Overview

Application Launcher Software allows a user to quickly setup shortcuts to run applications, open folder windows, send an email to a user, and visit a website. These shortcuts may be grouped to keep them organized and readily accessible.

Main Screen

The Main Screen of Application Launcher Software is organized into two panes: a left pane for “Groups” and a right pane displaying the “Shortcuts” for the currently selected group. When first installed the right pane shows one predefined group called “General” with predefined shortcuts as shown below:

The “General” group is meant to be a demonstration group. It shows examples of the different shortcut types. The “General” group can be deleted or renamed as can any of the shortcuts it contains.

Groups

A “Groups” list is displayed in the “Groups” pane on the left hand side of the Application Launcher Software. Each group is simply a way of organizing shortcuts. There is no set way to do this. It is up to the needs of the user. Groups may be added, edited or deleted as needed.

Adding a Group

Clicking the “Add” button under the “Groups” list will bring up the “Add Group” dialog box displayed below:

Enter values in the “Group Name:” and “Description:” fields. This is a name and a description that is meaningful for the Shortcuts that will be contained in this group. Only the “Group Name:” field is mandatory. A background image may be chosen for the group by pressing on the “…” button and choosing a .bmp, .jpg, or .gif file from a folder on your computer. Finally a color for the Group Name can be chosen by clicking on the “Select Color” button. Below is an example of the “Add Group” dialog with appropriate values:

Clicking the “Add” button at the bottom of the dialog will add the “Group Name” in the color selected to the “Groups” list on the Main Screen, as shown below:

Since no Shortcuts have been added to this group yet the “Shortcuts” list is empty.

Editing a Group

Clicking the “Edit” button under the “Groups” list will bring up the “Edit Group” dialog box displayed below:

Any of the values for “Group Name”, “Description” Background Image and Group Text Color can be changes, as shown below:

Clicking the “Cancel” button will exit the dialog with no changes. Clicking the “Update” button at the bottom of the window will save the changes made and display those changes in the “Groups” list on the Main Window as shown below:

Note: Any changes made to the group have no effect on the Shortcuts within the group. They remain completely unchanged.

Deleting a Group

When a group is no longer needed, it can be deleted simply be clicking the “Delete” button under the “Groups” list. You will be prompted to confirm or cancel your decision to delete the group with the dialog shown:

Clicking the “Yes” button will permanently delete the group. Clicking the “No” button will leave the group intact.

Note: Deleting a group deletes not only the group, but all if the shortcuts contained within the group as well.

Shortcuts

Shortcuts are displayed in an icon list on the “Shortcuts” pane on the right hand side of the Application Launcher Software. Shortcuts are organized in groups to make access easy. The shortcuts currently displayed in the “Shortcuts” list all belong to the group currently selected in the “Groups” list. Shortcuts may be added, edited or deleted. They may also be launched.

Adding a Shortcut

A Shortcut is added to a group by first selecting the group to which it will be added. To add a shortcut, click on the “Add” button below the “Shortcuts” list. If no group is selected when the “Add” button is pressed, the following dialog is displayed:

When the “Add” button is clicked with a group selected, the “Add Shortcut” dialog is displayed. The “Add Shortcut” dialog box prompts for a Shortcut “Type”, “Caption”, “Description” and “Font Color” as well as other fields depending on the shortcut ”Type”. The “Caption” is the title that will be displayed in the selected “Font Color” directly under the shortcut icon in the “Shortcuts” list on the Main Screen. The “Description” is useful information that is displayed in the Text field at the bottom of the Main Screen when the shortcut is selected, as shown below:

The “Type” is one of four varieties of shortcuts that can be created. These are “Application”, “Folder”, “URL” and “Mail”.

The “Application Type” shortcut runs an application of your choosing when the shortcut is launched. The “Add Shortcut” dialog is shown below for “Application Type”:

In addition to the information gathered for all shortcuts the “Application Type” shortcut requires a “File Path:”, that points to the application to be run when the shortcut is launched, and “Application Parameters” which are any parameters that the applications would normally be supplied on a Command Line. You may also provide whether the Application should “Open As:”: Normal, displayed in whatever state the application was last closed in, Minimized, displayed as an icon on the taskbar, or Maximized, displayed open in the window’s maximized state. The “File Path:” is a mandatory field.

To close the “Add Shortcut” dialog without adding the new “Application Type” shortcut click the “Cancel” button. To save and create the new “Application Type” shortcut, click the “Add” button on the “Add Shortcut” dialog. Clicking the “Add” button on the “Add Shortcut” dialog will immediately add your newly defined shortcut as an icon in the “Shortcuts” list on the Main Screen with an icon of the type shown below:

The “Folder Type” shortcut displays the folder of your choosing when the shortcut is launched. The “Add Shortcut” dialog is shown below for “Folder Type”:

In addition to the information gathered for all shortcuts the “Folder Type” shortcut requires a “Folder Path:”, that points to the folder to be opened when the shortcut is launched. You may also provide whether the Folder should “Open As:”: Normal, whatever state the browser was last closed in, Minimized, as an icon on the taskbar, or Maximized, displayed open in the browser’s maximized state. The “Folder Path:” is a mandatory field.

To close the “Add Shortcut” dialog without adding the new “Folder Type” shortcut click the “Cancel” button. To save and create the new “Folder Type” shortcut click the “Add” button on the “Add Shortcut” dialog. Clicking the “Add” button on the “Add Shortcut” dialog will immediately add your newly defined shortcut as an icon in the “Shortcuts” list on the Main Screen with an icon of the type shown below:

The “URL Type” shortcut displays the web page of your choosing in the currently selected system browser, such as Microsoft Internet Browser, when the shortcut is launched.

To use this feature the Application Launcher Software must be licensed. If a license has not been purchased, attempting to use this feature will cause the following dialog to be displayed.

Clicking on the “Yes” button will take you to a Web Page and allow you to purchase a license that you may then enter into the Application Launcher Software to enable this feature.

Once the Application Launcher Software has been licensed the dialog will no longer appear. Instead, the “Add Shortcut” dialog for “URL Type” is displayed as shown below:

In addition to the information gathered for all shortcuts the “URL Type” shortcut requires an “URL Address:”, that points to the web page to be opened when the shortcut is launched. You may also provide whether the Application should “Open As:”: Normal, displayed in whatever state the application was last closed in, Minimized, displayed as an icon on the taskbar, or Maximized, displayed open in the window’s maximized state. The “URL Address:” is a mandatory field.

To close the “Add Shortcut” dialog without adding the new “URL Type” shortcut click the “Cancel” button. To save and create the new “URL Type” shortcut click the “Add” button on the “Add Shortcut” dialog. Clicking the “Add” button on the “Add Shortcut” dialog will immediately add your newly defined shortcut as an icon in the “Shortcuts” list on the Main Screen with an icon of the type shown below:

The “Mail Type” shortcut will display a new email in the currently selected system email client, such as Microsoft Outlook, when the shortcut is launched. This new email will have the “To:” field filled in with the email address you provide. The “Add Shortcut” dialog is shown below for “Mail Type”:

In addition to the information gathered for all shortcuts the “Email Type” shortcut requires an “Email Address:”, that points to is the address to fill in the “To:” field of the new email when the shortcut is launched. The “Email Address:” is a mandatory field.

To close the “Add Shortcut” dialog without adding the new “Mail Type” shortcut click the “Cancel” button. To save and create the new “Mail Type” shortcut click the “Add” button on the “Add Shortcut” dialog. Clicking the “Add” button on the “Add Shortcut” dialog will immediately add your newly defined shortcut as an icon in the “Shortcuts” list on the Main Screen with an icon of the type shown below:

Editing a Shortcut

To edit a shortcut, you must first select the desired shortcut by single clicking on the icon in the “Shortcuts” list on the Main Screen. Note: Make sure you have the correct group selected in the “Groups” list. Once the correct shortcut is selected, click on the “Edit” button under the “Shortcuts” list to bring up the “Edit Shortcut” dialog. The dialog is exactly the same as when you added the shortcut, but now it is filled with the values specific to that shortcut as shown below:

To exit the dialog and accept the changes click on the “Update” button. To exit the dialog and discard the changes, press on the “Cancel” button.

Deleting a Shortcut

When a shortcut is no longer needed, it can be deleted simply be clicking the “Delete” button under the “Shortcuts” list. You will be prompted to confirm or cancel your decision to delete the shortcut with the dialog shown:

Clicking the “Yes” button will permanently delete the shortcut while clicking the “No” button will leave the shortcut untouched.

Launching a Shortcut

There are two ways to launch an shortcut: Clicking on the “Launch” button or double-clicking the shortcut icon. Launching a shortcut means different things depending on the type of the shortcut.

Launching an “Application” type shortcut will run the chosen application in its own window. When executed, the application window will either be displayed maximized, minimized, or in the state the window was in the last time the program was run. This is determined by the “Open As:” field value for the selected shortcut.

Launching a shortcut of type “Folder” will display the selected folder in Window’s Explorer. The Explorer window will either be displayed maximized, minimized, or in the state the window was in the last time Explorer was run. This is determined by the “Open As:” field value for the selected shortcut.

Launching an “URL” shortcut will display the selected URL in the browser set to be used by the system such as MS Internet Explorer. This shortcut type is only available if the software is registered and the license number has been entered.

Launching a shortcut of type “Email” will bring up a new email, in the currently selected email client such as Microsoft Outlook. The new email will have the “To:” field filled with the “Email Address: entered in the shortcut.