QAP 101: What should I know about Quick Access Popup before I start (and can’t stop) using it?

VIDEOS
> Quick Access Popup Installation Demo (9 min.)
> First steps with Quick Access Popup (9 min.)

When you run it, Quick Access Popup (QAP) adds an icon in the Notification Area and awaits your orders. When you want to open a frequently used folder, launch an application or work on a document, open the Quick Access Popup menu.

  1. There are different ways to to open the Quick Access Popup menu. The most common are:
    • click the Middle Mouse Button ANYWHERE on your Desktop;
    • or if you are a keyboard shortcut addict, press Windows + W.

Quick Access Popup icon in the Notification Area (System Tray)

You can also open the QAP menu from the Quick Access Popup icon in the Notification Area (System Tray).

Launching favorites

In the QAP menu, select your favorite folder, application or document. Quick Access Popup will instantly launch it!

You are already working in a Windows Explorer and just want to change the folder in the current window?

Click the Middle Mouse Button while the mouse pointer is over the Explorer window (or press Windows + W while the Explorer window is active). In the popup menu, select the desired folder. Quick Access Popup will instantly navigate your Explorer to the selected folder! Changing folders in file dialog boxes (Open, Save As, etc.) is also available if you enable this option (see  Can I change folders in file dialog boxes?).

Customize your menu

Now, you can’t resist to customize your popup menu? Adding your own folders, applications, documents, web links or FTP site is very easy.

  1. Open the QAP popup menu (Middle Mouse Button or Windows + W) and choose the Customize menu.
  2. In the Customize window, click the Add button, select the type of favorite to add (for example Folder, Document or Application) and click Continue.
  3. In the Add Favorite window, enter the menu name and the path to your favorite folder, application or document. There are plenty of options to discover in the other tabs but all you need to enter is in the first one justly named Basic Settings.
  4. Click Add when you are finished with the favorite’s settings.
  5. Back in the Customize window, use the various buttons to add, reorder, remove or edit your favorites. Don’t forget to click the big Save & Close button in the Customize window to keep your changes.

There are other ways to add favorites:

  • Add folders or web pages on the fly. When you are in a favorite folder or web page, open the QAP popup menu, select the menu Add Active Folder or Web page (or press Shift + Control + A) and enter the menu name of this new favorite. See more info about the Add Active Folder or Web page feature.
  • Drag & drop favorite folders, documents or applications from your file manager to the Customize window and give them a menu name. That’s it!
  • Add favorite folders, documents or application using the Windows Explorer context menu. See Which QAP commands are available using Explorer Context menus?
  • There are special items in the My QAP Essentials, My Special Folders, My Snippets and My Windows Apps allowing to add new QAP Features, new Windows Special Folders, new Windows Apps and new Snippets.

What else should I know when I’ll get familiar with the basics?

  1. Can I change folders in file dialog boxes?
  2. What are these special folders in the My Special Folders menu?
  3. What are these options in the My QAP Essentials menu?
  4. Gather favorites in submenus.
  5. Launch groups of related favorites.
  6. Harness the Alternative features
  7. Iron the QAP icon in the Notification Area
  8. What are the QAP global options?

What are these features in the “My QAP Essentials” menu?

QAP Features are powerful functionalities that can be inserted in any QAP menu or submenu. For your convenience, the My QAP Essentials menu is built automatically when you installed QAP. It gives access to a subset of the most useful QAP Features.

  • With the Add Favorite – QAP Feature…, add new QAP Features to this menu (see How do I add a favorite to my menu? for help on adding favorites to your menu)
  • With the Quick Launch menu, open a search box to type a few letters and launch one of your QAP favorites or an item from the Recent/Frequent menus.
  • With the Reopen Current Folder in Dialog Box menu, take your file dialog box (Open, Save as, etc.) to the last folder you used in Explorer.
  • With the Reopen a Folder menu, open a folder in Explorer from a menu built with the list of folders already open in Windows Explorer (also useful in file dialog boxes).
  • The Clipboard menu shows the folders, documents, application path or URL saved in your Windows Clipboard.
  • The Drives menu shows the list drives on your system with label, free space, capacity and an icon showing the drive type.

 

Finally, other QAP features were also added in the main QAP menu:

  • The Add Active Folder or Web page menu allows to add on the fly the currently active folder or web page.
  • The Close this menu item allows to close the popup menu if clicking elsewhere or hitting the Esc key do not close the menu as it normally should (you can remove this menu if you never face this issue).

Feel free to add QAP Features to this menu or to move them around. See the list of other QAP features.

Edit the My QAP Essentials menu

The My QAP Essentials menu was added automatically to your main menu when you launched QAP. Using the Customize window, you will be able, if you wish, to rename this menu, move it or break up its content in other submenus. See how to open the Customize window and how to use it to customize your menu.

What are these special folders in the “My Special Folders” menu?

When Windows is installed, numerous system folders are created. Quick Access Popup knows more than 50 of these “Windows Special Folders”. The My Special folders menu gives access to the most known and used:

  • Desktop
  • Document
  • Pictures
  • Downloads
  • My Computer
  • Network Neighborhood
  • Control Panel
  • Recycle Bin

With the first item of this menu Add Favorite – Special Folder…, you can add new system folders to this menu (see How do I add a favorite to my menu? for help on adding favorites to your menu). There are plenty of other special folders that you can also add using the Add Favorite button in the Customize window, for example: Libraries, Recent items, Startup folder, History, Favorites, Quick Launch, Cookies, Temporary files, etc. Special folders can be inserted in any QAP menu or submenu. For your convenience, the My Special Folders menu was built when you installed QAP. Feel free to add special folders to this menu or to move them around.

Edit the My Special Folders menu

The My Special Folders menu was added automatically to your main menu when you launched QAP. Using the Customize window, you will be able, if you wish, to rename this menu, move it or break up its content in other submenus. See how to open the Customize window and how to use it to customize your menu.

What are favorites advanced settings?

Advanced Settings give more control on how favorites are launched.

  • Launch with this application: Normally, folders and FTP sites are opened with Windows Explorer (or your custom file manager), documents are open with their default application and links are accessed with your default browser. With the advanced setting Launch with this application, you can choose to launch your favorite with another application. See Placeholders, below.
 
 
  • Start in: This advanced setting available for Application favorites allows to set the default working directory for the application. Take note that not all applications will comply with this Windows setting. See Placeholders, below.
 
  • Auto-open sub folder: When you open a favorite folder, you can ask QAP to automatically open the most recently created sub folder in this favorite folder. QAP could also open the most anciently created, or the most recently/anciently modified or accessed sub folder. More info here: What are the advanced options for favorite folders?
 
  • Encode FTP URL: When you specify a user name and a password for a FTP favorite, these values are added to the URL and sent to the FTP server. When enabled, this options make sure login name and password are properly encoded. Some application (like Total Commander) may prefer the values to be sent without encoding. For these apps, uncheck the option.Take note that this encoding is not encrypting. It does not prevent the password from being saved in the settings file and sent on Internet in clear text. Be cautious if your password protects sensitive data!
 
  • Sound played when launching the application: Set the file name or the codes of the sound to play. The sound is played immediately after the favorite is launched or the group is executed. You can play a sound file, a system sound or your own custom sound sequence. See also: Can I play a sound when I launch a favorite?
 
Placeholders and User variables

You can use placeholders and user variables in Launch with this applicationParameters and Start In fields. These placeholders can be replaced with:

  • the location or part of the full path and file name of the favorite’s location;
  • the folder where the QAP menu was opened;
  • the file selected when the menu was opened;
  • the content of the Windows Clipboard;
  • user input;
  • parts of the current date or time.

For all the details, see:

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).

Can I create favorites on network drives?

Yes. Quick Access Popup menu can include favorites from network drives using UNC locations (like \\MyPortablePC\c\SomeFolder\…), a network drive letter (like N:\SomeFolder) and WebDAV locations (like https://sharepoint.server.com/SomeFolder). However, you have to pay attention to some situations that can occur when using network drives with QAP.

Network drives online or offline

In IT environments, corporate servers are normally always online. But in other environments, it can happen that network drives are temporarily offline. For example, if you attach your portable PC drive to your desktop PC, this network resource can be offline if the portable is on the road or just turned off.

When you use folders or files on a network drive, Windows remembers them in its Recent Items system folder. QAP reads this folder to add these resources to its Frequent and Recent menus. When QAP refreshes these menus, it normally accesses the resource’s drive (to check if a file exists or to read a menu icon, for example). If QAP was not protected against offline drives, accessing a network resources when a QAP background task refreshes its menus could cause a long delay before the menu is displayed (see: Why does QAP sometimes look frozen or takes time to show its popup menu?).

Starting with v11.0.7, QAP adds more robust protection against offline drives and add new options in Options, Menus Advanced Options.

If network drives can sometimes be OFFLINE

Keep the checkbox Network drives (“\\” or with drive letters) can sometimes be offline selected. QAP will avoid actions that could cause unexpected delays when refreshing its menus.

If you use drive letters to attach your network drives, enter the letters of these drives in the Drive letters for network drives text box. For example, enter “NSW” for if drives N:, S: and W: are sometimes offline (in fact, you could also enter “N: S: W:” if you prefer since non-letters characters in this field are ignored). Resources on these drives will be treated as network resources.

Of course, if you try to launch a favorite from a network drive when it is offline, expect a delay (that could be as long as 20-60 seconds) during which QAP will be not responding as it waits for a response from Windows.

Also, avoid using Shared menus and Live folders on network drives that could be offline.

Note about USB drives and USB keys

USB drives and USB keys assigned to drive letters do *not* cause a delay when QAP refreshes its menu. This is because Windows “knows” rapidly when these resources are unplugged and does not cause a delay when accessed by QAP. For this reason, these drives letters for these USB resources do not need a special treatment and do not have to be considered in this option.

If network drives are always ONLINE

If your network servers are normally always online, uncheck the checkbox Network drives (“\\” or with drive letters) can sometimes be offline (you do not need to specify network drive letters). In this case, QAP will check if files or folders exist before including them in its Recent and Frequent menus, retrieve custom icon folder and display the network drive’s label and free space in the Drives QAP feature (under My QAP Essentials).

Various notes

Password protection

If a network location is password protected, you may need to be logged in manually *before* navigating to it using Quick Access Popup.

HTTP locations

HTTP locations (URL format) will be automatically transformed to network path (UNC format) for compatibility with Windows Explorer. For example, http://abc.server.com/folder/subfolder/My Name.doc will be replaced by \\abc.server.com\folder\subfolder\My%20Name.doc.

Can I use system environment variables in favorite settings?

Yes. Tech support, sysadmin and other power users love it!

In any file path (folder, document or application), the system environment variables like %appdata%, %public%, %temp% or %userprofile% (etc.) are supported in favorite location (for example: “%appdata%\Microsoft\Templates” will take you to the folder “C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates”).

System variables can also be inserted in favorite advanced settings Parameters, Launch with this application and Start in. See What are favorites advanced settings?

You can also enter a location without path. In this case, the file is searched in the PATH environment variable directories or in app paths in the Windows registry. See Can I use relative paths in favorite settings?.

Finally, you can enter environment variables in favorites name. For example, a favorite name could be “Docs of %username%”.

Can I use relative paths in favorite settings?

Yes. You can enter path such using the .. (parent directory) and \ (root directory) symbols in favorite locations or advanced settings. Relative paths are “expanded” based on the current QAP working directory (see What’s the QAP working directory?).

In the following table, the relative paths are expanded as if the working directory was “M:\MyTools\QAP\”.

Relative path Expanded path
..\Editor\MyNotepad.exe M:\MyTools\Editor\MyNotepad.exe
..\..\setup.ini M:\setup.ini
\MyTools\MyDocs M:\MyTools\MyDocs

That way, a user having to run various tools on a host PC can carry a set of apps on a USB drive or key and use Quick Access Popup to easily launch these tools regardless of the drive letter assigned to the USB device by the host system. Combined with the use of system environment variables and special folders to easily access host PC’s system folders and user’s data, this make QAP the perfect tool for tech support users.

Relative paths can be used in favorite locations,  advanced settings Parameters, Launch with this application and Start in. It can also be used for icons with the Edit icon resource link in the Menu Options tab of the Add/Edit favorite dialog box.

For favorites of types Application and Document, you can also enter a location without path. In this case, the file is searched in the PATH environment variable directories or in app paths in the Windows registry. In these examples, the folders in the resolved path column are assumed to be in the PATH variable. If you enter a location without a file extension, it is searched with all executable extensions in the PATHEXT variable: .COM; .EXE; .BAT; .CMD; .VBS; etc.

File without path Resolved path
Shell32.dll C:\Windows\System32\Shell32.dll
Notepad.exe C:\Windows\Notepad.exe
Notepad C:\Windows\Notepad.exe
System.ini C:\Windows\System.ini

 

What are the different types of favorites?

Types of favorites proposed when you click the Add button

An example menu with one favorite of each type

In your Quick Access Popup menu, you can add favorites of any of these twelve types:

  • Folder: Add your most frequently used local or network directories to reach them in a snap in a Windows Explorer, a file dialog box or a custom file manager, or turn them into a Live Folder.
  • Special Folder: Add Windows system folders from a list of more than 50 special folders, for example: Libraries, Recent items, Recycle Bin, Startup folder, History, Favorites, Quick Launch, Downloads, Cookies, Temporary files, etc.
  • Document: Insert your day-to-day documents in you menu and launch them in their native application from any window.
  • Application: Add your favorite applications and get full control on their execution (with command line parameters and working directory).
  • Link (URL): Add your preferred web pages and open them in your default browser at any time or in a specific browser if specified in advanced settings. Links are open in a new browser tab by default or in the current tab if you select it in Options, Various Advanced Options
  • FTP Site: Open FTP sites in Explorer, Directory Opus or Total Commander, with login name and password inserted in site address (take note that the password is not encrypted, is saved in the settings file and sent on Internet in clear text – be cautious if your password protects sensitive data!).
  • Snippet: Insert sequences of characters that can be typed in a flash when you need to insert them in any application using an hotstring, a shortcut or the menu (snippets help).
  • QAP Feature: Insert Quick Access Popup features like Current Windows, Reopen a Folder, Drives, Add Active Folder or Web page, etc. in any submenu and assign them the shortcuts and icons of you choice.
  • Submenu: Gather related favorites in a submenu; submenus can be nested at will and each of them can be assigned shortcuts or icons.
  • Shared Menu: Manage the content of a submenu in an external file that can be saved on a network drive or a cloud drive (like Dropbox) and used on different PCs. Shared menu can be used in three flavors:
    • Personal shared menu;
    • Collaborative shared menu for team or workgroup;
    • Centralized shared menu.
    • See shared menus help.
  • Group: Launch a group of favorites of any type in one click or one shortcut; the menu label shows the number of items in the group.
  • Text Separator: Insert a text menu separator at the current menu position.

To add these types of favorites, see How do I add a favorite to my menu?

Can I add on the fly a favorite for the folder or the web page I am already in?

The QAP Features Add Active Folder or Web page and Add Active Folder or Web page Express allow to quickly add the current folder or web page to your menu. You can add folders this way in Explorer windows or in file dialog box windows (if this option is enabled) and you can add links to web pages in most web browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.). When you are in the folder or the web page that you want to add to your menu, select one of these features.

  • If you choose Add Active Folder or Web page, it opens the Add Favorite dialog box with the menu name and location pre-filled. You can change the menu name of this new favorite and select the desired options in the various tabs. When you add a web page, QAP tries to retrieve the web page title to fill the favorite name automatically.
  • If you choose Add Active Folder or Web page Express (add this command to your menu by adding a favorite of type QAP Feature), the favorite is instantly added at the top or bottom (according to an option in the Options, Customize Window tab) of the menu where the Add Active Folder or Web page Express was used. It is filled with the normal default settings and the folder’s name as menu name. No question asked. If this name is already used, “[!]” is appended to the menu name. If you want to change some settings, open the Customize window.
  • For folders, these QAP Features record the current position of the Explorer window in the Window Options tab. If you uncheck the Use default window position, this position will be automatically restored as it was when you added the favorite.
  • When you add a web page, its title is automatically retrieved and used as name for the favorite.

What are the QAP features and how do I add them to my menu?

QAP Features are powerful functionalities that can be inserted in any QAP menu or submenu. When you installed QAP, the In the Works and  My QAP Essentials menu were automatically built with some of the most useful features: Frequent Folders, Recent Files, Current Windows,  Repeat Last ActionsReopen a Folder, ClipboardDrives and much more (see more info about the In the Works menu and the My QAP Essentials menu).

But there are much more QAP Features to discover: see more than 50 features in the table below! To add a QAP Feature to your menu, click the Add button in the Customize window and select the feature to add in the categorized tree view. See also the All (alphabetical order) list at the bottom of the tree view. Take a minute to read the description on the right side or to click on the Help on this feature links.

 

For more information on adding these favorites to your menu, see How do I add a favorite to my menu?

QAP Features

Here is a comprehensive list of more than 50 useful features, grouped by categories.

CategoryFeature NameFeature DescriptionInternal Code
Dynamic MenusClipboardDisplay a dynamic menu with the content of you current Windows Clipboard.

If the Clipboard contains documents, applications or folders file path, QAP shows this list in the menu, allowing you to open a document, launch an application or navigate to a folder found in the Clipboard.
{Clipboard}
Dynamic MenusCurrent WindowsDisplay a dynamic menu in two parts:
1) the folders already open in the Windows Explorer and Directory Opus windows
2) the applications currently running on your system (starting with the most recently activated window).

When you select an item, its window is automatically taken to the front.

This menu is refreshed every time you open the QAP menu.
{Switch Folder or App}
Dynamic MenusDirectory Opus FavoritesFor Directory Opus (DOpus) users, display a dynamic menu built with the folders added to the DOpus Favorites. If DOpus was selected when you installed QAP, the Directory Opus Favorites has been automatically added to your menu.{DOpus Favorites}
Dynamic MenusDrivesDisplay a dynamic menu showing the drives on your system with label, free space, capacity and an icon showing the drive type.

This menu is refreshed every time you open the QAP menu.
{Drives}
Dynamic MenusFrequent FilesDisplay a dynamic menu showing the most frequently used files as collected by Windows and used in QAP. This menu is refreshed every time you open the QAP menu.{Popular Files}
Dynamic MenusFrequent FoldersDisplay a dynamic menu showing the most frequently used folders as collected by Windows and used in QAP. This menu is refreshed every time you open the QAP menu.{Popular Folders}
Dynamic MenusRecent FilesDisplay a dynamic menu containing the ten most recently used documents as remembered by Windows in its "Recent items" virtual folder. You can configure the number of items in this menu in the "Options", "Menu" tab.

Items in this menu are sorted with most recent file first, as recorded by Windows.
{Recent Files}
Dynamic MenusRecent FoldersDisplay a dynamic menu containing the ten most recently opened folders as remembered by Windows in its "Recent items" virtual folder. You can configure the number of items in this menu in the "Options", "Menu" tab.

Items in this menu are sorted with most recent folder first, as recorded by Windows.
{Recent Folders}
Dynamic MenusReopen a FolderDisplay a dynamic menu showing the folders already open in Windows Explorer and Directory Opus windows. This menu is refreshed every time you open the QAP menu.

The Reopen a Folder is particularly useful when you are in a file dialog box and want to open a file in a folder already open in another window. See also "Reopen Current Folder in Dialog Box".
{Current Folders}
Dynamic MenusRepeat Last ActionsDisplay a dynamic menu containing the ten most recent favorites that you launched.

You can configure the number of items in this menu in the "Options", "Menu" tab.

Items in this menu are sorted with most recently used first. When you reopen an item, its entry is moved to the top of the menu.
{Last Actions}
Dynamic MenusTC Directory hotlistFor Total Commander (TC) users, display a dynamic menu built with the favorites added to the TC Hotlist as found in the file wincdm.ini.

Set the wincdm.ini file location in "Options", "File Managers" tab. If TC was selected when you installed QAP, the Directory Hotlist has been automatically added to your menu.
{TC Directory hotlist}
Dynamic MenusFavorites in Customize windowShow a menu with the favorites displayed in the Customize window, including when it contains a search result. In search results, duplicate menu names are appended with the "[!]" suffix to make them unique.{Container In Gui}
Menu EditingAdd Favorite - (Type)Add a favorite.

In the "Add Favorite" dialog box, enter :
- a name for your favorite
- a content, depending on the selected type of favorite
- various settings like icon, shortcut, hotstring, parameters, etc.

In feature code, replace "(Type)" with: "Folder", "Document", "Application", "Special", "URL", "FTP", "QAP", "Menu", "Group", "Snippet", "External", "Text", "WindowsApp", "X" (separator) or "K" (column break)
{Add Favorite - (Type)}
Menu EditingAdd Active Folder or Web page ExpressSimilar to the "Add this Folder or Link" feature except that the new favorite will be automatically added at the top of the Main menu without any interruption.

If you need to change default settings, you can click the "Edit" button to change the name, position or various settings of the favorites.

In "Options", you can set the new favorite to be added by default at the bottom of the Main menu.
{Add This Folder Express}
Menu EditingAdd Active Folder or Web page…Quickly add to your menu the active folder or web page.

You can add folders this way in Explorer windows or in file dialog box windows. You can add links to web pages from most web browsers.

In the "Add favorite" dialog box, confirm the name for your favorite and enter various settings like icon, shortcut, hotstring, parameters, etc.

By default this feature is included in the Main menu.
{Add This Folder}
Menu EditingAdd Favorite…Display a list of favorite types where you select the type of the favorite to add.

In the next window, you enter :
- a name for your favorite
- a content
- various settings like icon, shortcut, hotstring, parameters, etc.

Depending on the selected type of favorite, the content of the favorite can be a folder, document or application file path, web link, snippet text, submenu name, etc.
{Add Favorite}
Menu EditingAdd shared favorites menu from catalogue…Add to your menu a shared menu from the Shared Menus Catalogue, a repository of favorites settings files managed by the menu administrators or by other workgroup members.

You can select an existing Shared menu file from the repository, add a shared menu not in the catalogue or create a new shared menu.
{AddExternalFromCatalogue}
Menu EditingCustomizeDisplay the "Customize" window where you can customize your QAP popup menu, manage your favorites and set various options.

By default this feature is included in the Main menu.
{Settings}
Menu EditingManage HotstringsDisplay a dialog box with a global view of your hotstrings (small sequences of keys that automatically trigger QAP favorites). You can sort favorites by clicking the header.

Double click an hotstring to edit it.

Click the "See all favorites" checkbox to assign hotstrings to other favorites.
{Hotstrings}
Menu EditingManage IconsDisplay a dialog box listing all the favorites in your QAP menu with their current icon and the default icon for this type favorite. Favorites are grouped by submenus, in the order they appear in your menu.

Click the buttons to select a custom icon for a favorite or reset a favorite to its default icon.
{Icons}
Menu EditingRefresh Live Folders and Shared menusRefresh on-demand the "Live folders" menus. This action can also be executed repeatedly by entering an interval (in seconds) in the "Scheduled QAP menu refresh" of the "Menu" tab in the "Options" windows.

During the short (depending on the number of Live folders or Shared menus) refresh time, the QAP menu is not available.
{RefreshMenu}
Menu EditingManage ShortcutsDisplay a dialog box with a global view of your keyboard or mouse shortcuts. You can sort favorites by clicking the header.

Double click a shortcut to change or remove its assigned hotkey.

Click the "See all favorites" checkbox to assign shortcuts to other favorites.
{Hotkeys}
Menu EditingSwitch Settings file…Select another QAP settings file and restart Quick Access Popup with these settings (including favorites and various options).

Make sure you save changes in Settings before restarting QAP.
{SwitchSettings}
Menu EditingSwitch to default settings fileRestart Quick Access Popup with the Settings file at its default location.

If you installed QAP using the "one-step installation" procedure, the default location is located under the User directory (for example, "C:\Users\Jean\AppData\Roaming\Quick Access Popup").

If you preferred the portable installation, the default location is where the QuickAccessPopup.exe program is running.
{SwitchSettingsDefault}
Window managementClose all windows…Display a list of windows currently open. Uncheck those to keep and click "Close selected windows" to close the other windows. Double-click or press Enter to close one window or see its details.{Close All Windows}
Window managementReopen Current Folder from Dialog BoxReopen the current folder in a new Explorer window (also in Directory Opus or Total Commander). Useful when you want to open the folder you are browsing in a file dialog box in an Explorer window.{Reopen in New Window}
Window managementReopen Current Folder in Dialog BoxChange the folder in a file dialog boxes to the folder currently active in Windows Explorer.

To use this feature, the "Change folder in dialog box..." option must be checked in "Options", tab "General".
{ReopenCurrentFolder}
Window managementWindow Always on TopSet the current window "Always on Top" property on or off (toggle){Window Always on Top}
Close ComputerClose Computer Control Center…Take full control on how your computer will shutdown:
- Logoff, Shutdown, Reboot, Power down, forced or not
- Sleep or Hibernate, immediately or not, disabling wake events or not
- Turn off monitor, Turn on low monitor power mode or Start screen saver.
{Close Computer Control}
Close ComputerHibernate computerPut the computer in a power-saving state that allows it to quickly resume full-power operation (similar to Sleep but uses less power). When you start up the PC again, you’re back to where you left off (though not as fast as Sleep). Hibernate is designed for laptops and might not be available for all PCs.{Hibernate Computer}
Close ComputerLogoff userClose all applications and terminate current user session.{Logoff}
Close ComputerPower down computerClose all applications and turn off computer power.{Power Down Computer}
Close ComputerPut monitor in low-power modePut computer's monitor in low-power mode. Low-power mode is designed for laptops and might not be available for desktop monitors.{Monitor Low Power}
Close ComputerRestart computerClose all applications and restart the computer as if user turned power off and on again.{Restart}
Close ComputerShutdown computerClose all applications in preparation to turn off a computer's power. Depending on your system configuration, this could be followed by a system power down.{ShutDown}
Close ComputerSleep computerPut the computer in a power-saving state that allows it to quickly resume full-power operation when you want to start working again. Sleep mode uses very little power, your computer starts up faster, and you’re instantly back to where you left off.{Suspend Computer}
Close ComputerStart screen saverStart default system screen saver.{Start Screen Saver}
Close ComputerTurn monitor offTurn off computer's monitor.{Turn Off Monitor}
UtilityGet window info…Help you identify a window that you want to exclude from the QAP menu mouse hotkey.

This feature will prompt you to click in the target window with the QAP menu hotkey (by default, middle mouse button) and copy the window title and class name in your Clipboard.

See the "Exclusions" tab in the "Options" dialog box for complete explanations.
{GetWinInfo}
UtilityRepeat Last ActionAdd an item labeled "Repeat Last Action" to your menu. When you select this menu item, it reopens the last favorite you opened.

The label of this feature is always "Repeat Last Action" (QAP limitation). You have to remember what was the last action you selected.
{Last Action}
UtilityRestart Quick Access PopupRestart Quick Access Popup.

Make sure you save changes in Settings before restarting QAP.
{Reload}
QAP ManagementAboutDisplay development, translation and other credits, application and runtime version numbers, licence, current user and PC names, link to support website.{About}
QAP ManagementCheck for updateCheck on Quick Access Popup web site if a new version is available.{Check for update}
QAP ManagementClose this menuClose the QAP menu if it is not closed by clicking outside of the menu or by hitting the Escape key as it would do normally.

This is related to an intermittent issue (probably caused by Windows) preventing users from closing the menu normally.
{CloseMenu}
QAP ManagementEdit QuickAccessPopup.iniEdit the active Quick Access Popup settings file (.ini).{Edit Settings file}
QAP ManagementExit Quick Access PopupQuit Quick Access Popup, releasing all mouse or keyboard menu triggers and shortcuts assigned to favorites.{Exit}
QAP ManagementHelpShow the short QAP "Help" window.{Help}
QAP ManagementImport/Export Settings…Display a dialog box where you can export your favorites and other settings to create a backup in a location of your choice.

You can also import favorites and settings from another PC or another user.
{ImportExport}
QAP ManagementList Applications WindowsList title, process path, and other properties of running windows. Double-click on a window to display a dialog box where you can switch to the window or close it.{List Applications}
QAP ManagementOptionsDisplay the "Options" dialog box allowing to make QAP work the way you want.{Options}
QAP ManagementRestore "Customize" window positionRestore "Customize" window size and position at the center of main screen.{Restore Settings Position}

How can I gather numerous favorites in a clutter-free popup menu?

If your QAP menu gets too long, divide and conquer! Gather your favorites by types, subjects or projects in submenus. To add a submenu, in the Customize window, click the Add button and, in the Add Favorite Type dialog box, select the Submenu radio button.

  • In the Basic Settings window, give your submenu a name.
  • Optionally, you can also:
    • enable the Sort menu automatically and select the sort criteria;
    • have this menu reopen after you launched one of its items (select Close this menu when you don’t need to open another favorite);
    • disable or hide this favorite;
    • have this menu displayed automatically after QAP startup.
  • In the Menu Options tab, you can select an icon for your menu.
  • You can choose the size of the icons inside this submenu. For each menu, the dropdown list Size of icons in this menu allows to:
    • select a custom size (from 16 to 64 pixels) for this menu;
    • inherit the size from the parent menu;
    • use the default size from Options, Menu Icons dialog box;
    • choose to display no icon in this menu.
  • You can also assign a shortcut that will allow to open this specific section of your menu by hitting a shortcut, without having to browse from the main menu.

This will create an empty submenu named My Project Submenu. You will see below how you can move existing favorites to this new menu or how to add new favorites to it.

Submenus can be nested in submenus at will. For example, in the screen shot above, the Final Report is a submenu of My Project Submenu.

To move a favorite from one menu to another, click the Edit button or double-click the favorite name and, in the Menu Options tab, select the new menu in the Favorite parent menu drop down list and choose the favorite’s position in the list Insert the favorite before this item.

To add a new favorite in a submenu, you can also open this menu in the Customize window and select the new favorite position before clicking on the Add button.

 

Can I add multiple favorites in one click?

This feature is available with QAP v11 or more recent.

You can add multiple favorites in one operation from various sources. Select the Favorite, Add Multiple Favorites from the Customize window menu. In the dialog box, select the source of these favorites and click Continue.

The various sources are:

  • add favorites folders or applications from the favorites found in the Current Windows menu;
  • add items from the Recent Folders or the Recent Files menus;
  • add items from the Frequent Folders or the Frequent Files menus;
  • add multiple QAP Features or Special Folders;
  • add folders, documents or applications favorites from a selected folder;
  • add any types of favorites from a QAP settings file, selected from a flat list
  • add any types of favorites from a QAP settings file, selected from a hierarchical tree view (with QAP v11.1 or more recent)
  • add favorites from a CSV (comma-separated values) file (with QAP v11.6.2 or more recent).
  1. In the Menu dropdown list, select the menu where the favorites will be added.
  2. To exclude from the list the favorites already found in your menu, check the checkbox Exclude existing favorites.
  3. For favorites from QAP Settings files, Folders or CSV file only, click the Browse button to select the source file or folder.
  4. The list in the Add Multiple Favorites dialog box can be sorted by clicking on the column headers.
  5. Click the favorites you with to add to your menu.
  6. If you wish, you can edit the name of a favorite by selecting its row and pressing F2.
  7. Click Add to insert the favorites in the destination menu and click Save in the Customize window.
For many of the sources of the Add Multiple Favorites dialog box you can filter the list by keywords.
Importing favorites from a hierarchical list of favorites from a QAP settings file

Adding favorites from a CSV file

Adding from a CSV file is available using QAP v11.6.2 (or more recent). The requirements to add favorites by importing a CSV import file are:

  • The CSV file must be comma separated (to convert from tab-separated or other formats, see my other application CSV Buddy).
    • If a field includes a comma, enclose it in the field encapsulator "..." (double quotes).
    • To insert a double quote inside a field, double the double quotes and embed the field in double quotes, for example "This is a ""quoted"" word".
  • The first line of the file is the header and is required.
  • The file must have one line per favorites except for menus that also have a closing line (see the example below).

For all favorites, the only required fields are the three firsts (except for submenus where the FavoriteLocation field is empty).

FavoriteType
FavoriteName
FavoriteLocation

Other fields are optional. Favorites types supported are:

Folder
Document
Application
URL
FTP
Snippet

To insert a menu separator line, simply add a line with FavoriteType X, remaining fields being empty. If the exporting app supports column breaks in menu, the FavoriteType for a column break is K, remaining fields being empty.

The possible values for the property FavoriteDisabled are: 0 (favorite enabled and visible, default value), 1 (favorite disabled and hidden) or -1 (favorite enabled but hidden in menu, shortcut/hotstring active).

In this simple example, after the header, the file contains a Folder, a line separator, a Document (with a comma in its name), a Menu containing only an Application (see the line closing the menu) and, back in the main menu, a Snippet. A last Folder favorite is hidden. In each case, except for the Menu-End line and the line separator, after the favorite type, the line includes the favorite name (that should be unique in its menu), the favorite location (or content for Snippets) and, optionally, an icon resource, a keyboard shortcut,a hotstring, etc.

FavoriteType,FavoriteName,FavoriteLocation,FavoriteIconResource,FavoriteShortcut,FavoriteHotstring,FavoriteArguments,FavoriteAppWorkingDir,FavoriteLaunchWith,FavoriteLoginName,FavoritePassword,FavoriteDisabled
Folder,My Projects,C:\Projects\,"C:\My Icons\IconFile.dll,3",+^p
X
Document,"Project Charter, 1234",C:\Projects\My Project Charter.docx,"C:\My Icons\IconFile.dll,5"
Menu-BEGIN,My Menu,,"C:\My Icons\IconFile.dll,8"
Application,Gantt App,C:\Apps\GanttApp\GanttApp.exe,"C:\Apps\GanttApp\GanttApp.exe,1",,,-option x,C:\Projects\
FTP,Project Repository,ftp://www.server.com/folder,"C:\My Icons\IconFile.dll,5",,,,,,username,password
Menu-END
Snippet,My ProjectName,Project ABC,,,"::,pn"
Folder,Hidden Folder,C:\Program Files,,,,,,,,,1

Select the favorites you wish to add to in your menu and click the Add button.

Submenu can be embedded, for example:

...
Menu-BEGIN,My Menu,,"C:\My Icons\IconFile.dll,8"
...
Menu-BEGIN,My SubMenu,,"C:\My Icons\IconFile.dll,8"
...
Menu-BEGIN,My SubSubMenu,,"C:\My Icons\IconFile.dll,8"
...
Menu-END
...
Menu-END
...
Menu-END
...