Quick Launch emulator?

F

fitwell

Another fruitless search <sigh>. I've spent a good part of this
morning looking for a Quick Launch emulator as mine is just getting
too difficult to handle.

Going back to archived messages, I read this one:
http://groups.google.ca/[email protected]&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain
only to find out after the fact that this app, even the version
mentioned, is _not_ freeware at all.

I've tried button launchers and pads and systray launchers. No good.
Too many clicks. True Launch Bar seemed ideal because it has
subfolders like the Start Menu does (and nifty skins and plugins on
top of that, those the skins not necessary at all).

Anyway, I don't really need all of that, just something small, no
install (preferably) and that accesses a shortcut with only 2 clicks,
just like the Start menu and QL - to launch program itself and then to
launch app. All the other apps tried require a third click because
the program docks, whether on systray or window quadrant somewhere.
Don't need that. Just a click to open menu to choose app from.

Thanks everyone! Nonags, freeware sites even Tucows and Jumbo list
some neat freeware, but they've all been deficient in one way or
another. Cheers! :blush:D
 
L

Lurksalot

fitwell said...
Anyway, I don't really need all of that, just something small, no
install (preferably) and that accesses a shortcut with only 2 clicks,
just like the Start menu and QL - to launch program itself and then to
launch app. All the other apps tried require a third click because
the program docks, whether on systray or window quadrant somewhere.
Don't need that. Just a click to open menu to choose app from.


This is not a program but just a suggestion.

Organize your desktop icons into relevant folders then put the desktop on
the taskbar as a toolbar. Push it all the way over to the right side of
the taskbar, next to the tray, and it will collapse and leave you
"Desktop" with an arrow which when clicked will then open up like the
start menu does with the folders you have set up listed along with any
unfoldered icons. Hovering over one of the folders will open it to the
left of the toolbar and clicking on the shortcut will launch your
program.

Two clicks (and one hover) ;-)
 
O

omega

fitwell said:
Anyway, I don't really need all of that, just something small, no
install (preferably) and that accesses a shortcut with only 2 clicks,
just like the Start menu and QL - to launch program itself and then to
launch app. All the other apps tried require a third click because
the program docks, whether on systray or window quadrant somewhere.
Don't need that. Just a click to open menu to choose app from.

I don't know if it's what you want, but I highly recommend giving this toy
a spin:

http://methodik.pixelarmy.org/projects.shtml#xtask

Its the first of its type I'm truly fond of. You'll find that it's both
a task-window manager -- as well as a tool providing quicklaunch of progs
in your defined menu list.

It is a 52k exe. Does an .ini stored in its own directory, no regentries.
 
B

burnr

Another fruitless search <sigh>. I've spent a good part of this
morning looking for a Quick Launch emulator as mine is just getting
too difficult to handle.

Going back to archived messages, I read this one:
http://groups.google.ca/groups?selm=12c64e1f.0310271617.b8467eb@posti
ng.google.com&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain only to find out after the fact
that this app, even the version mentioned, is _not_ freeware at all.

I've tried button launchers and pads and systray launchers. No good.
Too many clicks. True Launch Bar seemed ideal because it has
subfolders like the Start Menu does (and nifty skins and plugins on
top of that, those the skins not necessary at all).

Anyway, I don't really need all of that, just something small, no
install (preferably) and that accesses a shortcut with only 2 clicks,
just like the Start menu and QL - to launch program itself and then to
launch app. All the other apps tried require a third click because
the program docks, whether on systray or window quadrant somewhere.
Don't need that. Just a click to open menu to choose app from.

Thanks everyone! Nonags, freeware sites even Tucows and Jumbo list
some neat freeware, but they've all been deficient in one way or
another. Cheers! :blush:D

Kaufman Tray Launcher is what I use. (2 clicks to launch an app.) I have
it archived here...
http://freeware4u.com/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=64
this one will start a direct d/l...
http://freeware4u.com/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=64
 
O

omega

fitwell said:
Anyway, I don't really need all of that, just something small, no
install (preferably) and that accesses a shortcut with only 2 clicks,
just like the Start menu and QL - to launch program itself and then to
launch app. All the other apps tried require a third click because
the program docks, whether on systray or window quadrant somewhere.
Don't need that. Just a click to open menu to choose app from.

I was going to suggest looking over ShortPopUp's [1] configuration choices.
Yet when I examine acf archives, to find where ShortPopUP was discussed
here...I discover that it was on one of your threads [2].

OTOH, can't say that necessarily ends that route full halt. Since at that
time, you were looking for a different area of capability.


[1] http://www.digitallis.co.uk/pc/ShortPopUp/index.html
http://www.digitallis.co.uk/pc/downloads/ShortPopUp.zip
(discovered by Sietse Fliege)

[2] Subject: Launching app that launches up to 10 SHORTCUTS, versus files?
2003/June
 
O

omega

Lurksalot said:
This is not a program but just a suggestion.

Organize your desktop icons into relevant folders then put the desktop on
the taskbar as a toolbar. Push it all the way over to the right side of
the taskbar, next to the tray, and it will collapse and leave you
"Desktop" with an arrow which when clicked will then open up like the
start menu does with the folders you have set up listed along with any
unfoldered icons. Hovering over one of the folders will open it to the
left of the toolbar and clicking on the shortcut will launch your
program.

This is how I launch things most often (in accompaniment with using PCmag's
RUPL (recently used program's list); plus just a few win toolbars and other,
here and there). I gave up years ago on keeping a master menu system for my
gazillion installed apps. More organized for me to just fold out a toolbar
for drives, and launch from there.
 
T

Thip

| Another fruitless search <sigh>. I've spent a good part of this
| morning looking for a Quick Launch emulator as mine is just getting
| too difficult to handle.
|
If you're running XP, Y'z Dock or ObjectDock might fit the bill. I use Y'z
(unfortunately not being developed any longer) because earlier versions of
OD were too hard on resources, but OD has been updated. Sorry, no links
handy.
 
O

omega

Thip said:
If you're running XP, Y'z Dock or ObjectDock might fit the bill. I use Y'z
(unfortunately not being developed any longer) because earlier versions of
OD were too hard on resources, but OD has been updated. Sorry, no links
handy.

I believe she's running w98...
 
S

Son Of Spy

fitwell said:
Another fruitless search <sigh>. I've spent a good part of this
morning looking for a Quick Launch emulator as mine is just getting
too difficult to handle.
Thanks everyone! Nonags, freeware sites even Tucows and Jumbo list
some neat freeware, but they've all been deficient in one way or
another. Cheers! :blush:D

Yes, I find those sites deficient as well :)))

Two clicks to lauch app. Doesn't dock,
doesn't install. (Saves your settings in registry but tells you where in
help file)

Toolbox Organizes shortcuts to drives and applications into a customizable
desktop grid...use app's own icon or choose your own... it's wonderful! I
used it for years.......
On my deskltop4 page or HERE:
ftp://ftp.shef.ac.uk/pub/uni/academic/N-Q/nm/zips/tbox180.zip ~369Kb

Cheers!

Son Of Spy

--

CPU Magazine March '03 Issue:
Son Of Spy's comprehensive list of more
than 1,600 freeware solutions is legendary.

http://www.sover.net/~wysiwygx/index.html
. --- . . - - - - - - - - - - - -
/ SOS \ __ / Freeware - - - - - -
/ / \ ( ) / - - - - -
/ / / / / / / \/ \ - - - -
/ / / / / / / : : - - -
/ / / / / ' ' - -
/ / //..\\
=====UU==UU=====
'///||\\\'
' '' '
 
F

fitwell

fitwell said...


This is not a program but just a suggestion.

Organize your desktop icons into relevant folders then put the desktop on
the taskbar as a toolbar. Push it all the way over to the right side of
the taskbar, next to the tray, and it will collapse and leave you
"Desktop" with an arrow which when clicked will then open up like the
start menu does with the folders you have set up listed along with any
unfoldered icons. Hovering over one of the folders will open it to the
left of the toolbar and clicking on the shortcut will launch your
program.

Two clicks (and one hover) ;-)

Guys, thank you so much, everyone,for responding! I found a variaton
of the above solution totally by accident myself just now (WHY did I
find it _after_ and not _before_ posting this!!!). I hot-footed it
over to this ng asap to put that in the thread when I saw I had 7
responses! Wow! This is one hot item.

I'm definitely going to check out all the suggestions to see what they
do. Thanks!

As I mentioned earlier, I had dl True Launch Bar. On initially
starting the install, I saw that it was shareware. After posting I
was going to delete everything but then just decided to see what it
could do - it's a demo after all. That's how I stumbled upon being
able to create more toolbars since TLB needs selecting on the taskbar
to get it running. There, at the bottom of the choices for selecting
a toolbar is the "New toolbar..." and you just plug in the pathname of
a folder then becomes a new toolbar in and of itself! I NEVER KNEW
this could be done! I know that at some time I probably must have
seen that option but I didn't understand it at the time.

Anyway, I ended up creating a folder in my start menu and I labelled
it "BATs" because Todd Vargas' multiple choice bat files are slowly
taking over how I launch things <g>. I'm putting copies of all the
launching BATs I've made so far (Thanks once again to Todd and
Sietse!). Each one allows me to choose what I can launch in whatever
combination, such as:
- the executable
- the working directory
- the install directory
- tutorials folder
- etc.
individually, in combination, or all at once.

Once I selected that BATs folder, I then just slid it over to the left
of the systray where my QL one is. So elegant and simple and no
additional program! I can't believe how efficient everything is going
to be now.

Thanks once again, everyone, for the fabulous help! I really
appreciate it! :blush:D
 
A

Alan

fitwell said:
Another fruitless search <sigh>. I've spent a good part of this
morning looking for a Quick Launch emulator as mine is just getting
too difficult to handle.

If the "too difficult to handle" refers to taking up too much space in
the taskbar, you can collapse Quick Launch or any other toolbar you use,
down to just about nothing... just in case you were unaware of this.
 
F

fitwell

If the "too difficult to handle" refers to taking up too much space in
the taskbar, you can collapse Quick Launch or any other toolbar you use,
down to just about nothing... just in case you were unaware of this.

Hi, yes. No, it wasn't the issue of taking up too much taskbar real
estate. Sorry, I should have clarified. The first thing I do upon a
fresh OS wipe/reinstall is to slide the QL all the way to the right so
that it sits to the left of the systray. That means that at any
moment, only the first 4 icons show up. No, the problem has been in
keeping the number of shortcuts down in the QL itself so that there
was no scrolling to get to anything.

Making the new toolbar has helped tremendously. Now that I have a way
to choose any item(s) related to one app via a single multiple choice
bat, that has reduced the number of shortcuts down to one shortcut for
each of 3 apps. I'm working on a fourth and last one and once that's
done, I'll be able to get rid of another 2 shorcuts in the QL. I'll
then only have single item shortcuts or bats that deal with functions
that open _simultaneously_ at all times - versus choosing components
via a multiple choice one. Everything else is in the BATs taskbar
toolbar.

Extremely streamlined now.

Cheers!
 
D

dadiOH

fitwell said:
Another fruitless search <sigh>. I've spent a good part of this
morning looking for a Quick Launch emulator as mine is just getting
too difficult to handle.

Once again, that which you seek is already built into Windows. You can...

1. Make a new toolbar (categorized if you wish) simply by making a folder,
populating it with shortcuts to whatever and then use the taskbar right
click menu to point to that folder as a new toolbar. You can make as many
as you wish.

2. Make up to three new *taskbars* each of which can have as many toolbars
as you can fit on it.

More complete instructions & info are in my "dandies" under the section
titled "Taskbars and Toolbars".

You're welcome.

--
dadiOH
_____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://www.gbronline.com/xico/
_________________________________
 

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