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O. I guess @digitxp posted his previous post while I was posting mine (the one with the subject "Some exstra features of my own (load from DB & categories)"). I'll look into his Categorizer, but I think my trick'll work somewat different. So it may still be worth it for me do try my own hack.
[edit: Added info about which post of my own I'm referring to to avoid even more confusion. Sorry guys - and gals. ;-)]
1. Sorry for my mistake in a previous post. I said
I forgot that the reason for that is because I have R34Mod installed.
2. I've looked at part of the source code of PAM 2.0 beta 3 and I may have a way to easily implement "load from DB" and categories (though I won't be certain until I've gone over the entire main unit). However, I don't know how to test the app. (I've last really used Delphi in the days of Delphi 3 and all I could remember well enough or figure out easily enough to do was look at the source code and forms). Can anyone explain to me how to test it, since I get an error (Field frmMenu.trayIconMenu does not have a corresponding component. Remove the declaration?). This looks like a bug in the source code or (more probably) a missing component/dependency. I haven't had a chance to look into it yet (and as I've said, my Delphi is very rusty) and may be someone else can save me some time. I say "no" and get the error [Fatal Error] dialog.pas(7): File not found: 'pngimage.dcu'. I guess makes sense due to me sayning "no" at the first error. PS. I used Delphi 7 (installed on the university's computers). I can't be more helpful than that.
PS. I know beta 4 is expected soon, so don't ask me why I don't wait for it. I guess I'm just in a hurry to switch from R34Mod ;-).
[edit: Corrected a spelling error in subject (and some other errors before it)]
OK. I've gone over all the source code I needed to and I'm now quite sure my modifications'll work. Now comes the fun part. (Actually implementing it)
[edit: Added last sentence.]
Good Luck getting on the menu team--you probably won't need it ;).
Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.
If it works then, upload your source, here so we can check it out...
Regards BigBear
If I can get John's own code to compile, it'll be a lot easier to get my own to work. Until then I'm sort of stuck.
PS. Sorry if this counts as a cross post of https://portableapps.com/node/21090#comment-132216. If anyone can help me, please post your answer at the above link's location.
Aaaahhhhhhggggg..... Can't wait any more.
John, give it to us. Please....
Really John, you said it would be out on October 28 here: http://lifehacker.com/5389421/five-best-portable-apps-suites#c16291205
...Honestly, even a "hey, heads up, this is gonna be a bit later than I thought" would be nice... I mean, you're kinda leaving us wondering, here.
-Whistle
You should've seen him with the menu a year ago. He recruited all the MOD devs, and 1.1 (I think) was coming out the door... only it didn't. Back then, Tim had a sig that said "The wheels of John turn slowly, but they turn." or something to that effect.
Hey look, the release announcements:
1.1 Comes Out
1.5 Comes Out
Look at the difference.
(Sorry for sounding harsh, but I'm trying to lay down facts so that nothing needs be overhyped.)
Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.
I wasn't going to say this, but I guess I will.
Don't hold your breath. It will get here when it gets here, and I will continue to breath normally.
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
It'll be here when it's ready. It's not like John's holding it back to build suspense or anything. My guess is he has encountered a couple bugs he wants to fix before releasing Beta 4. Therefore please be patient. Complaining about the wait will not speed things up and likely will slow it down if anything.
PortableApps.com Advocate
Let's make him follow what everyone says Linus Torvalds doea and release early and often!
Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.
Guys, just have some patience. The comments about waiting for Beta 4 by some have been not very nicely put, and, quite frankly, none of them are necessary. John is a busy man - and I'm sure that the Rackspace failure yesterday (yes, again...) has put things back at least another day which he would have much rather spent on other things. He knows that people are waiting for it. He's working on it. Remember also that John has another job to keep himself alive (PortableApps.com is currently a financial liability rather than an asset), and also he's working "behind the scenes" to make PortableApps.com profitable - at the moment thus he can't spend so much time on the software here, but he's working to make it so that he can spend more time here. He wants PortableApps.com to succeed even more than we do.
It'll be here when it's ready. Just have patience in the meantime.
I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
I'm not trying to be mean. I just usually come across that way.
As far as the failure, that's money that should go back to John's pocket in some way or the other.
And I didn't know he had a real life job. I thought this was his job
At whatever rate, I don't mean to be rude to John. He'll get there when he gets there. As for the rest of you people, knock it off.
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
I too am a little frustrated at the delay. Now before anyone gets all defensive let me clarify. I am not in the least frustrated that 'I' have to wait for a release. I am not one of those to sit on the side lines and scream when I don't get what I feel is coming to me. For those of you that are selfishly bitching, then role up your sleaves and help (something I would love to do, but unfortunately do not have the time to commit). As a developer I can attest first hand to the unexpected last minute release hurdles. Ranging anywhere from hardware malfunctions to show stopping bugs. The only thing that bothers me is that John announced that Beta 4 would be released "tomorrow" on a site that has very high traffic and exposure. People introduced to PortableApps through lifehacker's poll, will start the ride with a feeling of uncertainty and distrust. As has been mentioned many times in the forums, this is a community. So the negative impression to new comers is a reflection of everyone here. To promise a hard date so near in the future for release is a mistake unless it is already wrapped, tested and is ready to push out to distribution servers. If this is not the case than inevitably there will be something that will happen out of your control to push back the release.
I really hope that this post in no way comes across as a complaint/rant. I truly do appreciate and value the time, effort and end results of everyone's hard work. My only aim is to express concern as to the image being portrayed of the PA community.
It amazes me that on the internet you can be anything you want, and yet so many people still choose to be idiots.
Just like categories were to be in the Alpha 2 release mentioned by John a year ago. Dates will be made and missed. It will be out when its out. I am certain John has good intentions when he mentions a date but since its a volunteer open source project he cannot always deliver.
Happily using PAM MOD 34 until categories are officially released...yet still anxious for the day
Paul
Sorry about that, I guess I was a little harsh. I was just really hoping that it would be out with its much wanted features.
My only gripe is that there was so much false hope. I feel like John falls off the face of this Earth every few days and comes back saying he'll finish it tomorrow.
Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.
guys, let's let off. Okay? Okay. Thanks
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
Actually, I think they're all spot on. Let's look at the bright side: nobody got really ugly. Nobody said anything really rude. But they do express a little disappointment. And let's look at why. During that Lifehacker poll, John went to war with Lupo over their license issues, and then over the cheating of some of their members. And in trying to make PortableApps.com look better, he said a new version would be "out Wednesday" with a lot of the features people have been asking for.
Wednesday came -- nothing.
The next Wednesday came -- still nothing.
People have every right to be disappointed, man.
I'm a little disappointed, but I am not surprised. When Beta 3 came out back in July, he said the next version would be out "next week" -- and that was four months ago. You can probably see proof of that on page 1 of this topic -- I doubt he edited it out.
But neither do I really blame him. The current menu (even the "Beta" version) works fine. It's a solid product. It doesn't *need* to be updated. It's got fewer features than forks of the project released nearly 2 years ago, but that's nothing new. And I definitely know about real life and work -- as we so often say with Internet commitments, "real life happens".
The thing is, commitments and promises should not be made lightly, and that's where disappointment comes in. If all he'd said was "we're always working to improve the platform", that would have been true. Nobody could deny it, and we wouldn't have *this*. But no, he gave himself a very tight deadline, which implied he actually had something, that just needed the finishing touches. Now we know he really didn't have anything ready and just said it to say it. If he, as you say, "wants PortableApps.com to succeed even more than we do," it would be advisable not to make commitments you can't keep. Especially if you want to establish business relations with companies that are out to make a profit. Flash drive manufacturers, I mean. If they see that someone they're working with consistently promises stuff they want but keeps falling short, they're gonna look elsewhere. (Of course, if that happens, hopefully they're paying him well enough that it becomes the "real life" that "happens".)
I didn't want to weigh in my opinions on the matter, because expressing them isn't going to help John with the next version. I did, however, want to stop this "you guys' comments are really unnecessary" train before it got too far out of the station. While I'm sure that I've made a few commitments I failed to keep, I've learned from them. For example, I'm doing that NaNoWriMo thing this month... 50,000 word novel in 30 days.... I stayed ahead of the game for a while, but I have to take Wednesdays off, that's my day to get stuff done -- so now I'm behind schedule (1321 words to write now to get on track -- in the next couple hours). I'm probably not gonna make it, but November 30 is a long ways away and I'll have plenty of time to make up over the weekend, when I'll need to blast ahead again for next Wednesday. Thing is, I've never promised anyone I'd make the 50,000 -- I've said that I'll finish, even if I can't do it by November 30. I'll be done when I'm done. Might even go past 50,000.
Shameless self promotion isn't the point though. That's what we all gotta realize. Yeah, he said Wednesday because it looked good on Lifehacker. And it is alright to be disappointed, no matter what the other devs say. But the next version will come out, at some point, when it's ready. And it might even be better than we all expect. And that's how I see it.
Good day Mr Haller,
I was wondering when Platform 2.0 will be coming.
hope and wishing its arrival.
always respect
Just
Apparently he gave us all a trick instead of a treat for Halloween.
If you hide an item that you renamed it will go back to the default name when you make it hidden.
I second that. I hope this is fixed in the next beta!
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
Patheme Broken Glass screenshot and downloads http://punkwj.com/2009/11/06/broken-glass-patheme/
Sorry for my English, I do not know ...
I have just read Nathans comments and totally agree with him.
He hit the nail on the head.
If Beta 4 was not ready John should not have said it was going to be released.
If it was ready and there is a problem, John should at least post a message telling people the reason why.
Saying it was going to be released and then not releasing it and saying nothing just annoys people.
Come on John sort it out one way or the other please.
PS punkWJ. Wrong thread for your theme.
Excuse!
Where to me to write?
Sorry for my English, I do not know ...
There's a topic that says "Themes--Posts only No Discussion" or something similar in the General Forums. Good Luck!
Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.
For those that want to complain about beta 4 not being available yet, John has posted an status update so read that first.
https://portableapps.com/node/21342
Once you go portable...
Mr.Haller,God bless you.
Thank you.
punkWJ,
Here's where you post your theme.
https://portableapps.com/node/6178
Thanks, I will write there!
Sorry for my English, I do not know ...
I'm not one to complain about free stuff, and I'll take quality over deadlines any day, but I am pretty anxious to get my hands on the new PAM. So I'm curious. After all the waiting and hype, what is the actual difference going to be between beta 3 and beta 4/2.0 final? I know the updater will be included, but are there any other goodies to make the wait even harder?
Quamquam omniam nescio, nec nihil scio.
how do i make a theme? i REALLY want to make one, plz answer quick!
sup
Tutorials
choose "Theming PAP 2.0"
quick quick quick
quack quack quack
Life is crunchy, anywhere
when will there be beta4 finally?
i'm waiting and checking 2-3 times a week.
i need it because of its auto-update function
A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.
As mentioned in this thread, John has been sick.
I think it would be good if you could have a search bar beneath the words, SEARCH and HELP.
portable app
The Search function in the menu only calls existing search functions from other places.
Choosing Search this Drive or Search this Computer activates the Windows Search function; Search the Web opens your browser to a Google Search.
Integrating any or all of these into the platform would be a whole 'nother coding project, and would bloat the menu; on top of it, it would be impossible to get all the functionality of the Windows search or Google into one text box, unless it opened those functions anyway, so you it's a lot of effort to be able to type into the menu vs. into the search engines themselves.
K.I.S.S.
I prefer the menu to be simpler, and let Windows Search or Google do all the work.
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
i would like a little search bar that tapers down the number of apps listed as I enter more keys. Sorta like the search bar in vista.
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
I think that the menus on the right hand side (Backup, Options, Search, and Help) when clicked should open the default option or last option used, but have a down arrow that opens the menu centered and themed:
Suggested defaults
Backup - Backup files
Options - Open Menu
Search - Search this Drive
Help - PortableApps.com/Support
Also Hide Desktop Icons (Options Menu) Hides the Icons on my desktop, but does not restore them when unchecked.
PA rocks
P.S. PortableApps Rocks
Eeek! How do I get my desktop icons back!
Oh no hang on they came back... I cant replicate this, I hid them all, then unhid but they didnt come back. I closed the Platform, they remained hidden, reopened then toggled "Hide Icons" and now they hide and unhide correctly.
Hmmm as I cant offer anything useful on that whatsoever I will ask if it is possible to make Favourite Apps freeze to the top so that they do not disappear when you scroll through the list - like frozen rows and columns in spreadsheets.
EDIT: Ok I CAN replicate it. If you "Hide Desktop Icons" then click "Show Desktop" you cannot toggle the icons back again without clicking "Show Desktop" again to bring everything back again - then you can toggle the icon off and on again with the platform. If I had any idea how Vista's "Show Desktop" thing worked I might be able to offer a suggestion here but I cant sorry!
I've always found the PA.c platform Hide Desktop Icons to be kinda buggy. Not really worth it for me.
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
The only time I have had this happen to me is when I end the platform process, which kinda makes sense...
“There is a computer disease that anybody who works with computers knows about. It's a very serious disease and it interferes completely with the work. The trouble with computers is that you 'play' with them!”Richard Feynman
It doesn't use the registry at all. The desktop icons are actually shown by a specific window, believe it or not, and we just hide and unhide it using the standard Windows API.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
What if there are more than one kind of portable applications. Like System Utilities for instance. I have Free Commander Portable, Update Notifier, PeaZip Portable, etc. That mean more than one application with the same category or type.
So, is there any chance that the next release would also be improved with Group Folders feature?
Thank you.
irwanwr
It works very well, and I like the new font styles and themes, and I love that the Pictures and Music folder links work now, but there is a major issue for me, or actually two:
1) My apps don't load.
2) The autorun now will not load the menu.
Love the software, but I will be downgrading back to 1.0.
Update1: I am going to move the original menu files to my desktop and try again. Apparently after installing 1.5 again, now the pictures and music folder links work.
Update2: Yes! It works! Apparently, I placed it in a subfolder and screwed up the installation. Thanks PortableApps.com! Now for the Win7 Theme
hi, the new platform is awesome but i was hopping in the new release you will implement run whit options, like : firefox -P "Joel User" , the black theme is so evil
. thank you.
Please make a scrollbar!
I have a lot of apps and it's a pain to scroll every time with the mouse's scroll when I just want to go to the end of the list fast!
Thanks in advance!
use your arrow keys and page up/down to scroll.
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
If you double-click on the arrows at the top or bottom of the list, it will page up or page down.
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
Oh I see it now. Thanks.
But still, would love to see an options for it.
There are some improvements which is great, but there is still no ability to organise the menu - create folders, etc. Why not? Am I the only person who likes to organise the menu so that programs are logically grouped for quick access?
Please read the thread before just commenting; you'll see that there are more than a dozen requests for it in this thread alone - and it is not the place to request such features. It has also been requested dozens of times in other threads in the forums. John has said that it is coming - some time. There are other higher priorities in making PortableApps.com stable financially and from a business perspective.
I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
> Am I the only person who likes to organise the menu so that
> programs are logically grouped for quick access?
No, but apparently we are the vocal minority. It is promised in an upcoming release. (for over a year now)
If you can't wait try PortableAppsMenuMod34 PaTChed at:
http://ptc.kain-planet.de/details.php?file=283
This menu works well but is not officially supported here.
Paul
Im waiting for categories for years
Have a poll and see that its not a minority
and see below...I want that too...I support the pool too.
Hello,
I am a bit old fashioned. For ever and ever I group my apps depending on purpose. Lets say system and media. In this folders I have all my apps. Across all my computers and so far also all my portable apps.
However, the platform does not seem to support the grouping folder. All functions have to be on one level. I am okay with this for installation, but within the menu it would be nice to have some kind of grouping.
In my opinion, this is necessary. I have 40 portable apps. I do not want to scroll them all the time...
What I mean:
Portable menu
|
|-System
....|-folder app1
........|-app1.exe
....|-folder app2
........|-app2.exe
|-Media
....|-folder app1
........|-app1.exe
....|-folder app2
........|-app2.exe
Thanks
MaggotB0y has had a hack for this for a while now (before even 1.5 was out). It worked in my tests...
Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.
I, too, have been waiting for the use of categories, but until then, there is another viable alternative for those who have many portable applications on the same drive.
1) The root of the drive contains the base PortableApps.com menu system.
2) Under the PortableApps folder of the root drive, create a new folder for the category that you want. For this example, let's call it Games.
3) Run the PortableApps.com installer and tell it to install to the \PortableApps\Games folder.
4) Run the base PortableApps.com menu from the root of the drive's StartPortableApps.exe.
5) In the program list will be Start PortableApps. Right-click on this entry and choose Rename. Name it to Games. If desired, set it as a Favorite to show at the top of the list.
6) Now when you want to access programs from the Games "category", use the menu item and a new PortableApps.com menu will launch. This one can be customized separately and have the games installed to it separately through its menu.
Now let's give John some peace about categories. I am still hoping for larger icons than 16px, but I don't see that happening any time soon either. The PortableApps.com menu is clean, efficient, and works great. Better yet, we can use the menu in multiple ways as well.
Sincerely,
Scott Thomson
The only things in life we regret are the risks we didn't take.
Like pmlabrier says,if you want categories try the Mod R34.
This mod has had the categories for about 2 years now.
I can't for the life of me understand why the official menu hasn't got categories.
John seems to think that the people who want categories are in the minority but judging by the amount of posts iv'e read quite a lot of people are wanting it.
At the rate this next update is taking we may get catagories in about 2 years time.
no category's... its kinda like the coding thing... "its free source is available" (ZING: you have to pay out the arse for the Delphi software to compile/debug!), im not worried about the code its done in particularly... im just pissed off thats its been over 6 months (might only be 4) since BETA/Alpha was announced and we still dont have 2.0... hell even Beta4 with the updater (which is whats holding me back from using PA again)
signed, the minority
Can I recommend use use quick way to folders found here
http://jacquelin.potier.free.fr/QuickWayToFolders/
and get it to autostart via PA menu.
Aim it at your other portable software folder and organised sub folders.
Select Browser Type and the include only *.exe.
Hey presto you know have an expanded menu sitting as a separte icon in your toolbar. It is the best menu starter i've seen.
Cheers
it works smooth but really, take an existing searcher and ejecter from the web, ask permition and include it in the app.
the windows system SUCKS
sooooooo close to what we all need. not a bad suggestion.
Will definitely be putting this on my new USB HDD.
!!
Este é um excelente produto. Com ele, em qualquer máquina que conecto, tenho a segurança de que todos os meus aplicativos irão funcionar sem problema. Muito bom mesmo.
Alien
hi how long is it till the official 2.0 platform is finished. I see there is still a bit of work left to do ion this
regards.
An Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
MickeyJ4J
It was supposed to released in mid October.
Judging by the delay I am now thinking that John meant next October.
I completly agree with you.
<badMoonMode>
Beta 3 is out since July and no new version since then. OK, it's free, it's OpenSource : fine. But I can still complain.
</badMoonMode>
<sarcasticMode>
Maybe the audience increased for portableapps.com since this announcement and maybe that was the only thing John wanted for his business.
</sarcasticMode>
Thank you people for your work and please, do not take users for fools
you know what would have been the coolest... a CES PA Beta4 or FINAL release...
didnt happen... and LOL @ crookadiles October comment!
Yes Kane I like many others are getting bored of waiting for the final.
John started an update thread in General discussion but doesn't even bother to update the info anymore.
aber ich vermisse noch eine Sortierung mit Separatoren - gibt's da noch ne Moeglichkeit?
@engl:
but I still miss a sortation with seperators - any chance for that?
Sigh, what's holding me back from moving to Pstart is that Pstart doesn't look as nice as portableapps, it doesnt have the autoscroll buttons, it doesn't have quick and simple access to autostart and autohide feature...
What it does have is parameter support, autostart, categories [if you know how to set it up corrected], note tab, no personalize logo, quick folder access, website links, and quite a bit more.
Have you tried Mod R34.
Download Platform 1.5.2 from this site and get Pam Mod R34 from the link provided.
http://ptc.kain-planet.de/details.php?file=283
Mod R34 does a lot more than the official menu and looks just as good.
It even has categories and has had them for nigh on 2 years now.I can't think why the official menu doesn't have them.
Come on John get your finger out we are all waiting.
Yes, I have tried that too. It feels very unpolished so I decided not to use it.
Hi people how do i upgrade the version I just downloaded like two weeks ago to the beta version?
Fan of Windows 7 and Linux. But mainly opensource and PortableApps
All you need to do to upgrade is download the file provided in John's post, and run it. If you've installed PortableApps to the default location (X:\PortableApps), the installer will detect it, and will install itself over top.
Will it delete my existing apps?
Fan of Windows 7 and Linux. But mainly opensource and PortableApps
No it won't.All your apps will be safe.
I am using the beta 3 since a half year and it's working perfect. But I am still missing the PortableApps.com Updater. I try to get along with the 1.0 Beta2 version but it has so many connection bugs. Please try to go on with the new one included in 2.0 Beta 4 Platform!
Thank you in anticipation guys!
ps: I hope my english is not too bad for you...
------------------------------------------------------
Installer Suxxxxx! Portable the World!
when will 2.0 be released?
I really miss categories
This program is perfect!!!
To find what's new, go to https://portableapps.com/user/2/track and look for rows mentioning "Portable Apps Platform"
I have noticed that the beta will crash windows explorer if the computer is put in sleep mode with the beta running... I would like to see this issue solved but I can see the complexity of fixing the issue seeing that software may have trouble reconnecting to the hardware(thumbdrive) after sleep mode has been activated and power to everything but the ram is shutdown...
Thanks t-unit
SanDisk Cruzer 4G
PNY Micro Swivel Attache 4G With Portableapps 2.0 Beta 3
Robot Penquins... Genius
It's awesome that the platform finally has a working ejector app. That has been my one gripe with PortableApps since I started using it. Categories would be awesome, the updater would be awesome, but the ejector was (to me) necessary for the platform to fully work. Ejecting through the Windows Safe Eject dialog just always struck me as a half-baked workaround. Great work, John. I'll hold off on updating my USB HDD until beta 3.1/4 comes out because I have some really cool themes, but I did try out 1.6 and I'm really looking forward to it.
Quamquam omniam nescio, nec nihil scio.
is categories a planned feature?
"sorry if I missed a discussion about this"
I'm using the unstable geekmenu now, only because of that.
I'd love to go back to portableapps.
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