTitle)

Dim AIX, App, File, Icon, IniTitle, LNK, TXT

Set App= WScript.CreateObject("Shell.Application")
Set AIX= WScript.CreateObject("AutoItX.Control")
AIX.SetWinDelay 100

ChangeTitle= Trim(ChangeTitle)
PropTitle= Trim(PropTitle)
IniTitle= PropTitle & " Properties"
LNK= FSO.BuildPath(FSO.GetSpecialFolder(2), PropTitle) & ".lnk"
TXT= FSO.BuildPath(FSO.GetSpecialFolder(2),
FSO.GetBaseName(FSO.GetTempName)) & ".txt"

Icon= "ERROR"

Do ' faux error exit loop
   ' create null temp-txt
   ' create temp-lnk to txt with default icon and user title

  On Error Resume Next
    If FSO.FileExists(TXT) Then FSO.DeleteFile TXT, True
    If Err Then Exit Do
    Set File= FSO.CreateTextFile(TXT, True): If Err Then Exit Do
    File.Close
    Set File= Nothing

    If FSO.FileExists(LNK) Then FSO.DeleteFile LNK, True
    If Err Then Exit Do
    Set File= Shell.CreateShortcut(LNK): If Err Then Exit Do
    File.TargetPath= TXT: If Err Then Exit Do
    File.IconLocation= DefaultIcon: If Err Then Exit Do
    File.Save: If Err Then Exit Do
    Set File= Nothing
  On Error GoTo 0

   ' open temp-lnk properties box, error exit after 3 sec
   ' rename, activate

  App.ShellExecute """" & LNK & """",,,"properties"
  If AIX.WinWait(IniTitle, "", 3) Then Exit Do
  AIX.WinSetTitle IniTitle, "", PropTitle
  AIX.WinActivate PropTitle, ""

   ' send change icon key, error exit after 3 sec
   ' rename, wait indefinitely to close

  AIX.Send "!c"
  If AIX.WinWait("Change Icon", "", 4) Then
    AIX.WinClose Title, "": Exit Do
  End If
  AIX.WinSetTitle "Change Icon", "", ChangeTitle
  AIX.WinWaitClose ChangeTitle, "", 0

   ' activate temp-lnk properties box, send apply key, close

  AIX.WinActivate PropTitle, ""
  AIX.Send "!a"
  AIX.WinClose PropTitle, ""

   ' get icon, cancel if default icon, expand, delete temp-lnk & temp-txt

  On Error Resume Next
    Set File= Shell.CreateShortcut(LNK): If Err Then Exit Do
    Icon= File.IconLocation: If Err Then Exit Do
    Set File= Nothing
    If FSO.FileExists(LNK) Then
      FSO.DeleteFile LNK, True: If Err Then Exit Do
    End If
    If FSO.FileExists(TXT) Then
      FSO.DeleteFile TXT, True: If Err Then Exit Do
    End If
Loop Until True

Err.Clear
On Error GoTo 0

Select Case Icon
  Case "ERROR"
  Case DefaultIcon: Icon= "CANCEL"
  Case Else
    If Instr(Icon, "%") Then
      Icon=Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings(Icon)
    End If
End Select

IconDialog= Icon

End Function

====================

There is an undocumented SHChangeIconDialog function from shell32.dll (No
support at MS). Unfortunately there is no verb for this function. If you
know VB take a look at this link:
http://www.mvps.org/vbnet/index.html?code/shell/undocchangeicondlg.htm

You might want to write your own activex or even application based on the
sample.

Regards,
--
Gurgen Alaverdian
http://www.gurgensvbstuff.com

Gurgen,

Thanks much for the info.  At least now I know where the routine is and a
little about it.  Unfortunately, I'm purely a scripter, not a VB programmer,
and I can't translate all the impressive code at the referenced site into
something useful for me.  If I could get it to run with rundll32, I could
play with it more, but I keep getting a missing entry error message.

Anyway, thanks again for the response.

Regards,
Joe Earnest

Joe,

The problem is that the function name is not defined in shell32.dll and
referenced by an alias as ordinal 62. I do not think it's possible to run
this function by ordinal as an entry point with rundll32. You are out of
luck
If I come up with the activex I'll post it,

Regards,

--
Gurgen Alaverdian
http://www.gurgensvbstuff.com

I think this executable can save the "SendKey" and "WinWait" mess (-:

http://www.gurgensvbstuff.com/Zips/IconIndx.zip

The code is included as well. Tested on NT\W2K\XP

Regards,
--
Gurgen Alaverdian
http://www.gurgensvbstuff.com

Gurgen,

Thanks again.  Didn't mean to get someone to write code.  But it's very
interesting.

I downloaded it yesterday and played with it a bit.  It's much more concise
than my version, and I really like the secondary confirmation box with the
icon display.  Since the rest of my script is in VBS, to use it and get a
return, I'd either have to either rewrite the entire script in VB and
compile it (which I don't have the basis or background to do), or convert it
to an ActiveX (same problems).  Compared to a compiled app, VBS is always a
concoction held together by bailing wire and chewing gum.  So my awkward
routine fits the rest of the script.  If I have to distribute an ActiveX
with the script, I might as well distribute AutoItX's.  I've found a way to
work the routine with standard script methods, but it's even more awkward
and uncertain than the AutoItX version.

Thanks again for the help.

Regards,
Joe Earnest

There is another awkward VBS routine to deal with "Wait for close".
This loop should be executed after "change icon" window is started and will
run until dialog box is closed.
Some additional tweaking might require.

Do
 ret = WshShell.AppActivate ("Select Icon")
 WScript.Sleep 1000
Loop until ret = 0

Regards,
--
Gurgen Alaverdian
http://www.gurgensvbstuff.com

Gurgen,

Thanks for the suggestion.  Unfortunately, this
routine is a real pain, and it won't work here.

I had already tried your suggestion in this form:

Do While oShell.AppActivate("Change Icon")
     oShell.Sleep 250
Loop

One problem is that the user might try to refer to another
window and end up in a focus fight.

More significantly, however, with the "Change Icon" dialog,
when the user selects the Browse button to select another
file or folder, the routine opens a second window also
entitled "Change Icon" (quite clever those MS guys).  When
the second identically titled window is opened, AppActivate
fails to activate either window and generates a vbFalse return
(despite the v5.6 documentation that states that it should
randomly activate one or the other window).

I've tentatively decided, if AutoItX is not found installed,
to warn the user of the awkward procedure at startup and
suggest installing AIX by jumping the user to the AIX
website if the user chooses, or running regsvr32 if the
autoitx.dll is available.  If AIX is not loaded, the user can
proceed, and this works as an alternative, though it's not
pretty.

Essentially it runs a predefined OK-only message box
from another sub, with an explanation to dismiss the
message box only after selecting an icon or cancelling
at the "Change Icon" dialog.  The message box is
regenerated if the user dismisses it prematurely.  The
routine will subsequently apply the selection and dismiss
the properties window, and since the message box is
script modal, it doesn't get into a focus fight with the
user.  Needless to say, it's open to user mistakes, but
there are no grave consequences that I can think of
(unless the user freaks).

(partial code inside another Do-Loop for error
handling - error exits omitted - object assignments
obvious):

...
oShellApp.ShellExecute """" & vLNKFile & """",,, "properties"
WScript.Sleep 250
oShell.SendKeys "%c": WScript.Sleep 250

Do While oShell.AppActivate(vTitle(0, 2))
     subMsgBox [parameters]
Loop

If oShell.AppActivate(vPropTitle) Then
     Shell.SendKeys "%a": WScript.Sleep 250
     Shell.SendKeys "%{F4}"
End If
...

Thanks again for all the information.

Regards,
Joe Earnest