Restart explorer.exe Process in Windows 10  

bamajon1974 said:

I tested out @KeithM Option 1 and Option 2 scripts and both seem to work. Both scripts re-open all file explorer windows opened prior to closing. It seems that if some windows are open on Monitor 2 initially, for example, then the open all stacked on Monitor 1 after the script is run.

Thanks for the feedback. I only have my laptop, so not much of a testing environment!

Neither option makes any attempt to remember size or position, so what you say is normal within the limitations of that code.

bamajon1974 said:

What exactly is the Namespace and is that Option 2 code relevant?

The Shell namespace is the logical organization of items into a tree of foders, sub-folders, and
folderItems that mirrors the familar directory, sub-directory, and file structure of the filesystem.
The Shell namespace is rooted in the logical Desktop, the one you see when you click the "up" icon in the Explorer Address bar:


Note the items that don't appear in the This PC > Desktop folder. A single item from he filesystem can appear in multiple locations within the namesapce. For a newly-created user, the single directory c:\Users\<UserProfileFolder>\Documents has the following namespace paths:

• This PC\Documents
• This PC\Windows (C:)\Users\<UserProfileFolder>\Documents
• <FullUserName>\Documents
• Libraries\Documents\Documents
• Network\<ComputerName>\Users\<UserProfileFolder>\Documents

They all refer to the same directory and its contents, but each can reetain a unique view in Explorer because their namespace paths are unique.

bamajon1974 said:

The post also mentioned figuring out how to reopen libraries and search folders. Was that incorporated into the later scripts?

Not that I've posted so far. Havent't posted the code yet, but I've figured out pretty much everything. :

• Namepace path
• Window size, position, and state (Windowed, Minimized, Maximized, FullScreen)
• Searches and Libraries
• Icon mode/size, SortBy, GroupBy

And I realized ithis is useful to a lot more than just shell restart. So I'm adding capability to save the infor to a file that can be restored later. So if a user's workflow uses three windows in a certain position, they can save that layout and restore it anytime they want. Not going to try and create a GUI, but trying to create functions outhers can use to script their custom solutions.

bamajon1974 said:

Thanks!

You're welcome!

Stay tuned!

KeithM said:

Thanks for the feedback. I only have my laptop, so not much of a testing environment!

Neither option makes any attempt to remember size or position, so what you say is normal within the limitations of that code.


The Shell namespace is the logical organization of items into a tree of foders, sub-folders, and
folderItems that mirrors the familar directory, sub-directory, and file structure of the filesystem.
The Shell namespace is rooted in the logical Desktop, the one you see when you click the "up" icon in the Explorer Address bar:


Note the items that don't appear in the This PC > Desktop folder. A single item from he filesystem can appear in multiple locations within the namesapce. For a newly-created user, the single directory c:\Users\<UserProfileFolder>\Documents has the following namespace paths:

• This PC\Documents
• This PC\Windows (C:)\Users\<UserProfileFolder>\Documents
• <FullUserName>\Documents
• Libraries\Documents\Documents
• Network\<ComputerName>\Users\<UserProfileFolder>\Documents

They all refer to the same directory and its contents, but each can reetain a unique view in Explorer because their namespace paths are unique.


Not that I've posted so far. Havent't posted the code yet, but I've figured out pretty much everything. :

• Namepace path
• Window size, position, and state (Windowed, Minimized, Maximized, FullScreen)
• Searches and Libraries
• Icon mode/size, SortBy, GroupBy

And I realized ithis is useful to a lot more than just shell restart. So I'm adding capability to save the infor to a file that can be restored later. So if a user's workflow uses three windows in a certain position, they can save that layout and restore it anytime they want. Not going to try and create a GUI, but trying to create functions outhers can use to script their custom solutions.



You're welcome!

Stay tuned!

Thank you. Please let me know when you have an updated script ready.

One thing I forgot to mention....I do have QtTabBar installed to add tabs in File Explorer. The script you posted only re-opens the last active tab after restarting explorer. Would a tabbed explorer create other issues with your code, other than just re-opening the last active tab?

bamajon1974 said:

Thank you. Please let me know when you have an updated script ready.

One thing I forgot to mention....I do have QtTabBar installed to add tabs in File Explorer. The script you posted only re-opens the last active tab after restarting explorer. Would a tabbed explorer create other issues with your code, other than just re-opening the last active tab?

I don't know as I've never looked at QtTabBar and have no idea how it works. My code makes use of the Shell.Application COM object. If the tabs aren't somehow available through the Shell.Windows() method, my code wouldn't be aware of them. Do you know if QtTabBar exposes an automation object?

I am not a coder and have no idea if QtTabBar exposes an automation object. The program is closed source and the developer never replies to messages so I have no idea how to find out. But it isn't a big deal. Reopening an explorer window after restart is good enough.

Thanks!