Path to Icon for URL? (any)

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Do you mean where is it stored on the web server, or on your local machine?

On the web server, it is generally favicon.ico in the root folder, eg http://www.google.com/favicon.ico =

On your local machine – I dunno – I use AM-Deadlink

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How does Windows store the “path to the icon” data for a URL? Everyone knows how to assign an icon to URL, but where is this data stored? This is clearly “meta data” to the URL, but there no easy way I can find to “see” this data. Where is it stored? Thank you. (Perhaps this is a Windows System question??)
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Now, I happened to use Firefox to do this, but I am not sure it matters — I firmly believe the behavior is that same for IE. I dragged this exact thread’s URL from the Address bar to my desktop. An “Internet Shortcut” (.url) is created by this activity. However, the icon changes from “Lex” icon that appears in the Address bar to a generic Firefox icon (FF is my default program for URL’s).

If I open up the URL with an Editor, I find the following header line:

HOWEVER, that only seems to be active if the URL appears in the Address bar. Once I move the URL to my Desktop, the icon becomes the FF icon — my default for .url File Types. I can open the URL Properties and use the “Change Icon” button to assign a new icon. I can even locate the Lex icon in my TIF and assign that one. If I apply this, the icon remains (until I empty my TIF).

But where is this path stored? How do I ‘see’ the path to icon data? The LINK REL=”Shortcut Icon” data does not change. I don’t see that anything INSIDE the HTML changes. The “Properties” meta-data must store the info, but where do I see that? Even a Binary Editor (WinVi) does not show me that.

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The file name favicon.ico. It is stored in your TIF with the site name/favicon.ico (i.e http://www.yoursite.com/favicon.ico) as the internet address.

Joe

--Joe

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Just to add, if it is not in the web root folder, there will be a tag in the HEADing of the source code:

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Your guys are too fast! I added to my original post. Sorry. I understand all about the TIF and favicons. But how on my local machine is the “path to icon” stored? Clearly it is something that is modifiable and persistent — therefore it is stored somewhere.
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WHY AM I ASKING? Well, how do you make a URL portable to other computers, yet retain the same icon? If I assign an icon to a URL on my computer, then send the URL to a friend, the Icon data does not appear to be preserved. A generic icon is used instead, even if the icon is on the other user’s computer. Why? How can I make a specific icon stay assigned to a URL that can be used on any computer? There must be a solution! :-} Thanks.

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You must also send a copy of the icon and then the new user must edit the shortcut and link the image to the shortcut based on where the image was saved.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Right, but what if the icon is already on the user’s computer — and in the same path? For example, C:WindowsShell32icon.ico. Can’t one adjust the path before sending the URL?

Oooh. I guess I found the info I need — now I have to figure out how to open up a URL and have it look like this..

Sample URL File:
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[InternetShortcut]

URL=http://www.someaddress.com/
WorkingDirectory=C:WINDOWS
ShowCommand=7
IconIndex=1
IconFile=C:WINDOWSSYSTEMurl.dll
Modified=20F06BA06D07BD014D
HotKey=1601
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There must be two types of .url files?? One like the above, and the other is an HTML document?? Does that make sense?

Answer: No. URL’s function weird. If you try to open a URL with an editor, you get the Web Page, not the insides of the URL.
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Final Add:

As usual, all one needs is the correct tool. Normal “Editors” do not open the URL correctly — not even WinVi. They seem to open the actual web page!! That is why I was seeing the HTML — I was seeing the web page itself, not the Shortcut file.

This is the tool one needs to modify the actual URL: IE Shortcut Editor. And it is freeware at that! Thanks.

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