Windows is full of various keyboard shortcuts to do any number of different tasks and functions.  There's the standard copy, paste, cut, open and close shortcuts that almost everyone is familiar with, but what if you could have a keyboard command to play a sound, or open a specific application?  If that's the case, then ObjectDesktop.net has yet another program you'd probably want to check out; Keyboard Launchpad (KLP).

Keyboard Launchpad is a program that allows you to quickly and easily assign hot keys to launch programs, visit URLs, past saved clipboards, control individual programs, perform system commands and more.  With a quick keystroke you could launch your Instant Messenger application, another could take you to your favorite blog site, while another could load up your MP3 collection in your favorite player.

There are two ways to build a keyboard shortcut in Keyboard Launchpad.  First, you could open the KLP configuration screen by double-clicking on the icon in your system tray, and that will allow you to both add new shortcuts or modify existing ones.  The other way is to right click on an icon, select properties and then clicking on the Hotkey tab. 

If you go into the more powerful Configuration screen, you can build hotkeys that include multiple actions.  There are a total of 9 types of actions you can assign, and a single hotkey can take an unlimited number.  So you could have a hotkey built to execute a dozen applications, a handful of system commands, open a few URLs, simulate a few mouse clicks and play some music if you wanted to.

The 9 action types are...

• Link (Shortcut or URL)
  Execute any application, file or URL.
• Clipboard Snippet
  Store a copied image or section of text in a hotkey.  Very useful if you find yourself often having to paste something like a corporate logo or contact information into documents or emails.  The snippet stored in the command remains even if you clear your clipboard or go to copy something else in another program.
• System Command
  Execute a number of standard system commands such as Shutdown, Empty Recycle Bin, Eject CD etc...
• WinAmp Controller
  Use hotkeys to manipulate WinAmp.
• Time Delay
  For hotkeys with a long set of actions, you can build in time delays between actions.  This could be useful if you have an Internet Connect hotkey that dials in to an ISP, waits for the connection to establish, then executes all of your favorite Internet applications.  Time specified in milliseconds.
• KLPlayer
  Just like the WinAmp controls, only for KLPlayer.
• Mouse Click Simulator
  A feature for those with hand/wrist problems and can't click a mouse button, it will simulate either a right, left or middle mouse button click at the current position of the mouse pointer.
• Musicmatch Jukebox Controller
  Just like the WinAmp controls, only for Musicmatch Jukebox.
• Windows Media Player Controller
  Just like the WinAMp controls, only for WMP.

For the power user, this means you can further tune exactly what you have running on your machine.  As a gamer, I want to have as little running on my machine as possible, and I also appreciate a system that can load windows as fast as possible.  Keyboard Launchpad helps me towards this goal by allowing me to strip out almost every application that loads when Windows first starts up.  I can, with a few keystrokes, bring up any subset of programs I want.  So if I plan on doing nothing but gaming, I'll only load the graphics and sound card utilities.  If I'm going to be working on an article like this one, or doing any other sort of office work, I'd load up my standard set of work utilities such as Google Desktop, KeepSafe, Instant Messenger etc...

While a very simple program, it adds a great deal of utility to your system.  It can be much faster to execute programs, navigate folders and issue system commands than by hunting and clicking with your mouse.  Using more keyboard commands can also potentially help cut down on RSI you might experience through excessive mouse clicking.

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A few of the great new features added into the 1.50 release for Object Desktop 2007:

• The "Hotkey" tab from the properties menu
• Added "Close CD-Drive" to system actions
• Actions now execute from top of listing to bottom (first added to last added)
• Added the Time-Delay action. 
• Bundling of WMP, MusicMatch and "Mouse Clicker" plugins
• Sample plugin source (SDK) added.