Extending System Control Panel Items
Some of the system items found in the Control Panel are extensible. To install a Control Panel extension, register your Shell extension as follows, where name is the predefined name of the system item (see table below).
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Controls Folder name shellex PropertySheetHandlers
This is similar to the way you would register an extension for a predefined Shell object. Because the only Shell extensions supported by Control Panel items are property sheets, the registration must be under the shellex\PropertySheetHandlers subkey.
| Control Panel item | name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Desk | Also supports replacement of the Desktop page. Note This is no longer supported under Windows Vista.
|
| Display Settings Advanced | Device | Nonhardware-specific advanced properties. Note This is no longer supported under Windows Vista.
|
| Display Settings Advanced | Display | Hardware-specific advanced properties. Note This is no longer supported under Windows Vista.
|
| Internet Options | Internet | The maximum number of extension pages is 18. |
| Keyboard | Keyboard | The maximum number of extension pages is 30. |
| Mouse | Mouse | Also supports replacement of standard pages. The maximum number of extension pages is 8. |
| Power Options | Power | The maximum number of pages, including standard pages, is 18. |
| System | System | The maximum number of extension pages is 8. Note This is no longer supported under Windows Vista.
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The Add or Remove Programs item in the Windows XP Control Panel is not a property sheet and therefore cannot be extended by the methods discussed here. Instead, its content is obtained from application publishers. For more information on adding content to Add or Remove Programs, see IAppPublisher, IEnumPublishedApps, and IPublishedApp.
Related topics
Registering Control Panel Items
Control Panel Message Processing
Assigning Control Panel Categories
Creating Searchable Task Links for a Control Panel Item
Accessing the Control Panel in Safe Mode under Windows Vista