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SC4 Jumplist Launcher for Windows 7

Started by Jonathan, November 28, 2009, 05:54:08 AM

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Jonathan

I made this small program, SC4JLL, so that I didn't have to have multiple icons for launching SC4 in windowed mode and full screen mode, and then it just progressed to where anything can be added to the jumplist, so non SC4 items.
Here's some screen shots that should explain it better than what I can type.

Here's where you set whats in the jumplist, you can have 4 categories each with 3 items in each (I'm going to expand this)


And here is the jumplist and as you can see the program doesn't have to be running.


You can set a program to run when you click the SC4JLL, so the settings item is needed to go back to the SC4JLL page.

Theres probably something else like this already, but I made it mostly to learn about the new Windows 7 features, and it's just something I wanted to do. Also I'm going to make it easier to add SC4 specific items.

EDIT: Forgot the zip :)

Jonathan

Andreas

Hey, that's pretty cool! :) I'm one of those guys who have multiple icons for the game, and the various tools, so this will be very useful. One possible feature would be the program icon added next to the entries, so you can distinguish between SC4 and the modding programs.
Andreas

Andreas

Well, I wanted to try this today, but it requires .NET Framework 4, which is still in beta, and no German version is available. Any chance to compile this for .NET Framework 3.5? I don't really want to install a 75+ MB package that is probably not compatible with this system just for having this small launcher app.  &mmm
Andreas


Andreas

Well, Win7 comes with .NET Framework 3.5 and has jumplists as well (you can open a new tab in IE if you open the IE jumplist, for instance), and I get play controls if I click the iTunes icon in the taskbar. Not sure if you need version 4 for standalone applications, though, maybe you can try to find out?
Andreas

null45

The libraries you use work fine under .NET 3.5, .NET 4 is still under development so it is more compatible to use .NET 3.5.

A version that displays icons:



The code to display the icons is:

linkname.IconReference = new IconReference(Path to exe,0);

Jonathan

I've added icons and made a form to configure the SC4 shortcut.

I thought I had tried to compile it with .NET 3.5 and it didn't work but that's prbably me getting confused with another application.

I'll recompile it this afternoon

JoeST

Copperminds and Cuddleswarms

Jonathan

Got a bit sidetracked, but I recompiled it in Net 3.5.

  • And added an extra 2 items per category, making it 5 per category (going to make it where you can have up to 10 in each).
  • Removed the Maximum 10 items text at the top (even though for some reason you can't have more than 10 still, if you put more than 10 it will just take the first 10).
  • Icons for exe files only atm.
  • The settings item in the jumplist only appears if you set a default program (where if you click on the icon in the taskbar it launches a program you specify not the settings form)
  • Added shortcut to SC4 Apps folder in Program Files to the open file dialog so it is quick to select SC4
  • And if you use the "O" button to add Simcity 4 to the jumplist a window now appears where you can configure the shortcut:



Hope that's better :)

Jonathan

Andreas

Sweet! I tried this version, and it appears to work fine. :) It would be nice if the launcher itself would have a nicer program icon, though - at the moment, it's just the default "generic window" icon, so it would be better if it shows the icon for the default application (SC4 in my case). I still don't like every detail in Win7, but with such cool features, it'll definitely grow on me more and more.
Andreas


Jonathan

Completely redesigning the UI that allows for custom number of categories and items (hopefully it will be better than before0 and saving the jumplist in a xml.

Also custom icon and the ability to have a little L icon in the corner of the icon to tell the different if you have the default program also pinned to the taskbar

Andreas

I just remembered this thread... Did you ever release the reworked version from December 18th or later?
Andreas