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    Separate file association names?

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    • MidnightGardenM Offline
      MidnightGarden
      last edited by

      Currently, every file type associated with Notepad++ is just listed as Notepad++ Document which makes it impossible to, for example, filter specifically for, say, .json files in explorer, or anything along those lines.
      Is there an easy way to separate out the file associations? Or is that just how it works and there’s not much to do about it.

      Terry RT PeterJonesP 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • Terry RT Offline
        Terry R @MidnightGarden
        last edited by

        @MidnightGarden

        Because File Explorer writes “Notepad++ Document” this means a file type has been associated with that application. So File Explorer writes the app name, not the extension name.

        So a way of getting somewhat closer to what you want is to untick the selection in the File Explorer View tab (under Options) that says “hide extensions for known file types”. This will then display the entire file name.

        Terry

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • PeterJonesP Offline
          PeterJones @MidnightGarden
          last edited by

          @MidnightGarden said in Separate file association names?:

          Or is that just how it works and there’s not much to do about it.

          It’s the way that Windows prefers it to work, and over the years they have made it progressively harder to do it another way. It’s technically possible for someone with a knowledge of how file associations work in the registry (*) to be able to create their own filetypes, and associate those filetypes with Notepad++… but it’s way beyond the scope of this forum to go into the nitty-gritty details.

          You can get some hints from various registry hacks that have been shared over the years in the forum, but this isn’t really the right place to ask. Other than knowing the path to the notepad++ executable, usually c:\program files\notepad++\notepad++.exe, the entire process is Notepad++-agnostic, so even if you find an example for some other app, the basic instructions would still apply. (It wouldn’t surprise me if your favorite search-engine’s AI were able to get you started in the right direction, if you’re willing to take a risk; if you’re lucky, it might even still provide you links to human-generated/vetted instructions. But whatever wrote the instructions, editing your registry can brick your system, especially if you don’t understand what you’re doing, so buyer beware.)

          *: there’s at least 3 or 4 different ways it’s been handled over the years, and it’s a complicated mess trying to dig into it

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          • mathlete2M Offline
            mathlete2
            last edited by

            @MidnightGarden in addition to the configuration the @Terry-R mentioned, I usually have the Type column visible in my File Explorer windows: when you sort the view by Type, all files of the same type (TXT, CSV, XML, HTML, etc.) are grouped together. You should also be able to search for a specific extension, though the files will likely be presented in a different manner than you’re used to seeing.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • NicholasN Offline
              Nicholas
              last edited by

              Here is my post about changing file type icons in the registry. It also changes the file type descriptions.

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