Get a file to open with my app - a media player

[hbatalha]

So I created a media player using libvlc and I would like to get a media file open with it, like every media player app.
I want to know how to do it with Qt. The only info about this I found was this one but in the example there the ATOM keyword is not recognized in the G searches only info about the Atom ide I could find.

Edit: I am on windows

[artwaw]

@hbatalha File associations are set in OS. So answer to your question depends on the OS your program will work on.

[hbatalha]

@artwaw I am on windows

[artwaw]

@hbatalha You need to use Windows docs to learn how to do it, i.e. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/win32/shell/fa-sample-scenarios?redirectedfrom=MSDN

For accessing Windows Registry you can use QSettings (safest way).

[hbatalha]

@artwaw I did that, following this article.. The main code below:

void checkWinRegistry()
{
    QString val;
    QString exePath = qApp->applicationFilePath();
    exePath.replace("/", "\\");

    QSettings regType("HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\.abc",
                                   QSettings::NativeFormat);
    QSettings regIcon("HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\.abc\\DefaultIcon",
                                   QSettings::NativeFormat);
    QSettings regShell("HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\.abc\\Shell\\Open\\Command",
                                   QSettings::NativeFormat);

    /** . means default value, you can also use the "Default" string */
    if("" != regType.value(".").toString()){
        regType.setValue(".","");
    }

    /** 0 使用当前程序内置图标 */
    val = exePath + ",0";
    if(val != regIcon.value(".").toString()){
        regIcon.setValue(".",val);
    }

    val = exePath + " \"%1\"";
    if(val != regShell.value(".").toString()){
        regShell.setValue(".",val);
    }
}

But I didn't understand the code quite well. Am I supposed to do that with every extension the app supports? Also I couldn't figure out what to do next, how to actually get the file urls into my code for my app to use them?

[JonB]

@hbatalha said in Get a file to open with my app - a media player:

Am I supposed to do that with every extension the app supports?

Yep!

At least that's the simplest. Windows Registry file associations also a supports "file types", like "source files" or similar with multiple file extensions as a group, but it's simplest to just do it for each extension explicitly I think.

[artwaw]

@hbatalha To add to what @JonB said - what happens when someone clicks on the file after you've set the association is that your program is being called with a parameter that is the file url. So you have to check parameters upon startup.

[hbatalha]

@artwaw I have done it. Thank you all for your help and time.

[hbatalha]

@hbatalha Just to add more info: I find it much better to do the file association right in the installer. In my case I am using Inno Setup on windows.