Assigning hot keys to programs

On 12/13/19 11:04 AM, Mayayana wrote:
"Ken Springer" wrote

| Synopsis is, the installed programs that are listed in the W10 Start
| Menu All Programs list are shortcuts! From the Start Menu, you can
| drill down to the shortcut, and open the Properties for that shortcut.
| Set your hotkey, and you're done. It survives a coldboot. Which is
| exactly what I want, and the desktop is not involved.

Interesting. So Windows must check both the desktop and
the current user start menu folder. That seems easier than
a keyboard hook.

My synopsis didn't cover everything. I discovered in testing that not
all of those shortcuts are in Start Up. I found out the Firefox
shortcut is in the AppData Roaming folder, as were a few others.

| I tried to work through and figure out how to give myself said
| clearance, W10 tells me the permissions are corrupt! Well I don't have
| enough money to bribe W10 to let me in! ROFL!
|
| What ****es me off, this is a clean install that is less than a month
| old! W^$%&W%^UE%^U

Hmm. Strange. My clean install of XP was many years
ago, and the current disk image is probably at least 2 years
old. No problems. In fact, XP wouldn't dare try to tell
me I can't do something. Last time it tried, probably more
than a decade ago, I removed system file protection.
And there are no file restrictions on my FAT32 C drive.
So it's just clear sailing, as far as the eye can see. And
no unexpected updates. Whaddaya know 'bout that?

Though I got a taste of what other people put up with
the other day when I helped friends switch out computers.
On my machine there are no ads and nothing moves on
webpages. On their machine I was watching semi-transparent
salepitches slide in and out from every direction. Crazy stuff.
Like Times Square on acid. How do these nuts imagine they're
going to sell more stuff with such cacaphony?

Always good to mingle with the masses once in a while, isn't it? ROFL!!

They **** me off, I've started sending comments back, if I can a contact
page.

I think the youngsters like that crap.

Good luck. I've never dealt with that particular issue of
icons. Part of the reason I like a big screen is because I
have a lot of icons that I want on the desktop. That includes
20+ drag/drop VBScripts, 9 HTAs, various small programs,
shortcuts to all partitions, shortcuts to numerous folders
I access regularly, as well as files I'm currently working
with. I keep it organized, but it's crowded.

Lots of icons on the desktop just drives me up a wall. I have a sister
the same way. Really glad Apple added the Stacks feature to the OS.so I
don't have to deal with the crap.


--
Ken
MacOS 10.14.6
Firefox 70.0.1
Thunderbird 60.9
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

On 2019-12-13 4:52 a.m., nospam wrote:
In article , Ken Springer
wrote:


However, for eye issues, often the most important thing is, how large
physically can you make the text display? For that, a physically larger
monitor with fewer pixels will work better. More pixels would make the
text sharper, but sharpness won't make up for not being able to see it.

yes it will. make the font as big as needed. more pixels doesn't always
mean smaller.

Not if the monitor's physical size prevents making the text large enough
and still have a display that is usable.

someone would need to have really bad vision for that to be a problem.

Yep, and like ghosts and aliens, Santa and M&Ms, they do exist.

not many, and they aren't likely to be using computers at all.

it also doesn't matter.

as i said, more pixels means sharper everything. it's not a downside,
especially for those with vision problems.

the size of text and ui elements is *independent* of the number of
pixels.


Just because we have very poor vision doesn't mean we don't use computers!
Even near blind and blind people use them, This disability forces us to
find ways and means around these problems to prove to ourselves and the
world that we are as capable as other people.
Even with this vision problem I have ground, polished and figured many
telescope mirrors and lenses from 4 1/4 to 12 1/2 half inches to an
accuracy of one millionth of an inch using the wavelength of light as my
measuring tools.

Rene

On 2019-12-12 11:43 p.m., Ken Springer wrote:
On 12/13/19 3:31 AM, Rene Lamontagne wrote:
On 2019-12-12 10:13 p.m., Ken Springer wrote:
On 12/12/19 8:34 PM, nospam wrote:
In article , Ken Springer
wrote:


However, for eye issues, often the most important thing is, how
large
physically can you make the text display?Â* For that, a physically
larger
monitor with fewer pixels will work better.Â* More pixels would make
the
text sharper, but sharpness won't make up for not being able to see
it.

yes it will. make the font as big as needed. more pixels doesn't
always
mean smaller.

Not if the monitor's physical size prevents making the text large
enough
and still have a display that is usable.

someone would need to have really bad vision for that to be a problem.

Yep, and like ghosts and aliens, Santa and M&Ms, they do exist.

more pixels, particularly when they're smaller than what the human eye
can resolve, makes both graphics and text sharper, independent of the
size of the display, which is desirable for all users, not just those
with vision issues.




Yep, As Ken says, they do exist (looks in Mirror).

Hi, Rene.

I was wondering if you were reading this thread.

It applies even more, after a couple strong rum and Cokes!Â* LOL

What do you think of my idea of hot keys as being a part of addressing
visual accessibility?Â* This might be a discussion that's too OT for
some, so if you want to contact me by email, do it.Â* The address is valid.



Good Idea, I don't know how to make it work though, My system is quite
simple, I have about 20 shortcuts on the desktop including my drive
partitions and most used programs.
I have a folder on the desktop called Occasional Use into which I put
shortcuts to programs which I only use once in a while, maybe 40 or 50
programs.

Rene

On 2019-12-13 9:36 a.m., Kirk Bubul wrote:
On Fri, 13 Dec 2019 15:16:42 -0600, Rene Lamontagne
wrote:

I have a folder on the desktop called Occasional Use into which I put
shortcuts to programs which I only use once in a while, maybe 40 or 50
programs.

Rene,

Thanks for the tip. my Desktop is very icon-covered, every with
Stardock's Fences to corral to organize some of them. Many are
only occasional use.


Glad to help.

Rene

On 12/13/19 10:36 AM, Paul wrote:
A Metro application (where the file ends in .exe), if you
open that with 7ZIP and/or HxD, you'll notice there is
a "stub" of EXE related materials, which make the file look
like an EXE. But, there's no code in there, and the EXE
is being used to contain some kind of metadata. As a result,
if you double-click the icon, you might notice the desktop
flash or "grimace" or something, but no program starts.
And this is probably related to the loader attempting
to load the stub EXE, and aborting a few microseconds later.

I finally was able to open the WindowsApps folder, where I could find
the .exe files. Out of curiosity, I double clicked one, and got a
message that a dll file was missing. But if you open it from the Start
Menu it works, so this is probably not an "approved" way. LOL

I may have to check out macro recorders for doing this, but I'd rather
not add that complexity.

--
Ken
MacOS 10.14.6
Firefox 70.0.1
Thunderbird 60.9
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

On Fri, 13 Dec 2019 12:06:39 -0700, Ken Springer
wrote:

On 12/13/19 10:52 AM, Mayayana wrote:
"Ken Springer" wrote

| With my
| last monitor, the best size I could find left a 1" black stripe
| on each side. The native resolution was just too small.
|
| That sounds like you've selected a resolution with the wrong aspect
| ratio.

Yes. My point was that you only get so many
aspect ratios in so many sizes. And if the native
resolution is 1900 then 1500 is not going to look
as good. I was lucky that I was able to find a
16/9 that looked pretty good and displayed correctly.
(In some cases a wrong aspect ratio will just stretch
to the screen and distort display.)

That's the purpose of my spreadsheet, so I only select a resolution with
the correct aspect ratio. This wasn't as much of a problem in W8 and
older, as only the resolution with the correct aspect ratio appears to
be bolded.

Hi Ken,

I wonder if you could do a little test for me, please.

I have uploaded a file to postimage (it is a picture of part of my
screen) - https://postimg.cc/zLf5rcrp

Would you please download that file and, if possible drag the sides to
a width of 14 3/8" and a depth of 8 1/2" (or as near as is practical).

Could you then report here how readable the file is.

Many thanks for your help.


Monty

In article ,
says...

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've skimmed all the replies to the original question, and I haven't
seen anyone mention what to me is the obvious solution.

Every item in your Start Menu is a shortcut. And any shortcut can be
assigned a hotkey combination (I use Ctrl+Alt+X for Excel, for example).

To set this up:

Open the Start Menu, navigate to the program you're interested in, and
right-click it.

Pick More Open File Location - voila - the shortcuts.

Right-click the relevant shortcut and pick Properties.

In the "Shortcut Key" field, type (only) the single key - the system
will add the Ctrl-Alt prefix.

Done.


--

Phil, London

On 12/20/19 5:04 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

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've skimmed all the replies to the original question, and I haven't
seen anyone mention what to me is the obvious solution.

Every item in your Start Menu is a shortcut. And any shortcut can be
assigned a hotkey combination (I use Ctrl+Alt+X for Excel, for example).

To set this up:

Open the Start Menu, navigate to the program you're interested in, and
right-click it.

Pick More Open File Location - voila - the shortcuts.

Right-click the relevant shortcut and pick Properties.

In the "Shortcut Key" field, type (only) the single key - the system
will add the Ctrl-Alt prefix.

Done

Yes, and no.

I'm trying to remove the clutter from the desktop, not add to it. Why?
Because, as you increase the physical size of a desktop icon, the number
of icons you can have diminishes. So the situation of a user with
"icons galore" on the desktop who now needs larger items on the desktop
has a situation that simply doesn't work well.

I thought, well, just create a folder for desktop shortcuts on the the
desktop, and move the shortcuts to the folder. I learned that once the
shortcut is off the desktop, and you have rebooted, the hot keys no
longer work. I suspect a sign out/sign in will result in the same
thing, but I didn't think to test it.

So much for the obvious answer. G

Searching the web for an answer, I learned the program links in the All
Programs list found in the Start Menu are just shortcuts. From
installed items in the Start Menu, you can drill down the system until
you've located the shortcut. Rt. click on the shortcut, select
Properties. It's the same Properties window as with a desktop shortcut,
and you can set hot keys. They work, and survive the reboot.

These shortcuts aren't all in the same folder, though. IIRC (I'm not
using W10 as I write this), some of these shortcuts are in a hidden
folder in the Programs folder. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as
to where they are.

Note that if the program in the list is an MS App, such as Mail, you
cannot drill down to a shortcut location. I've not solved this problem.

Hypothesis not tested: In those cases where a program does not show up
in the All Programs list, you might be able to put a shortcut in the
hidden folder manually, and have it work.

I asked this hot key question in the MS Community, and got instructions
for adding programs to All Programs list. Perhaps after doing this, you
can again create a shortcut, or possibly the shortcut is created for you
in the process, and have hot keys.

All of this just begs the question... Why didn't MS simply allow the
hot keys to be assigned to the program itself? Wouldn't that be a
simpler answer?


--
Ken
MacOS 10.14.6
Firefox 70.0.1
Thunderbird 60.9
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

In article ,
says...

On 12/20/19 5:04 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

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've skimmed all the replies to the original question, and I haven't
seen anyone mention what to me is the obvious solution.

Every item in your Start Menu is a shortcut. And any shortcut can be
assigned a hotkey combination (I use Ctrl+Alt+X for Excel, for example).

To set this up:

Open the Start Menu, navigate to the program you're interested in, and
right-click it.

Pick More Open File Location - voila - the shortcuts.

Right-click the relevant shortcut and pick Properties.

In the "Shortcut Key" field, type (only) the single key - the system
will add the Ctrl-Alt prefix.

Done

Yes, and no.

I'm trying to remove the clutter from the desktop, not add to it....

You've entirely misunderstood. The solution I've described above
creates no new shortcuts anywhere. It relies on the shortcuts which
constitute the Start Menu.

So much for the obvious answer. G

Look again.

Searching the web for an answer, I learned the program links in the All
Programs list found in the Start Menu are just shortcuts. From
installed items in the Start Menu, you can drill down the system until
you've located the shortcut. Rt. click on the shortcut, select
Properties. It's the same Properties window as with a desktop shortcut,
and you can set hot keys. They work, and survive the reboot.

Exactly as I describe above.

These shortcuts aren't all in the same folder, though. IIRC (I'm not
using W10 as I write this), some of these shortcuts are in a hidden
folder in the Programs folder. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as
to where they are.

Looks logical enough to me:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Note that if the program in the list is an MS App, such as Mail, you
cannot drill down to a shortcut location. I've not solved this problem.

That I hadn't realised! You learn something every day.

Hypothesis not tested: In those cases where a program does not show up
in the All Programs list, you might be able to put a shortcut in the
hidden folder manually, and have it work.

See: https://www.thurrott.com/windows/win...indows-10-tip-
create-shortcuts-for-universal-apps
I just created a shortcut to Mail on my desktop, then cut and pasted it
into C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
I opened the shortcut properties, typed B (not already assigned on my
system) into the "Shortcut Key" field, saved it, and it worked. So
that's one fix. Of course, if you tap the Windows Key, you don't have
to type many characters (just m a on my system) before Mail is the top
of the search list and Enter opens the app.

I asked this hot key question in the MS Community, and got instructions
for adding programs to All Programs list. Perhaps after doing this, you
can again create a shortcut, or possibly the shortcut is created for you
in the process, and have hot keys.

All of this just begs the question... Why didn't MS simply allow the
hot keys to be assigned to the program itself? Wouldn't that be a
simpler answer?

Do you really want people editing the application file itself? (Though
I guess there could be a Registry-based solution.)

--

Phil, London

On 12/20/2019 10:12 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 12/20/19 5:04 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

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've skimmed all the replies to the original question, and I haven't
seen anyone mention what to me is the obvious solution.

Every item in your Start Menu is a shortcut. And any shortcut can be
assigned a hotkey combination (I use Ctrl+Alt+X for Excel, for example).

To set this up:

Open the Start Menu, navigate to the program you're interested in, and
right-click it.

Pick More Open File Location - voila - the shortcuts.

Right-click the relevant shortcut and pick Properties.

In the "Shortcut Key" field, type (only) the single key - the system
will add the Ctrl-Alt prefix.

Done

Yes, and no.

I'm trying to remove the clutter from the desktop, not add to it....

You've entirely misunderstood. The solution I've described above
creates no new shortcuts anywhere. It relies on the shortcuts which
constitute the Start Menu.

So much for the obvious answer. G

Look again.

Searching the web for an answer, I learned the program links in the All
Programs list found in the Start Menu are just shortcuts. From
installed items in the Start Menu, you can drill down the system until
you've located the shortcut. Rt. click on the shortcut, select
Properties. It's the same Properties window as with a desktop shortcut,
and you can set hot keys. They work, and survive the reboot.

Exactly as I describe above.

These shortcuts aren't all in the same folder, though. IIRC (I'm not
using W10 as I write this), some of these shortcuts are in a hidden
folder in the Programs folder. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as
to where they are.

Looks logical enough to me:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Note that if the program in the list is an MS App, such as Mail, you
cannot drill down to a shortcut location. I've not solved this problem.

That I hadn't realised! You learn something every day.

Hypothesis not tested: In those cases where a program does not show up
in the All Programs list, you might be able to put a shortcut in the
hidden folder manually, and have it work.

See: https://www.thurrott.com/windows/win...indows-10-tip-
create-shortcuts-for-universal-apps
I just created a shortcut to Mail on my desktop, then cut and pasted it
into C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
I opened the shortcut properties, typed B (not already assigned on my
system) into the "Shortcut Key" field, saved it, and it worked. So
that's one fix. Of course, if you tap the Windows Key, you don't have
to type many characters (just m a on my system) before Mail is the top
of the search list and Enter opens the app.

I asked this hot key question in the MS Community, and got instructions
for adding programs to All Programs list. Perhaps after doing this, you
can again create a shortcut, or possibly the shortcut is created for you
in the process, and have hot keys.

All of this just begs the question... Why didn't MS simply allow the
hot keys to be assigned to the program itself? Wouldn't that be a
simpler answer?

Do you really want people editing the application file itself? (Though
I guess there could be a Registry-based solution.)

This would be an alternative with little desktop area and maybe hot keys
will still work.
https://www.onmsft.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-toolbar-on-your-windows-10-taskbar

--
Zaidy036

On 12/20/19 8:12 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 12/20/19 5:04 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

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've skimmed all the replies to the original question, and I haven't
seen anyone mention what to me is the obvious solution.

Every item in your Start Menu is a shortcut. And any shortcut can be
assigned a hotkey combination (I use Ctrl+Alt+X for Excel, for example).

To set this up:

Open the Start Menu, navigate to the program you're interested in, and
right-click it.

Pick More Open File Location - voila - the shortcuts.

Right-click the relevant shortcut and pick Properties.

In the "Shortcut Key" field, type (only) the single key - the system
will add the Ctrl-Alt prefix.

Done

Yes, and no.

I'm trying to remove the clutter from the desktop, not add to it....

You've entirely misunderstood. The solution I've described above
creates no new shortcuts anywhere. It relies on the shortcuts which
constitute the Start Menu.

So much for the obvious answer. G

Look again.

My apologies, Phil, you're right. After reading umpteen web pages that
always ended up with me creating a desktop shortcut, I just skimmed what
you wrote, seeing the same thing everyone else said.

Searching the web for an answer, I learned the program links in the All
Programs list found in the Start Menu are just shortcuts. From
installed items in the Start Menu, you can drill down the system until
you've located the shortcut. Rt. click on the shortcut, select
Properties. It's the same Properties window as with a desktop shortcut,
and you can set hot keys. They work, and survive the reboot.

Exactly as I describe above.

Other than the website mention, you are the only person who posted this
information, either here or in the MS Communities.

These shortcuts aren't all in the same folder, though. IIRC (I'm not
using W10 as I write this), some of these shortcuts are in a hidden
folder in the Programs folder. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as
to where they are.

Looks logical enough to me:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Ah, kind sir, this is incorrect. :-) Open Start Menu, go to One Drive,
and drill down. You will find yourself in the
Users\AppData\Roaming\...\Start Menu\Programs folder. If you install
Firefox, you'll also end up here.

There was another program I checked, sorry I don't remember which one
ATM. Took me somewhere else.

Winfile... If you haven't heard of it, it's a rewrite of the old File
Manager program from pre-W95 Windows. MS released the code to the
public, and some enterprising folks rewrote the code, and it's supposed
to run in all Windows now. I know it does in W7 and W10.

By today's standards, it's not be best file management program, but with
it's simple user interface, it's the best thing I've found for teaching
users about file hierarchy and pathnames. Double Commander may be the
next best, for free software. I'd go with Directory Opus for paid software.

Winfile does *not* show up in the programs list of the Start Menu. G
So, now what?!?!?! LOL Well, I made a desktop shortcut to it. Moved
the shortcut to the User AppData folder where Firefox and OneDrive
shortcuts are. Created the hotkey. Coldboot. Durned if the hotkey
didn't work!

That potential problem solved.

I was given instructions in the MS Communities on how to add programs to
the Start Menu, I've not read or tried it. Suspicion, it's the same
thing you said you did, later in this post.
Note that if the program in the list is an MS App, such as Mail, you
cannot drill down to a shortcut location. I've not solved this problem.

That I hadn't realised! You learn something every day.

You should have heard the cuss words fly, when I discovered this! G

Hypothesis not tested: In those cases where a program does not show up
in the All Programs list, you might be able to put a shortcut in the
hidden folder manually, and have it work.

See: https://www.thurrott.com/windows/win...indows-10-tip-
create-shortcuts-for-universal-apps
I just created a shortcut to Mail on my desktop, then cut and pasted it
into C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
I opened the shortcut properties, typed B (not already assigned on my
system) into the "Shortcut Key" field, saved it, and it worked. So
that's one fix. Of course, if you tap the Windows Key, you don't have
to type many characters (just m a on my system) before Mail is the top
of the search list and Enter opens the app.

I think this is the last piece of info I need to get to the end of the
tunnel. Thank you very much.

I asked this hot key question in the MS Community, and got instructions
for adding programs to All Programs list. Perhaps after doing this, you
can again create a shortcut, or possibly the shortcut is created for you
in the process, and have hot keys.

All of this just begs the question... Why didn't MS simply allow the
hot keys to be assigned to the program itself? Wouldn't that be a
simpler answer?

Do you really want people editing the application file itself? (Though
I guess there could be a Registry-based solution.)

Why does it have to modify the application? Why can't MS simply add the
hot key option to a program's Properties, and then write the shortcut to
one of those hidden folders?



--
Ken
MacOS 10.14.6
Firefox 70.0.1
Thunderbird 60.9
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

On 12/20/19 9:03 AM, Zaidy036 wrote:
On 12/20/2019 10:12 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 12/20/19 5:04 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

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've skimmed all the replies to the original question, and I haven't
seen anyone mention what to me is the obvious solution.

Every item in your Start Menu is a shortcut. And any shortcut can be
assigned a hotkey combination (I use Ctrl+Alt+X for Excel, for example).

To set this up:

Open the Start Menu, navigate to the program you're interested in, and
right-click it.

Pick More Open File Location - voila - the shortcuts.

Right-click the relevant shortcut and pick Properties.

In the "Shortcut Key" field, type (only) the single key - the system
will add the Ctrl-Alt prefix.

Done

Yes, and no.

I'm trying to remove the clutter from the desktop, not add to it....

You've entirely misunderstood. The solution I've described above
creates no new shortcuts anywhere. It relies on the shortcuts which
constitute the Start Menu.

So much for the obvious answer. G

Look again.

Searching the web for an answer, I learned the program links in the All
Programs list found in the Start Menu are just shortcuts. From
installed items in the Start Menu, you can drill down the system until
you've located the shortcut. Rt. click on the shortcut, select
Properties. It's the same Properties window as with a desktop shortcut,
and you can set hot keys. They work, and survive the reboot.

Exactly as I describe above.

These shortcuts aren't all in the same folder, though. IIRC (I'm not
using W10 as I write this), some of these shortcuts are in a hidden
folder in the Programs folder. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as
to where they are.

Looks logical enough to me:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Note that if the program in the list is an MS App, such as Mail, you
cannot drill down to a shortcut location. I've not solved this problem.

That I hadn't realised! You learn something every day.

Hypothesis not tested: In those cases where a program does not show up
in the All Programs list, you might be able to put a shortcut in the
hidden folder manually, and have it work.

See: https://www.thurrott.com/windows/win...indows-10-tip-
create-shortcuts-for-universal-apps
I just created a shortcut to Mail on my desktop, then cut and pasted it
into C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
I opened the shortcut properties, typed B (not already assigned on my
system) into the "Shortcut Key" field, saved it, and it worked. So
that's one fix. Of course, if you tap the Windows Key, you don't have
to type many characters (just m a on my system) before Mail is the top
of the search list and Enter opens the app.

I asked this hot key question in the MS Community, and got instructions
for adding programs to All Programs list. Perhaps after doing this, you
can again create a shortcut, or possibly the shortcut is created for you
in the process, and have hot keys.

All of this just begs the question... Why didn't MS simply allow the
hot keys to be assigned to the program itself? Wouldn't that be a
simpler answer?

Do you really want people editing the application file itself? (Though
I guess there could be a Registry-based solution.)

This would be an alternative with little desktop area and maybe hot keys
will still work.
https://www.onmsft.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-toolbar-on-your-windows-10-taskbar

You do a similar process to re-enable the Quick Launch bar, but I've
never tried it in W10.

It would work... if you have good eyesight. It's not so good if your
eyes are not that good. And, mine aren't, anymore. :-(

I'm looking for solutions for those of us who are in that situation.
Hot keys are just part of the overall solution.



--
Ken
MacOS 10.14.6
Firefox 70.0.1
Thunderbird 60.9
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

On 12/20/2019 1:41 PM, Ken Springer wrote:
On 12/20/19 9:03 AM, Zaidy036 wrote:
On 12/20/2019 10:12 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 12/20/19 5:04 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

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've skimmed all the replies to the original question, and I haven't
seen anyone mention what to me is the obvious solution.

Every item in your Start Menu is a shortcut.Â* And any shortcut can be
assigned a hotkey combination (I use Ctrl+Alt+X for Excel, for
example).

To set this up:

Open the Start Menu, navigate to the program you're interested in, and
right-click it.

Pick More Open File Location - voila - the shortcuts.

Right-click the relevant shortcut and pick Properties.

In the "Shortcut Key" field, type (only) the single key - the system
will add the Ctrl-Alt prefix.

Done

Yes, and no.

I'm trying to remove the clutter from the desktop, not add to it....

You've entirely misunderstood.Â* The solution I've described above
creates no new shortcuts anywhere.Â* It relies on the shortcuts which
constitute the Start Menu.

So much for the obvious answer.Â* G

Look again.

Searching the web for an answer, I learned the program links in the All
Programs list found in the Start Menu are just shortcuts.Â* From
installed items in the Start Menu, you can drill down the system until
you've located the shortcut.Â* Rt. click on the shortcut, select
Properties.Â* It's the same Properties window as with a desktop
shortcut,
and you can set hot keys.Â* They work, and survive the reboot.

Exactly as I describe above.

These shortcuts aren't all in the same folder, though.Â* IIRC (I'm not
using W10 as I write this), some ofÂ* these shortcuts are in a hidden
folder in the Programs folder.Â* There seems to be no rhyme or reason as
to where they are.

Looks logical enough to me:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Note that if the program in the list is an MS App, such as Mail, you
cannot drill down to a shortcut location.Â* I've not solved this
problem.

That I hadn't realised!Â* You learn something every day.

Hypothesis not tested:Â* In those cases where a program does not show up
in the All Programs list, you might be able to put a shortcut in the
hidden folder manually, and have it work.

See:Â* https://www.thurrott.com/windows/win...indows-10-tip-
create-shortcuts-for-universal-apps
I just created a shortcut to Mail on my desktop, then cut and pasted it
into C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
I opened the shortcut properties, typed B (not already assigned on my
system) into the "Shortcut Key" field, saved it, and it worked.Â* So
that's one fix.Â* Of course, if you tap the Windows Key, you don't have
to type many characters (just m a on my system) before Mail is the top
of the search list and Enter opens the app.

I asked this hot key question in the MS Community, and got instructions
for adding programs to All Programs list.Â* Perhaps after doing this,
you
can again create a shortcut, or possibly the shortcut is created for
you
in the process, and have hot keys.

All of this just begs the question...Â* Why didn't MS simply allow the
hot keys to be assigned to the program itself?Â* Wouldn't that be a
simpler answer?

Do you really want people editing the application file itself?Â* (Though
I guess there could be a Registry-based solution.)

This would be an alternative with little desktop area and maybe hot keys
will still work.
https://www.onmsft.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-toolbar-on-your-windows-10-taskbar


You do a similar process to re-enable the Quick Launch bar, but I've
never tried it in W10.

It would work...Â* if you have good eyesight.Â* It's not so good if your
eyes are not that good.Â* And, mine aren't, anymore.Â* :-(

I'm looking for solutions for those of us who are in that situation. Hot
keys are just part of the overall solution.



Here is another solution from what has been a good software source in
the past:
https://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/aht/index.html

--
Zaidy036

"Ken Springer" wrote

| Looks logical enough to me:
| C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
|
| Ah, kind sir, this is incorrect. :-) Open Start Menu, go to One Drive,
| and drill down. You will find yourself in the
| Users\AppData\Roaming\...\Start Menu\Programs folder. If you install
| Firefox, you'll also end up here.
|
That design goes back at least to XP.
In that case ProgramData is all users app data,
but it's the same thing. The difference is in
whether it's installed for all users or only the
current user.

Personally I like to clean house with those.
I create subfolders like Media, Office, Utilities,
etc in all users app data, then move all shortcuts
from both locations to there and put them in the
relevant subfolder. In the process I dump the
program parent folders and the crap that so many
programs put in, like shortcuts to readme, their
website, and so on.

But none of that should make any difference for
your purposes, since you're not planning to use
the Start Menu, anyway, except for the purpose
of making shortcuts.

On 12/20/2019 11:31 AM, Ken Springer wrote:
On 12/20/19 8:12 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 12/20/19 5:04 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:
In article ,
says...

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've skimmed all the replies to the original question, and I haven't
seen anyone mention what to me is the obvious solution.

Every item in your Start Menu is a shortcut. And any shortcut can be
assigned a hotkey combination (I use Ctrl+Alt+X for Excel, for example).

To set this up:

Open the Start Menu, navigate to the program you're interested in, and
right-click it.

Pick More Open File Location - voila - the shortcuts.

Right-click the relevant shortcut and pick Properties.

In the "Shortcut Key" field, type (only) the single key - the system
will add the Ctrl-Alt prefix.

Done

Yes, and no.

I'm trying to remove the clutter from the desktop, not add to it....

You've entirely misunderstood. The solution I've described above
creates no new shortcuts anywhere. It relies on the shortcuts which
constitute the Start Menu.

So much for the obvious answer. G

Look again.

My apologies, Phil, you're right. After reading umpteen web pages that
always ended up with me creating a desktop shortcut, I just skimmed what
you wrote, seeing the same thing everyone else said.

Searching the web for an answer, I learned the program links in the All
Programs list found in the Start Menu are just shortcuts. From
installed items in the Start Menu, you can drill down the system until
you've located the shortcut. Rt. click on the shortcut, select
Properties. It's the same Properties window as with a desktop shortcut,
and you can set hot keys. They work, and survive the reboot.

Exactly as I describe above.

Other than the website mention, you are the only person who posted this
information, either here or in the MS Communities.

These shortcuts aren't all in the same folder, though. IIRC (I'm not
using W10 as I write this), some of these shortcuts are in a hidden
folder in the Programs folder. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as
to where they are.

Looks logical enough to me:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Ah, kind sir, this is incorrect. :-) Open Start Menu, go to One Drive,
and drill down. You will find yourself in the
Users\AppData\Roaming\...\Start Menu\Programs folder. If you install
Firefox, you'll also end up here.

There was another program I checked, sorry I don't remember which one
ATM. Took me somewhere else.

Winfile... If you haven't heard of it, it's a rewrite of the old File
Manager program from pre-W95 Windows. MS released the code to the
public, and some enterprising folks rewrote the code, and it's supposed
to run in all Windows now. I know it does in W7 and W10.

By today's standards, it's not be best file management program, but with
it's simple user interface, it's the best thing I've found for teaching
users about file hierarchy and pathnames. Double Commander may be the
next best, for free software. I'd go with Directory Opus for paid software.


Ditto to the last statement. I think Directory Opus is worth the money.




--
Ken