IDEA: Dynamic context menu for any application

[bgjensen]

Are there a program that can create custom context menus for any program, that can send command to the program.

Example: Press a hotkey in your browser, notepad or windows explorer, and a context menu with commands (you have specified in an ini file) pops up and then sends the selected command to the program (CTRL+J, ALT+K and so on).

Like Skrommel's Barnacle but with a context menu instead of buttons.

[Ath]

Hm, not exactly right, but could be a start:
WinButtons can present buttons on screen, Application-context sensitive if you want, and can use WinSendKeys to send keystrokes, mouseclicks and clipboard (text) contents to a specific or the currently active application.
Now just a (system-wide?) hotkey to load WinButtons, and you'd be fine

I could add that as a feature, I guess, if WinButtons is anything near what you'd like?

[skwire]

Are there a program that can create custom context menus for any program, that can send command to the program.

-bgjensen (January 10, 2012, 03:05 PM)

I don't know of any but here's a basic AutoHotkey framework that you can extend:

Code: Autohotkey [Select]

1. SetTitleMatchMode, 2
2.  
3. ; Create dummy menu so we can delete it and
4. ; create the context-sensitive one later.
5. Menu, cMenu, Add, Dummy, Dummy
6. Dummy: ; Dummy label
7. Return
8.  
9. Return ; End of auto-execute section.
10.  
11.  
12. #IfWinActive, Firefox
13. {
14.     #v:: ; Win+v hotkey.
15.     {
16.         ; Delete current menu.
17.         Menu, cMenu, Delete
18.         ; Build app-specific menu.
19.         Menu, cMenu, Add, Show downloads, menuFirefox
20.         Menu, cMenu, Add, Organize bookmarks, menuFirefox        
21.         ; Show the menu at the mouse pointer.
22.         Menu, cMenu, Show
23.     }
24.     Return
25. }
26. #IfWinActive
27.  
28.  
29. #IfWinActive, Notepad
30. {
31.     #v:: ; Win+v hotkey.
32.     {
33.         ; Delete current menu.
34.         Menu, cMenu, Delete
35.         ; Build app-specific menu.
36.         Menu, cMenu, Add, Find, menuNotepad
37.         Menu, cMenu, Add, Select all, menuNotepad        
38.         ; Show the menu at the mouse pointer.
39.         Menu, cMenu, Show
40.     }
41.     Return
42. }
43. #IfWinActive
44.  
45.  
46. menuFirefox:
47. {
48.     If ( A_ThisMenuItem = "Show downloads" )
49.     {
50.         SendInput, ^j
51.     }
52.     Else If ( A_ThisMenuItem = "Organize bookmarks" )
53.     {
54.         SendInput, ^+b
55.     }
56. }
57. Return
58.  
59.  
60. menuNotepad:
61. {
62.     If ( A_ThisMenuItem = "Find" )
63.     {
64.         SendInput, {F3}
65.     }
66.     Else If ( A_ThisMenuItem = "Select all" )
67.     {
68.         SendInput, ^a
69.     }
70. }
71. Return

[Ath]

Nice, skwire, I expected something like that

[skwire]

Nice, skwire, I expected something like that

-Ath (January 10, 2012, 04:28 PM)

Thanks.  Stuff like this is easy in AHK.  However, creating a GUI for something like this would be much more work than the actual guts of the code.  I hope the original poster can get some use of that framework; I tried to make it logical and easy to follow.

[Ath]

I hope the original poster can get some use of that framework; I tried to make it logical and easy to follow.

-skwire (January 10, 2012, 04:47 PM)

It's looking good, but requires a bit of manual labor by the OP, and that could be a non-coder (first post, but a Participant since 2008, who knows).

That's why I suggested my WinButtons and WinSendKeys tools. Running that with a user-created configuration (using WinButtonEdit) from a desktop shortcut with a system-wide hotkey, is more hassle to set up initially, but could be more non-coder friendly when changes should be made to the set of keys and supported applications.

I do see a 'feature-request' for WB to pop-up at the current mouse-cursor location, though

[bgjensen]

skwire: yes, something like that. I will see if i can extend it more (have basic Autoit knowledge)

[skwire]

skwire: yes, something like that. I will see if i can extend it more (have basic Autoit knowledge)

-bgjensen (January 10, 2012, 11:32 PM)

Awesome.     Holler if you have any questions.