Application Launcher
Metadata Utility comes with an ‘Application Launcher’ which allows you to launch your favorite programs directly from within Metadata Utility.
With the default Metadata Utility, we are providing with some examples of Applications that can be launched (some applications may not launch through Application Launcher correctly. See Notes in this Section for more Details).
From the Main Switchboard, click on ‘Maintenance Switchboard’
click on ‘Look Up Maintenance Switchboard’
click on ‘Application Launcher’
To Add/Edit new Programs, double click on the ‘Program Name’ field to unlock/edit
Fields:
‘Program Name’
Given Name of the Program
‘Open’
Button will launch the program
Active
Click to select
(Programs in the list that are Not marked active will be automatically hidden in Metadata Utility)
‘Program Location’
Enter the location. For Example, for Microsoft Word, or use the ‘ – – – ‘ Button (see immediately below).
‘ – – – ‘
Browse to location Button.
(Neither single or double quotes needed – even if three are spaces in the path/program location –Metadata Utility will automatically enclose all Program Location(s) in within double quotes )
To restore Metadata Utility’s Application Launcher to it’s normal (and locked) size, double click in the Program Location
From this:
To this:
Notes:
-Application Launcher MUST NOT be used to launch any Scripts (Batch, VB Script, VBA, etc).
-Do NOT use Windows global (or local) variables in the path for any given program. Always use the real and properly formatted path to any given program.
-Do NOT enclose the Path in double (or single) quotes –even if the path has spaces in it, Metadata Utility will ‘add’ the double quotes to enclose any given path automatically–
Example:
Application Launcher Correct path: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe
Application Launcher Incorrect path – DO NOT USE: %ProgramFiles%\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe
-Not ‘all’ programs may be able to be launched with Application Launcher. This applies especially to programs that enable secondary functions
Example
Path for an Old Version of Skype, Version 7.x (no longer functional) to launch a secondary profile, which worked!): C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\Skype.exe /Secondary
Path a current Version of Skype version 8.x to launch a secondary profile, does NOT work!: C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft\Skype for Desktop\Skype.exe” –secondary –datapath=”%AppData%\Microsoft\Skype for Desktop\z02
However, as mentioned and with this particular example in Skype, on the ‘current’ Version, 8.x, launching Skype using the normal path without additional parameters, will work : D:
C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft\Skype for Desktop\Skype.exe.
For those users that have updated Metadata Utility (any Version from 2010 or newer), those users will notice the ’64b’ and ’32b’ Buttons next to the ‘Close’ Button when the Programs Window is in Edit Mode (Expanded view).
Though Programs can be listed in any available record, due to requests, to make it easy for users that have 32 and 64 bit Versions of Windows, we’ve made available for those users that ability with a simple click to have either all Programs for a 32-bit Version of Windows or 64-bit Version of Windows, just with a single click switch between the two.
For this functionality to work, then users need to do the following:
-All Programs that are common to 32-bit and 64-bit Versions of Windows should be listed between Record ID 1 and 500
-All 32-bit Specific Programs should be listed between Records ID 500 and 999
-All 64-bit Specific Programs should be listed between Records ID 1000 and beyond
Metadata Utility comes with a default set-up/sample of Programs to show users how those programs should be grouped and listed.
By Clicking on the appropriate Button (either ’64b’ or ’32b’) users then can easily activate all appropriate either 32-bit or 64-bit programs
