Windows Shell Extensions - Out of Proc

[Ralf]

I'm trying to develop Windows Shell Extensions with the Python Win32
Extensions. Most of the samples are working. However, I have a
slightly different need: I want the Python COM server to run as a
separate process ("LocalServer" or "OutOfProc").

As I understand, both the InProc and LocalServer versions are created
automatically. So to disable the InProc version, I removed the
InProc32 key from the registry, for the context menu example
distributed with the Python Win32 Extensions. However, this removes
the context menu from Explorer, even though the LocalServer32 key
remains. I could access the COM objects in the example with a Python
client, so I have no idea why Explorer can't use the LocalServer
version.

Can anyone help with this? I've Google'd for hours, without much
success. I couldn't even find a good example for any other language,
only references saying it's possible for C#.

 

[Thomas Heller]

I'm trying to develop Windows Shell Extensions with the Python Win32
Extensions. Most of the samples are working. However, I have a
slightly different need: I want the Python COM server to run as a
separate process ("LocalServer" or "OutOfProc").

As I understand, both the InProc and LocalServer versions are created
automatically. So to disable the InProc version, I removed the
InProc32 key from the registry, for the context menu example
distributed with the Python Win32 Extensions. However, this removes
the context menu from Explorer, even though the LocalServer32 key
remains. I could access the COM objects in the example with a Python
client, so I have no idea why Explorer can't use the LocalServer
version.

Can anyone help with this? I've Google'd for hours, without much
success. I couldn't even find a good example for any other language,
only references saying it's possible for C#.

I think that for whatever reasons, explorer always tries to create
shell extensions as InProc. CoCreateInstance, which is the usual
API to create COM instances, allows to specify which one you want.

Thomas

 

[Ralf]

I think that for whatever reasons, explorer always tries to create
shell extensions as InProc.  CoCreateInstance, which is the usual
API to create COM instances, allows to specify which one you want.

Thomas

So there is no way to do this, other than to create a "proxy" COM
object as InProc, which then forwards the requests to my COM object in
the separate process?

 

[Thomas Heller]

So there is no way to do this, other than to create a "proxy" COM
object as InProc, which then forwards the requests to my COM object in
the separate process?

Not that I know of - anyone else?

 

[Mark Hammond]

Not that I know of - anyone else?

That's my understanding too (and probably for good reason - shell
extensions can be called lots!)

Mark