QuickRun

A lightweight Windows Run-style launcher that lives in your system tray and provides instant command execution via a global Alt+Space hotkey.

Features

• 🚀 Global Hotkey: Toggle the launcher instantly with Alt+Space from anywhere
• 🔍 PATH Resolution: Automatically resolves commands using Windows PATH and PATHEXT
• 🎨 Themes: Choose between Light and Dark themes
• 💾 System Integration:
  • Lives in system tray
  • Start with Windows option
  • Transparent, borderless window
• 🔄 Auto-Updates: Automatic update checking via GitHub releases

Installation

Download

Download the latest installer from the Releases page.

Build from Source

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or later)
• Rust (latest stable)
• pnpm or npm

Steps

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Swatto86/QuickRun.git
cd QuickRun

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run tauri dev

# Build for production
npm run tauri build

The installer will be created in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/nsis/.

Usage

Basic Commands

1. Press Alt+Space to open the launcher
2. Type your command (e.g., notepad, calc, cmd)
3. Press Enter to execute
4. The launcher will automatically hide after execution

Examples

• notepad - Opens Notepad
• calc - Opens Calculator
• cmd - Opens Command Prompt
• chrome - Opens Google Chrome (if installed)
• code - Opens VS Code (if in PATH)

Settings

Right-click the system tray icon and select Settings to access:

• Start with Windows: Launch QuickRun automatically on system startup
• Light Mode: Toggle between dark and light themes

About

Right-click the system tray icon and select About to:

• View current version
• Check for updates
• Access GitHub repository

Development

Project Structure

QuickRun/
├── src/                    # Frontend TypeScript/HTML/CSS
│   ├── main.ts            # Launcher window logic
│   ├── settings.ts        # Settings window logic
│   ├── about.ts           # About window logic
│   └── styles.css         # Global styles
├── src-tauri/             # Rust backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── lib.rs         # Main application setup
│   │   ├── runner.rs      # Command execution logic
│   │   └── updater.rs     # Update checking logic
│   ├── icons/             # Application icons
│   └── Cargo.toml         # Rust dependencies
└── update-application.ps1  # Release automation script

Key Technologies

• Frontend: Vanilla TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3
• Backend: Rust with Tauri v2
• Platform APIs:
  • Windows Registry (startup settings)
  • Global shortcuts (Alt+Space)
  • System tray integration

Making Changes

The application uses Tauri's hot-reload during development:

npm run tauri dev

Changes to TypeScript/HTML/CSS will reload automatically. Rust changes require recompilation.

Releasing

Use the included PowerShell script to create a new release:

.\update-application.ps1 -Version "1.0.0" -Notes "Release notes here"

This will:

1. Update version numbers in all config files
2. Create a Git tag
3. Push to GitHub (triggering CI/CD if configured)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author

Swatto

• GitHub: @Swatto86
• Repository: QuickRun

Acknowledgments

• Built with Tauri
• Inspired by Windows Run dialog and other launcher applications

---

Note: This application is currently Windows-only due to its reliance on Windows-specific APIs (PATH resolution, registry, etc.)