= Asking for Help: I want to right-click on data files in Windows XP and open them with a Python program. = When I try to do this, Windows tells me that the data file is not a valid Win32 application (of course it isn't!). Why is it that I can do this with other programs, but not with Python programs? I find that it works with .bat files. If I right-click on a data file and open it with a .bat file that runs a .py file, that works. But it works only with one data file. If I make a .bat file containing: my_prog.py %* I think that should work with multiple data files, but it doesn't: only one of the data filenames reaches the .bat file, and therefore only one reaches the Python program. I'm bewildered that I can't find any coverage of this issue on the Web, nor in the Python books that I have (Learning Python and Programming Python). Surely this is how any normal Windows user would expect to use a Python program (or any other program), but it doesn't work. It may well be Microsoft's fault that it doesn't work, but why no discussion of such a fundamental issue? {{{#!wiki note When ''answering'' questions, add the CategoryAskingForHelpAnswered category when saving the page. This will move the link to this page from the questions section to the answers section on the [[Asking for Help]] page. }}} ---- CategoryAskingForHelp