Topics

1

LaunchBar Commander / Menu nodes - command functionality

« on: October 10, 2015, 08:25 AM »

In my docks in several instances I need command nodes to start some programs.
Then and when I need some nodes which start the program but use specific parameters. Or which open a file which contains some information related to that program. Or which open a file browser which shows the contents of some folders to which the program is related (reading/writing files, backup directory), i.e. several nodes which are somehow related to the program node.
I have 2 options:
1: one menu node in the dock, the menu contains the program start button and all other related buttons.
This requires always two clicks, whatever I do. Since starting the program is >90% this is a significant waste of time...
2: one command node plus 1 menu node. Which is a significant waste of space...

My suggestion/feature request:
a combined command/menu node: clicking on the icon runs the command, clicking on the down arrow opens the menu.

It might be sensual to adapt the clickable areas. Or to use a short/long-click to distinguish. I would not prefer a combination keyboard/mouse or that purpose.

2

LaunchBar Commander / Nodes based on File Contents - also command nodes and on top level possible?

« on: October 10, 2015, 08:03 AM »

File Contents Menu Nodes can be built from text files - but only as menu nodes (=sub nodes, at least one level beyond the top level).
Is there any chance to create "top level" command nodes by using external programs, possibly by editing some .ini-files? Will that work, are there some restrictions?
I use quite a lot of command nodes with some minor variances from one node to the next, which is annoying when changing these node by node manually...

3

LaunchBar Commander / multiple Docks at left screen (reserve space) - only one keeps position/size

« on: August 03, 2015, 04:55 PM »

Hi, use LBC docks for starting quite a number of macros, some are of universal interest, some are program specific, as I already mentioned here: https://www.donation....msg362932#msg362932

At the very left edge of the screen a "basic" dock is positioned, which is visible all the time. Just next to it to the right one of 6 docks shall be positioned which are specific for a certain program. These docks are toggled by hotkeys. All docks are set to reserve space.
Unfortunately, the docks are restored to floating docks, and I have to grab them and drag them to a region just right of the "basic dock" so they find their position and size as desired (attached to basic dock, and full workarea height).
Once I have done this they keep their position and size after toggling.. until restart of LBC.
I tried to reset size and position for every dock, but it did not help.
I tried to set values for x- and y-position - no change.
Do I overlook something?
Or a bug?

Note: there are two more docks (top and bottom), which are set to autohide.
Yango

win8.1 64

4

LaunchBar Commander / reserving space with autohide on top

« on: December 11, 2014, 07:05 AM »

Hi,
this is a request which is just the opposite of
https://www.donation....msg330314#msg330314

I have a dock on top, set to autohide (btw: what is the difference to autoslide? Could not find any hint in help and see no difference).
When windows are maximized then the title region is quite close to the dock. Therefore quite often the dock is sliding in while I just want to use the title region of the window (minimizing, toggling between max/normal). This requires at least moving the mouse away, waiting for the dock to close, and another try keeping the mouse as far away from the top edge but near enough to be able to reach the title region of the window. In the worst scenario I just clicked at the moment when the dock slides in - and therefore started whatever the dock was setup for...

Thus it would be great to have an option which prevents this unwanted slide-in. I only see the solution to reserve some space at the top of the screen which prevents (maximized) windows from being placed directly at the top screen edge.
As a workaround I use desktop coral whith a height set to 15. But... another program, additional memory use,...

Kind regards
Yango

5

LaunchBar Commander / shortcuts - (little) issues with title and arguments

« on: September 12, 2014, 09:35 PM »

Hi,
I have some shortcuts which pass an argument (filepath) to a program.

Shortcuts work fine from the folder, starting the program with the desired file.
Dragging the shortcut to LBC:
1.copy shortcut properties: launch works, however the title and the hints are set to the launched program.
this requires manual correction, since it is not helpful to have many times the same title in LBC
There may be reasons to take the program as title, but it seems to be more logical to take the filename of the argument as title, if the argument represents a file. Or the title of the shortcut.
Maybe a third option in the dialog?

2. link to shortcut:
uses now the name of the shortcut as title, which is good.
when started from lbc the program starts, however with the last file used, not with the file which is the argument...
All paths are without spaces or problematic characters, I tried with and without quotes, the shortcuts placed in the same directory like the files, or in a different one.
Finally, I found the issue: it is the %file%-entry in the arguments section. After deletion the launch with the desired file works.
I suggest to leave the arguments section empty if a shortcut contains a filepath as argument.
Not a big issue, but inconvenient with some dozens of shortcuts.




..

6

LaunchBar Commander / Relative paths in arguments

« on: February 25, 2014, 12:37 AM »

Hi,
I use LBC portable from a stick.
Starting programs with %APPDRIVE% from that stick works fine.
However, passing arguments isn't possible using %APPDRIVE%.
I finally remembered the conventions for relativ paths using .\subpath - it is working now!
Since this knowledge is not so common, and I lost quite some time trying to use %APPDRIVE%,
I suggest to help users with this topic by adding some sentences to the help and
show some hints ("argument not valid, ..."), instead of just starting the program without the argument/with an invalid argument,
or (better) by accepting and "translating" the environmental variables also in the arguments.

7

LaunchBar Commander / Program Specific Launch Bar

« on: November 05, 2013, 10:22 AM »

Hi,

I proposed this feature already here
https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=30607.0

Now, with the sendkeys feature I try again, since it is imho a logical idea:

The idea of sendkeys is to control a program by another one. If several sendkey actions are combined this enables to do complex actions with just one command. This reduces the number of keystrokes or mouse actions. Thus, even in case a program does not contain a macro-functionality by itself, sendkeys implements this, and that is fine.

The question is how to start such a sendkey-macro.
The number of hotkeys is limited, and even if not - how many can a normal person remember?
Therefore, programs like LBC exist, offering icons for starting programs.
But the number of icons is also restricted, and furthermore, if lots of icons are displayed, it may be difficult to identify the correct one.
Therefore, docklets and submenus can be implemented. But this requires at least one additional click to start the macro. And in case of macros which control more than one program, you have to remember in which submenu the icon is located. And, if you use a large monitor, the ways for the mouse may be quite long.

I propose to implement:
launch bars which are specific for a certain program.
If that program gets focus, this specific launchbar is started or placed on top.
To reduce the long ways for the mouse, this specific launchbar is docked to the program window.

Alternatives:
1. I nearly was successful with a workaround:
I found here on donation coder WinWarden.
This program allows to place a window (like a launch bar) relative to another one.
Unfortunately the LBC-windows refuse to be resized by this program (and by other programs as well).

2. Also here on donation coder I found barnacle, which injects individual taskbars into other programs`  windows. But only on the top side, and it does not work with all programs.

WOuld be great if my proposal could be considered,
either by implementing it in LBC directly,
or if you could make LBC windows resizable..

Thank you

8

LaunchBar Commander / Check condition (ie drive available)/execute (ie truecrypt) before launch

« on: May 05, 2013, 07:08 AM »

Hi,
I use truecrypt for some important data, and I like to open it only if it is needed.
Thus if I run programs which need the truecrypt-"drive" open I get some error messages, have to close these message boxes, call truecrypt, and restart the  program.
Same with some file manager programs which show error messages if drive not available.
Same with browsers if connection to inet not available.

All that could of course be done with batch files, scripting programs,
but I could imagine that many users are not familiar with the pertinent batch commands,
and a simple functionality to check availability of drive/program started/Inet connection and to react ´(start of program before launching the final program) could increase the value of LBC...

Sure, the risk is that this might encourage much more complicated demands. Like start of some programs at the same time and a defined positioning on the screen...

Just an idea; I myself use some scripts, but that means at least additional files...

Kind regrads
Yango

9

LaunchBar Commander / toggle/change icons on action / on return from external program

« on: April 09, 2012, 08:30 PM »

Hi,
could not find much on this, except that you can add new menues by some plugin/textfile.

However, it would be great if the icons of an existing entry could be changed according to some action or to a returned value of some external program.
For example: changing from a red colored icon to a green one if program is running, or, if an external/network drive is available or ... whatever. Should be more than just two options...
One may even think on displaying continously changing data.
I know there are a lot of programs for displaying everything of interest and even beyond that ;-)  (used samurize some years ago), but at the moment I'm stuck to LBC and it would be great to not have the necessity to install and configure another program which will interfere with LBC, at least will reduce the working area by applying another bar to the monitor.
A compromise could be that LBC allows an individually definable part of the space it is using from one end of the monitor to the other when docked...
Any idea in these directions?

Greets
poyan

10

LaunchBar Commander / Launchbars docked to specific windows

« on: April 14, 2011, 07:49 PM »

Hi,
I don´t know whether this is the right section, however, LBC might be a basis...

I already proposed to have some docks which are specific for certain programs.
https://www.donation...ion=post;topic=23567
I use a lot of little helpers, mostly self written scripts, to enhance the functionality of quite a number of programs which do not offer hotkeys for menu items which I need quite often, or some formatting needs 4 mouseklicks...
At the moment I use some docks (see above link for further information) which I change according to the actual window - by striking a hotkey, and the docks are located at the side of the screen. Thus, it is a long way for the mouse to travel to the dock and then back again, at least on a monitor of a certain size....

What I´m thinking of: placing buttons in the title line of a window - of course specific for that window. If the window is activated or launched, also the extra-buttons are accessible, if the window is closed or minimized, also the buttons disappear. If the window is moved around, the buttons will move as well...  It is like a programmable command bar for every program, even if the program is not offering this feature by itself.

Thus, one would have a dock somewhere on the side, or as a popup menu, for general purposes (launching the programs, ...) and additionally program-specific docks (unlimited in number) located in the title line, or at the left or right border, whereever they do not disturb.



poyan

11

LaunchBar Commander / Icon Size - small too small, big too big - medium size?

« on: March 22, 2011, 11:34 PM »

Hi,
for me the 2 offered icon sizes are not convenient - the small ones are too small, not good to recognize, the big ones are too big - in between would be great. No way for the user to set that value individually?

poyan

12

LaunchBar Commander / Icon display: mean quality

« on: March 22, 2011, 11:18 PM »

Hi,

I read the thread https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=21776.0
and with those settings all is ok.
But I would like to use a dark background. Then, all icons with a round or oblique outline look really ugly - they have a shadow in the colour of the background of the default skin - all icons that come from the program files.
If I make icons on my own (4th from the left), or the icons have an outline strictly horizontal/vertical then it is ok.

13

LaunchBar Commander / Repositioning of windows / Fixup OnTop Status - can it be optimized?

« on: March 22, 2011, 10:13 PM »

Hi,
I like the feature that LBC tries to keep the borders free where its docks are sitting. However sometimes (no, more often than that) this is not succesful, and a window is positioned with its top-menu just beneath the dock that is at the top border of my screen, thus unaccessible for the mouse to drag around or to reach the menu. A right click on the LBC dock reveals a menu entry "fixup OnTop Status". If I click it, the wrongly positioned window is immediately positioned where it should be, just below the dock. After this repositioning LBC seems to be closed for a moment (the docks disappear), and then restarted - this part seems to be unneccessary. It is time consuming, at least on my subnote with a slow 1.8" HD and an ulv processor it takes quite some seconds... In case this fixup ONTop Status is necessary, could there be another menu entry to just reposition the other windows?
Even better: can the build in commands (like fixup OnTop) be added as a dock entry? Then it would be a one click feature (instead of: right click, then position the mouse on the correct menu entry, then left click). Or get a hotkey?
Or, at best, can the recognition be improved that a window is positioned within that forbidden zone?

thank you
poyan

winXP Prof.

14

LaunchBar Commander / Dock positioning/resizing by external programs

« on: January 22, 2011, 01:28 PM »

Hi,
I'm still looking for a dock allowing multiple docks, which are displayed according to the active program, as described in this thread: https://www.donation....msg213845#msg213845

Since LBC basically offers multiple docks plus the possibility to submit codes via the commandline for building docks plus offers docks positioned freely on the desktop ("floating") I was again playing around with it. The only problem I have is that the dock-windows seem to be not resizable and cannot be positioned by codes from third party programs/scripts. If that would be possible the docks could be "attached" to (=positioned just above/asides) the window of the corresponding program, thus allowing a kind of an individual toolbar for programs which do not offer customizable menus/toolbars, and this toolbar-dock would be located not somewhere at the possibly far away located side of the monitor, but just at the program-window thus being in sight permanently and easily accessible with the mouse, without the need to push the mouse around the screen - at least an issue with the modern, large monitors of 22" or even more.

Therefore I suggest that the LBC dock-windows should be customizable as far as possible by external code: position on the screen (left, top), size (width, height), z-order (from always on top to regular to minimized/hidden/tray). Or, LBC offers this feature by internal codes, that is: positioning/resizing other program-windows and the corresponding LBC docks...

Any chance?
poyan

15

LaunchBar Commander / multiple docks - depending on active program

« on: July 28, 2010, 08:56 PM »

Hi,
just stumbled into LBC since it promises what I am looking for...

My demands:
I have programmed a lot of little scripts (I use a program named shortcut; www.typer.de; freeware for personal use but limited in number of "macros") that help me in daily work which has to be done repeatedly. Many apply to one or two programs (of a considerable number of different programs I have to use). I prefer to have a one-click-access to most of them, and some which I use more rarely could be put into a submenu. This means that the feature "switchable submenu" and calling these submenus by specially designed tabs
--- as described here: https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=20317.0 ---
is NOT what I would like... too many clicks and too many submenus... (however I will give it a try).

At the moment I use rocket dock (which is no longer supported) and object dock, the one on the left side, the other at the bottom of the screen. As a "submenu" I use the stack docklet.
To get the feature "dock displayed depending on active window" I change the ini-files of rocket dock / object dock by a script that is called by buttons in a submenu (stack docklet). However this change requires 1. two mouseclicks to initiate the change and 2. a shutdown and a restart of rocket dock / object dock. This costs some time. So I was quite interested when I read about LBC and multidock, however, it does not really offer the feature I described?!? Nevertheless you seem to think in this direction as I found here in the forum a thread concerning the display of a specific launchbar when an usb stick is inserted... https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=21678.0

In short, what I suggest:
A launchbar
      (or a set of launchbars)
which is specific to a program
      (or a set of programs, or a specific situation like the insertion of an external drive/usb stick)
is automatically displayed if the program
      (or one of a defined set of programs)
is started or activated...

Kind regards

Yango