Programatically changing the look of Windows Explorer?

Question

Say I wanted to change the font of certain folders in Windows Explorer programatically, can I do that? And if I did it as a plugin application, how can I integrate it with Explorer?

Answer 1

A few things such as custom icons and backgrounds are changeable using desktop.ini, a simple hidden file that Windows creates when you use the Customize Folder menu. However, I don't think font is one of the things you can change this way.

For more complex changes you'll need to write a shell extension. A good tutorial for those is available here.