Launch Systray Apps with a Single Click?

msafi said:

I set folders/icons on my computer to open with a single click. It'd be nice to also be able to open systray apps with a single click.

With the way systray icons behave in Windows 7, it feels intuitive to me to be able to launch them with a single-click. For example, I have Digsby and uTorrent both in the systray, but they refuse to launch except with double-click. When I single click on their icons, I get the visual feedback of a click but nothing happens.

Most applications are programmed this way because Microsoft used to suggest this behavior to programmers as a guideline. Maybe they'll suggest something different in the future and programmers will catch up, but until then, is there like a little utility app or something to mitigate this?

Unfortunately, the way in which System Tray applications are opened is not controlled by Windows, but by the application itself. Case in point:

The above screenshot shows 3 systry apps (Windows Update, Avast Recovery Generator and uTorrent).

• A single click will open Windows Update
• The Avast Recovery Generator does not open at all, but rather provide a right-click menu interface to adjust settings
• uTorrent requires a double-click to open

I think that serves to illustrate that systry apps are controlled by the developer...

Bill2 said:

In utorrent, under Preferences-General-System Tray, check the box in "Single click on tray icon to open".
Hope that helps.

Thanks for that tip Bill....

+1 Rep.

Bill2 said:

Thanks, Dzomlija. Just a minor correction, the "System Tray" options would be under "UI Settings" in Preferences and not under "General". My apologies.

Got it, thanks.

msafi said:

I see that it's controlled by the developer. But a 3rd party app that fixes this issue could still be made, I would imagine, with relative ease for someone who has the experience.

I suppose, but then that would also require knowledge of the app. Being a programmer myself, I believe that it may be possible, but the effort required in creating such a utility would be to great, as there is no "one global fix" that would work. If there was, then Windows itself would have sich a facility for system tray apps.

The real problem comes in is that too many developers misuse the system tray for purposes other than for what it was intended. It is supposed to be a notifcation area, the most notable example of which is Windows Update. An icon appears notifying you that updates are ready, and when those updates are installed, the icon disappears.

I remember back in the days of Windws 95/98, the Lotus Smartsuite applications had the habit of using the system tray as an ad-hoc quick launch bar (before quick launch was introduced in Windows 98). People just didn't understand what the system tray was supposed to be used for, and it eventually became unmanagable. Windows XPtried to help by automatically hiding inactive icons, but the problem still didn't go away. In Windows 7, the default icons of only the Volume control, Action Center and Networking will appear, and you need to click the Up Arrow to see others.

As you have seen in the screenshot I posted earlier, the ONLY 3rd-party program I have running there are Avast and uTorrent. I make it a habit of using MSCONFIG of disabling any program that adds icons to the system tray (unless I need the app). That way I can rest assured that the system tray is being used for what it was intended: notifications.

if you click customise, you can set it to "show notifications only" for the apps you dont want to see,