Note
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories.
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories.
The Shell Link Binary File Format specifies a structure called a shell link. That structure is used to store a reference to a location in a link target namespace, which is referred to as a link target. The most important component of a link target namespace is a link target in the form of an item ID list (IDList).
The shell link structure stores various information that is useful to end users, including:
A keyboard shortcut that can be used to launch an application.
A descriptive comment.
Settings that control application behavior.
Optional data stored in extra data sections.
Optional data can include a property store that contains an extensible set of properties in the format that is described in [MS-PROPSTORE].
The Shell Link Binary File Format can be managed using a COM object, programmed using the IShellLink interface, and saved into its persistence format using the IPersistStream or IPersistFile interface. It is most common for shell links to be stored in a file with the .LNK file extension. By using the IPersistStream interface, a shell link can be saved into another storage system, for example a database or the registry, or embedded in another file format. For more information, see [MSDN-ISHELLLINK].
Multi-byte data values in the Shell Link Binary File Format are stored in little-endian format.