Windows Shell Items (AKA "shellbags") is an undocumented set of structures used internally within Windows to identify paths in Windows Folder Hierarchy. It is widely used in Windows Shell (and most visible in File Explorer), both as in-memory and in-file structures. Some formats embed them, namely:
The format is mostly undocumented, and is known to vary between various Windows versions.
This page hosts a formal specification of Windows Shell Items using Kaitai Struct. This specification can be automatically translated into a variety of programming languages to get a parsing library.
import kaitai_struct_nim_runtime
import options
type
WindowsShellItems* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`items`*: seq[WindowsShellItems_ShellItem]
`parent`*: KaitaiStruct
WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`code`*: uint8
`body1`*: WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody
`body2`*: KaitaiStruct
`parent`*: WindowsShellItems_ShellItem
WindowsShellItems_ShellItem* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`lenData`*: uint16
`data`*: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData
`parent`*: WindowsShellItems
`rawData`*: seq[byte]
WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`sortIndex`*: uint8
`shellFolderId`*: seq[byte]
`parent`*: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData
WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`flags`*: uint8
`parent`*: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData
WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`unnamed0`*: uint8
`fileSize`*: uint32
`lastModTime`*: uint32
`fileAttrs`*: uint16
`parent`*: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData
`isDirInst`: bool
`isDirInstFlag`: bool
`isFileInst`: bool
`isFileInstFlag`: bool
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: KaitaiStruct): WindowsShellItems
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems_ShellItem): WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_ShellItem], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems): WindowsShellItems_ShellItem
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData): WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData): WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData): WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody
proc isDir*(this: WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody): bool
proc isFile*(this: WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody): bool
##[
Windows Shell Items (AKA "shellbags") is an undocumented set of
structures used internally within Windows to identify paths in
Windows Folder Hierarchy. It is widely used in Windows Shell (and
most visible in File Explorer), both as in-memory and in-file
structures. Some formats embed them, namely:
* Windows Shell link files (.lnk) Windows registry
* Windows registry "ShellBags" keys
The format is mostly undocumented, and is known to vary between
various Windows versions.
@see <a href="https://github.com/libyal/libfwsi/blob/main/documentation/Windows%20Shell%20Item%20format.asciidoc">Source</a>
]##
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: KaitaiStruct): WindowsShellItems =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(WindowsShellItems)
let root = if root == nil: cast[WindowsShellItems](this) else: cast[WindowsShellItems](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
##[
@see <a href="https://winprotocoldoc.blob.core.windows.net/productionwindowsarchives/MS-SHLLINK/[MS-SHLLINK].pdf">Section 2.2.1</a>
]##
block:
var i: int
while true:
let it = WindowsShellItems_ShellItem.read(this.io, this.root, this)
this.items.add(it)
if it.lenData == 0:
break
inc i
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems], filename: string): WindowsShellItems =
WindowsShellItems.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems_ShellItem): WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData)
let root = if root == nil: cast[WindowsShellItems](this) else: cast[WindowsShellItems](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
let codeExpr = this.io.readU1()
this.code = codeExpr
block:
let on = this.code
if on == 31:
let body1Expr = WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody.read(this.io, this.root, this)
this.body1 = body1Expr
block:
let on = (this.code and 112)
if on == 32:
let body2Expr = WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody.read(this.io, this.root, this)
this.body2 = body2Expr
elif on == 48:
let body2Expr = WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody.read(this.io, this.root, this)
this.body2 = body2Expr
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData], filename: string): WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData =
WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)
##[
@see <a href="https://winprotocoldoc.blob.core.windows.net/productionwindowsarchives/MS-SHLLINK/[MS-SHLLINK].pdf">Section 2.2.2</a>
]##
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_ShellItem], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems): WindowsShellItems_ShellItem =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(WindowsShellItems_ShellItem)
let root = if root == nil: cast[WindowsShellItems](this) else: cast[WindowsShellItems](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
let lenDataExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.lenData = lenDataExpr
if this.lenData >= 2:
let rawDataExpr = this.io.readBytes(int((this.lenData - 2)))
this.rawData = rawDataExpr
let rawDataIo = newKaitaiStream(rawDataExpr)
let dataExpr = WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData.read(rawDataIo, this.root, this)
this.data = dataExpr
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_ShellItem], filename: string): WindowsShellItems_ShellItem =
WindowsShellItems_ShellItem.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)
##[
@see <a href="https://github.com/libyal/libfwsi/blob/main/documentation/Windows%20Shell%20Item%20format.asciidoc#32-root-folder-shell-item">Source</a>
]##
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData): WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody)
let root = if root == nil: cast[WindowsShellItems](this) else: cast[WindowsShellItems](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
let sortIndexExpr = this.io.readU1()
this.sortIndex = sortIndexExpr
let shellFolderIdExpr = this.io.readBytes(int(16))
this.shellFolderId = shellFolderIdExpr
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody], filename: string): WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody =
WindowsShellItems_RootFolderBody.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)
##[
@see <a href="https://github.com/libyal/libfwsi/blob/main/documentation/Windows%20Shell%20Item%20format.asciidoc#33-volume-shell-item">Source</a>
]##
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData): WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody)
let root = if root == nil: cast[WindowsShellItems](this) else: cast[WindowsShellItems](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
let flagsExpr = this.io.readU1()
this.flags = flagsExpr
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody], filename: string): WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody =
WindowsShellItems_VolumeBody.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)
##[
@see <a href="https://github.com/libyal/libfwsi/blob/main/documentation/Windows%20Shell%20Item%20format.asciidoc#34-file-entry-shell-item">Source</a>
]##
proc read*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: WindowsShellItems_ShellItemData): WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody)
let root = if root == nil: cast[WindowsShellItems](this) else: cast[WindowsShellItems](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
let unnamed0Expr = this.io.readU1()
this.unnamed0 = unnamed0Expr
let fileSizeExpr = this.io.readU4le()
this.fileSize = fileSizeExpr
let lastModTimeExpr = this.io.readU4le()
this.lastModTime = lastModTimeExpr
let fileAttrsExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.fileAttrs = fileAttrsExpr
proc isDir(this: WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody): bool =
if this.isDirInstFlag:
return this.isDirInst
let isDirInstExpr = bool((this.parent.code and 1) != 0)
this.isDirInst = isDirInstExpr
this.isDirInstFlag = true
return this.isDirInst
proc isFile(this: WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody): bool =
if this.isFileInstFlag:
return this.isFileInst
let isFileInstExpr = bool((this.parent.code and 2) != 0)
this.isFileInst = isFileInstExpr
this.isFileInstFlag = true
return this.isFileInst
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody], filename: string): WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody =
WindowsShellItems_FileEntryBody.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)