Author Topic: Url Pack 1.7.0.0 (Read 46,788 times)

MilesAhead · « **Reply #25 on:** April 13, 2012, 10:27 PM »

I tried a few other things but I don't see any way to keep the keyboard focus from shifting. I suspect there's no smooth way of doing it. In any case at least I found the bug where the short delay wasn't being invoked.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #26 on:** April 14, 2012, 02:35 PM »

Oh well. Thanks for trying.

It's still a cute idea. I have one more suggestion. If I launch it behind an instance of a Transdesk second desktop node, is there a setting that keeps it from "barging into the main desktop node"? Aka When I start to launch it, say the first 3 pages load, then I switch back to my primary node, the other 5 pages then load there.

Any ideas?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #27 on:** April 14, 2012, 08:22 PM »

I wouldn't have a clue. I haven't used virtual desktops in quite awhile. I haven't used tab managers to any extent. I don't know if they will open tabs the way you want it you saved a set, then launched the browser and put it in the background. If that works maybe you can set up a profile just for a tab set.

Trying to do it from the outside the way I am is generally discouraged by the system. Evidently it tries to give keyboard focus to the top window to discourage focus stealing. I think TopMost is all you get. There's no "modal" bit you can set for an ordinary popup window as far as I know. Maybe if you programmed that window. I see articles creating modal forms. But to use something like SetWindowLong() to set some existing window as Modal won't work. I tried setting the background window to No Activate but as soon as the new browser instance pops up it calls SetForegroundWindow() to set the previous instance to the foreground and the game is over.

In any case it's really beyond the scope of this utility. I put the question on AHK forum and didn't even get a reply. They probably think I'm trying to lock the keyboard onto one window for some malicious reason or just think the question is not likely solvable.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #28 on:** April 14, 2012, 08:42 PM »

Hmm, even Topmost Toggle can't hold the focus when UrlPack loads. It does still keep this window active, but I have to keep clicking it back active to keep typing. Best case is set it on an "insightful" article to read.

I do think it's "in the scope" of your utility, though I accept if sometimes limitations arise. However, I also believe in the role of Perspective, either this is not possible in XP but might be for example in Windows 7 (looking to be like the next Long Term Windows without the Metro crap of Win8). But per a note elsewhere, thanks for looking. 1 chance in 20 I'll even throw it to the 3rd party coder crowd, but it's prob not on my high hit list.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #29 on:** April 14, 2012, 10:00 PM »

Funny how people using code have a totally different view of what's in the scope of the program. It's a simple hotkey launcher, basically. It's just specialized to browser windows. Injecting windows into virtual spaces is way too complex.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #30 on:** April 15, 2012, 12:44 AM »

Heh hiya! sometimes it's a brilliant hack that makes an app really sing!

MilesAhead · « **Reply #31 on:** April 15, 2012, 07:35 PM »

Quote from: TaoPhoenix on April 15, 2012, 12:44 AM

Heh hiya! sometimes it's a brilliant hack that makes an app really sing!

Unfortunately they are usually contained in $500 tool kits. Can't afford 'em.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #32 on:** April 16, 2012, 12:40 AM »

For Firefox this AddOn may be helpful:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/launch-clipboard/

You can copy a bunch of links to the clipboard and launch at once by right clicking in the address bar. FF already has Open All In Tabs but this would be good for a group not in a bookmark folder. Just copied to clipboard on the fly.

Edit: Now Selector has a Loop Launch check box where you can accomplish the same thing if it's handy to have a text file full of urls. Just select a bunch of page addresses, one per line, check Loop Launch button after hitting the Selector hotkey, then select a browser from your list of apps and press the Go Button(or double click the browser in the list.) It's just more "general purpose" than UrlPack.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #33 on:** April 18, 2012, 02:47 AM »

Url Pack 1.4.0.0 Added a separate program that stores the Tray Menu icons. On startup if UrlPack doesn't find all the icons it expects in the working directory(the folder where UrlPack.exe is) it will try to launch UrlPack_IconInst.exe.

This just makes UrlPack.exe a bit smaller. UrlPack_IconInst.exe is only run when needed. UrlPack.exe sits in the tray. Seems like to good idea to make it as small as possible short of using exe compression.

Since it only takes a few minutes to create an icon installer I'm going to use this scheme with AHL_L apps that have tray menu icons.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #34 on:** April 23, 2012, 11:34 PM »

I did find when playing around with my Selector app, that chrome, firefox and opera will accept multiple web addresses on the command line. At least simple ones. https login types may have an issue. But I just tried loading Firefox via batch with 4 pages while doing a malwarebytes scan to busy the HD. It loaded fairly quickly, considering.

Here's a .vbs script to run the batch file without the telltale command prompt flicker

Code

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") 
WshShell.Run "C:\Utils\DoFirefox.cmd", 0
Set WshShell = Nothing

and here's the .cmd batch to open the pages in FF

Code

start "" "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php http://www.videohelp.com/ http://www.vistax64.com/ http://www.sevenforums.com/

Adjust the paths to suit your system. A few shortcuts with a couple of web page sets may alleviate the need to use a Saved Tab Set.

Just playing around and thought I'd pass it on.

edit: If I read the docs right, XP and later the command line should be able to hold a max of 8191 characters, including the program path, switches and all other args such as web addresses or file names. That should still be enough room to launch quite a few pages out of batch though. I rarely open more than 5, but you should be able to cram a dozen in there.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #35 on:** April 25, 2012, 08:38 PM »

Url Pack 1.5.0.0 Added "Run Silent" mode. If both long and short delays are set to 0 the Open URLs Button will use this mode. Instead of opening the pages with the default browser via file association, the default browser is determined via system call, or the DefBrowser .ini file setting is used. The browser is then run via RunSilent.vbs script to open all the URLs by specifying on the command line.

Naturally this will only work with browsers that accept multiple URLs on the command line. But it works for me using Firefox, Opera and Chromium.

This is a very fast method. But some complicated URLs may cause page load errors. The simpler the URLs the better.

See Readme.txt for the gory details.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #36 on:** April 25, 2012, 08:44 PM »

Quote from: TaoPhoenix on April 15, 2012, 12:44 AM

Heh hiya! sometimes it's a brilliant hack that makes an app really sing!

I haven't tried out the latest release using your scenario, but the "Run Silent" mode may be worth a try. Search on "Run Silent" in Readme.txt for details. It loads very fast. In fact I'm not going to use delays myself unless I feel the need to load complicated URLs.

Basically it uses a .vbs script to run a .cmd batch(created dynamically) without the telltale command prompt flicker. All the sites are just concatenated on the command tail in the .cmd batch.

For example I'm using chromium with a URL pack of 4 sites. This one, Videohelp.com, Vista64 and Windows Seven forums. When I hit the hotkey chrome.exe just comes up with them all in tabs. No delays.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #37 on:** April 26, 2012, 12:17 AM »

Hmm. I'm getting a No Application is Associated error for the script. What should I download and run?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #38 on:** April 26, 2012, 01:25 AM »

It probably doesn't have PowerShell. Hang on. I may not need to use it. I'll try without it and if it works I'll upload and post here.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #39 on:** April 26, 2012, 01:39 AM »

Url Pack 1.5.1.0 No longer uses .vbs script. The "Run Silent" with multiple URLs on the command line is run directly out of AutoHotkey_L now.

If you delete everything but the URLS folder and the UrlPack.ini file, then unzip the new version into the folder, it should be good to go. It's not necessary to do that. But it's a good test that I included everything needed in the .zip.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #40 on:** April 26, 2012, 01:51 AM »

Just uploaded again, but it's just updating the version number in the Readme.txt. No script or exe changes.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #41 on:** April 26, 2012, 02:24 AM »

That just might work!

Given that Transdesk is already open, I pick a "secondary node" and run URL pack, wait just long enough for the turbo-loaded browser window to appear, then click into a "primary node" (with DC or something going on), and then later go to that second node, the loaded browser is there!

I love Rube Goldberg Chaining mini-apps : )

MilesAhead · « **Reply #42 on:** April 26, 2012, 02:48 AM »

Hope it works for you. Funny how assumptions can block things. I just assumed browsers only looked for one web address on the command line. Surprised me when 3 I tried handled a bunch without complaining.

edit: btw, as long as it gets a browser from the .ini file setting, it won't check the default browser in Run Silent mode. That way you can override the default for your purposes. The quick way to get it to check for a new default browser is to use the Edit IniFile command in the Tray Menu. Just set DefBrowser to empty or delete that line altogether. Then it will use the dummy index.html file to get the associated program. Just saves closing UrlPack, editing ini, opening etc.. it's done in one shot with Edit IniFile.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #43 on:** April 26, 2012, 04:32 AM »

I'm happy for it all to be default browser, so long as it doesn't keep ripping control. So my method above looks pretty good! : )

MilesAhead · « **Reply #44 on:** April 26, 2012, 05:14 PM »

Url Pack 1.5.2.0 Minor bug fix where browser path could be wrapped in double quotes even if already quoted.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #45 on:** April 30, 2012, 11:57 PM »

Url Pack 1.6.0.0 Added Tray Menu command Set URL Folder to change the default URL folder. This is saved to .ini file as DefFolder option. A BrowseForFolder Dialog appears. The folder containing UrlPack.exe is the root. It allows creating a new folder. This way you may save multiple Packs and change the folder as a means to launch the particular pack. For example if you want to open the browser to only forums, you may copy or add url shortcuts to a sub folder Forums, then designate it as the default folder.

To set a folder not contained in the dialog tree you may type the complete path in the Edit Line. Of course you may also use the Edit IniFile command to edit the .ini file directly.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #46 on:** May 01, 2012, 09:22 PM »

Url Pack 1.6.1.0 Now the Default URL Folder may also be changed by dropping a single folder on the Gui. Added MsgBox when changing the default folder to display the new value. The Url Folder Button no longer closes the Gui after pressing. This makes it easy to select a folder for Drag & Drop when changing the default URL Folder.

About Box has been updated to reflect the new feature.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #47 on:** May 02, 2012, 03:28 AM »

Url Pack 1.6.2.0 Set Gui popup window to Stay On Top. Makes it easier to drag default folder onto it.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #48 on:** May 08, 2012, 10:00 PM »

Url Pack 1.7.0.0 Added Save URL Folder to File command to the Tray Menu. If the selected folder has any .url files, the urls will be read and added to the file selected via a file save dialog. If the file exists the lines will be appended. Otherwise a new file is created. If no extension is specified .txt is appended to the file name.

The output file is suitable for use with my Browser Bunch utility.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #49 on:** February 07, 2015, 07:39 PM »

Quote from: TaoPhoenix on April 12, 2012, 07:51 PM

I use Cometbird

Funny. I just ran across it today. So far the only "bad" thing is it won't accept some of the Firefox AddOns. But it seems to run fine.

Edit: It figures. I start using it just as the developers decide to dump it.

http://www.cometforums.com/topic/12799293-cometbird-development-officially-discontinued-jan-2015/