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Windows Integration

The Windows integration registers the .sdf file extension with the Windows Registry, giving you:

  • The Etapsky SDF icon in File Explorer
  • Correct file type description (“Smart Document Format”)
  • “Open with SDF CLI” context menu entry (if sdf-cli is installed)

Installation

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Terminal window
.\tooling\os-integration\windows\register-sdf.ps1

Or, if you have cloned the repository:

Terminal window
git clone https://github.com/etapsky/sdf.git
cd sdf\tooling\os-integration\windows
.\register-sdf.ps1

The script writes the following registry keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT:

HKCR\.sdf                      → ProgID: EtapskySDF.Document
HKCR\EtapskySDF.Document       → "Smart Document Format"
HKCR\EtapskySDF.Document\DefaultIcon
HKCR\EtapskySDF.Document\shell\open\command

Requirements

  • Windows 10 or Windows 11
  • PowerShell 5.1 or later (included with Windows)
  • Administrator privileges (required to write to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT)

Verifying the installation

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to any .sdf file.
  2. The file should display the Etapsky SDF icon and show “Smart Document Format” as the file type.
  3. Right-click the file — if sdf-cli is installed and on PATH, an Open with SDF CLI option appears.

After running the script, restart File Explorer if the icon does not update immediately:

Terminal window
Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force; Start-Process explorer

Uninstallation

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Terminal window
.\tooling\os-integration\windows\unregister-sdf.ps1

This removes all .sdf registry entries and reverts the file association to the Windows default (unknown file type).

What is not included

The Windows integration does not include a Quick Look-style preview panel. For inline document preview on Windows, use the VS Code extension with the SDF: Preview PDF command.