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RedneckDude

Join Date 04/2009

+2197

Nice Freeware Program Launcher

Radian

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Author's Description:

Radian is a simple radial application launcher. The interface is triggered by a continuous right-click and is divided into four slices. Each slice can be configured differently, currently supporting the following modes:

Custom - the slice will contain shortcuts manually dragged from existing shortcuts or files (from the Quick-Launch, Desktop, Start-Menu, Folder, etc...)
Quick Launch - shortcuts from Windows' Quick-Launch
Desktop - shortcut from Windows' Desktop
Recent Docs - recently opened documents

The right-click trigger resembles the right-click mechanism on many hand-held devices, allowing you to access the menu quickly without needing to scroll to a certain area on your screen. The menu can be loaded by right-clicking and holding anywhere on the screen. A special effort was made to make sure this feature doesn't get in the way of normal right-click usage.

Radian was created as a personal project to answer my personal requirements. The project is currently in it's early beta stages, and as it evolves I'll be adding more features and fixing different issues that arise.

Get it here:

http://radian.davidberlin.co.il/

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+348

Terrific idea, RD. On my XP rig using WB, IP, WFX & Fences, it does everything your demo describes except launch apps. Single-click, double-click on icons in the quadrants & they 'pulse' but nothing else happens, the app doesn't open.

Let me know if I can offer any more technical info - this is a great concept.

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PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

I have seen a few of these launchers. My issue is the footprint, they are usually ugly, and not very customizable.

I would love to see someone make one with DX that you could choose the icons you wanted to use. Something like this.

Each arrow would rotate a different set of icons/folders/apps as it were. But they would all rotate through under one window, insted of a large segmented, circular window with all of them showing. Maybe even a switch that directs it to what you want to look for. Like folders, apps, docs, pics, etc.

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DrJBHL

Join Date 04/2002

+3819

You doin' articles now Jim? Judging from the size it occupies about 35% of the desktop? On a lap top, that's a lot of real estate. Looks cool, but would be too large for my lappy.

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Chasbo

Join Date 01/2005

+800

Played with Circle Dock in the past.

http://circledock.wikidot.com/

http://s472.photobucket.com/albums/rr83/Chuckoff57/?action=view¤t=CircleDock2.jpg

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+348

The footprint is actually relatively small. It only looks big in design/configure mode. Small circle opens up on R-click-hold & only the quadrant you hover over opens up. You're not doing anything else except launching an app and it disappears as soon as you do, so doesn't seem to me to be at all 'in the way'. That's all assuming it actually launches apps, of course, which so far it doesn't on my rig. But it's beta and RD will iron out the kinks. Great little app IMO.

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RedneckDude

Join Date 04/2009

+2197

Daiwa, it isn't my app. It was made by David Berlin.

Doc, no, I'm not an official article man, just saw this app and decided to share. I like it, but DX is much better.

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+348

Sorry 'bout my confusion, RD. The last paragraph of the article threw me off. Thanks for sharing it, though - good find. DX may be much 'better' but this (if/when it works) is much 'simpler'.

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RedneckDude

Join Date 04/2009

+2197

Nice ideas Po. I wish I had the DX knowledge to make it happen.

EDIT: Maybe I do at that. Po, I'm on it!

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theAVMAN

Join Date 10/2006

+434

Po that is an awesome idea!!

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PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

Maybe I do at that. Po, I'm on it!

If you figure it out, share the script with me, please. I have been toying with this forever. The possibilities are endless in design, as you could skin it to each windowblind, DXTheme, etc.

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RedneckDude

Join Date 04/2009

+2197

Well Po, the only thing I'm having trouble with, if I understand you, you want differing icons. What I know I can do would limit me to one folder icon. Everything else would use it's own icon, and for files like images, it would create an icon from the image itself.

Eve already has that script in the folder drop. It accepts all kinds of files. Her scrolling template would come into play. It could work fairly easily unless I'm missing something.

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PoSmedley

Join Date 04/2005

+788

Stupid Questions:

Could you do it so you could customize the icons..like with OD Dock Icons? I can't remeber, but can't you customize icons when you do drag and drop in DX?
Can you set the arrows/buttons to go to different directories? Top and Bottom for folders, left and right for apps? (Maybe to much trouble, but if you or it created a folder in your documents to put shortcuts in-with customized icons-and direct it there)
Maybe simpler to do seperate widgets for apps and docs?

Customizing the icons would be important. I assume it would automatically draw from whatever icons/iconpackage your using then the default icons. You could make a default set of icons, but those kinds of sets never have what I want in them or are missing things AND the color scheme never matches what my desktop is. If you skinned this thing to match blinds, like is done with Rainlendar, perhaps you could pick the icons to go with it from existing OD sets and IP's and hopefully get the authors permission to use them so it matches. You could even skin it to Iconpackage Themes.

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RedneckDude

Join Date 04/2009

+2197

Po, for me, that's a tall order. (can't you customize icons when you do drag and drop in DX?) I know how to make it use a preset icon for folders. I don't know about having it use a preset icon package, that would be up to a script writer to do.

My feeble redneck mind could never come up with something as awesome as what you're describing here. I hope someone who writes scripts sees this, I'll point Eve at it. Who knows? I'm in for putting it together if we can get the scripts needed. Maybe we could collaborate!

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RedneckDude

Join Date 04/2009

+2197

Sorry guys, some reporter I'd be. I didn't know this thing didn't work when I posted this...lol. I guess I should have tried it out more rigorously.

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sViz

Join Date 04/2006

+508

Neat concept, Po (as was OCCAM .) So, up/down goes to folders and right/left shortcuts to apps/files associated with it (e.g. My Music folder > Xion, etc.?)

c242 has done some skinnable work -- LINK -- but I'm not sure it pull icons/images from an IP or WB, nor do I know how to do that. The alternative is to have a standard set of .pngs for each filetype, much the same way we have a standard set of weather icons for weather widgets. I hard-coded something similar in my Microbe theme (all shortcuts having custom icons,) but you could have an option to change/apply new sets via drag and drop or some other method.

I'd wager getting the menu to move/scroll/rotate the way you want would be the more tedious job.

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RedneckDude

Join Date 04/2009

+2197

Quoting sViz,

reply 15

Neat concept, Po (as was OCCAM .) So, up/down goes to folders and right/left shortcuts to apps/files associated with it (e.g. My Music folder > Xion, etc.?)

c242 has done some skinnable work -- LINK -- but I'm not sure it pull icons/images from an IP or WB, nor do I know how to do that. The alternative is to have a standard set of .pngs for each filetype, much the same way we have a standard set of weather icons for weather widgets. I hard-coded something similar in my Microbe theme (all shortcuts having custom icons,) but you could have an option to change/apply new sets via drag and drop or some other method.

I'd wager getting the menu to move/scroll/rotate the way you want would be the more tedious job.

It boggles my poor redneck mind, Eve, but if it could be done, I figgured you would know. I like the concept.

I wish I could do things like that, or like one of my favorite widgets, the Killer Widgets by Tiggz. Now I've had a look at that scripting and I must say, it amost sent me to the asylum...lol!!

Thanks for looking, Eve.

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DrJBHL

Join Date 04/2002

+3819

I like it, but DX is much better.

Absolutely.

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