Add Start Button Actions mod

[Asteski]

Start Button Actions

This mod allows you to assign custom actions to various Start button clicks and Windows key press while preserving all default Windows key combinations (Win+R, Win+L, Win+D, etc.).

Features

• Start Button Click Actions: Configure different actions for left-click, right-click, middle-click, Shift+click, and Ctrl+click on the Start button
• Windows Key Custom Action: Run any command when pressing Windows key alone
• Preserves All Shortcuts: All Windows key combinations (Win+R, Win+L, Win+D, etc.) continue to work normally
• Environment Variables: Support for environment variables in custom commands (e.g., %USERPROFILE%)

Settings

Start Button Actions

Each type of click on the Start button can be configured independently:

• Left Click: Default Start menu behavior or custom command
• Right Click: Default WinX menu behavior or custom command
• Middle Click: Custom command or disabled
• Shift+Left Click: Custom command or disabled
• Ctrl+Left Click: Custom command or disabled

Windows Key Action

• Default: Opens the default Windows start menu
• Custom Command: Executes a custom command specified below
• Disabled: Windows key behaves normally (no custom action)

Elevation for Custom Commands

• Run Custom Actions As: Choose whether custom commands run as standard user (unelevated) or as administrator. When Windhawk runs elevated, selecting "Standard user" ensures your commands run without admin rights.

Command Examples

• notepad.exe - Opens Notepad
• cmd.exe - Opens Command Prompt
• %PROGRAMFILES%\Everything\Everything.exe - Launch Everything search
• powershell.exe -Command "Get-Process" - PowerShell command

How It Works

The mod installs low-level keyboard and mouse hooks that monitor Start button clicks and Windows key events:

1. Start Button: Detects mouse clicks and modifier keys, executes configured actions
2. Windows Key: Detects solo key press vs combinations, executes custom action only when pressed alone
3. All default Windows functionality is preserved

Compatibility

• Works on Windows 10 and Windows 11
• Does not interfere with existing Windows functionality
• Can be safely disabled/enabled without system restart

Issues

• Custom action bound to the Windows key doesn’t activate on the first attempt when an elevated window is in focus

[Asteski]

@m417z I was wondering how to tackle issue with windows key I've mentioned in the readme. Should I remove that option from the mod, keep it or maybe you'd have an idea how to solve it. It works somehow in Open-Shell-Menu, but couldn't figure out how to solve that problem.

[m417z]

This doesn't look right, the start menu isn't part of explorer.exe, and the mod only targets explorer.exe. How does this work?

[m417z]

Is the assumption here that the current process is elevated? explorer.exe is normally not elevated.

[m417z]

This function is unused.

[m417z]

This function is unused.

[m417z]

@m417z I was wondering how to tackle issue with windows key I've mentioned in the readme. Should I remove that option from the mod, keep it or maybe you'd have an idea how to solve it. It works somehow in Open-Shell-Menu, but couldn't figure out how to solve that problem.

Normally, a non-elevated process can't simulate keyboard/mouse events as long as an elevated window is on the foreground. That's a security measure. I don't think there's a workaround for it.