Classic Shell: Forum

Classic Shell be even nicer if one could assign to an application a preferred list position in the start menu list of running applications. For example, one might want an application to appear always at the top of the list. One would assign that application a preferred list position of zero (for a zero-based scheme). To a another application one might assign a list position of 1. If there were two or more instances of a given application having a given assigned position, they would all appear above any other applications that have a lower (or no) assigned list position; those same applications would appear below any applications having an assigned position higher in the list.

Being able to assign an application to the bottom of the list would also be useful. In a manner similar to Python's negative array indices, an assigned list position of -1 would correspond to the bottom of the list. A list position of -2 would correspond to a position just above all the -1 applications.

There are two lists in the Classic Start Menu shown at all times. 1. Pinned list 2. Frequently used apps list OR Recently used apps list.

You can already drag apps in the *pinned* list up and down freely to adjust their position and sort them as per your preferred order.

You can't drag to position apps in Frequently used/Recently used apps list because they are ordered with the most-used/most recently used app on top and least used/least recently used app on bottom. You can sort it however by name or in reverse/descending order.

So:
- Pinned list supports A-Z, Z-A or custom order
- Frequent/recent lists support A-Z, Z-A, top to bottom most-used/recent order or bottom to top.

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Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

I find myself frequently rearranging Classic Start Menu entries so that frequently accessed entries are at or near the top of the menu where I can quickly find them. (I favor placing the Start menu at the left side of the screen.) Knowing that they are at or near the top minimizes the time it takes to locate them. I suspect the same advantage would accrue to a Start menu at the bottom or top of the screen.

I would like to be able to assign a preferred position to a particular application so that it appears in that position when launched. For example, I might assign position "1" to PuTTY so that all open PuTTY applications appear at the top of the Classic Start Menu. A different application, like a file manager, might have a preferred position of "2" so that all instances of the file manager appear beneath all instances of PuTTY. Chrome might be a "3" and so on. If a PuTTY application at the top of the list were closed, the menu entries below it naturally would move up, as happens now, but if a new PuTTY instance were launched, it would show up at either the top of the list or just below existing instances of PuTTY (or other applications having a preferred position of "1").

Being able to assign start-menu position preferences would improve Classic Start Menu by making it easier and quicker to find and select frequently used entries. If there's a way to accomplish this with the current version of Classic Start Menu, please tell me.

A way not so much to control specific order but to have points in the Start Menu that are assigned gravity names along with the ability to associated menu items with gravity names.

A very useful extension would be to also be able to assign gravity points on the desktop.

Wish I had time to learn enough about deep Windows to do this. Willing to share my ideas, open source style, if asked by an interesting enough person.