Solved Anyone seen a tray app that pops up a list of program shortcuts?

[teckneeculler]

There used to be one of these in the days of W98 or maybe W95. It was called TrayList or DeskList or something like that. I'm sure one of you uh, ahem, more senior gentlemen, will remember it.

It had a small unobtrusive icon that sat, if I recall correctly, in the systray, the notification area.

When clicked, up popped an alphabetized text list of all the app shortcuts you'd previously added to it. If you had heaps of 'em , there'd be several columns of the things.

Your list might read, say, 'Acronis, Beyond Compare, CamTech.....SevenForums, Word,etc etc. To open a program, you single-clicked a name.

For me, there's never been a quicker, easier way to start apps and software than a quick scan of an alphabetic list to find your target. Sure, clicking a shortcut's icon is pretty quick, and you can do this fast with the handful you're most familiar with. But for the others you use less frequently, it's sometimes a challenge to recall which icon is which.

Anyway, the developer lost interest in his little program and it never worked properly past W98. Or was that XP?...

So, my question is: Does anyone know of something like this? Shucks, it's times like this I wish I knew more about programming. I can't believe this little piece of software could be that hard to write. For someone with a full deck of cards, that is

 

[BrightBlessings]

Something like this?

Create Customizable System Tray Shortcuts For Any Windows App With Tray Tools

 

[teckneeculler]

BrightBlessings, thanks for the link. I'll try it but I'm not sure it's what I'm looking for.

DeskList (or whatever it was called) brought up a plain square screen with one or more columns (depending on how many names you'd loaded) of app names. The possible number of items was pretty high, 100 at least. This guy's app apparently allows 25. Anyway, I'll check it out and report back.

Gawd! How hard would it be to write something like this, anyhow? Anyone know how I'd go about setting it up?

 

[akjudge]

Probably not what you are not looking for, but a work-around I use.

I created a folder with the name U
In this folder I put shortcuts for all the utility programs I use.
Then I right click on the Taskbar, choose New Toolbar.
When the explorer window opens up, I locate the folder U and click on it.
A "U" will appear next to the System Tray on the far right of the Taskbar.
The "U" will have two >> symbols next to it. Clicking on this symbol will open a listing of all my utility program (shortcuts).

Naming the folder with only one letter does not take up anymore space on the Taskbar, then if there was another icon in the system tray.

Actually I have several of these one-letter folders added to my Taskbar (u for utilities; a for accounting (where I have several spreadsheet shortcuts), etc.

This probably is not what you were looking for, but may work for you (no limit on number of shortcuts that can be put in each folder).

 

[MourningStar]

... I'm sure one of you uh, ahem, more senior gentlemen, will remember it. ...

I 'was there', tho do not recall this one. Curious as to how, as described, such an app is any better than the 'Start Menu'.

 

[whs]

It is easy to do with a toolbar. Here is how:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/72092-toolbars-how-use-windows-7-vista.html

 

[Callender]

The way I do it is to use free QuickCliq. It lets you add as many shortcuts as you like and you can launch any number of shortcuts of run any number of files with a single click as well as specify command lines.

A quick press of [Winkey+Z] brings up the menu then it's just a matter of point and click.

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You'd need to create an Elevated Shortcut in your Startup Folder if you want it to start with windows.

Another alternative that I have dabbled with but did not keep:

LaunchBarCommander

 

[teckneeculler]

Wow, thanks for your responses, people

akjudge: Sounds interesting, I'll try it.

Mourning Star: I should say first that I spend all day (and a lot of the night, sometimes) on my computer, so I'm a great fan of anything that speeds up my work.

(BTW, anyone else here use the 'Everything' free search app? That's a program I can NOT do without. Yesterday I conducted a major search of my overloaded PC to locate every Windows Update I'd recently downloaded (300-400) so I could chart their locations. I just had to type in say, 3084135 (no need for KB prefix) and the exact microsecond I typed the last character, bingo! Every copy of the file listed and charted. Same with any doc or pic, especially ones you can only remember part of the name. But I digress)

The Start Menu is quite a bit slower and takes more thought. For a start (no pun), the menu is in two parts (depending on how you've configured it, of course), then you have to scroll it. Is the app 'out in the open' or is it in its folder? In which case you have to open the folder and look for the exe. No, this method is way slower. I depend more on shortcut icons. I've tweaked my W7 Taskbar to hold shortcut icons (like XP used to do) plus it's parked on the right of my screen instead of the bottom, which helps to minimize the wide stretch of 16:9 screens. My monitor is 16:10 but it's still too wide for me. Parking the Taskbar there makes the screen more square, more like the old CRT 4:3 format. The Taskbar's also stretched to around 50mm wide, so it's wide enough to hold 100 shortcut icons. But I know from my experience with that-app-I-don't -remember-the-name-of that it was much faster to click its icon, eyeball the alpha list then click the target name.

whs: Thanks, haven't checked the link yet. Will do and come back.

Callender: Thanks, sound interesting. I'll take a look shortly.

Cheers, all. Very helpful

 

[MourningStar]

... Mourning Star: ... the [Start] menu is in two parts (depending on how you've configured it, of course), ...

Exactly!

 

[teckneeculler]

Yeah, I always use Classic Shell to get the Start Menu the way I want it.

Hey, keep tabs, Mourning Star. I've found my missing app in a 16-year old archive. Turns out it works like a charm in W7. I'll attach it and anybody who wants can try it.

Gotta go, customer emergency...

 

[MourningStar]

... Hey, keep tabs, MourningStar. I've found ...

will do my friend, got me curious now heh, heh ...

 

[teckneeculler]

It's a 19K zipfile. How do I upload it to Seven Forums? Or do I need to use a file host?

 

[derekimo]

It's a 19K zipfile. How do I upload it to Seven Forums? Or do I need to use a file host?

8MB is the size limit for zip files so you can upload here,

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

You just use the paperclip icon,

 

[teckneeculler]

Thanks derekimo.

Okay guys, I'm gonna attach this little file for you to try. Turns out 'Desklist' IS its name, so not all of my addled brain is tip-fodder yet.

Good news and bad news.
Good: It works perfectly in W7. Well, it does on mine, anyway.
Bad: Well, it's not really bad, it's just I slightly mis-remembered a few points about its functions.
1) It doesn't list Taskbar icons, it lists desktop icons. I think what I was recalling was that, back in the XP days, I used to keep my desktop loaded with icons. So this app was perfect for calling one up quickly and easily, especially when the desktop was hidden under docs or webpages.
2) It doesn't list the entire bunch in one hit, but has several 'More' buttons to scroll the pages.

It seems to me, even though I know zip about programming, that the app's program could be re-written to call up Taskbar shortcuts, and in one, full-length menu instead of several. Maybe one of you gurus could comment on that?

Anyway, here's 'Desklist'. Just unpack it and 2-click the exe. You should then see an unobtrusive little blue triangle in the Tray. Click it once to see a list of desktop shortcuts (and folders, I think).

Let me know if it turns up, and what you think of its potential to be fiddled with.

Cheers.

Ooops, didn't get it right. I'll try again....

 

[MourningStar]

Too bad it does not grab ALL the program shortcuts from the Start menu. That 'might' do it for me! (I keep my desktop relatively clean as well as desktop icons toggled to OFF).

-thx

 

[teckneeculler]

You see what I mean, though. I reckon it definitely has potential if it's tweaked. Think I'll make it a Winter project, LOL. All I gotta do is learn how to manipulate the code it's written in. Anyone know how I'd begin to analyze this app's intestines?

PS: In 2000-and-something I actually emailed the guy who created the app, but he said he wasn't interested. Shame.

 

[Callender]

I wonder why you don't like QuickCliq mentioned in Post #7 ?

Actually I seem to be the only member here who uses it! Okay so it takes a little effort to set up but once that is done it is such a huge time saver.

Also there is no need for desktop shortcuts at all if you use the above software. You just create shortcuts inside QuickCliq's menu editor and then they will display only when you use the hotkey.

Anyway - how about another suggestion?

If you don't mind modifying your registry there's a tweak that gets your Programs (and shortcuts to them) to display like this. Here's two example screenshots from my machine. Let us know if it would suit you.

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[teckneeculler]

Callender, I didn't say I don't like Quick Cliq, I said I'd take a look at it shortly.

And now I've tried it, I can say it's not too bad.

However, it's not as good (for me) as DeskList could be if it was tweaked to load Taskbar shortcuts.

 

[Callender]

Maybe I'm missing something. Do you mean shortcuts that are stored here?

%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\

 

[Callender]

Well anyway I've added taskbar shorcuts to Start> Programs. You can add the same to QuickCliq.

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