Want to create your own?
I don't want to add dozens of applications to the already full suite of PortableApps.
However, I already have one program I live and die by, that I had on my USB key: Total Commander (http://www.ghisler.com).
It's the only Shareware program I will ever use.
I even registered it.
Go figure!
LOL
Anyway, once I had TC configured to run on a USB key, I wanted to add it to the PA menu, so I needed to find an easy way of doing this.
The challenge was that TC has 2 exe files in it's root directory, so I couldn't simply add a TOTALCOMMANDERPORTABLE directory within PA, because it would add both EXE files, assuming they would both work.
While this works for most programs that are fully portable to begin with, I wasn't satisfied with having an irrelevant menu item in PA due to the extra EXE file.
So, I went on the hunt for a BAT to EXE converter.
I found this one:
http://www.download.com/Bat-To-Exe-Converter/3000-2069_4-10555897.html#r...
The authour's site is: http://www.f2ko.de/English/index.php
I moved the full TC program into a directory like this: \PortableApps\TotalCommanderPortable\App\TotalCommander
I used my favorite image editor IrfanView (www.irfanview.com) to grab an icon from TC so that I could add it to the menu, as well.
Oh, and before all you wannabe lawyers get all up in arms, this isn't illegal.
The icon is fully available anywhere and free to share, so don't even start.
Next I created a BAT file to run TC from it's new directory using notepad:
CD APP
CD TOTALCOMMANDER
TOTALCMD.EXE
I then used BAT-To-EXE-Converter to change it into an EXE file (ghost mode) and gave it the TC icon, so that it would look pretty on the menu.
I erased the ICO and BAT file and I was done.
Now I have a Total Commander Portable menu item in PA and it runs my pre-configured Total Commander within the Portable Apps menu, with all my dozens of pre-configured plug-ins installed and nobody is any the wiser!
Well, except for those of you reading this thread, of course.
Since Bat-To-EXE-Converter worked so well, I also added it to a sub-menu of PA, so that I could make more in the future, should I so choose.
I hope some of you find this helpful.