Shell Libraries

Windows 7 libraries provide users a single, coherent view of their files even when those files are stored in different locations. Libraries can be configured and organized by a user and a library can contain folders that reside on the user's computer as well as those that have been shared over a network. Libraries present a simpler view of the underlying storage system because, to the user, the files and folders in a library are displayed in single view, no matter where they are physically stored.
This unit explains the basic concepts underlying Libraries, including how to make your application library-aware, how to work with libraries as though they were file system folders, and how to leverage the library system.

Lessons

• Shell Libraries - Managed In this lab, you will use the ShellLibrary wrapper in the Windows API CodePack to programmatically perform all operations on a library, including: creating, opening, deleting, and setting properties on libraries. You will also learn how to use the Shell’s “Library Management” Window.
• Shell Libraries - Native In this lab, you will use the native Windows APIs to programmatically perform all operations on a library, including: creating, opening, deleting, and setting properties on libraries. You will also learn how to use the Shell’s “Library Management” Window.
• Windows 7: Find and Organize Part 1 - The User Experience David Washington and Paul Gusmorino demonstrate the key enhancements in Windows 7 to finding and organizing your files. David and Paul show off the ways that the team has simplified the Windows Explorer, the new libraries feature, which is a virtual collection of your music, photos, and video, wherever they may be, including on multiple machines. You'll also see how to use the Library pane to easily find and filter your data.
• Windows 7: Find and Organize Part 2 - Building Federated Search applications David Washington and Brandon Paddock show how developers can build federated search applications that enable you to easily search your organization's intranet or the Web and integrate those search results directly into Windows Explorer. The best part is that instead of needing to install software on Windows 7 to get new search providers, you simply run an XML configuration file to add a search provider to your machine!