Filetypes in Windows' Default Programs system

[HotShot]

Hi,
I'm currently evaluating the 1.00.107 Pro version, and appreciate the speed and uncluttered interface of this fine piece of software!
I have one request at the moment (besides support for .jp2 .exr etc.):

is it possible to display the list of all supported formats (e.g. .tif/.tiff, .dng, .tga, .png, .djvu etc.) under Vista/Win7's "Default Programs" ? At the moment, and despite having the Pro version, only .exif, .jpg, .rw2 and few other file types are available for opening with FPV...

Looking at the documentation of this Vista/7 feature on MSDN, it seems quite easy to achieve - ok, easier said than done. Particularly, it would be fine if FPV Pro could be always aware of the installed [and supported] Wic codecs, then register them as supported formats under Default Programs. I've seen developers implementing such an always "up-to-date" file association system through a small dedicated program, see for instance Foobar2000.

Anyway, keep up the good work, I'm looking forward to buying the Pro version at the end of my evaluation

[Axel]

The FastPictureViewer WIC Codec Pack registers FPV, Photo Gallery/Viewer and, on Win7, Media Center as possible viewers for the codecs it contains, so they appear in the Recommended Programs section of the file association UI when statginf from a particular extension. That covers one side of the problem.

A future build of the codec pack will also register FPV as a handler for all types supported and I'll remove the existing raw format associations from the program's setup, which is confusing. From there FPV and the codecs should be fully enabled in the system's buit-in file association UI.

The problem is that all those associations are made statically in the registry, and that codecs come and go, so the associations are best handled from the codec side. Also, part of the registration involves writing to restricted parts of the registry, so the program doing it must run elevated, which is impractical at best.

[HotShot]

Arguments assumed I agree the whole process appears a bit complicated (as much as it would be flexible), yet I do think it would be a worthwhile addition for "power-users": making FPV the default WIC-opening application. Btw, running a bit of code with elevated privileges once in a while (for instance after setup of a new format), seems no big issue to me.

Well, I hope this system-integration feature improves in subsequent releases. Meanwhile, thanks for the outstanding WIC codec pack, you even beat Adobe at its own game with your Dng codec - I hope you'll keep adding to it and updating it as formats evolve. As a way to thank you, just ordered FPV Pro...

Cheers,

[Axel]

Thanks a lot Yes indeed the whole default program thing is a bit complicated. The association part of the setup was removed for non JPEG/HD Photo formats in the last setup, many people tought it was actually installing some codec and this created much confusion. The codec pack, on its side, register FPV as a possible host for all formats it handles, but the "rule" for a WIC-enabled codec is to open the system's default viewer, i.e. Photo Gallery on Vista or Photo Viewer on Windows 7.

Now you can "Associate a file or protocol" from the Default Program UI, i.e. start from the extensions side of things and select FPV, Media Center, Photo Gallery or any other app that registered itself as a possible host for a given file extension, but for some reason the "Set associations for a program" side does not work yet, I have to see if the fact that I have both the 32 and 64-bit versions of the viewer installed side-by-side has something to do with that.