Organize application info 3 places Favorites, My Documents, My Programs

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J

JJ

Organize application info 3 places Favorites, My Documents, My
Programs

==============

I know that Start / Programs hierarchy is where shortcuts are located
to launch programs...

and that Favorites

is for Internet Shortcuts

and that My Documents

is for documents, Word .docs, Adobe .pdf's, text files, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thing is, when it comes to software and programs

(launched from Start / Programs hierarchy shortcuts)

there are often Internet Shortcuts to support sites, tip sites,
users forums, patch downloads, etc. regarding that piece of software

then there are documents about that program (other than embedded help
files), like user guides, text files I create with useful tips on the
program, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~

As a result there are three different places for each of these
programs or applications, the launch shortcuts in Start Programs, the
download page and online user forums in My Favorites, and the
downloaded documentation or self created crib sheets in My Documents.

I find my self creating shortcuts from the Start / Programs / Launch
Folder to the corresponding folder in Favorites, and/or to the
documenation in the corresponding folder in My Documents, and vice
versa.

This seems a mess and counterproductive.

~~~~~~~~~~~

In another post I am asking for help on understanding "Folder Pairs".
Maybe this is my solution, at least maybe a second synced "copy" of
the My Documents Program Folder could be kept in the Start Programs
hierarchy.

Another thought is not to keep in Internet Shortcuts in Favorites for
applications but instead to keep a shortcut in Favorites that points
to the corresponding folder in My Documents containing both downloaded
or installed documentation, tips, etc. in addition to Internet
Shortcuts to application home page sites and user forum sites.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyone else have thoughts on how to relate the three stooges of
Windows Organization ?
John "J.J." Jackson
 
Folder Pairs

Folder Options
Start | Run | Type: control folders | OK |
View tab |
Managing pairs of Web pages and folders
Show and manage the pair as a single file
Show both parts and manage them individually
Show both parts but manage as a single file

The first option is the default.
-----

IE Save As:
Web Page, complete (*.htm;*html)
Web Archive, single file (*.mht)
Web Page, HTML only (*.htm;*.html)
Text File (*.txt)
-----

TweakUI
[+] Explorer
Manipulate connected files as a unit

Manipulate Connected files as a unit
[[If this is checked then any operations performed on Document.htm (or
document.html) will also be performed on "Document_files" and vice versa.
For e.g. If you delete Document.htm, then the Document_files folder will
also be deleted. This is a per-user setting.]]
-----

From Microsoft® Windows® XP Inside Out by Ed Bott and Carl Siechert

[[Managing pairs of Web pages and folders

If you save a web page using Internet Explorer's Web Page, Complete option
(choose Web Page, complete (*.htm;*html) in the Save As type list), Internet
Explorer saves the Web page's text in one file and puts all the associated
graphics and other supporting documents in a folder with the same name. For
example, if you save the MSN home page (http://www.msn.com) under it's
default name, Welcome to MSN_com, you will get a file named Welcome to
MSN_com.htm and a folder called Welcome to MSN_com, the later containing the
various GIF and JPEG images and perhaps a script or two.

By default Windows Explorer handles such file-and-folder pairs as a single
entity. The file and folder are shown as separate items, but any action
taken upon one is automatically taken upon both. Delete or move either file
or folder, for example, and Windows Explorer moves or deletes both items.
This behavior makes it less likely that you'll "break" a saves Web page by
separating it's parts.

Provided you have Microsoft Office installed, you can choose two
alternatives to the default behavior:
Show both parts and manage them individually
Show both parts but manage as a single file

(If you don't see these options, double click Managing pairs of Web pages
and folders.) If you change Windows Explorer's behavior after saving a
file-and-folder pair, Windows Explorer applies the new behavior to the
existing pair. For example, if you save a page using the Show both parts
and manage them individually option, your file and folder are initially
independent. But if you then switch back to the default behavior, the file
and folder become linked, as though you saved them that way in the first
place.]]

See...
Operations on an HTML File or Folder Apply to Similarly Named Folder or HTML
File
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=252721

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Value: NoFileFolderConnection
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 1

[[IMPORTANT: File connection should normally be enabled because other
programs might depend on it. For example, Microsoft Internet Explorer uses
the connected files naming convention when you save your Web page by
selecting Web Page, complete (.*htm,*.html) in the Save as type dialog box.
Disable file connection only if absolutely necessary. ]]

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Coincidentally you reference the Folder Pairs thing that I had asked
about in another post in entitled "Folder Pairs what they area all about? what for?"

Not sure what this has to do with my current post here though,
ALTHOUGH as I read through your post you may have answered my question
in the basics newsgroup quoted below in between the asterix rows.

**********************************
Seems like Windows XP allows you to keep more than one copy of a
folder in more than one place in your system.

I'm not talking about a shortcut to the folder but a second copy of
the folder.

I'm not comfortable with this but would like to better understand the
reasons for, advantages of, and possible uses.
**********************************
Anyhow your post seems to imply that the Folder Pairs thing is pretty
much about when you save web pages for off line viewing, and of course
in order to do that you have to save the graphics files etc. and a
folder is created to store that stuff that is accessed via the saved
web page .htm file.

My question here,

Re: Organize application info 3 places Favorites, My Documents, My
Programs

has nothing to do with saved web pages for offline viewing.

I'll elaborate by example.

Take MS Outlook the program.

Its installed on my computer, so naturally it appears in my Start /
Programs hierarchy.

Now there are some websites and online user forums and add-on software
vendor sites relating to Outlook, so I probably have web shortcuts or
a whole folder of web shortcuts to these Outlook related sites in my
Favorites hierarchy.

Now maybe I buy one of these add-on's and its a download install, no
CD, so I keep that install files in a folder in My Documents. Also I
glean some tips on how to use Outlook and keep them in little .txt
files, again in My Documents. Maybe I keep my Email Account settings
in a little .txt file in My Documents. I download a .pdf "How to
customize Outlook" written by Joe Blow, and store it in My Documents.

So my point is Outlook related material is stored in three different
places 1) Start / Programs / Outlook 2) Favorites / Outlook 3) My
Documents / Outlook.

I'm thinking this is messy and would like to cut down from 3 to 2 or
even one place to store things related to Outlook or to be able to
view all three things as one entity someplace, some sort of glue to
tie it altogether in some way, other than create two shortcuts in each
of the locations pointing to the other two of the three locations.
John "J.J." Jackson
 
In another post I am asking for help on understanding "Folder Pairs".

I posted with info on the only folder pairs that I know of.
Seems like Windows XP allows you to keep more than one copy of a
folder in more than one place in your system.
Click to expand...

You can fill your hard drive with copies of one folder if you want to. XP
doesn't care how many copies you have or where you store them.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
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