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Create a custom launcher using a Windows 7 jumplist
Windows 7's jumplists have a lot of untapped potential. Very few applications are taking advantage of them yet, though that's sure to change once the RTM has dropped.
One slick use I discovered (thanks to Shell Extension City) is Hedgehog's Jumplist Launcher. The free program allows you to create a customized menu with links to your favorite applications and folders which you can access by right-clicking the launcher's icon. It's a Windows 7 take on adding a new toolbar to your taskbar and creating custom shortcut folders.
Launch the app and pin it to your taskbar, and start building your list. Now, it's a little rough around the edges, so don't expect a totally hassle-free experience. Create a group (games, apps, etc.) and then add shortcuts - I found it easiest to drag and drop them from an Explorer window. Folders can also be added, though you can already pin them to your Explorer icon.
Back to the "rough around the edges" bit. Sometimes when you add a new app, several of your icons will change. Also, its interface is still in a half-German, half-English state. If that's offputting to you, wait for the next release.
Icons aren't all that important to me and I was able to deal with the language mix with no real trouble, so I think I'll keep Jumplist Launcher around and play with it some more.
YouTube clip after the break, for those of you who want to see it in action!
One slick use I discovered (thanks to Shell Extension City) is Hedgehog's Jumplist Launcher. The free program allows you to create a customized menu with links to your favorite applications and folders which you can access by right-clicking the launcher's icon. It's a Windows 7 take on adding a new toolbar to your taskbar and creating custom shortcut folders.
Launch the app and pin it to your taskbar, and start building your list. Now, it's a little rough around the edges, so don't expect a totally hassle-free experience. Create a group (games, apps, etc.) and then add shortcuts - I found it easiest to drag and drop them from an Explorer window. Folders can also be added, though you can already pin them to your Explorer icon.
Back to the "rough around the edges" bit. Sometimes when you add a new app, several of your icons will change. Also, its interface is still in a half-German, half-English state. If that's offputting to you, wait for the next release.
Icons aren't all that important to me and I was able to deal with the language mix with no real trouble, so I think I'll keep Jumplist Launcher around and play with it some more.
YouTube clip after the break, for those of you who want to see it in action!
Comments
4
Subscribe to commentsDasJun 25th 2009 9:22AM
Terrific little utility. I've been using it for a few days now and I just keep thinking of new ways it can help. I hope we can encourage the developer to extend it's functionality.
HedgehogJun 25th 2009 2:14PM
Thanks for the coverage :)
I'm working on fixing the bugs.
Drop me a line as soon as you spot a German message.
Most of them arise because there is not much error-handling as of yet.
I can't reproduce the loss of the icons atm, but I experienced that too.
Seems like it's time for a debug-mode
JBJun 25th 2009 3:09PM
I love jump lists as much as the next guy, but I have as yet to see anyone else comment on how most of the jump list functionally has been available in the system tray (just not as user configurable) for years?
Actually, isn't the entire new taskbar just a system tray with larger icons and window switch capabilities?!
master811Jun 27th 2009 9:45AM
There's a big difference though is that jump lists are dynamic (i.e. they'll show the most recently opened files), I've not seen anything like that on any system tray icons