Windows command line to do ‘Edit’ action

cmd.execommand linepowershellwindows-explorer

The start command (in PowerShell an alias for Start-Process, in cmd.exe a shell builtin) does the same as the Windows Explorer context menu 'Open' action: it opens the file using the application which Windows has registered for it.

(Or are there perhaps small differences? Or perhaps it triggers the default action, which normally is the 'Open' action?)

How do I trigger the 'Edit' action for a file from the command line?

Best Answer

The "Edit"-verb really does trigger the "Edit"-action.
(I tested it with changing the "Edit" for .reg files in the registry and running the command.)

Since you made your answer "a partial answer" did you want to know how you would do this in cmd.exe? I don't think it can be done natively in `cmd.exe'.

There is of course ShelExec.

But you can also run powershell -command "start -verb edit textfile.txt" in cmd.exe.

You can even put this in a shortcut with doskey like this:

doskey cmdedit=powershell -command "start -verb edit $1"

Now you can do cmdedit textfile.txt on the cmd.exe-prompt.

Note: for the doskey-'macro' to be available after restarting the computer/cmd-session you need to add this command in your startup-scripts. You can look here for some suggestions to making it permanent.
I would go for the option of putting it in
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun.

Edit:

This .reg file does it all for you:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor]
"AutoRun"="doskey cmdedit=powershell -command \"start -verb edit $1\""
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