Friday, March 05, 2010

Power application launching via Promptu - Think keeping your fingers on the keyboard, Intellisense app launcher, with added .Net power!

From Zach Johnson;

“…

What is Promptu?

Promptu (http://PromptuLauncher.com) is a free application launcher aimed as a competitor to other launchers in the market (such as SlickRun and Launchy) and features a Visual Studio-like feel with .NET integration and flexibility.  Promptu lets you associate meaningful names with programs, folders, files, URL's, etc., and access them almost instantly from your keyboard.  When you press the hotkey you associate with Promptu, such as Ctrl+Q, Promptu opens a textbox for you to enter the names of commands you have created.  As you type, Promptu provides suggestions in a similar fashion to Visual Studio's Intellisense.  When you finish typing or when the name of the command you want becomes highlighted, you press Enter and Promptu executes the command for you.

Promptu also includes a number of other features to help make using your computer faster and better than ever.  Some of these include:

  • Integrated directory browsing - you can use standard paths ('C:\folder\') or base a path off a command (if 'tmp' opens 'C:\folder\tmp\', use 'tmp\otherFolder\' to access 'C:\folder\tmp\otherFolder\').
  • List sharing - share lists of commands, etc. among multiple computers, great for work and home.
  • Commands can contain more than static instructions - using Promptu's ITL (Input Transformation Language), commands can take parameters (optional or required) from the prompt and even execute and use results from external .NET code.
  • Namespaces - categorize your commands and even put commands 'behind' other commands (e.g. you could create a command named 'firefox' to start Firefox, and 'firefox.safemode' to start Firefox in safe mode).

…”

PromptuLauncher.com

“Promptu makes it faster and easier to get around your electronic world

Think speed-dial for your computer, except Promptu is much easier. With speed-dial you have to remember numbers, but with Promptu you simply remember names.

It doesn't matter if you are the type who doesn't really like computers or if you are a geek who loves computers. Promptu is built for the average user, but also includes advanced power user features for those who need them. Additionally, Promptu is provided completely free of charge.

Say goodbye to repetitive, time-consuming tasks, like hunting through your programs, folders, files, and bookmarks for the ones you need. Promptu lets you associate meaningful names with programs, folders, files, bookmarks, etc, and access them almost instantly from your keyboard in an intuitive way.

Instead of trying to remember where things are, focus on getting things done. Promptu will save you minutes every day, and hours every year. Use Promptu to rocket your productivity.

How Promptu Works

When you start Promptu for the first time, you associate a hotkey combination with Promptu, such as Ctrl+Q. When you press that combination, Promptu opens a box (the prompt) next to the mouse cursor. The prompt looks similar to this: (Note: hotkey combinations can be changed in the setup dialog)

ThePrompt

Then you start typing. As you type, Promptu makes suggestions based on your commands and usage patterns.

PromptWithSuggestionProvider

When the entry you want becomes selected, press Enter and Promptu will launch it for you. Promptu will then hide itself until you press your hotkey combination again.

image …”

Thanks to Zack for letting me know about this cool utility… But now I hate you, because I’ve just spent the last hour playing with it! LOL  :p

Here’s an example of the .Net Power. The System.DataTime.Now.ToString function has been exposed, with all its formatting power.

image

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And this is just some of the fun you can have with it. Added to my Windows start-up… :)

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