pass-through-extensions

Windows helper: peel `.example`/`.template` meta-suffixes and open as the inner file type.

Explore the docs · Try the demo · Report Bug

Part of HCI Nerdz.

• Essay: When example files lose their type == About The Project

Explorer resolves type from the last extension segment. appsettings.json.example becomes an inert .example file instead of JSON with a badge.

Stock Win32 associations have no first-class passthru / peel-to-stem kind.

What this app does

1. Settings UI (PassThrough.App) — enable/disable, toggle built-in meta-types, add your own

2. Persists %LOCALAPPDATA%\HCI-Nerdz\pass-through-extensions\settings.json

3. Registers active suffixes for the current user (HKCU\Software\Classes)

4. Open broker (PassThrough.Broker.exe) peels allow-listed badges, looks up the inner association, launches it with the real path

Built-in suffixes:

example, template, tmpl, sample, dist, default, skeleton, stub, orig, bak, old

Compression tails (.gz, …) are refused even if someone tries to add them as custom.

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Installation

Requires .NET 9 SDK.

dotnet build PassThroughExtensions.sln -c Release
dotnet test PassThroughExtensions.sln -c Release
start src\PassThrough.App\bin\Release\net9.0-windows\PassThrough.App.exe

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Usage

In the app: add any custom meta-types you need → Apply to Explorer. Remove from Explorer clears the HKCU mappings.

Legacy PowerShell

The original script installer lives under legacy/ for reference. Prefer the WPF app + broker.

Limits

• Icon / preview / Type-column inheritance still needs a shell extension or OS support

• App Open dialogs that filter by extension are a separate discoverability bug

• Current-user only (no admin); machine-wide would be the same mapping under HKLM plus policy

• If no inner association exists, the broker falls back to Notepad

PowerToys / Microsoft

This is a natural PowerToys File Explorer add-on: configurable meta-suffix list + open peel (icons later). Filed: microsoft/PowerToys#49631.

Feedback Hub (Win + F) remains the right place for a first-class OS passthru association kind (open + icon + preview + common dialogs).

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License

MIT — see LICENSE.

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Contact

HCI Nerdz — [ORG_EMAIL]

• Project: https://github.com/HCI-Nerdz/pass-through-extensions

• Site: https://hci-nerdz.github.io

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