.mat files are not shortcuts!!! (please help)

[oboeguy]

Windows/Office XP is insisting that .mat files are MS Access shortcuts, but I want them to be Matlab data files. Why is this a problem? When I try to use the regular file browsing control in a custom Office app I'm making to select .mat files, said control "cannot resolve" the "shortcut".

How lame is that? It's not even a shortcut, but XP (Office and/or Windows) thinks it is. I've tried changing the file extension via the "Folder Options" Explorer menu, but no love, it still appears to the control as a shortcut.

Any ideas?

 

[bunker]

What OS? Try right-clicking on a .mat file and selet "open with" when the dialog box comes up, select MatLab and make sure the little box on the bottom is checked that says something like "always use this program to open files of this type"

 

[oboeguy]

Like I said, XP, and, I've already tried that, but thanks.

 

[oboeguy]

So I solved the problem, I think. Instead of playing nice, I chose drastic action! A "deletion" of the file extension from the list followed by a re-creation and association with Matlab seems to have mostly fixed the problem. The dialog box won't show the text of the filename in the little box when I click the file, but a double-click does select the file correctly (didn't work before).

Oddly enough, the "Open With..." right-click menu still listed Access as a possible opener. Very odd. I guess the deletion doesn't entirely clean-up this sort of thing. Maybe a reboot will fix this oddity and the one above.