Shortcut Placement

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Getting shortcuts to appear where you want them can be a bit tricky. No problem. Here are the easy steps to setting up shortcuts where they're most useful for you. The first two parts, Creating New Shortcuts and Creating Shortcuts to Feature Settings showed how to create shortcuts. This is the last part in my shortcut trilogy, finally!

Applies to:
   Microsoft Windows Powered Pocket PC 2000
   Microsoft ActiveSync
   An active connection with a desktop computer

Languages Supported

All languages are supported.

Shortcut Placement

Although a shortcut can be placed anywhere on your device for storage, there are only a few places were they can go so they show up on your Start and Programs menu. Otherwise, if you prefer, you can place them in any location and access your new shortcuts by using File Explorer.

Location, Location, Location

As in real estate, location is everything. The same is true for shortcut placement on your Pocket PC. To allow for the easiest management of your shortcuts, it is best to place them in the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder, or one of its subfolders. Here's why:

If you go to Start, then Settings, under the Personal tab you'll access a small program, an applet, called Menus. This applet manages the placement of the shortcuts that are contained within the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder and its subfolders. Use the Menus screen to select which shortcuts contained in the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder should appear on the Start menu.

In Part 1 of this trilogy, Creating New Shortcuts, we placed our new "My Calculator" shortcut in the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder. The default display option for this location is in the Programs menu (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Start/Programs with newly created "My Calculator" shortcut.

To move the "My Calculator" shortcut so that it appears on the Start screen you need to use the Menus applet contained in your Start/Settings menu (Figure 2). Follow these four easy steps.

  1. Start the Menus applet from Start/Settings menu.
  2. Scroll down until you see the entry for "My Calculator."
  3. Tap the box to the left of the title; a checkmark will appear in the box.
  4. Tap OK.

Figure 2: Pocket PC menus applet.

Now when you tap the Start menu icon you will see the "My Calculator" shortcut displayed (Figure 3). Don't you just love it when things work the way they're supposed to?

Figure 3: Start menu with "My Calculator" shortcut.

Where Did It Go?

Deciding where you want a shortcut to appear is really a relatively easy decision. For me, I reserve the Start screen for my most frequently used applications -— only those applications I use at least once a day. Your criteria may be a little different. Before you decide make sure you read the Gotchas, which describe some things you'll want to bear in mind as your shortcuts grow.

Any shortcut not designated to appear on the Start menu will appear where you placed it in the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder or a subfolder. The Menus applet physically moves the shortcut between its original location and the \Windows\Start Menu folder. The Menus applet maintains the shortcut's original location so it can put it back if you ever decide to remove it from the Start menu.

Removing a shortcut from the Start menu is also very easy. Follow these four easy steps.

  1. Start the Menus applet from Start/Settings menu.
  2. Scroll down until you see the entry for "My Calculator."
  3. Tap the box with the checkmark to the left of the title; the checkmark will disappear from the box.
  4. Tap OK.

Now if you tap the Start menu the "My Calculator" shortcut is gone.

Gotchas

Seeing Double

Okay, let's see if I can explain this without confusing everyone.

Symptom: You may have a shortcut displayed in the Menus applet that you can't check, to add to your Start menu, or uncheck, to remove from your Start menu. No matter what you do, it always reverts to its previous state. This item may also have a duplicate that exhibits the same behavior.

Cause: This phenomenon is caused by the same shortcut being placed in two locations: the \Windows\Start Menu folder and the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder, or one of its subfolders.

There is a logical reason why this happens. When an item is checked in the Menus applet, it is physically moved from its current folder to the \Windows\Start Menu folder. If a shortcut with the same name already exists in that folder, the shortcut cannot be moved. When the move fails, the checkbox is automatically removed.

Cure: Easy. Delete one of the two shortcuts contained in either the \Windows\Start Menu folder or the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder.

Figure 4: Seeing double in the Menus applet. Note the two "My Calculators."

Growth Spurts

The Start menu can grow rapidly in unexpected growth spurts depending on the number of items you place in it. At eight entries, the icons move to the center of the display. Don't be alarmed, this is supposed to happen. I've seen many posts on the newsgroups asking why their Start menus are now in the center of the display. Here's why.

Once eight items or more appear, the Start menu shifts to prevent the Start menu icon from being hidden by the menu, while still displaying the maximum number of items. Once you exceed 11 entries on the Start menu you will get up and down arrows to scroll through all the entries. I prefer not to scroll -- I keep my max entries to eight. There is no limit to the items that can be in the Start menu. However, the more there are the more difficult the Start menu will be to use.

Third-party Tools That May Be Helpful

I've shown you how to create shortcuts on your Pocket PC, with the tools provided on your Pocket PC. To edit and maintain them, here are some links to third-party tools to help you.

Grundle Software offers one tool called Grundle Explorer, which is currently in beta. To use the shortcut editing features you must own a registered copy of the product.

Resco Remote Solutions has a product called Resco File Explorer that enables you to create new shortcuts on your Pocket PC without the use of your personal computer. It cannot edit existing shortcuts.

Conclusion

As I've indicated, I rely heavily on my shortcuts. It makes what I do each day easier. Hopefully, armed with these tips and suggestions you'll enjoy using your Pocket PC even more too!