Now Portable Apps finally has program groups, like [illegal suite], and is becoming a lot more attractive and useful.
But we need detailed instructions on how to add an application that is not offered by Portable Apps, but found elsewhere.
How can such an application be added, and to a specified program group (and not just generally)?
How can a new program group me set up?
How can applications be moved from one program group to another (e.g., one created new)?
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Other apps can be added to the platform as outlined here.
All the group editing is done by right clicking on the app in question I think.
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
As Simeon linked above, you've always been able to add non-PortableApps.com Format apps to the platform just by installing them to the right location.
Once added, you can change the category/folder of that program just by right-clicking on it and selecting Category. It'll then show up alongside the PA.c Format apps right in that category.
You can set up a new category for PA.c Format or non-PA.c Format apps just by right-clicking the app you want in that new category and selecting Category and then Add a New Category. You'll get a popup window to name the new category. When you click OK, the new category is created and the app you right-clicked will be added to that category. Simple as that
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I was trying to put non-PortableApps.com Format apps in their own categories, to hide some of them and also rename a few, but without success.
Actually at first it seems like it works as advertised, but after I restart the platform (or just refresh app icons) all the changes are lost. I mean all the non-PortableApps.com Format apps are back in the "Other" category, hidden ones are visible again and renamed apps have their original names.
I tried to perform all of the above tasks on PortableApps.com Format apps and they retain the changes during restart (or refresh).
I was hoping the new version of the platform would resolve this issue for me, but it doesn't. Could anybody please help me find out what is going on?
This is just a guess, but if I were you I'd check to see if the Platform is able to write to the PortableAppsMenu.ini file in PortableApps\PortableApps.com\Data as that's where it's supposed to write these changes to (and subsequently read them from).
~3D1T0R
Thanks for your quick reply.
I have just found AddOtherAppsToPAM https://portableapps.com/node/31676 as it is supposed to creates an appinfo.ini file in PortableApps\your app name\App\Appinfo folder for each app browsed for. I played around with it, but it didn't work, like it's unable to write to target app folder.
Then it struck me... maybe it could be because I have all my app folders preppended with "[CATEGORY]". What I mean by this is that to keep all my internet apps together I prepended them with "[INTERNET]". For exapmle I renamed Palemoon folder to [INTERNET]Palemoon. And obviously there is a problem with handling of squared brackets both by PA platform and AddOtherAppsToPAM app.
I changed all [] brackets to () brackets by renaming all my folders to "(CATEGORY)" and now everything works like it should!
Just a curiosity. Do you have a clue why there is a problem with squared brackets? Are there any other characters to be avoided?
Ok, nevermind. I think I found an answer also to my last question.
I looked up in the PortableApps\PortableApps.com\Data\PortableAppsMenu.ini and all my other apps were there - together with "[CATEGORY]" prefix. But I have noticed that the ini file has it's own categories captured between two squared brackets, to categorize the options it offers. For example, there is a "[DisplayOptions]" category, a "[Localization]" category and so on.
So I guess my apps prefixes captured between squared brackets were in conflict with the PA platform as it confused them with it's own options' categories. I tried renaming [INTERNET]Palemoon to ![INTERNET]Palemoon and indeed, now that my prefix doesn't begin with [ anymore all the PA platform functions perform as expected.
I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. INI files are organised in sections with each section starting with [SectionName] and having KeyName=ValueContents pairs for each key/value pair under the section, so I can see why making a [Key]Name=ValueContents line would confuse the INI interpreter.
~3D1T0R
I've already written code to fix this in the next release. It will reset any entries that you have set with brackets included, though.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I didn't even consider it a bug after all. It seemed to me like I was the first and maybe last person facing this problem. Who on Earth would use a [ at the beginning of a folder name anyway?
Well, I feel like you guys are offering some kind of personal service here... really nice
Thank you all and don't do too much caffeine... cause caffeine is bad m'key?