Classic Shell: Forum

Currently, recent programs only show in the list when you open them through the Start Menu. I would like to see them get added when opening them through a desktop shortcut as well. This is the behavior in every other version of Windows.

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Avatar FX6327X desktop, AMD FX-6300 CPU, Radeon RX470 GPU, 8gb RAM, Windows 10 64 bit, Bitdefender Free AV and Windows firewall

This is not true. Every other version of Windows show the frequently used, not recent programs.
The latest beta version 3.9.0 has an option to select which programs to see - frequent (including ones from desktop or elsewhere), or recent (but only from the start menu).

With any of those options, the programs do not show in the list unless they are opened through the Start Menu. If they are opened through a desktop shortcut, they do not ever show up. This is not only a 3.9 issue, the same thing happens in the release version.

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Avatar FX6327X desktop, AMD FX-6300 CPU, Radeon RX470 GPU, 8gb RAM, Windows 10 64 bit, Bitdefender Free AV and Windows firewall

The rules of what to show in the frequently used list are quite complex. In a nutshell, only programs with shortcuts in the start menu are shown, and only after you use that shortcut from the start menu at least once. After that the frequency of use is tracked regardless if you start the program from the start menu, the desktop, quick launch, or whatever. Programs pinned to the taskbar or the start menu are ignored.
That's how the system start menu behaves in Windows 7.

So your best bet would be to set them to "Frequent" in Classic Start Menu settings -> Main menu tab, then copy the shortcuts to your Start Menu folder, and then launch the shortcuts to them at least once from the Start Menu. Thereafter, as Ivo said, if they're launched frequently enough from the Desktop, they will show in the MFU list.

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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.

The "recent programs" list only collects items from under "Programs" but not items at the root level or that descend from it not through "Programs". Is there a way to get also these to show?

@waltz, which version of Classic Shell are you using? By root level you probably mean the Start Menu folder. If that folder is shown as inside All Programs (which is the case when the 'Pinned Programs folder' setting is set to "Use Pinned folder", then the Start Menu folder items *are* shown in the Recent list. In the other scenario, the Start Menu folder's contents are directly shown in the main menu. Why then would you want the same program again in the Recent list?

As for other folders, if you want to see anything in the Recent list, then add it as a custom item and check the option "Track recent items" for it.

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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'm on v3.9.3. "Pinned" is set to "Use Start Menu folder". Indeed, items directly in the root don't need to show as MRU, my mistake. But items that descend from it, rather than from Programs, do need to be MRUed. My menu is organized into categories that start at the root, not under Programs.

@waltz, ah ok you mean shortcuts added to subfolders inside the Start Menu folder but outside All programs.

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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.

Yeah.

I've noticed that these not-under-Programs shortcuts are added as MRU if ran from the search box, rather than by clicking them in their submenus. I had the impression this didn't happen initially, but I could be wrong.

I tried adding a directory junction or symlink under "Programs" that links to the Start Menu root (i.e., ..\), but it didn't help if the items were clicked from \submenu1\ rather than \Programs\submenu1\.

Are you using the classic style or the win7 style?

@waltz, that's right that is because the Search box has "Track recent items" option checked so anything launched via the search will appear in the Recent list. For shortcuts inside subfolders located in the Start Menu folder, when you launch them by browsing, they are not added to the Recent list. If Ivo decides to make them track in the next version for the Recent list, then the issue will be fixed.

_________________
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.

Classic.

What could also be nice, as an extra, is an option to collect MRUs from the MFU db, which I assume is collected by the shell/Explorer in the registry. Watching the MFU registry for changes, comparing to a previous snapshot, and the latest changed is MRUed.