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#1
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Assigning hot keys to programs
Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key
directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? -- Ken MacOS 10.14.6 Firefox 70.0.1 Thunderbird 60.9 "My brain is like lightning, a quick flash and it's gone!" |
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#2
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:42:49 -0700, Ken Springer
wrote: Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? I do something similar to what you appear to be aiming to do. Firstly, I created a desktop icon which I labelled " Little Used Programs ". Then I dragged all the icons I didn't want on the desktop and dropped them onto the "Little Used Programs" icon. I now have 51 icons in that container. To use any of those 51 programs, a single click (or double click if required on your PC) on the "little Used Programs" icon opens up a container with 51 icons. Then a single click on any of those icons will start the program belonging to that icon. So I have one icon on my desktop which will allow me to choose from a list of 51 programs. If you want any further info just leave a message. |
#3
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Assigning hot keys to programs
Ken Springer wrote:
Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? The following recipe, is the "Lets put a (Metro) App launcher on the desktop" recipe, plus they edit the Properties when they're done. https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/c...uts-windows-10 How to Create Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 10 Type "explorer shell:AppsFolder" (without quotes) at the command prompt and hit Enter. ... Right click on an app and select Create shortcut. ... Click Yes when asked if you want the shortcut on the desktop. ... Right click on the new shortcut icon and select Properties. * Enter a key combination in the Shortcut key field. The same field exists on Win32 shortcuts, so you can use a hotkey for them too. In the following example, I made the Photos App ctrl-alt-J and I made Seamonkey.exe ctrl-alt-K. https://i.postimg.cc/jqFKxDMp/shortc...Properties.gif To be honest, I've never used that. Too ctrl - Alt - kooky. Paul |
#4
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On 12/11/19 10:43 PM, Paul wrote:
Ken Springer wrote: Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? The following recipe, is the "Lets put a (Metro) App launcher on the desktop" recipe, plus they edit the Properties when they're done. https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/c...uts-windows-10 How to Create Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 10 Type "explorer shell:AppsFolder" (without quotes) at the command prompt and hit Enter. ... Right click on an app and select Create shortcut. ... Click Yes when asked if you want the shortcut on the desktop. ... Right click on the new shortcut icon and select Properties. * Enter a key combination in the Shortcut key field. The same field exists on Win32 shortcuts, so you can use a hotkey for them too. In the following example, I made the Photos App ctrl-alt-J and I made Seamonkey.exe ctrl-alt-K. https://i.postimg.cc/jqFKxDMp/shortc...Properties.gif To be honest, I've never used that. Too ctrl - Alt - kooky. Desktop shortcuts wis is where I started, but it creates a bunch of icons on the desktop, which is not the goal. The goal is to have the hot key work without icons on the desktop. The minute I move all those shortcuts anywhere other than the desktop and reboot, the hot keys no longer work. Some time tomorrow, I'll download an ico file and see if I can make Monty's idea work. -- Ken MacOS 10.14.6 Firefox 70.0.1 Thunderbird 60.9 "My brain is like lightning, a quick flash and it's gone!" |
#5
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On Thu, 12 Dec 2019 00:12:03 -0700, Ken Springer
wrote: On 12/11/19 10:43 PM, Paul wrote: Ken Springer wrote: Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? The following recipe, is the "Lets put a (Metro) App launcher on the desktop" recipe, plus they edit the Properties when they're done. https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/c...uts-windows-10 How to Create Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 10 Type "explorer shell:AppsFolder" (without quotes) at the command prompt and hit Enter. ... Right click on an app and select Create shortcut. ... Click Yes when asked if you want the shortcut on the desktop. ... Right click on the new shortcut icon and select Properties. * Enter a key combination in the Shortcut key field. The same field exists on Win32 shortcuts, so you can use a hotkey for them too. In the following example, I made the Photos App ctrl-alt-J and I made Seamonkey.exe ctrl-alt-K. https://i.postimg.cc/jqFKxDMp/shortc...Properties.gif To be honest, I've never used that. Too ctrl - Alt - kooky. Desktop shortcuts wis is where I started, but it creates a bunch of icons on the desktop, which is not the goal. The goal is to have the hot key work without icons on the desktop. The minute I move all those shortcuts anywhere other than the desktop and reboot, the hot keys no longer work. Some time tomorrow, I'll download an ico file - That might be the hardest part of the task. It took me less than five minutes to create a shortcut labelled "Little Used Programs" and drag 51 icons from the desktop to "little Used Programs". Windows gave me a boring default icon. It took about 15 minutes to find an icon that appealed to me as a replacement for the Window default. Have fun!! |
#6
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Assigning hot keys to programs
Il giorno Thu 12 Dec 2019 04:42:49a, *Ken Springer* ha inviato su
alt.comp.os.windows-10 il messaggio . Vediamo cosa ha scritto: The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? can't remember exactly, but more than 25 years ago Norton Desktop had a sort of floating launch-bar where you could put programs shortcuts, with just the icon and no name: that was really comfortable today you have any sort of launch-bars that you can put almost everywhere (but noone of them AFAIK can /float/ on the desktop) -- /-\ /\/\ /\/\ /-\ /\/\ /\/\ /-\ T /-\ -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- - -=- http://www.bb2002.it ............ [ al lavoro ] ........... |
#7
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Assigning hot keys to programs
"Monty" wrote in message
... On Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:42:49 -0700, Ken Springer wrote: Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? I do something similar to what you appear to be aiming to do. Firstly, I created a desktop icon which I labelled " Little Used Programs ". Then I dragged all the icons I didn't want on the desktop and dropped them onto the "Little Used Programs" icon. I now have 51 icons in that container. To use any of those 51 programs, a single click (or double click if required on your PC) on the "little Used Programs" icon opens up a container with 51 icons. Then a single click on any of those icons will start the program belonging to that icon. So I have one icon on my desktop which will allow me to choose from a list of 51 programs. I do similar using a created folder called Desktop Shortcuts & populate it with 'send to' shortcuts from each exe file. Desktop currently has 40 shortcuts & about the same in the shortcuts folder. I call this basic housekeeping -- Regards wasbit |
#8
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:42:49 -0700, Ken Springer wrote:
Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? This sounds like a mistake. On my desktop, replacing 40 or so program icons with keyboard shortcuts would be asking too much for me to remember. |
#9
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On 12/12/19 4:11 AM, mechanic wrote:
On Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:42:49 -0700, Ken Springer wrote: Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? This sounds like a mistake. On my desktop, replacing 40 or so program icons with keyboard shortcuts would be asking too much for me to remember. I wouldn't try 40 programs, or the 51 Monty has either. LOL The need is to simplify program launching without having to find and click on an icon. Especially on smaller displays. And a solution that simple, as I may help others do similar. -- Ken MacOS 10.14.6 Firefox 70.0.1 Thunderbird 60.9 "My brain is like lightning, a quick flash and it's gone!" |
#10
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On 12/12/19 2:47 AM, Ammammata wrote:
Il giorno Thu 12 Dec 2019 04:42:49a, *Ken Springer* ha inviato su alt.comp.os.windows-10 il messaggio . Vediamo cosa ha scritto: The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? can't remember exactly, but more than 25 years ago Norton Desktop had a sort of floating launch-bar where you could put programs shortcuts, with just the icon and no name: that was really comfortable Norton Desktop, I remember it well. In fact, have a copy on my shelf. today you have any sort of launch-bars that you can put almost everywhere (but noone of them AFAIK can /float/ on the desktop) There's a solution online for enabling the old Quick Launch bar in Windows 7, I haven't tried that in Windows 10. Launch bars isn't the answer, as they have small icons. I need large icons in minimal space. Winaero Tweaker will help with this issue. -- Ken MacOS 10.14.6 Firefox 70.0.1 Thunderbird 60.9 "My brain is like lightning, a quick flash and it's gone!" |
#11
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On 12/12/19 3:43 AM, wasbit wrote:
"Monty" wrote in message ... On Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:42:49 -0700, Ken Springer wrote: Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? I do something similar to what you appear to be aiming to do. Firstly, I created a desktop icon which I labelled " Little Used Programs ". Then I dragged all the icons I didn't want on the desktop and dropped them onto the "Little Used Programs" icon. I now have 51 icons in that container. To use any of those 51 programs, a single click (or double click if required on your PC) on the "little Used Programs" icon opens up a container with 51 icons. Then a single click on any of those icons will start the program belonging to that icon. So I have one icon on my desktop which will allow me to choose from a list of 51 programs. I do similar using a created folder called Desktop Shortcuts & populate it with 'send to' shortcuts from each exe file. Desktop currently has 40 shortcuts & about the same in the shortcuts folder. I call this basic housekeeping I tried this already. But when I move the icons from the desktop to the folder, the hot key stops working. It doesn't seem to matter if I create the hot key before moving, or after moving, once the shortcut is in the folder, and the system is rebooted, the hot key no longer works. I haven't tried this on a different system, in case there's something weird there. -- Ken MacOS 10.14.6 Firefox 70.0.1 Thunderbird 60.9 "My brain is like lightning, a quick flash and it's gone!" |
#12
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On 12/11/19 10:41 PM, Monty wrote:
On Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:42:49 -0700, Ken Springer wrote: Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut. And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work. I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? I do something similar to what you appear to be aiming to do. Firstly, I created a desktop icon which I labelled " Little Used Programs ". Then I dragged all the icons I didn't want on the desktop and dropped them onto the "Little Used Programs" icon. I now have 51 icons in that container. What does "container" mean, in this case? The explanations I've found all make it sound similar to a VM, To use any of those 51 programs, a single click (or double click if required on your PC) on the "little Used Programs" icon opens up a container with 51 icons. Then a single click on any of those icons will start the program belonging to that icon. So I have one icon on my desktop which will allow me to choose from a list of 51 programs. If you want any further info just leave a message. -- Ken MacOS 10.14.6 Firefox 70.0.1 Thunderbird 60.9 "My brain is like lightning, a quick flash and it's gone!" |
#13
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Assigning hot keys to programs
"Ken Springer" wrote
| The need is to simplify program launching without having to find and | click on an icon. Especially on smaller displays. | | And a solution that simple, as I may help others do similar. | I came up with a solution I call "Start Menu". I click in the lower left and it opens a set of submenus with names like Utilities, Media, Graphics, Office, etc. All the programs I use are on those submenus. No need to remember a hotkey combo.... You're welcome... Yes, I am brilliant. (Actually, I almost always use Quick Launch. Those sgortcuts are always visible with no clicking. I only go to Start Menu for things I use less often.) But if you want to do things the hard way.... I wrote a little test program and confirmed that a program started from a hotkey gets no command line. That means you can't just use one shortcut to a program that will shell another. But there are things like AutoHotKey. I've never used such a program and I'm not sure exactly how they work. It sounds rather Rube Goldberg-esque to me. But apparently it will do what you want if you don't mind a 4-key hotkey. My guess is that such a program installs a global keyboard hook. Which means it gets access to all keystrokes, regardless of what window has focus. Then, if you type the signal combination it will check its list, start up the program that accords with that combination, and "eat" the keystrokes by not passing them along to be sent to the focused program. So you just have to set up the hotkeys you want and that program will run in the background, watching for a hotkey combo. (A keyboard hook is common and harmless as long as it's not malware and is written properly. It just inserts a process into something like a bucket brigade of Windows messages. The "intelligence" of programs works through system messages that allow software to know when typing, clicking, etc happen. A hook gets set into the message system itself and gets first dibs on all messages of the requested type.) That's the only way I can see it working. If Explorer were to do what you want then it would have to do a full file search of LNK files on the system and check to see whether any of them are activated by what you just typed. That would be horrendously involved. |
#14
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On 12/12/2019 8:48 AM, Ken Springer wrote:
On 12/12/19 3:43 AM, wasbit wrote: "Monty" wrote in message ... On Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:42:49 -0700, Ken Springer wrote: Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut.Â* And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work.Â* I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? I do something similar to what you appear to be aiming to do. Firstly, I created a desktop icon which I labelled " Little Used Programs ". Then I dragged all the icons I didn't want on the desktop and dropped them onto the "Little Used Programs" icon.Â* I now have 51 icons in that container. To use any of those 51 programs, a single click (or double click if required on your PC) on the "little Used Programs" icon opens up a container with 51 icons.Â* Then a single click on any of those icons will start the program belonging to that icon. So I have one icon on my desktop which will allow me to choose from a list of 51 programs. I do similar using a created folder called Desktop Shortcuts & populate it with 'send to' shortcuts from each exe file. Desktop currently has 40 shortcuts & about the same in the shortcuts folder. I call this basic housekeeping I tried this already.Â* But when I move the icons from the desktop to the folder, the hot key stops working.Â* It doesn't seem to matter if I create the hot key before moving, or after moving, once the shortcut is in the folder, and the system is rebooted, the hot key no longer works. I haven't tried this on a different system, in case there's something weird there. Make a batch file to do the hot key action and then a shortcut to it in the "one folder". Another alternative is StartDock''s ObjectDock which I find very convenient. -- Zaidy036 |
#15
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Assigning hot keys to programs
On 12/12/2019 10:26 AM, Zaidy036 wrote:
On 12/12/2019 8:48 AM, Ken Springer wrote: On 12/12/19 3:43 AM, wasbit wrote: "Monty" wrote in message ... On Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:42:49 -0700, Ken Springer wrote: Kind of disappointing to find out there's no way to assign a hot key directly to the program file, unless I've missed something. The hot key has to be done to a desktop shortcut.Â* And if the shortcut is not on the desktop, the hot key doesn't seem to work.Â* I even tried putting the shortcuts in a folder on the desktop. The goal is to minimize the number icons on the desktop, not increase them. Any ideas on how to do this? I do something similar to what you appear to be aiming to do. Firstly, I created a desktop icon which I labelled " Little Used Programs ". Then I dragged all the icons I didn't want on the desktop and dropped them onto the "Little Used Programs" icon.Â* I now have 51 icons in that container. To use any of those 51 programs, a single click (or double click if required on your PC) on the "little Used Programs" icon opens up a container with 51 icons.Â* Then a single click on any of those icons will start the program belonging to that icon. So I have one icon on my desktop which will allow me to choose from a list of 51 programs. I do similar using a created folder called Desktop Shortcuts & populate it with 'send to' shortcuts from each exe file. Desktop currently has 40 shortcuts & about the same in the shortcuts folder. I call this basic housekeeping I tried this already.Â* But when I move the icons from the desktop to the folder, the hot key stops working.Â* It doesn't seem to matter if I create the hot key before moving, or after moving, once the shortcut is in the folder, and the system is rebooted, the hot key no longer works. I haven't tried this on a different system, in case there's something weird there. Make a batch file to do the hot key action and then a shortcut to it in the "one folder". Another alternative is StartDock''s ObjectDock which I find very convenient. Another alternative: Google "folder to toolbar" -- Zaidy036 |
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