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.

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

Code: (autohotkey)

SetTitleMatchMode, 2

; Create dummy menu so we can delete it and
; create the context-sensitive one later.
Menu, cMenu, Add, Dummy, Dummy
Dummy: ; Dummy label
Return

Return ; End of auto-execute section.


#IfWinActive, Firefox
{
    #v:: ; Win+v hotkey.
    {
        ; Delete current menu.
        Menu, cMenu, Delete
        ; Build app-specific menu.
        Menu, cMenu, Add, Show downloads, menuFirefox
        Menu, cMenu, Add, Organize bookmarks, menuFirefox        
        ; Show the menu at the mouse pointer.
        Menu, cMenu, Show
    }
    Return
}
#IfWinActive


#IfWinActive, Notepad
{
    #v:: ; Win+v hotkey.
    {
        ; Delete current menu.
        Menu, cMenu, Delete
        ; Build app-specific menu.
        Menu, cMenu, Add, Find, menuNotepad
        Menu, cMenu, Add, Select all, menuNotepad        
        ; Show the menu at the mouse pointer.
        Menu, cMenu, Show
    }
    Return
}
#IfWinActive


menuFirefox:
{
    If ( A_ThisMenuItem = "Show downloads" )
    {
        SendInput, ^j
    }
    Else If ( A_ThisMenuItem = "Organize bookmarks" )
    {
        SendInput, ^+b
    }
}
Return


menuNotepad:
{
    If ( A_ThisMenuItem = "Find" )
    {
        SendInput, {F3}
    }
    Else If ( A_ThisMenuItem = "Select all" )
    {
        SendInput, ^a
    }
}
Return

[Ath]

Nice, skwire, I expected something like that

[skwire]

Nice, skwire, I expected something like that

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.

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)

Awesome.    Holler if you have any questions.