Win10 App Launcher Alternative
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I still miss side-dockable app-launch toolbars on Windows 10. I've been looking for alternatives - I don't want fancy scrolly Mac-ish 'docks' I just want to be able to launch apps and open locations from an unobtrusive bar docked to the side of my desktop. You know - like you used to be able to... Any recommendations?
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I still miss side-dockable app-launch toolbars on Windows 10. I've been looking for alternatives - I don't want fancy scrolly Mac-ish 'docks' I just want to be able to launch apps and open locations from an unobtrusive bar docked to the side of my desktop. You know - like you used to be able to... Any recommendations?
Roll your own.
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I still miss side-dockable app-launch toolbars on Windows 10. I've been looking for alternatives - I don't want fancy scrolly Mac-ish 'docks' I just want to be able to launch apps and open locations from an unobtrusive bar docked to the side of my desktop. You know - like you used to be able to... Any recommendations?
third party products in win 10 only one thing is sure: the next 10 update will reset it's preferences, disable it, break any dependencies then delete it ... IOW anything you find is only going to be good for a few months at best. rather then firefighting win updates get your productivity back: go linux or mac.
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I still miss side-dockable app-launch toolbars on Windows 10. I've been looking for alternatives - I don't want fancy scrolly Mac-ish 'docks' I just want to be able to launch apps and open locations from an unobtrusive bar docked to the side of my desktop. You know - like you used to be able to... Any recommendations?
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Why can't we design software like that anymore? Functional and without the need for an over-complicated sugar-coated UI? Nice work!
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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I still miss side-dockable app-launch toolbars on Windows 10. I've been looking for alternatives - I don't want fancy scrolly Mac-ish 'docks' I just want to be able to launch apps and open locations from an unobtrusive bar docked to the side of my desktop. You know - like you used to be able to... Any recommendations?
You can still add one (with no 3rd party app). Here's what you do... 1. Right-click the task bar 2. Slide up to the toolbar menu. 3. Slide over to the New toolbar... menu item (see this for example : https://i.stack.imgur.com/hlVJv.png^ ) 4. YOu will then select a folder that will appear on your taskbar. (I made one named toolbar.) That folder name will appear on your taskbar. 5. Next, drop in any shortcuts that you want to start from there. 6. Once you drop in some shortcuts you will see a little down arrow on your taskbar. when you click that down arrow you will see the quick launch items -- items you can click to start. It looks like the this : https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLtNw.png[^] - I kept the default shortcut names for a couple of items I dropped in there so you can tell they are shortcuts. NOTE: I use a vertical taskbar so you may think the taskbar looks odd in my snapshots.
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I still miss side-dockable app-launch toolbars on Windows 10. I've been looking for alternatives - I don't want fancy scrolly Mac-ish 'docks' I just want to be able to launch apps and open locations from an unobtrusive bar docked to the side of my desktop. You know - like you used to be able to... Any recommendations?
I use KO Approach[^], and just put folders full of shortcuts down the side of my desktop. Long click on any folder, and it expands (screenshot[^]) And you can still add any folder to the taskbar as a toolbar. Fill it up with shortcuts to your most-used progs, and position it where you like on the taskbar.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I still miss side-dockable app-launch toolbars on Windows 10. I've been looking for alternatives - I don't want fancy scrolly Mac-ish 'docks' I just want to be able to launch apps and open locations from an unobtrusive bar docked to the side of my desktop. You know - like you used to be able to... Any recommendations?
Ironic that you mention that, as I'm writing an app-launcher as an eventual article. Launch websites, apps (and files associated with apps) and explorer. One of the things that drives me nuts is the default location of apps -- with my launcher, you can "easily" specify the default starting location, including overriding the location with simple quadrant selection of all your monitors. That part, positioning the window, is a bear. Windows does not make it easy. :sigh:
Latest Article - A Concise Overview of Threads Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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third party products in win 10 only one thing is sure: the next 10 update will reset it's preferences, disable it, break any dependencies then delete it ... IOW anything you find is only going to be good for a few months at best. rather then firefighting win updates get your productivity back: go linux or mac.
lopati: roaming wrote:
rather then firefighting win updates get your productivity back: go linux
Werd
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 -
Ironic that you mention that, as I'm writing an app-launcher as an eventual article. Launch websites, apps (and files associated with apps) and explorer. One of the things that drives me nuts is the default location of apps -- with my launcher, you can "easily" specify the default starting location, including overriding the location with simple quadrant selection of all your monitors. That part, positioning the window, is a bear. Windows does not make it easy. :sigh:
Latest Article - A Concise Overview of Threads Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Marc Clifton wrote:
That part, positioning the window, is a bear. Windows does not make it easy.
:thumbsup: Oh, yeah, get the Desktop (OpenDesktop maybe?), iterate through the windows you find (EnumDesktopWindows), match the title text, then SetWindowPos. Lots of API calls in there.
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You can still add one (with no 3rd party app). Here's what you do... 1. Right-click the task bar 2. Slide up to the toolbar menu. 3. Slide over to the New toolbar... menu item (see this for example : https://i.stack.imgur.com/hlVJv.png^ ) 4. YOu will then select a folder that will appear on your taskbar. (I made one named toolbar.) That folder name will appear on your taskbar. 5. Next, drop in any shortcuts that you want to start from there. 6. Once you drop in some shortcuts you will see a little down arrow on your taskbar. when you click that down arrow you will see the quick launch items -- items you can click to start. It looks like the this : https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLtNw.png[^] - I kept the default shortcut names for a couple of items I dropped in there so you can tell they are shortcuts. NOTE: I use a vertical taskbar so you may think the taskbar looks odd in my snapshots.
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Marc Clifton wrote:
That part, positioning the window, is a bear. Windows does not make it easy.
:thumbsup: Oh, yeah, get the Desktop (OpenDesktop maybe?), iterate through the windows you find (EnumDesktopWindows), match the title text, then SetWindowPos. Lots of API calls in there.
raddevus wrote:
Lots of API calls in there.
It's not quite that simple. Applications like Visual Studio add their brand to the window title, maybe also "(Administrator)", though of course matching a substring is trivial. The main problem is that apps like VS take forever to load, so what do you set an acceptable timeout to for "wait for the window to show up before moving it?" Then there's the scenario where I might want two instances of the same explorer window open. The titles match exactly, but finding the correct window handle is a bear that I haven't successfully wrestled to the ground yet.
Latest Article - A Concise Overview of Threads Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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You can still add one (with no 3rd party app). Here's what you do... 1. Right-click the task bar 2. Slide up to the toolbar menu. 3. Slide over to the New toolbar... menu item (see this for example : https://i.stack.imgur.com/hlVJv.png^ ) 4. YOu will then select a folder that will appear on your taskbar. (I made one named toolbar.) That folder name will appear on your taskbar. 5. Next, drop in any shortcuts that you want to start from there. 6. Once you drop in some shortcuts you will see a little down arrow on your taskbar. when you click that down arrow you will see the quick launch items -- items you can click to start. It looks like the this : https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLtNw.png[^] - I kept the default shortcut names for a couple of items I dropped in there so you can tell they are shortcuts. NOTE: I use a vertical taskbar so you may think the taskbar looks odd in my snapshots.
-
I use KO Approach[^], and just put folders full of shortcuts down the side of my desktop. Long click on any folder, and it expands (screenshot[^]) And you can still add any folder to the taskbar as a toolbar. Fill it up with shortcuts to your most-used progs, and position it where you like on the taskbar.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
-
Ironic that you mention that, as I'm writing an app-launcher as an eventual article. Launch websites, apps (and files associated with apps) and explorer. One of the things that drives me nuts is the default location of apps -- with my launcher, you can "easily" specify the default starting location, including overriding the location with simple quadrant selection of all your monitors. That part, positioning the window, is a bear. Windows does not make it easy. :sigh:
Latest Article - A Concise Overview of Threads Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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Kyudos wrote:
Sounds cool...can you hurry up ?
Well, it is in [my public repo](https://github.com/cliftonm/LaunchPanel) if you want to see what I'm up to. Very unpolished though!
Latest Article - A Concise Overview of Threads Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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raddevus wrote:
Lots of API calls in there.
It's not quite that simple. Applications like Visual Studio add their brand to the window title, maybe also "(Administrator)", though of course matching a substring is trivial. The main problem is that apps like VS take forever to load, so what do you set an acceptable timeout to for "wait for the window to show up before moving it?" Then there's the scenario where I might want two instances of the same explorer window open. The titles match exactly, but finding the correct window handle is a bear that I haven't successfully wrestled to the ground yet.
Latest Article - A Concise Overview of Threads Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Marc Clifton wrote:
Then there's the scenario where I might want two instances of the same explorer window open.
Just add a "Wrong one, you jerk!" button, at the end of the bar.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I now use this method, having given up on the W10 start menu. Its worth pointing out that you can have sub-folders, the contents of which 'pop out' when you hover over them - only once click needed.
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raddevus wrote:
Lots of API calls in there.
It's not quite that simple. Applications like Visual Studio add their brand to the window title, maybe also "(Administrator)", though of course matching a substring is trivial. The main problem is that apps like VS take forever to load, so what do you set an acceptable timeout to for "wait for the window to show up before moving it?" Then there's the scenario where I might want two instances of the same explorer window open. The titles match exactly, but finding the correct window handle is a bear that I haven't successfully wrestled to the ground yet.
Latest Article - A Concise Overview of Threads Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Marc Clifton wrote:
It's not quite that simple.
I didn't think so. I was actually meaning that you have to go a bit low-level to do the work. And as you said...
Marc Clifton wrote:
The titles match exactly, but finding the correct window handle is a bear that I haven't successfully wrestled to the ground yet.
I've worked with this also and I found it a bear too. It feels quite odd that the final way to get the correct window is by comparing title text. :| Seems crazy, like there would have to be a better way. Good luck! :thumbsup:
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I still miss side-dockable app-launch toolbars on Windows 10. I've been looking for alternatives - I don't want fancy scrolly Mac-ish 'docks' I just want to be able to launch apps and open locations from an unobtrusive bar docked to the side of my desktop. You know - like you used to be able to... Any recommendations?
