[h-e-w] w32-symlinks

[Dr Francis J. Wright]

A new version is available via http://centaur.maths.qmul.ac.uk/Emacs/, which
provides a first attempt at support for Windows shortcuts throughout Emacs.
It does this by treating *.lnk as a "magic" file name, for which it provides
a handler.  Because of its preliminary nature, and the fact that errors in
magic file name handlers can have nasty consequences [you have been
warned!], this facility is currently turned off by default.  It is
controlled by an option in the w32-symlinks customization group.

This new facility is currently almost independent of the existing dired
support for symlinks, and I may keep it that way, because the current dired
support is marginally more efficient than it would be via the magic file
name handler.  There are no functional changes to the old code other than
those required to support the new facilities, except that I have renamed one
option; please see the w32-symlinks customization group.

If you don't want to try the new facility then there is no point installing
this new version.  Please try it carefully, especially if you delete
anything with it turned on.  I have not yet tested it widely.  Please let me
know about any problems (or successes).

Francis

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Dr Francis J. Wright
School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary
University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
Tel: 020 7882 5453 (direct);  Fax: 020 8981 9587 (dept.)
address@hidden;  http://centaur.maths.qmul.ac.uk/