• Options
• Login
• Register
• Desktop Style
• Accelerated Mobile Pages Theme

Expand user variable in URL?

• Index

  • Jean Lalonde Support Forum
  • QUICK ACCESS POPUP FORUM
  • QAP SUPPORT
  • Expand user variable in URL?
• Expand user variable in URL?

• Expand user variable in URL?

  kunkel321 > 2021-11-09 08:57

  This might be a good feature....
  In Chrome browser, I have two different profiles (home and work).  Certain websites have to be opened with the correct profile.  You can see in the yellow-highlighted area of the picture, that I've learned to capture the application path and command line parameters needed to launch a page with the needed profile.  
  
  It would be good it that information could be put in a {UserVariable} and re-used like in the green-highlighted part.  
  
  NOTE:  This variable also makes QAP unable to retrieve a site's FaveIcon, so for that purpose, the variable would need to be ignored (I think...) 
  
  
  
  

  ---

  FYI:  Tip for newbs like me....
  If you want to capture the information indicated above:
  1. Go to Chrome's settings > More tools > Create shortcut.  This will create a shortcut that is placed on your desktop.  
  2. Locate and Right-click the shortcut > click "Properties" (bottom of context menu).
  3. In the Shortcut Tab > Find the "Target" edit field and copy the target.  
  4. Delete the shortcut if you want. 
  
  This contains the path to Chrome + the command line parameter as indicated above.  For some purposes, it might be relevant that the shortcut which is created is an "application" shortcut and not a "website" shortcut.  QAP seems to handle it fine though... 
  
  
  

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  joeNOR > 2021-11-09 11:32

  Hi!
  
  Sorry in advance if I misunderstand this, but couldn't you just use a favorite of type "Application"?
  
  Just put the variable, {webhome} (change it to only point to the chrome.exe) , in the Application (path and file name) field, create a second variable {profilework} / {profilehome} with the --profile...switch, and put that variable and the URL in the Parameters field under "Advanced Settings".
  
  Regards,
  joeNOR

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  Jean Lalonde > 2021-11-09 16:50

  Hi Steve,
  
  User variables *are* expanded in link's URLs. However, they can't include the path to the application as you would like to do.
  
  In your case, what you can do is one of these two approaches:
  
  - as Joe suggested, create an Application favorite and put the Chrome parameters (--profile...) and the URL in the parameters field
  or
  - create an URL favorite with the URL in the location (Basic Settings tab) and, in the Advanced Settings tab, the path to chrome.exe in the "Launch with" field and the additional Chrome parameters (--profile...) in the "Parameters" field.
  
  About user variables, if you use the same settings file on two systems (via a Shared menu, for example), another approach would be to:
  - in "Options, User Variables", create a variable named {ChromeProfile} on your two systems. On your work system, fill the variable with "Default" and, on the home system, you would enter "Profile 2"
  - then, in your Links favorites, you could use this variable in the Parameters fields as: --profile-directory={ChromeProfile}.
  
  You may need a few tries to find the correct way to enclose (or not) the values with double-quotes correctly.
  
  Jean

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  kunkel321 > 2021-11-09 17:30

  (2021-11-09 17:30)kunkel321 Wrote: Thanks for the replies fellas.  I will try these ideas.  I think it will probably be better if I can base the setup on a web URL favorite, because that way I can more easily get the FaveIcon for the site.
  

  ---

  
  [few minutes later]  Might have found a bug(?)  I tried pasting 
  

  Quote:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --profile-directory="Profile 2"

   
  into the "Launch with" box of Advanced Settings.  When I try to run the favorite, I get the below error message.  I noticed that the path starts with "C:\PortableApps\quickaccesspopup\" which is the location of my QAP app.  Should that be there??
  
  Note that I tried putting the command switch "--profile-directory="Profile 2"" into the "parameters" location in Advanced Settings.   That didn't fix it.  
  
  I did retrieve the FaveIcon of the site prior to going to Advanced Settings.  Maybe the path in some temp variable from that got carried over to the "Launch with this application" variable??  IDK.  
  
  
  

  Quote:---------------------------
  "Launch with" application does not exist - Quick Access Popup
  ---------------------------
  "Launch with this application" file not found:
  
  C:\PortableApps\quickaccesspopup\"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --profile-directory="Profile 2"
  
  Check the favorite's advanced settings. Do you want to edit this favorite?
  ---------------------------
  Yes  No 
  ---------------------------

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  Jean Lalonde > 2021-11-09 18:14

  Launch with: C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe (no quotes)
  Parameters: try each of these
  "--profile-directory=Profile 2"
  --profile-directory="Profile 2"
  --profile-directory=Profile 2
  
  Double-quoting parameters can be tricky and there is not always "one-for-all" good way to do it because it depends on how the target app parses them.

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  joeNOR > 2021-11-10 02:04

  It is something very strange in the way QAP parses the command line (Launch with this application) and parameters when using a favorite of type Link/URL.
  (Or at least something I'm not able to get a handle on).
  
  Consider this command line:
  

  Code:

  C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Vivaldi\Application\vivaldi.exe --incognito https://forum.quickaccesspopup.com/

  
  It works perfectly fine from the windows command line, but no matter what various combinations I try with quoting, not quoting, assigning the command line and parameters to uservars, QAP throws an error.
  
  So I created a simple batch file containing just one line.
  vivaldistart.cmd
  

  Code:

  START C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Vivaldi\Application\vivaldi.exe --incognito %1

  
  In the Launch with this application field I put the batch file.
  

  Code:

  C:\Test\vivaldistart.cmd

  
  The favorite now works as expected.
  
  Still haven't solved the black magic of the parsing though....
  
  Btw, Vivaldi like Chrome also uses the Chromium engine.
  
  Regards,
  joeNOR

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  Jean Lalonde > 2021-11-10 08:42

  For "Link" or "Document" favorites, QAP will insert the "Launch with this application" content at the beginning of the command line. This field must contain the path to the application *without any parameter, and without quotes*. After that path, QAP will insert the URL of the Link (or the path of the Document) as if it was a parameter and will add the other parameters in the "Parameters" field.
  
  
  
  To check this, have you  used the new "Debug this favorite" option (in favorite's "Basic Settings" tab)? Enable this debugging feature in "Options, Various Advanced Options".
  
  
  
  Instead of launching the favorite, QAP will display the command line (and Start In folder if it applies), with placeholders and user variables expanded:
  
  

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  joeNOR > 2021-11-10 09:19

  The command line is correct but QAP still throws the "An error occurred...." error if the --incognito switch is in the Parameters field.
  
  If I remove the switch, the favorite works.
  
  Not a big deal for me because I don't use Link favorites that way, but there is something peculiar going on.
  
  EDIT:
  I had quick look with Process Monitor and:
  
  With the switch in the Parameters field QAP generates a lot of NAME INVALID messages on the file system when calling vivaldi.exe.
  
  WithOUT the switch I get a few (and normal) SUCCESS messages and the browser starts.
  
  -jN

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  Jean Lalonde > 2021-11-10 09:44

  Oops! This is a bug. It happens when the "Launch with" and "Parameters" options are used.
  
  This was not happening in my development environment because I was tweaking this area of code without realizing it was a bug in the current release.
  
  I just released v11.5.2.1 that fixes it:
  https://forum.quickaccesspopup.com/showt...71#pid4471

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  Jean Lalonde > 2021-11-10 09:47

  > With the switch in the Parameters field QAP generates a lot of NAME INVALID messages on the file system when calling vivaldi.exe.
  
  The invalid name was probably caused by an extra (unwanted) character inserted by the bug at the beginning of the command line. You should be able to confirm that this is now fixed in v11.5.2.1.
  
  Thanks Joe.

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  joeNOR > 2021-11-10 12:22

  Confirmed!
  
  Problem solved in v.11.5.2.1
  
  -jN
  

  ---

  Also works with uservars in both the "launch with...." and Parameters field.
  
  I would guess that kunkel321's problem is sorted with this fix.
  
  -jN

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  kunkel321 > 2021-11-12 15:04

  (2021-11-09 18:14)Jean Lalonde Wrote: Launch with: C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe (no quotes)
  Parameters: try each of these
  "--profile-directory=Profile 2"
  --profile-directory="Profile 2"
  --profile-directory=Profile 2
  
  Double-quoting parameters can be tricky and there is not always "one-for-all" good way to do it because it depends on how the target app parses them.

  
  Thanks for the replies Fellas.  I did try the above permutations without luck.  
  
  I hadn't previously noticed the [ ] Debug option.  I tried that and noticed that, with userVariables, equal signs (and everything right of them) get left off when the variable is expanded.  So I tried the below setup (with nothing in the Advanced Tab) and it does seem to work.  
  
  

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  Jean Lalonde > 2021-11-12 16:59

  > equal signs (and everything right of them) get left off when the variable is expanded
  
  You meant "and everything left of them"
  
  > So I tried the below setup (with nothing in the Advanced Tab) and it does seem to work.
  
  This is not the expected way to setup a link favorite but it's a good thing if it works. This being said, the expected way to do it (and I tested it and it works for me) is:
  
  Basic Settings tab / Link (URL): https://www.QuickAccessPopup.com
  Advanced Settings / Launch with this application: C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
  Advanced Settings / Parameters: --profile-directory={Chrome Profile}
  
  In User variables:
  {Chrome Profile}="Default"

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  kunkel321 > 2021-11-12 17:43

  >> equal signs (and everything right of them) get left off when the variable is expanded
  >You meant "and everything left of them"
  
  Yes, that too...  But check this out too:
  UserVariable
  {sample}="C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --profile-directory="Profile 2"
  (notice the equal sign after "directory")
  
  URL in favorite
  {sample} http://forum.quickaccesspopup.com/index.php
  
  And result when I use the debug feature:
  ---------------------------
  Debug Favorite
  ---------------------------
  Command with placeholders and user variables inserted:
  
  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --profile-directory http://forum.quickaccesspopup.com/index.php
  
  To execute this command, turn off the "Debug Favorite" option in favorite's "Basic Settings" tab
  ---------------------------
  OK 
  ---------------------------
  
  Notice that the content of the expanded variable ends at "directory."  It doesn't have ="Profile 2"
  
  I'm guessing that you use iniRead and iniWrite for the userVariables(?)  I looked it up, and I don't think that equal signs are allowed in ini key values (not positive though).

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  joeNOR > 2021-11-12 18:04

  This is "undefined" behavior in QAP.
  
  With the uservar and the URL in the same field, you explicitly gives QAP an executable+options+URL string where QAP expects a pure URL.
  
  The way you set up that command line is suitable in favorites of type "Application".
  
  -jN

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  Jean Lalonde > 2021-11-12 18:20

  > Notice that the content of the expanded variable ends at "directory." It doesn't have ="Profile 2"
  
  Oh! This is a bug. I did not anticipate that scenario. I'll have a quick fix for this in the next release. Thanks for reporting it :-)

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  joeNOR > 2021-11-12 18:33

  >Oh! This is a bug. I did not anticipate that scenario. I'll have a quick fix for this in the next release. Thanks for reporting it :-)
  
  Does this mean that a favorite of type Link basically can/should function as an Application favorite, ie cramming everything into the URL field (with the added benefit of things like grabbing the favicon)?
  
  -jN

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  Jean Lalonde > 2021-11-13 08:21

  (2021-11-12 18:33)joeNOR Wrote: >Oh! This is a bug. I did not anticipate that scenario. I'll have a quick fix for this in the next release. Thanks for reporting it :-)
  
  Does this mean that a favorite of type Link basically can/should function as  an Application favorite, ie cramming everything into the URL field (with the added benefit of things like grabbing the favicon)?
  
  -jN

  
  My comment was only about the use of "=" inside the content of a user variable. This is not related to the main topic of this thread.
  
  About putting everything (executable path, URL and other parameters) in the Link URL field works, this in an "undocumented" way of using QAP. There is no guarantee it will always work or that it will not have side effects elsewhere in the code. For example, retrieving the site's favicon will not work if the URL is surrounded with the executable path and other parameters.

• RE: Expand user variable in URL?

  kunkel321 > 2021-11-22 09:48

  This seems to work perfectly in the new Beta, by the way
• Next Oldest Next Newest