Registering an Application Under the Start Menu Category

To register an application under the Start Menu category, use the following procedure.

1. Create a GUID for the application.
2. Create the following key in the system registry:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Applications\{appGUID}
   

   where appGUID is the application GUID.

3. Under the key created in Step 2, add the following values:

   Value	Type	Data
   Title	REG_SZ	The title of the application. This string appears on the More Programs Options page in Media Center, allowing the user to enable or disable the application.
   Description	REG_SZ	A brief description of the application.
   CompanyName	REG_SZ	The name of the company that authored the application.
   CompanyLogo	REG_SZ	The path to an image of the company's logo.

   
   

   Of the preceding values, only Title is required. The other values are optional.

4. Create a GUID for the application's item in the Start page menu.
5. Create the following key in the system registry:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Extensibility\Categories\Start Menu\{startMenuItemGUID}

   where startMenuItemGUID is the GUID for the application's Start page menu item.

6. Under the key created in Step 5, add the following values:

   Value	Type	Data
   AppId	REG_SZ	The GUID for the application corresponding to this menu item. Media Center uses this GUID to link this item to its application information. It is the same GUID that was created in Step 1.
   Title	REG_SZ	The title of the application. Media Center displays this string as the application item on the Start page menu.
   Subtitle	REG_SZ	The subtitle of the application. Media Center displays this string just below the application item whenever one of the item's shortcuts has the focus.
   Description	REG_SZ	A brief description of this item.
   URL	REG_SZ	The URL of an HTML application that can be hosted in Media Center.
   Run	REG_SZ	The path to the application's executable file on the local machine.
   AddIn	REG_SZ	The name of a Media Center add-in.
   Context	REG_SZ	A value that Media Center passes to the application when the menu item is selected. This can be an arbitrary string of parameters for the application.
   ThumbnailUrl	REG_SZ	The path to the thumbnail image used as the default icon for any shortcuts exposed by the menu item.
   ImageUrl	REG_SZ	A full-sized image that is the item's visual representation. This value is not currently used.
   NowPlayingDirective	REG_SZ	A command that controls what happens to the current media experience when the item is selected. If the item is for an add-in, this value is ignored. For more information, see application Element.
   CapabilitiesRequired	REG_SZ	A list of the capabilities that the Media Center computer must have to support the application that corresponds to this menu item. If the device does not have the specified capabilities, the item is not shown.
   BackgroundColor	REG_SZ	The color that Media Center uses for its background while the application is visible. This value is used only if the item corresponds to an HTML application. To specify the color use the following format: "RGB(r,g,b)".
   TimeStamp	REG_DWORD	The time that this item was last modified. This value is the number of seconds that have elapsed since midnight on January 1st, 2000 C.E.

   
   

   The Title, AppId, and TimeStamp values are required, as well as one of the following: URL, Run, or AddIn. The other values are optional.

See Also

• Adding Applications to the Media Center Start Page