BrandonTools

Here's a list of feature suggestions copied from the old wiki.  Got a suggestion?  Post it here!

• Ctrl+Backspace to delete previous word in the search box - Chris Pirillo  Implemented in 0.4.5
• Integration with TagJag oPML - through Grazr, perhaps? - Chris Pirillo
• Latest Twitter friend updates? - Chris Pirillo
• Latest Facebook friend updates or something Facebook related - Scott Bressler
• http://urltea.com/ shortlink integration (through API) - Chris Pirillo
• Inline Live map integration? - Chris Pirillo
• Draw further inspiration from http://dqsd.net/ - Chris Pirillo
• Show more than one image in the picture viewer gadget - various PMs
• Intergrate with Powershell - Anton Fletcher
• Like Anton said, executing PowerShell cmdlets and pipes directly. Also, typing in a mathematical expression to get the results (on-the-fly would be better) - combining the capabilities of PowerShell and Windows XP PowerCalc PowerToy. -Soum
• Release the source code to CodePlex - David
• Address book integration. When it finds that your query matches a user and nothing else, show their name, image, phone number(s), email address(es), home/work address, and have links from these things (ie. clicking email address acts as a mailto:email@address.com) - Shane
• Support using quotation marks in web searches for exact phrases - Niraj  Fixed in 0.4.6
• link to windows help - 'help network connection' should search the windows help file and search for network connection - Anton Fletcher

I love Start++! Woot woot!

I really like the substitution feature. The %+ for example is useful for websites.

But I'd like to be able to have other delimiters. For example, when using the call skype startlet (uploaded to your downloads section), you can call multiple users by separating the name with semicolons.

How's this for proposed syntax?

%{;} - all parameters separated by ;'s

 

Also, in the future, might be nice to have some "Macros" for substitution parameters. For example:

%*{urlencode:&} - All parameters, separated by "&" and each urlencoded. (I'm betting you'll come up with a much better syntax).


 

 

 

One last feature request. Maybe this is crazy. But some sort of keyword parameter expansion or aliasing.

For example, the "Call Skype" startlett requires the full skype username:

  call mrrobotoiscool

But let's say I know this guy's name is bob. And I want to call him by typing:

  call bob

I can't really create a startlet with two words. I would have to make it "callbob" which works fine.

But if there's some way to have "bob" expand to "mrrobotiscool" just for that startlet?

  call bob -> call mrrobotoiscool

I know this might only be useful for me. In which case I say it's probably not worth wasting time on. But if it's useful to others, something to consider.
 

Brandon you've really done a fantastic job with this tool.  This seems like a goldmine of productivity enhancement.  Personally I really like what I've seen so far.

In the methodology of KISS I am overwhelmed with all of the available syntax options.  My suggestion is to keep up with all of the enhancements and at the same time build a representative library of practical example uses.  Also, mirroring your intro page for Start++, a quick teaser printable chart (8 1/2 x 11 for the wall ...etc) of the most useful syntax will help administrators like myself to get users to adopt to this tool.  In my experience as an administrator, no matter the potential for a new tool, users will not readily adopt it if they cannot use it for something within the first day of use.  Perhaps this suggested wall chart list or table could be customizable (a Word, OneNote, Power Point file) so to alter it according to the specific user needs and startlets added.  For instance, many businesses don't want people playing music through their PC or using Skype and examples of these would need to be absent in that case.

Great work!

BTW - strange forum bug in which when I try to spell-check, an error window appears saying "ieSpell not detected" but ieSpell is already installed.

 

Integrate the substitution features into the web browser address bar.  I keep an address bar on autohide at the bottom of my desktop, so it is my primary Win+R interface.  It'd be great if the shortcuts worked in IE/FF as well.

Ctrl+Enter should prepend "www." and append ".com" as in the WDS deskbar and IE address bar. I cannot live without this, I am too used to it!

Shift+Enter should start a web only search (with IE's default search provider). This is another feature I miss terribly from the WDS deskbar.

As stated in the obvious wrong place:

adding a "all" parameter to the play function.

something along the lines of "play [all|etc] random" to enable random on the given parameter.

So far, I like what I've play'd around with (all of 20 minutes, but hey...)  One thing however...  I EXTENSIVELY use remote desktop, and using the plugins it works very nice.

But....

And again, I like the Start++ feature...  I use my "address" bar like there is nobody's business.  Would LOVE the same features that the Start++ has in the start menu search, but incorporated as well into the address bar... 

Make sense?  FYI...  Great work in progress so far!!!!  =D

Any chance you could set up an option to chose which browser to use by default.  I do a lot of web programming, and need to be able to view things in Firefox as well as IE.

 Seth;
 

reallyseth:

Any chance you could set up an option to chose which browser to use by default.  I do a lot of web programming, and need to be able to view things in Firefox as well as IE.

 Seth;

Start++ uses your default web browser.  If you set Firefox as your default, that's what you'll get.

Allow customization of the icon when searching.

so typing "g example" into the start search would show the Google favicon instead of the Start++ icon.

It would be cool, if start++ is available in several languages, like German and French. I could help you to translate it if you want...

 

Andreas 

- Multilanguage support (spanish)

- For example "g start++" to show in search space "Google start++" and a little google icon at left.

- ability to add custom menu options to right side of start menu panel. (just an idea)