I don’t think this will ever replace my Quick Launch bar, but it is a nice alternative if you prefer to keep your taskbar clean. The auto-complete feature makes it even easier to type in your shortcut names. I like it because it lets you build shortcuts from the ground up, making it very nimble and quick. It’s kind of a lightweight version of Google Desktop Search bar or OS X’s Spotlight. This will open another dialog where you can type in your query. Now, you can launch your custom Speed Launch function either by typing the name of the function in the Launch field or clicking the button. In the targets field, look for the section of the URL that reads REPLACETHISTEXT and highlight it and click Finish. Now, drag and drop the URL into the bull’s eye and save your shortcut as “ groovysearch.”. Type in REPLACETHISTEXT in the search bar and click search. Speed Launch will simply swap out your query with the dummy text so it can launch a custom search.įor example, if you wanted to create a Speed Launch shortcut that lets you search for articles, you could run a search up in our little custom search bar up top. Lastly, you’ll go through the target URL and highlight your dummy text. Next, you’ll be asked to describe the type of information you’ll be entering as a query. This signals to Speed Launch that it is a function. Then, drag and drop the URL into the bulls eye.įor the shortcut name, type in anything you’d like, but make sure you include a dot at the end of the shortcut name. Something like “REPLACETHISTEXT” makes sense. To do so, go to the website or search engine that you’d like to create a custom function for and run a test query with some dummy text. Office Labs included a few for your enjoyment, including Bing Image Search, MegaSearch ( which runs queries on four major search engines), Movie Search, Stock Quote Search and Weather.īut you’ll get the most mileage out of Speed Launch if you create your own functions. Speed Launch also does “functions.” That is, you can use it to run custom web queries on sites like IMDB, Wikiepdia, Google, Yahoo! and Bing right from your desktop. When you launch the shortcut, all of the targets will open. You could right-click the bull’s eye and choose Add Shortcuts… Here, you can add multiple targets for a single shortcut name. For example, let’s say you wanted a shortcut that opened up all your favorite URLs, such as your Gmail inbox, Twitter, Facebook and The Onion. You can also create shortcuts that launch multiple documents or applications. Type in the name of your shortcut or click the button on the Speed Launch bar and voila! Launched. Once you’ve created your Speed Launch shortcut, hit Command – C, or Windows Key – C from anywhere in Windows. For best results, keep it short, because you’ll be launching it by typing it in. Type in your shortcut name and click add. This will pop open the Add Shortcut dialog. To create a Speed Launch shortcut, simply drag and drop an existing shortcut, an application, a document or even a URL ( grab the little icon to the left of the location bar) into the bull’s eye. After installing Speed Launch, you’ll get an unobtrusive, unbranded bulls eye in the lower-right hand corner of your desk.
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