gbLaunch is a freeware utility for launching applications, documents, folders, and URLs. Simply drag applications onto gbLaunch to create an all-in-one-place, easy-to-access list of your favorite programs. Then, just double click any line item to launch the application. Documents, folders, and URLs are also supported. URLs may also be added to gbLaunch.

Download (ListBox version) (v1.0, 160K)

Download (ListView version) (v1.0, 190K)

User Interface

text only, short names	text+icons, short names	large icons only
list rollup (double-click caption to see list)   text only, full pathspec		EXEs, documents, URLs

Key Features

• Supports applications, documents, folders, and URLs
• Drag & drop items to the list (recognizes *.lnk files)
• View text, large icons, or combination of text/small icons
• Displays associated icons (optional, two sizes)
• Backup/restore
• Command line support (saves history for each app)
• Sorting (by Name or Type)
• Reposition items by dragging
• Define which file extensions may be added
• AutoSize window to data content
• AutoRollup window (to hide list and show only caption)
• Display full path or short names
• User-defined font
• Top Most setting

Using gbLaunch

1. Drag an item onto gbLaunch to add it to the list
2. Double-click an item to launch it

That's it. All other features of gbLaunch allow you to tweak the way gbLaunch looks (such as displaying icons instead of application names), or works (such as automatic window sizing to fit the contents of the application list) - but the basic operation always stays the same.

Icons

When a document file is added to the list, the icon is extracted from the executable that is associated with the file type/extension.

When a URL is added to the list, icons are extracted from the default client for opening *.htm files.

A common folder icon is used for all folders dropped to the list.

If no icon can be found for an item, a black-on-yellow exclamation icon is used.

The icon sizes displayed are set by the system and are described as the System Large and System Small icons. On most systems, the dimensions for these two icons sizes are 32x32 and 16x16. gbLaunch queries the user's system for the correct icon size.

List Management

Items may be dropped onto the gbLaunch icon in Explorer, a shortcut link to gbLaunch, or the gbLaunch active window. Items may also be added from the clipboard.

There are other ways in which items may be added to gbLaunch. Here's the list of all options:

• Drag/drop - use mouse to drag/drop the item
• File browser - open file browser dialog via context menu
• Folder browser - open folder browser dialog via context menu
• Clipboard paste - use Ctrl-V or context menu option
• Open List - use backup list to replace current list or merge with current list
• Add from Folder - add all items found in selected folder
• Add from Desktop - add all items found on the desktop

gbLaunch recognizes text as a URL when it begins with "http://".

When pasting an item from the clipboard, only the first line of pasted text is examined for an acceptable file or URL.

gbLaunch maintains two list of allowable extensions - one for executables and one for documents. Both extension lists may be modified by the user (see context menu). Any file type not found in the extension lists will be rejected by gbLaunch.

Backup Lists
gbLaunch automatically creates a subfolder called "Lists". At any time, the current content of gbLaunch can be saved to that folder under a user-specified name. Existing lists can be used to replace the current content of gbLaunch. Or, existing lists may be merged with the existing content of gbLaunch.

Path Information
gbLaunch can display the full path of items in the list. Or, to minimize the size of the gbLaunch window, a "short name" can be displayed. For files, the short name is just the file name without the folder path.

When the short name is displayed, full path information can be retrieved in three ways (other than changing the display to full path):

• Path Dialog - context menu that shows full path of selected item
• Copy Path - copies full path of selected item to clipboard
• Copy Paths - copies listing of full path for all items to clipboard

The short names of executables or documents is simply the file name, without the folder heirarchy. For URLs, the short name is also just the file name. If a URL does not include the file name, the short name is the content from the end of the URL up to the rightmost backslash. There is no short name for folders.

Exit No Save
By default, the current list of items is saved in the gbLaunch INI file, and restored in the next session. If you've made changes in a session but do not wish the list to be saved, use the Exit No Save context menu item.

Command Lines

The history of command lines for each executable is maintained in the file "CLHistory.txt". When a command line entry is requested, the most recently entered command line for the executable is displayed as the default command line value.

If the dialog requesting a command line is canceled, the executable file will not be launched.

Two supporting context menu options are provided - one to erase all entered command lines, and one to remove all but the most recent command line entry for each executable file.

AutoSize and AutoRollup

AutoSize
AutoSize is applied when the following actions are taken:

• when the AutoSize setting is changed to ON
• Remove
• Remove All
• Short Names
• when a file is dropped on the application
• when a file is added from the clipboard
• when display mode is changed (text/icon/both)

AutoRollUp
AutoRollUp is applied when the following actions are taken:

• when the AutoRollup setting is changed
• when the captions is double-clicked
• when an application is launched

KeyBoard

When an item is highlighted in gbLaunch, press the Enter key to launch the item.

The following key combinations are also available to the user:

• F1 - Open Online Help
• Del - Delete selected item
• Ctrl-A - AutoSize gbLaunch to fit the data content
• Ctrl-C - Copy all list item paths to clipboard
• Ctrl-D - Toggle debug console
• Ctrl-F - Open folder containing the selected item
• Ctrl-M - Cycle through text, text+icons, and text only modes
• Ctrl-N - Toggle display between short names and full spec
• Ctrl-R - Reset (clear) console
• Ctrl-S - Open "Save List" display
• Ctrl-T - Toggle Top Most setting

Positioning Items

1. By default, when a new item is added to gbLaunch, it is placed at the bottom of the list.

2. You can reposition items by dragging them with the mouse.

3. You can also sort the list (ascending or descending order) using one of the context menus. When sorting, the list will be sorted according to the data currently displayed (full name, short name w/extension, short name w/o extension). Additionally, if the "Sort by Type" setting is selected, sorts will be done by type (file extension, folder, URL).

Settings

Launch Select Application	Launches the currently selection item in the list, using the default client for the item's file type.
Launch w/Command Line (One Time)	This settings allows you to enter a command line string when you launch an application. This is a one-time action - it does not apply to future application launches. You can optionally set gbLaunch to ask for a command line each time an application is launched. But if you have the setting turned off, this one time setting can be of used.
Remove Selection	Removes the currently selected application list item
Remove All	Removes all items from the application list
Add File ...	Opens a file browser dialog from which a file may be selected/added to gbLaunch
Add Folder ...	Opens a folder browser dialog from which a folder may be selected/added to gbLaunch
Add From Clipboard	Get text currently on the clipboard. Uses the first line of that text as the item to add. This is particularly useful for adding Internet URLs.
Add All From Selected Folder ...	Opens a folder browser dialog from which a folder may be selected. All valid files in that folder are added to gbLaunch.
Add All From Desktop	All valid files on the Desktop are added to gbLaunch.
Open App Folder	Opens the folder containing the selected item from the application list
Select Font	Opens a dialog for selecting the text font (font name, size, attributes).
AutoSize Once	Immediately autosizes the list to fit the current data. This has no effect on the AutoSize setting.
Show Path	Opens a dialog containing the full path of the selected item. This is useful when short names or icons only are displayed.
Copy Path	Copies full path of the selected item to the clipboard
Copy Paths	Copies a list of the full path for each item in gbLaunch to the clipboard
Sort Ascending	Sorts gbLaunch content in ascending order. Uses currently displayed text.
Sort Descending	Sorts gbLaunch content in descending order. Uses currently displayed text.
Edit Executable Extensions	Opens a simple InputBox for editing the recognized executable extensions.
Edit Document Extensions	Opens a simple InputBox for editing the recognized document extensions.
Clean Command Line History	gbLaunch always uses the most recent command line entered for a file. The file also contains previous, no longer used command lines. This command eliminates all but the most recent command line for each application.
Clear Command Line History	Clears the saved command line for all applications.
Save List As ...	Saves current item list in the Lists subfolder as a user-named text file.
Open List	Displays a list of all files in the Lists subfolder. Selecting a list will replace the current content, or merge the list with the current content - based on the "Merge on Open" setting. The list is generated each time the context menu is shown, so it is always accurate.
Open List Folder	Opens a window to the List folder. Items in the list may be deleted or edited manually.
Text	Causes the list to display with text only. No icon is shown.
Text + Icons	Causes the list to display with both text and icons, where the icon is extracted from the application EXE file. A System Small icon is shown.
Icons	Causes the list to display with icons only. No text is shown. A System Large icon is shown.
Short Names	By default, gbLaunch show the full path name of applications. This setting shortens the display to just the name of the file (no path).
Include Ext in Short Name	By default, short names do not include the file extension. Use this option to have the extension included in the short name display.
Top Most	Keeps gbLaunch on top of all other windows
AutoSize	Tells gbLaunch to maintain it's window size to fit the length/height of all items on the list. See the section below for more information on when AutoSize applies.
AutoRollUp	Tells gbLaunch to automatically hides the list, leaving only the caption visible. See the section below for more information on when AutoRollUp applies.
Auto Command Line	Has gbLaunch ask the user for a command line string whenever an application is launched. If 'Cancel' is chosen in the dialog, or if the entered command line is empty, the file is not launched.
Merge On Open List	Determines what happens to the current content of gbLaunch when a saved list is opened. If this setting is unchecked, opening a saved list will replace the current content. If this setting is checked, opening a saved list will merge the list with the current content.
Alternating Line Colors	Changes the background of every other line for easier reading of items in the list.
Sort by Type	Enhances standard sort by first sorting on the item type (extension, folder, URL) before sorting on the item name.
Help	Opens this online Help page.
About	Displays the current version of gbLaunch.

Other Comments

Single Instance
gbLaunch detects when it is already loaded. Only a single instance of gbLaunch is allowed.

INI File
When a session ends, current settings and the current list of items in gbLaunch are placed in the gbLaunch INI file, and restored when gbLaunch is restarted.

Comments and suggestions are welcome!