Get Control of app icon on Taskbar?

[kunkel321]

I don't think that this is possible, but I thought I'd ask...  Using Win 10, MEp 6.  My most-used applications get a spot pinned to the Taskbar.  Most of those apps also have user support forums (like this one!).   So I thought it would be handy if I could Ctrl+Click the app icon, and it would launch my web browser with the forum address. 

Doesn't have to be "Ctrl+Click", any alternative click would be fine.  The problem is that I don't think that you can "lock on" to a specific button with MEp's Control tools.  The Capture Window Control utility can only detect the entire group of app icons--not a specific icon.  I also tried with Window Detective and WinSpecterSpy, and got the same thing.  I probably shouldn't use "screen coordinates" because the icons sometimes get moved or added/removed.  

Ideas?  

[rberq]

How about a macro with the "Web Site" command, started with a hot key?

Web Site: http://www.nytimes.com/ [Default Browser]

[kunkel321]

That's a good thought.  I just have so many hot-key combos in my head already  :- /  

Another idea I had was (when the application is already open) right-click on the Minimize button, top right of window.   I could scope it globally,then have for example 
 

If window title is ABC
 -go to ABCforum.com
If window title is XYZ
 -go to XYZforum.com

and so on.  

[acantor]

Alternatively, you can trigger the macro by clicking on specific parts of the screen. For example, you can cause the macro to be triggered by right clicking on any Maximize icon.

[Samrae]

1 hour ago, kunkel321 said:

Another idea I had was (when the application is already open) right-click on the Minimize button, top right of window. 

This is a great idea! I just created a macro that does just that. It is going to be very handy. 

FYI: I could not get this technique to work with Visual Studio 2017 because it uses non-standard minimize, maximize and close buttons.

Thank you for the idea. Here is what I have so far. This is activated by a Mouse Event, right-click, area on screen, minimize button.

Variable Set String %WindowTitle% to topmost window title
 
If Variable %WindowTitle% Contains "Macro Express"
  Web Site, "https://www.macros.com", using Default Web Browser
End If
 
If Variable %WindowTitle% Contains "Microsoft Outlook"
  Web Site, "https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook_com/forum?sort=LastReplyDate&dir=Desc&tab=All&status=all&mod=&modAge=&advFil=&postedAfter=&postedBefore=&threadType=All&isFilterExpanded=false&page=1", using Default Web Browser
End If
 
If Variable %WindowTitle% Contains "- Microsoft Visual Studio"
  Web Site, "https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/vstudio/en-US/home?category=visualstudio", using Default Web Browser
End If
 
If Variable %WindowTitle% Equals "FileZilla"
  Web Site, "https://forum.filezilla-project.org/", using Default Web Browser
End If
 
If Variable %WindowTitle% Contains "- Eclipse"
  Web Site, "https://www.eclipse.org/forums/", using Default Web Browser
End If
 
If Variable %WindowTitle% Contains "- Google Chrome"
  Web Site, "https://accounts.google.com/signin/v2/sl/pwd?service=groups2&passive=1209600&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fproductforums.google.com%2Fforum%2F&followup=https%3A%2F%2Fproductforums.google.com%2Fforum%2F&authuser=0&flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=ServiceLogin#!categories/chrome", using Default Web Browser
End If

<VARIABLE SET STRING Option="\x05" Destination="%WindowTitle%"/>
<COMMENT/>
<IF VARIABLE Variable="%WindowTitle%" Condition="\x06" Value="Macro Express" IgnoreCase="TRUE"/>
<WEB SITE URL="https://www.macros.com" Wait="FALSE" Default_Browser="TRUE" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE" _IGNORE="0x000C"/>
<END IF/>
<COMMENT/>
<IF VARIABLE Variable="%WindowTitle%" Condition="\x06" Value="Microsoft Outlook" IgnoreCase="TRUE"/>
<WEB SITE URL="https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook_com/forum?sort=LastReplyDate&dir=Desc&tab=All&status=all&mod=&modAge=&advFil=&postedAfter=&postedBefore=&threadType=All&isFilterExpanded=false&page=1" Wait="FALSE" Default_Browser="TRUE" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE" _IGNORE="0x000C"/>
<END IF/>
<COMMENT/>
<IF VARIABLE Variable="%WindowTitle%" Condition="\x06" Value="- Microsoft Visual Studio" IgnoreCase="TRUE"/>
<WEB SITE URL="https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/vstudio/en-US/home?category=visualstudio" Wait="FALSE" Default_Browser="TRUE" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE" _IGNORE="0x000C"/>
<END IF/>
<COMMENT/>
<IF VARIABLE Variable="%WindowTitle%" Condition="\x00" Value="FileZilla" IgnoreCase="TRUE"/>
<WEB SITE URL="https://forum.filezilla-project.org/" Wait="FALSE" Default_Browser="TRUE" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE" _IGNORE="0x000C"/>
<END IF/>
<COMMENT/>
<IF VARIABLE Variable="%WindowTitle%" Condition="\x06" Value="- Eclipse" IgnoreCase="TRUE"/>
<WEB SITE URL="https://www.eclipse.org/forums/" Wait="FALSE" Default_Browser="TRUE" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE" _IGNORE="0x000C"/>
<END IF/>
<COMMENT/>
<IF VARIABLE Variable="%WindowTitle%" Condition="\x06" Value="- Google Chrome" IgnoreCase="TRUE"/>
<WEB SITE URL="https://accounts.google.com/signin/v2/sl/pwd?service=groups2&passive=1209600&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fproductforums.google.com%2Fforum%2F&followup=https%3A%2F%2Fproductforums.google.com%2Fforum%2F&authuser=0&flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=ServiceLogin#!categories/chrome" Wait="FALSE" Default_Browser="TRUE" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE" _IGNORE="0x000C"/>
<END IF/>

 

Edited March 1, 2019 by Samrae
Update macro code to fix issue with copy/paste

[kunkel321]

Cool thanks Samrae!

I guess that's the sensible thing to do. 

[kunkel321]

Strange....  If I paste Samrae's direct code to the direct code editor, then switch to normal editor, I get this:  

[Samrae]

Oops. I'm sorry kunkel321. I'm used a pre-beta test version of Macro Express Pro 6 when I wrote that macro. I switched back to the released version and updated the macro in my post above. Please try to copy/paste again.

[kunkel321]

No worries.  I already recreated it anyway.    Thanks though. 

I'm curious ... Why do you have empty comments between each If-statement?  Is it just for visual spacing in the code? 

[Samrae]

2 hours ago, kunkel321 said:

Why do you have empty comments between each If-statement?  Is it just for visual spacing in the code? 

Yes. I find a little white space helps make things more understandable, especially if I look at the macro a few days, weeks or months later.

[terrypin]

I have a pop-up menu for all my apps. Activated by a middle click on its title bar. For many of these the menu includes a macro to open the appropriate forum or newsgroup.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[kunkel321]

Neat.