[Q] Custom Folders in Programs Tab

[brent372]

Hello all,

I am hoping somebody can assist me.
I have my Programs Tab setup into logical "folders" (well, logical for me anyways).
I have done this via the Registry.

Here is what I have:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\0]
"DispName"="VZW Apps"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\VZWIcon.png"
"Path"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Shortcuts\\VZW Apps\\"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\1]
"DispName"="Office Mobile"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\OfficeIcon.png"
"Path"="\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Office Mobile 2010\\"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\2]
"DispName"="Games"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\GamesIcon.png"
"Path"="\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Games\\"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\3]
"DispName"="GPS"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\GPSIcon.png"
"Path"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Shortcuts\\GPS\\"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\4]
"DispName"="Tools & Utilities"
"Path"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Shortcuts\\Tools\\"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\ToolsIcon.png"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\5]
"DispName"="Outlook"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\OutlookIcon.png"
"Path"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Shortcuts\\Outlook\\"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\6]
"DispName"="Chat & Social Networking"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\SocialIcon.png"
"Path"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Shortcuts\\Social\\"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\7]
"DispName"="Music - Photos - Video"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\MediaIcon.png"
"Path"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Shortcuts\\Media\\"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\8]
"DispName"="Applications"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\AppsIcon.png"
"Path"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Shortcuts\\Apps\\"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\9]
"DispName"="Internet Broswers"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\BrowsersIcon.png"
"Path"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Shortcuts\\Browsers\\"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\Manila\ProgramLauncher\10]
"DispName"="Time Wasters"
"IconPath"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Icons\\Time.png"
"Path"="\\Storage Card\\ProgramLauncher\\Shortcuts\\TimeWasters\\"

NOTE: I don't know why they show up above as \\. They are only single slash marks in the actual registry.

Of course I have the corresponding files where they should be.

The problem I am having is that when I select one of the icons (they show up with the correct image by the way) I get the "Select A Program" screen as if I chosen to add a program to the quicklink menu.

EDIT: I have tried moving the paths to device memory and updated the registry to reflect this. There was no change in behavior.

Any thoughts would be helpful.
Thanks !!!

[creedo]

So if I got this straight, you want the quicklinks to point to folders which contain various apps, rather than to a single program? And you've already set up these folders somewhere on your phone?

If I understand that correctly, here's how to do it. It's a little convoluted.

The 9 quicklinks on your home screen normally can't point to folders. But they can point to .lnk files. Then the that .lnk (link file) can point to a folder. But it has to point to it in a little different way than usual.

1. use total commander or some other file explorer to go to \windows\start menu\
2. copy any .lnk file you see there, doesn't matter which. This is kind of a pain because TC doesn't know how to paste a copy of the file in the same folder and automatically rename it (i.e. Albums.lnk --> Albums - copy.lnk). Instead you'll wanna copy to a different folder, rename it (e.g. Timewasters.lnk) then move it back to your windows\start menu\ folder.
3. Long tap on your freshly renamed .lnk file and choose properties. There should be a shortcut tab at the top. Actually, I'm trying to remember if you need to have installed SK shortcut manager in order to make this tab available. If it's not there, install SKSM and it will be. Click it.
4. In the "Target" field, fill this in (keeping the quotes as shown)
"fexplore.exe" \Timewasters

This would point to a folder called "Timewasters" on your main memory.
If you had it on the storage card, it would be:
"fexplore.exe" \Storage Card\Timewasters

If you wanted to point to a folder within your start menu that you've set up, it would be:
"fexplore.exe" \Windows\Start Menu\Timewasters
Or maybe
"fexplore.exe" \Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Timewasters

You get the idea. Once this link points to the correct place, go back to your quicklinks, get rid of the ones you already set up and just add a new link. When you click "programs" and it brings up the list of available 'add-able' links, your custom Timewasters link should be in that list. Add it and when you tap it, you're instantly browsing the Timewasters folder.

[brent372]

Originally Posted by creedo

So if I got this straight, you want the quicklinks to point to folders which contain various apps, rather than to a single program? And you've already set up these folders somewhere on your phone?

If I understand that correctly, here's how to do it. It's a little convoluted.

The 9 quicklinks on your home screen normally can't point to folders. But they can point to .lnk files. Then the that .lnk (link file) can point to a folder. But it has to point to it in a little different way than usual.

1. use total commander or some other file explorer to go to \windows\start menu\
2. copy any .lnk file you see there, doesn't matter which. This is kind of a pain because TC doesn't know how to paste a copy of the file in the same folder and automatically rename it (i.e. Albums.lnk --> Albums - copy.lnk). Instead you'll wanna copy to a different folder, rename it (e.g. Timewasters.lnk) then move it back to your windows\start menu\ folder.
3. Long tap on your freshly renamed .lnk file and choose properties. There should be a shortcut tab at the top. Actually, I'm trying to remember if you need to have installed SK shortcut manager in order to make this tab available. If it's not there, install SKSM and it will be. Click it.
4. In the "Target" field, fill this in (keeping the quotes as shown)
"fexplore.exe" \Timewasters

This would point to a folder called "Timewasters" on your main memory.
If you had it on the storage card, it would be:
"fexplore.exe" \Storage Card\Timewasters

If you wanted to point to a folder within your start menu that you've set up, it would be:
"fexplore.exe" \Windows\Start Menu\Timewasters
Or maybe
"fexplore.exe" \Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Timewasters

You get the idea. Once this link points to the correct place, go back to your quicklinks, get rid of the ones you already set up and just add a new link. When you click "programs" and it brings up the list of available 'add-able' links, your custom Timewasters link should be in that list. Add it and when you tap it, you're instantly browsing the Timewasters folder.

OK.. So I tried this, and it kinda works but not quite what I am after.
Befofe I disabled the Sense/Manila start menu in favor of the WinMo honeycomb startmenu I had exactly what I wanted, but I would prefer to have it on my programs tab instead.

I have attached some screen shots below of what it looked like.

When I had this setup, the programs tab was DEAD. Nothing on it was clickable, nor would it scroll.
When I disabled the Sense/Manila start Menu The programs tab came alive, but the shortcuts don't work.

Manila StartMenu Enabled:


Manila StartMenu Disabled:


The only thing changed between these were there following registry keys:

HKCU -> Software -> HTC -> Manila: EnabledStartMenu (changed from 1 to 0)

HKLM -> Software -> HTC -> EnlargeMenu: EnableManilaStartMenu (changed from 1 to 0)

[creedo]

Shoot, I'm out of my depth on this one.

Your version of sense or WM is different from mine. I never had the manila start menu you show, only the honeycomb. I also don't have a programs tab (I checked the setting to add/remove tabs and it's not there). Maybe my mightyrom is old or they left these out intentionally.

I have, for example, the MS Office icon in my start menu. When I press it, instead of getting that nice gray MS Office launcher you pictured, I view my list of office apps honeycomb-style.

I guess the way it works is... the honeycomb is the built in start style, and manila's start runs on top of that and arranges things in a nice grid instead of a honeycomb. And any subdirectories in your start menu (chat, office, etc) are displayed as a gray launcher as pictured.

Those gray launch screens look that way because either the manila start redraws ALL start menu subdirectories this way... or because there's a .exe file that displays them this way. For example I have that style of menu for my HTC settings, and it comes from an .exe files called htcSettingEntry.exe in my windows folder.

Maybe in your windows folder you have something like htcOfficeEntry.exe or htcMessagingEntry.exe ...something like that.

Then you would just have to make a shortcut to each of those .exe files, and add that shortcut to the button in your programs tab.

If there are no EXE files that bring you to the screens you show in the upper set of pix, I'm not sure how you would get to them >_<

If you ever figure it out, post here. Maybe someone else will chime in here.

[horndoctor]

Wirelessly posted (htc Pocket PC: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 8.12; MSIEMobile6.0) Sprint T7380)

I think the only way you can really achieve what you want is to actually extract and edit the manila files for the programs tab using a manila editor. I'm pretty confident you can do it but it's probably gonna be a lot of work.

[brent372]

Originally Posted by horndoctor

Wirelessly posted (htc Pocket PC: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 8.12; MSIEMobile6.0) Sprint T7380)

I think the only way you can really achieve what you want is to actually extract and edit the manila files for the programs tab using a manila editor. I'm pretty confident you can do it but it's probably gonna be a lot of work.

I could do that, if I knew what to edit....