Is it possible to set/edit a file extended propert

Question

I'd like to know if it's possible to set/edit a file extended properties (Explorer: Right-click > Properties > Details) using the Windows API Code Pack.

var shellFile = Microsoft.WindowsAPICodePack.Shell.ShellObject.FromParsingName(filePath);
var artistName = shellFile.Properties.GetProperty(SystemProperties.System.Music.DisplayArtist).ValueAsObject.ToString();
var duration = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(Convert.ToDouble(shellFile.Properties.GetProperty(SystemProperties.System.Media.Duration).ValueAsObject) * 0.0001);

I use these few lines to get the properties I want, but I don't know how to edit one of them (the artist name for example). I know I can use taglib-sharp, but I'll use it only if there is no solution without external code.

Thanks you all for taking the time to help me.

Answer 1

You can write to the ShellFile directly by setting the value of the properties without ShellPropertyWriter:

var shellFile = ShellFile.FromFilePath(filePath);

shellFile.Properties.System.Author.Value = new string[] { "MyTest", "Test" };
shellFile.Properties.System.Music.Artist.Value = new string[] { "MyTest", "Test" };
shellFile.Properties.System.Music.DisplayArtist.Value = "Test";

Just be aware, that to be able to edit codec-specific fields of a file, it's necessary to have the codec installed on the computer.

Answer 2

I found a way to edit some properties with ShellPropertyWriter but some properties are read-only.

var shellFile = ShellFile.FromParsingName(filePath);
ShellPropertyWriter w = shellFile.Properties.GetPropertyWriter();
try
{
    w.WriteProperty(SystemProperties.System.Author, new string[] { "MyTest", "Test" });
    w.WriteProperty(SystemProperties.System.Music.Artist, new string[] { "MyTest", "Test" });
    w.WriteProperty(SystemProperties.System.Music.DisplayArtist, "Test");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{

}
w.Close();

In this sample, the 2 first occurences of ShellPropertyWriter.WriteProperty() will do exactly the same, edit the "Contributing artists" field of the file (Explorer: Right-click > Properties > Details). The third call will throw an "Access denied" exception. Some are editable, others are not. Just need to try.