Can I launch a group of favorites in one click?

Often favorites for a given project or task need to be launched together. Quick Access Popup let you gather different folders, documents or application that can be launched in one click, each favorite in the group having its own settings. Folders in the group can also have a predefined window position (see: What are the advanced options for favorite folders?).

You create and manage groups as you do for submenus. Favorites can be copied or moved in and out of groups and submenus. A delay can be configured in group’s advanced settings to pace the restoration of group windows (see also Group member options below).

In the QAP menu, group names are followed by the number of items in the group between quotation marks (for example: Group name «3») making groups easier to recognize in menus.

Folders in groups can be restored with Windows Explorer or, if they are configured, with the file managers Directory Opus or Total Commander. If you are using Directory Opus or Total Commander, you can set on what side (or pane) of the file manager each folder member of a group is opened. Each favorite on the same side are open in tabs from left to right in the order they appear in the group.

Here is an example. In the Customize, we see the three favorites in the group named My Group of windows: the Chrome browser (with a parameter to search “project” images), a text file named draft.txt (that will be opened with Notepad) and a folder named Project Charter (with, in the Window Options, the window position in the lower-right part of the screen).

 

The popup menu shows that the group My Group of windows contains three favorites.

When selected, the three windows are opened and the Windows Explorer window is position as directed in the Windows Options.

Showing the group in a menu

Starting with QAP v11.5.5, you can ask QAP to display the group members in a submenu, allowing to launch the whole group or only one of its member if you just need it.

Group members options

Starting with QAP v11.5.1, each group member can have its own launching options.

  • Launch and wait: In addition to the group’s global delay in the group’s Advanced Settings, you can set an additional delay (in milliseconds) for each member, depending on the time they need to launch. This option for group member of any type.
  • Options for member of type Application:
    • Wait until the program finishes: if this option is enabled, the next member in the group will not be launched (or open) before this program or script ends;
    • Stop in case of error: if this program (or script) ends by returning an exit code (aka “error code” or “error level”) other than zero (zero meaning “no error”), the remaining member of the group will not be launched or open if this option is enabled;
    • Launch minimized: enable this option to open the window of this program minimized (for folders, see the Windows Options tab of favorite folders).