"""
Demonstrates how to propagate a folder's view state to all its subfolders
The format of the ColInfo stream is apparently undocumented, but
it can be read raw from one folder and copied to another's view state.
"""

from win32com.shell import shell, shellcon
import pythoncom
import os, sys

template_folder=os.path.split(sys.executable)[0]
print('Template folder:', template_folder)
template_pidl=shell.SHILCreateFromPath(template_folder,0)[0]
template_pb=shell.SHGetViewStatePropertyBag(template_pidl, "Shell", shellcon.SHGVSPB_FOLDERNODEFAULTS, pythoncom.IID_IPropertyBag)

# Column info has to be read as a stream
# This may blow up if folder has never been opened in Explorer and has no ColInfo yet
template_iunk=template_pb.Read('ColInfo',pythoncom.VT_UNKNOWN)
template_stream=template_iunk.QueryInterface(pythoncom.IID_IStream)
streamsize=template_stream.Stat()[2]
template_colinfo=template_stream.Read(streamsize)

def update_colinfo(not_used, dir_name, fnames):
	for fname in fnames:
		full_fname=os.path.join(dir_name,fname)
		if os.path.isdir(full_fname):
			print(full_fname)
			pidl=shell.SHILCreateFromPath(full_fname,0)[0]
			pb=shell.SHGetViewStatePropertyBag(pidl, "Shell", shellcon.SHGVSPB_FOLDERNODEFAULTS, pythoncom.IID_IPropertyBag)
			## not all folders already have column info, and we're replacing it anyway
			pb.Write('ColInfo', template_stream)
			iunk=pb.Read('ColInfo',pythoncom.VT_UNKNOWN)
			s=iunk.QueryInterface(pythoncom.IID_IStream)
			s.Write(template_colinfo)
			s=None
			## attribute names read from registry, can't find any way to enumerate IPropertyBag
			for attr in ('Address','Buttons','Col','Vid','WFlags','FFlags','Sort','SortDir','ShowCmd','FolderType','Mode','Rev'):
				pb.Write(attr, template_pb.Read(attr))
			pb=None
os.path.walk(template_folder,update_colinfo,None)