topbanner_forum
  *

avatar image

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
  • Friday March 29, 2024, 10:09 am
  • Proudly celebrating 15+ years online.
  • Donate now to become a lifetime supporting member of the site and get a non-expiring license key for all of our programs.
  • donate

Author Topic: IDEA: Tooler-like GUI and shortcut maker for NirCmd  (Read 10484 times)

doctorfrog

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2008
  • **
  • Posts: 140
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
IDEA: Tooler-like GUI and shortcut maker for NirCmd
« on: June 01, 2009, 01:54 PM »
NirCmd is a fine program, a fine program, I say! I'm also a terribly lazy man who is spoiled by good GUIs and usability, and I want an easier, more intuitive way to use this utility, similar to Tooler, as described by FreewareGenius. Tooler screenshot.

NirCmd is a great program focused on function, but a little short on usability. Using a command line or Windows shortcuts, you can execute any number of shell features, changing volume, opening and closing CD drawers, running your screensaver, or any from a staggering list of features.

Unfortunately, to do any of this requires knowledge of the program's command line switches, since it seems to lack any sort of GUI. This means that to use the program, you must:

1) Create a generic Windows shortcut to the program.
2) Look up the appropriate command line switches in the help file.
3) Add the command line switches to the shortcut.
4) Test the shortcut to make sure you didn't screw it up.

This doesn't rate real high on the usability scale.

The preferred usage would be similar to Tooler:

1) Launch a GUI.
2) Choose from a list of functions, set your desired variable, if applicable. (For example, Set Volume -> Wave -> to 50% -> Create shortcut.)
3) You're prompted with a file save dialog to place the shortcut.

This seems like it would be a fairly short order, but it's a little tall, since there are so many ways to use NirCmd. For the purposes of keeping this a snack, I suggest that, at a minimum, the GUI program at least offer the first thirty or so features detailed on NirCmd's example table, shown here.

Bonus: make the GUI extensible, such that additional shortcut types can be created by the user. For example, if the GUI includes a way to change the Master Volume, but not the Wave setting, the user can add this feature into the GUI by editing a text file or options dialog.

The personal level: Tooler is a great little program, but I want something more powerful. NirCmd is more powerful, but much less usable. A GUI app would be a good middle ground.

Thanks for your time and indulgence!  :)

MilesAhead

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2009
  • **
  • Posts: 7,736
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: IDEA: Tooler-like GUI and shortcut maker for NirCmd
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2009, 11:10 PM »
A simpler approach may be just to create a bunch of .cmd files.  Most would be 1 liners right out of the NirCmd help.  Just substitute %1 for the filename param if it needs a filename.  Then you can drag & drop the file onto the shortcut for the .cmd file if you don't want to type in the command line param.

Rather than just make a GUI to generate a bunch of 1 line scripts, somebody wanting to use NirCmd in a GUI program would just use the .dll and call the functions. Just substituting in command line blanks is pretty boiler plate.

r0bertdenir0

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2009
  • **
  • Posts: 50
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: IDEA: Tooler-like GUI and shortcut maker for NirCmd
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2009, 01:58 AM »
Have you used AutoHotkey?
It can do everything NirCmd can do & much more.
If you have a look at skrommels scripts you'll get an idea of what's possible.

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: IDEA: Tooler-like GUI and shortcut maker for NirCmd
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2009, 03:58 AM »
it's a good idea to make a gui for nircmd.
you might also try using it through my Find and Run Robot (FARR) program, since people have made alias files for it:
https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=9365.0

ws-jgpaiva-cmd-alias-1.png

MilesAhead

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2009
  • **
  • Posts: 7,736
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: IDEA: Tooler-like GUI and shortcut maker for NirCmd
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2009, 03:06 PM »
I wonder if Visual Command might be useful since NirCmd can have complex params.  Looks like it's basic idea is to have a bunch of param sets and you click on an app and the param set to do a particular thing.

Here's a screen shot:

http://www.softpedia...reenshot-138278.html