12.1 Extending the Context Menus for Views

To extend a context menu, create an XML file that:

  • Specifies applications to be launched and parameters to be passed to it.

  • Utilizes a replaceable parameter mechanism.

  • Supports two types of replaceable parameters:

    • Data-centric parameters that map to the selected data in the view. Any column in the view for the current selected set of data can be passed to the command-line utility. If the column is not displayed in the view, the parameter cannot access the corresponding data.

    • System parameters, such as an installation path, in the format %%PARM%%.

  • Supports cascading menus in the context menu, up to two levels.

  • Supports multiple selections by use of a separator value.

  • Is dropped in \bin directory.

  • Is loaded each time the menu is displayed – no need to restart the Control Center console because of changes.

  • Supports multiple XML files - must follow the naming convention <filename>.Extensions.xml.