The below will show you how to use a VBS Script to Create a Shortcut and also a URL shortcut to a webpage.
In the below example script I am simply creating a shortcut to Notepad using the properties .TargetPath and . Description however there are a few other properties you can make use of.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Arguments | Additional command-line arguments that can be used when starting the application. |
| Description | Description given to the shortcut. |
| FullName | Read-only property that returns the complete path to the target application. |
| HotKey | Keyboard shortcut: a combination of keys that, when held down together, will start the application. Keyboard shortcuts typically consist of one of the following keys plus a letter (az), number (09), or function key (F1F12):
For example, to set the keyboard shortcut to the CTRL key and the 9 key, use this value: CTRL + 9 If the key combination you select is already in use, it will be overwritten and will be applied to the new shortcut created by your script. |
| IconLocation | Allows you to specify an icon and an icon index for the shortcut. If no location is specified, the default icon for the application is used. |
| TargetPath | Complete path to the target application. You must specify the full path, including the drive letter or UNC path.
When setting a TargetPath, WSH will accept the value entered. It will not check to ensure that the path is correct. |
| WindowStyle | Specifies the initial window type for the application. Valid styles are the same as those shown for the Run method and are listed in Table 3.9. |
| WorkingDirectory | Specifies the working directory for the application. |
Example 1:
Set objShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
'All users Desktop
allUsersDesktop = objShell.SpecialFolders("AllUsersDesktop")
'The current users Desktop
usersDesktop = objShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop")
'Where to create the new shorcut
Set objShortCut = objShell.CreateShortcut(usersDesktop & "\Notepad.lnk")
'What does the shortcut point to
objShortCut.TargetPath = "%SystemRoot%\system32\notepad.exe"
'Add a description
objShortCut.Description = "Run the Notepad."
'Create the shortcut
objShortCut.Save
Creating a URL Shortcut
URL shortcuts are created in the same way however they do not support all of the properties or a Standard shortcut, the file name must also be a .url not a .lnk
Example 2:
Set objShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
'All users Desktop
allUsersDesktop = objShell.SpecialFolders("AllUsersDesktop")
'The current users Desktop
usersDesktop = objShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop")
'Where to create the new shorcut
Set objShortCut = objShell.CreateShortcut(usersDesktop & "\Geeks Hangout.url")
'What does the shortcut point to
objShortCut.TargetPath = "https://geekshangout.com"
'Create the shortcut
objShortCut.Save
These work great and I”m currently using AllUsersDesktop to add a shortcut and icon to user desktops but this adds it to the Public Desktop folder in Windows 7 which means users can delete it. Is it possible to add the icon and shortcut to the Default Desktop Folder? (C:\Users\Default\Desktop)
How do you add an icon?