How can I customize Contextual Menus in the Finder?

[chemistry_geek]

I'd like to be able to customize (add more features) the Contextual Menus in the Finder. Is there an easy way to do this by not writing a special program/application to do this?

The reason I'm asking is because, a while ago, I downloaded a set up AppleScripts that would ZIP or TAR a file, or decompress them when files were dropped on top of the scripts. Instead of just right-clicking on a file and selecting "Archive [name of file]" in ZIP format, I'd like to select from another sub menu WHICH archive format I want to use, i.e. tar, gz, zip, etc... I wish Apple made it easier to customize certain aspects of the user interface.

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Unless you're willing to delve into the world of Objective-C programming, there's not much you can do on your own to that contextual menu. There are a lot of utilities out there that add functionality to this menu, but, like you say, they are special programs/applications.

If you're curious, here's a few from VersionTracker:
http://www.versiontracker.com/php/s...n=search&str=contextual&plt[]=macosx&x=13&y=8

 

[ora]

Stuffit 8 gives you this functionality via its CM plugin. Attached is a picture of the menu. Its a pricy option but it will do what you are after.

 

[RacerX]

I've been using Pack Up And Go for that type of stuff. It isn't part of a contextual menu, but when I select an item in the Finder I can use it from the Services menu.

Of course, it is one of those apps that I have in both Mac OS X and Rhapsody, and I tend to favor those.

 

[chemistry_geek]

Thank you everyone for your replies. They were very helpful.