Choose an item from taskbar buttons' categories by typing it's name

[itman]

Choosing an item from taskbar buttons' list by it's first char

In Windows XP I could choose an item from taskbar buttons' list by clicking on the button and after the list appeared by typing its name's starting character/characters. but in Windows 7 the list just disappears after pressing any key on the keyboard!

Is there anyway to enable that feature in Windows 7?

 

[Imperfect1]

Hi itman, welcome to the forum.

Frankly, we need some more specific information as to what you're trying to accomplish because your description isn't very clear.

If you are referring to shortcuts that are displayed as underlined letters on items in a menu, then this information may solve your problem. Once you've enabled the 'underlined letter shortcut' you can use it anytime you see an underlined letter in any toolbar and/or menu item.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS – UNDERLINED LETTER

Open Control Panel, go to the Ease of Access Center, select: Make the Keyboard easier to use. Go to this option at the bottom of the window: "Underline keyboard shortcuts and access keys."

Or, manually use the ALT key:

1. Put your cursor in a Toolbar and press Alt. The shortcut letters become underlined.

2. When you press ALT in a program with Menus, one letter in each of the Menu names becomes underlined. Press an underlined letter to open the corresponding Menu. Press the underlined letter in a menu item to choose that command.

 

[itman]

no, i mean the TASKBAR buttons that are used for categorizing a list of windows of same type, for example for Windows Explorer or Microsoft Word windows, in Windows XP you could select a window from this list by simply typing the first character of its title/name after you've clicked on the category button, for example: 'd' for 'document, but it doesn't happen in Windows 7 and when you press a key, the list just closes/disappears.

Is there a setting to enable that feature in Windows 7?

 

[boohbah]

right clicking a taskbar button will give you a jumplist,
I.E right clicking on the word icon in the taskbar will show a list of recent document

 

[Britton30]

It would help if you post a screenshot of "catagories" buttons.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html#post93869
I think you mean the taskbar icons, but not sure.

 

[itman]

It would help if you post a screenshot of "catagories" buttons.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html#post93869
I think you mean the taskbar icons, but not sure.

yep, i meant taskbar icons, when you have more than one window of same type, for example Windows explorer, by clicking on each icon, a list of windows titles appears, in XP you could choose one by typing its first title's char but it doesn't work on windows 7!

 

[FliGi7]

That's interesting. I didn't know you could do that in XP. Although, if you're already clicking on something to begin with, why not just click the window you need rather than moving back to the keyboard?

 

[Britton30]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with that funtion in XP after using it for 7 years. Where did you type this info?
In Windows 7 you simply click the name and it will opoen.

 

[logicearth]

WIN key + 1 though 0 selects pinned or active windows in the order they appear. They added that key combination so that is probably why your letter deal doesn't work.

 

[itman]

That's interesting. I didn't know you could do that in XP. Although, if you're already clicking on something to begin with, why not just click the window you need rather than moving back to the keyboard?

It is useful when you have many windows of same type, for example you have ten or twenty word documents open, and you frequently switch between them, it's very quicker to simply click on their icon and press, for example: 'g' button for "geography" than exploring the list to find item you want !

 

[FliGi7]

Gotcha. That makes sense. I guess I am just too OCD to have that many windows open at once.