Creating shortcuts from PowerShell

Below is a generic PowerShell wrapper script for generating standard Windows
shortcuts. Comments appreciated.


#New-Shortcut.ps1
Param
(
[string]$Source, #filesystem path to shortcut target
[string]$Target = $Source + ".lnk", #Target here is the new lnk file.
[string]$Arguments = $null,
[string]$Description = $null,
[string]$IconLocation = $null,
[string]$WorkingDirectory = $null,
[int]$WindowStyle = $null,
[string]$Hotkey = $null
)
$WshShell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$link = $WshShell.CreateShortcut($Target);
$link.TargetPath = $Source;
if($Arguments){$link.Arguments = $Arguments;}
if($Description){$link.Description = $Description;}
if($IconLocation){$link.IconLocation = $IconLocation;}
if($WorkingDirectory){$link.WorkingDirectory = $WorkingDirectory;}
if($WindowStyle){$link.WindowStyle = $WindowStyle;}
if($Hotkey){$link.Hotkey = $Hotkey;}
$link.Save();

Alex K. Angelopoulos [MVP] wrote:
> Below is a generic PowerShell wrapper script for generating standard Windows
> shortcuts. Comments appreciated.
>
>
> #New-Shortcut.ps1
> Param
> (
> [string]$Source, #filesystem path to shortcut target
> [string]$Target = $Source + ".lnk", #Target here is the new lnk file.
> [string]$Arguments = $null,
> [string]$Description = $null,
> [string]$IconLocation = $null,
> [string]$WorkingDirectory = $null,
> [int]$WindowStyle = $null,
> [string]$Hotkey = $null
> )
> $WshShell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
> $link = $WshShell.CreateShortcut($Target);
> $link.TargetPath = $Source;
> if($Arguments){$link.Arguments = $Arguments;}
> if($Description){$link.Description = $Description;}
> if($IconLocation){$link.IconLocation = $IconLocation;}
> if($WorkingDirectory){$link.WorkingDirectory = $WorkingDirectory;}
> if($WindowStyle){$link.WindowStyle = $WindowStyle;}
> if($Hotkey){$link.Hotkey = $Hotkey;}
> $link.Save();

I have been wondering how to create a shortcut in PowerShell Thank
you for sharing the script.

Is there an option where to save the shortcut to? I am not sure what
"WorkingDirectory" refers to though.

Would you be able to give some usages on how to use the function?
thank you in advance

"Sung M Kim" wrote:

> Is there an option where to save the shortcut to?

I think that is what the $target param is for:
[string]$Target = $Source + ".lnk", #Target here is the new lnk file.

> I am not sure what
> "WorkingDirectory" refers to though.

The current working directory of the app when it is started using this
shortcut.
In case of cmd.exe this is your current directory
(usually this is %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH% or the same as the executable path).
You can also set this directory in the file properties of a shortcut.

--
greetings
dreeschkind

"dreeschkind" <dreeschkind@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9B046CCB-692E-436F-AFD2-57D1AC97F1B1@microsoft.com...
> "Sung M Kim" wrote:
>
>> Is there an option where to save the shortcut to?

> I think that is what the $target param is for:
> [string]$Target = $Source + ".lnk", #Target here is the new lnk file.

Yep.

What it comes down to is that if you just want to automate shortcut
creation, it creates the shortcut in the same location as the original item,
with the same name and ".lnk" appended. So if you did
New-Shortcut C:\temp
you create a shortcut file C:\temp.lnk.

Obviously this is very minimalistic. Note that if you specify another
name/location, you have to explicitly include the ".lnk" suffix yourself.
That may be worth changing.

>> I am not sure what
>> "WorkingDirectory" refers to though.
>
> The current working directory of the app when it is started using this
> shortcut.
> In case of cmd.exe this is your current directory
> (usually this is %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH% or the same as the executable
> path).
> You can also set this directory in the file properties of a shortcut.

Slight correction. Windows normally sets the cmd.exe home directory to that,
but in the case of a shortcut, if you don't specify an explicit working
directory, you just inherit it from the launching process. In the case of a
clicked-on shortcut this is typically the folder where the shortcut resides.