I find when I get into my work I seldom use the mouse, and launching apps is a real pain without the mouse.  Fortunately, you can create shortcuts to Run Applications in both Windows and Linux.  Here is the definitive guide on how to configure both OS’es to launch an app at the push of a button.

Ubuntu includes a very limited shortcut key configuration utility which doesn’t allow you to assign hotkeys to your own applications or scripts. To get around this limitation, we can use the built-in gconf-editor utility to assign them ourselves.

First you’ll want to load up gconf-editor by typing it into the Alt+F2 Run dialog.

Windows users will feel at home with this utility since it is very much like Regedit. Once in the application, navigate to the following key.

apps metacity keybinding_commands

You’ll notice a bunch of values on the right. These are the available commands that you can create for assigning to shortcut keys in the next step.

Double-click on command_1 and enter in the full path to your script or executable that you are trying to run. (Note that you can use the which command from the shell to find the path most of the time)

Now navigate to the key "global_keybindings", which is directly above the one we were on.

Here you will want to select run_command_1. Enter in the shortcut key in plain text. For instance, for Alt+B, you’ll do <Alt>B. You could use <Ctrl>T or <Alt><Ctrl>T, or whatever you want to assign to the key.

You can also create custom commands in the keybinding_commands and assign them in the global_keybindings if you want. Just remember that the keybindings will start with run_(name of command).

In the Windows world you are doing something similar.  You can launch any .exe file as long as it’s in your system path and it has to have a shortcut to the app on your desktop.

We’ll use Firefox as an example.  Right click your Firefox Desktop shortcut and go to Properties.

Notice the Shortcut Key section?  That’s where you type in the key controls to launch the app.  I’ve selected Ctrl-Alt-F as my shortcut to the app.  So whenever I depress that key combination Firefox will launch.  This works with any program including the Command Prompt.

Tags | General, Linux, Microsoft, Ubuntu, Windows Vista, Windows XP