trutility is a system-tray launcher utility for Windows.
It builds a dynamic right-click menu from two watched folders - a shared Global folder
and a per-user User folder - so shortcuts, scripts, RDP connections, and management
consoles are always one click away from the notification area.
The menu refreshes automatically when files are added or removed, shell integration lets
you add any file directly from Explorer, and all settings are stored in the registry with
per-machine defaults and per-user overrides.
Core Features
Feature
Description
System tray launcher
Persistent NotifyIcon; right-click or left-click opens the dynamic launch menu
Dual-folder architecture
Scans a Global folder (all users) and a User folder (current user); user entries override global entries with the same name
Folder-mirrored submenus
Subfolder hierarchy is reflected as nested submenus; files appear above subfolders within each level
Live file monitoring
FileSystemWatcher on both roots; menu rebuilds automatically on any change with a 400 ms debounce
Shell context menu integration
Right-click any file or folder in Explorer → “Add to trutility” copies it as a shortcut to the User folder
Separator suffixes
Append $^, $_, or $^_ to a filename stem to insert dividers above, below, or both sides of that item
Mouse modifiers
Normal click = launch; Shift+click = Run As Administrator; Ctrl+click = delete from User folder
Startup management
Optionally create a per-user startup shortcut via the Settings dialog
Tray icon pinning
Optionally keep the icon permanently visible in the notification area (sets IsPromoted = 1 via registry)
Single-instance protection
Named mutex prevents multiple tray instances from running simultaneously
CLI add command
trutility.exe --add "path" creates a shortcut in the User folder and exits - used by the shell verb
Policy support
HKLM registry keys set machine-wide defaults; HKCU overrides per user - suitable for enterprise deployment
CLI Commands
trutility.exe [options]
Command
Description
(no args)
Launch the system-tray GUI
--add "path"
Create a .lnk shortcut for the given file or folder in the User folder, then exit (no GUI launched)
Global folder is scanned first; User folder is scanned second.
If both folders contain an entry with the same name, the User entry takes precedence.
A visual separator is automatically inserted between the global and user sections when both have content.
Supported File Types
Any shell-executable file is supported. Extensions .lnk and .url are hidden from the
display name (the shortcut name is shown without the extension); all other extensions are
shown as-is.
Type
Example
Notes
Executable
tool.exe
Shown as “tool.exe”
MMC snap-in
eventvwr.msc
Shown as “eventvwr.msc”
RDP session
server01.rdp
Shown as “server01.rdp”
Windows shortcut
Notepad.lnk
Shown as “Notepad” (extension hidden)
Internet shortcut
Portal.url
Shown as “Portal” (extension hidden)
Separator Suffixes
Append a suffix to the filename stem (before the extension) to place separator lines
around an item in the menu.
Suffix
Effect
$^
Separator above the item
$_
Separator below the item
$^_ or $_^
Separators above and below the item
Example: a file named GPUpdate$^.lnk displays as “GPUpdate” with a divider line above it.
File Filtering
The following files are ignored during scanning and never appear in the menu:
desktop.ini
thumbs.db
Mouse Modifiers
Action
Result
Click
Launch the item normally
Shift + Click
Launch elevated (Run As Administrator; UAC prompt if required)
Ctrl + Click
Delete the item from the User folder immediately, with no confirmation prompt. Items from the Global folder cannot be deleted via this shortcut.
Settings
Settings are stored in the Windows registry under
HKCU\SOFTWARE\trutility (user preferences)
and HKLM\SOFTWARE\trutility (machine-wide policy defaults).
The Settings dialog is accessible from the tray icon’s context menu.
HKCU values take priority over HKLM.
HKLM keys are intended for enterprise deployments where an administrator sets
default values via Group Policy or a deployment script.
Setting
Key
Type
Description
User folder root
UserRoot (HKCU)
String
Custom path for per-user shortcuts. Falls back to HKLM\UserRoot, then %MyDocuments%\trutility
Global folder root
GlobalRoot (HKLM)
String
Custom path for shared shortcuts. Falls back to %ProgramFiles%\trutility
Shell context menu
AddToShell
DWORD
1 = register “Add to trutility” in Explorer for files and folders; 0 = unregister
Run at startup
(Startup folder shortcut)
LNK file
Creates or removes a shortcut in the user’s Startup folder via WScript.Shell
Pin icon to tray
PinToTray
DWORD
1 = sets IsPromoted = 1 under NotifyIconSettings so the icon is always visible; 0 = default Windows behaviour
System Tray & GUI
Tray Menu Structure
[Global folder items]
──────────────────── (thick class separator when both folders configured)
[User folder items]
────────────────────
Settings / About
Exit
Tray Menu Items
Menu Item
Description
File items
Each file in the watched folders appears as a clickable menu entry with its shell icon (16×16)
Subfolder items
Subfolders appear as submenus mirroring the folder hierarchy
Settings / About
Opens the Settings & About dialog
Exit
Closes trutility
Settings & About Dialog
Info area - version, author, contact, and brief usage instructions
Settings group - three checkboxes:
Enable “Add to trutility” in Explorer context menu
Run at startup (checkbox is disabled when a machine-level policy is applied)
Pin icon to tray
User folder location group - displays the current User folder path, with a “Change…” button (opens FolderBrowserDialog) and a “Reset” button (removes the HKCU override, reverting to the default path)
Action buttons:
“Open Global folder” - opens the Global folder in Explorer
“Open User folder” - opens the User folder in Explorer
“OK” - saves all settings and closes the dialog
Shell Context Menu Integration
When enabled, trutility registers shell verbs so that any file or folder in Windows
Explorer has an “Add to trutility” option in its right-click menu.