Comments on: How to use the Windows inbuilt Application Launcher

By: Martin English

Martin English — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:31:49 +0000

@ Simon: Hi Simon, Thanks for the response - I've built something similar to what you described, using the Windows Toolbar. First i loaded up a folder QK on my desktop with a bunch of shortcuts. Then I made that folder a toolbar ....
The image below shows me selecting the folder to use as a toolbar
The image below shows using the toolbar, to Launch Applications

By: Simon

Simon — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:19:09 +0000

I use a combination of yLaunch (my own launcher app, which can run multiple related progs from a macro) and a self-hiding Windows Toolbar. In XP, just create an empty folder on the desktop (e.g. Toolbar) and then drag it to the side of the screen. Set it to auto-hide, and then drop other desktop icons onto it. It’ll pop out from the side like a KDE panel, and you can run relatively often-used bits and pieces from there.

By: Martin English

Martin English — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:13:54 +0000

@ Brentoe: Hi brendan, Thanks for the comment - it triggered another thought (or series of thoughts). you don’t have to store these shortcuts or executables on your desktop. ANY folder will do, so long as you have added that folder to your PATH in the Environment variables. The next bit relies on the fact that Windows is smart enough to launch a .lnk (shortcut) file from the run box without the extension. Modifying the path variable to include your 'shortcuts' folder means it’ll launch without the path as well. So, if your 'shortcuts' folder has a file called called uninst.lnk and it points to C:\Program Files\revouninstaller \revouninstaller.exe then going 'Window Button'+'r' - the run command - typing uninst and pressing enter will run C:\Program Files\revouninstaller \revouninstaller.exe hope this helps !!

By: Brentoe

Brentoe — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:41:04 +0000

I use the address bar very similarly. I have shortcuts on my desktop names how I’d like them (eg. Remote Desktop is rdc) so I just jump into the address bar and type rdc and I have my remote desktop window. This also works very well for putty (if you have the executable on your desktop) as you can type putty into the address bar and be taken straight there. Increased my productivity 2 fold once I started using it.