Good day Brothers/Sisters. I am trying to accomplish something that seems like it should be an easy task, getting a URL out of a Windows shortcut file. But as with so many things Windows, what should be easy isn't.

Following suggestions in node Read and write Windows "shortcut" links I have tried doing it with Image::ExifTool and Win32::OLE (had trouble installing the other two mods suggested): 

use strict;
use feature ':5.10';
use Data::Dumper;
use Image::ExifTool qw(:Public);
use Win32::OLE;

# cwd is c:/tmp/
say "exiftool\n";
my $info = ImageInfo("c:/tmp/test/link.lnk");
say Dumper($info);

say "\nOLE\n";
my $wsh = new Win32::OLE 'WScript.Shell';
my $shcut = $wsh->CreateShortcut("c:/tmp/test/link.lnk") or die;
say $shcut->TargetPath

[download]

This is pointing to a shortcut in a subfolder test where I inserted "https://perlmonks.org" in the box labeled "Type the location of this item:" and "link" in "Type a name for this shortcut:"

The first approach yields "error opening file" and the second one dies. I was a little skeptical of the code for the second because the method is "CreateShortcut" whereas I am trying to read one.

I tried changing the name of the link to link.lnk and tried again. No difference for the first approach. The second one didn't die, but returned null.

So then I think to myself: "Self, maybe these are just designed for links to other folders, etc. (equivalent of Linux symlinks) and not URL shortcuts." So I copy another folder and paste it as a shortcut in ../test, point the above script at that, and voila! Both approaches work

So does anyone know how I can get the URL out of a shortcut that contains one instead of another filesystem locaiton?

In reply to How to get URL associated with an existing Windows URL shortcut? by cormanaz

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