除了拥有有史以来最酷的系统实用程序名称外，PowerToys与(PowerToys)Windows有着悠久的历史。适用于Windows的(Windows)PowerToys在(PowerToys)Windows 95中首次亮相，以帮助优化和自定义您的Windows操作系统 (OS)。
那时，这些功能是高科技魔法。您可能已经使用TweakUI 来帮助您自定义 Windows XP 界面或FlexiCD以让您从任务栏播放音乐 CD。现在，90 年代的传统PowerToy(PowerToys)几乎都融入了Windows，或者通过不同的应用程序轻松添加。
然而，微软(Microsoft)已经为Windows 10复活了PowerToys。他们还接受了新的开源立场，并充分利用了对 GitHub 的收购(getting the most out of their acquisition of GitHub)。作为开源，您可以将自己的功能添加到PowerToys。更有可能的是，会有开发人员添加微软(Microsoft)可能从未想过要制作的新功能。
下载和安装适用于 Windows 10 的 PowerToys(Downloading & Installing PowerToys For Windows 10)
前往此链接(this link)。将列出一些版本，最上面的版本是最新版本。查找PowerToysSetup.msi并单击以下载安装程序。如果您对使用源代码感兴趣，请单击源代码 (zip)(Source code (zip))或源代码 (tar.gz(Source code (tar.gz) )。
下载PowerToysSetup.msi后(PowerToysSetup.msi)，双击安装它，就像安装任何其他程序一样。有关于安装位置、创建桌面快捷方式以及在Windows启动时运行的选项。默认选项应该适合大多数人。
安装并运行后，PowerToys将按时钟在系统托盘中运行。单击(Click)图标打开PowerToys 常规设置(PowerToys General Settings)。
您将看到的第一个设置允许您打开或关闭单个PowerToys。在常规设置窗口的左侧，您可以访问PowerToy特定设置。
PowerToy 花式区域(PowerToy Fancy Zones)
Fancy Zones被称为“创建窗口布局以帮助简化多任务处理”的一种方式。如果你在几个程序中工作，你需要在它们之间来回切换，它可以让你的生活更轻松一些。
- 要使用Fancy Zones，请使用快捷键组合Win Key + ~启动编辑器。那是波浪键，靠近大多数键盘的左上角。
- 选择区域模板。对于此示例，我们选择了三个相等的列。当您选择布局时，它会在您的屏幕上预览它的外观。
- 看到背景中有三个透明区域吗？那是预览。单击(Click)应用(Apply )按钮以设置布局。
- 按住 shift 键，然后单击并按住任何程序的顶栏。将其拖过屏幕。当您进入不同的区域时，它将符合该区域。释放鼠标按钮将其放在您想要的区域中。
- 用三个不同的程序来做这件事，你会看到区域是如何工作的。
电源重命名(PowerRename)
通过在右键菜单中添加一项功能，PowerRename为您提供了一种批量重命名文件或文件夹的方法。您可以通过简单的查找和替换甚至更强大的正则表达式来做到这一点。
在下图中，您可以看到重命名一本书的一系列章节中的所有文件是多么简单。
- 首先，选择所有需要重命名的文件。然后，右键单击并在上下文菜单中选择PowerRename 。
- PowerRename窗口(PowerRename)将打开。提供了几个选项。对于这个例子，我们坚持基本的Match All Occurrences。最强大的选项是使用正则表达式(Use Regular Expressions)。
- 如果您知道或学习过正则表达式，您几乎可以使用此工具完成任何您能想到的重命名任务。如果您在处理任何类型的文本时使用任何语言进行任何编程，那么正则表达式非常适合学习。
- 当您在“搜索：”(Search for:)和“替换为：(Replace with:) ”字段中键入内容时，您将在窗口底部看到更改的预览。这是在您通过单击重命名(Rename )按钮提交更改之前防止错误的好方法。单击按钮后，立即进行更改。
捷径指南(Shortcut Guide)
在Windows(Windows)的三个PowerTools中，Shortcut Guide绝对应该成为Windows的常规部分。这是最常见的 Windows 快捷方式(cheat sheet to the most common Windows shortcuts)的即时备忘单。激活后，您只需按住Windows键约一秒钟。屏幕上将出现一个透明覆盖层，显示Windows快捷方式。
- 要使用任何快捷键，请按住Windows键并按下显示的相应快捷键。例如，如果您想打开Windows 资源管理器(Windows Explorer)，您可以按住Windows键，然后按 D 键。
请密切注意(Pay)快捷指南(Shortcut Guide)的底部。看看这些数字如何与当前打开的程序对齐？它向您展示了您可以使用Windows键和相应的数字键在这些程序之间跳转。
在下面的示例中，1 打开Edge Web 浏览器，2 打开文件资源管理器(File Explorer)，3 打开Windows 应用商店(Windows Store)，依此类推。
更多 PowerToys？(More PowerToys?)
目前，只有三个PowerToy(PowerToys)。但是，更旧的版本有 20 多个工具。另外，这是一个开源项目，所以期待看到更多由微软(Microsoft)和独立开发人员 添加的PowerToy 。(PowerToys)
目前还有另外三个正在开发中；最大化到新桌面、进程终止工具(Maximize to New Desktop, Process Terminate Tool)和动画 GIF 屏幕录像机(Animated GIF Screen Recorder)。
最大化(Maximize)到新桌面(New Desktop)将允许您创建一个新桌面并将该应用程序发送到新桌面，完全最大化大小。目前还没有预览。
Process Terminate Tool ( PTT ) 将提供一个快捷方式来快速终止正在运行的程序。使用组合Alt + F4已经可以对当前具有焦点的任何程序执行此操作，那么PTT的意义何在？
当程序没有响应并且无法通过常规方式或通过任务管理器(Task Manager)关闭时，它将起作用。这也比从命令行杀死进程(killing a process from the command line)要容易得多。
提议是用户将使用Alt + Shift + XPTT。在PTT窗口中，用户单击并按住鼠标左键并将其拖到他们想要杀死的程序上。
你确定要杀死这个程序吗( Are you sure you want to kill this program? )？提示将打开，用户可以选择Yes或No。下图显示了来自GitHub 上的 Process Terminate Tool 页面(Process Terminate Tool page on GitHub)的原型。
动画 GIF 屏幕录像机可以满足(Animated GIF Screen Recorder)您的需求。该工具将用于捕获屏幕的任何区域并生成那里正在发生的事情的动画GIF 。
除了更容易创建模因之外，制作动画GIF(GIFs)是一种向人们展示如何在计算机上做事的好方法，而无需编写很多内容。下图显示了屏幕录像机的原型。这是来自GitHub 上的 Animated GIF Maker 规范页面(Animated GIF Maker spec page on GitHub)。
这就是全部？(Is That All?)
考虑到微软(Microsoft)对开源哲学来说是一种新事物，他们真的接受了它。除了已经发布的三个工具和三个正在准备中的工具外，还有另外十个工具在他们的待办列表中。
因此，16 个免费的Windows版 PowerToys(PowerToys)确实值得赞赏，任何能让您的工作更轻松的东西总是受欢迎的。
PowerToys For Windows 10 & How To Use Them
Besides having the coolest namе fоr system utilities ever, PowerToys have a long history with Windows. PowerToys for Windows made their debut back in Windows 95 to aid in the optimizatіon and customization of your Windows operating system (OS).
Back then, these features were high-tech wizardry. You may have used TweakUI to help you customize the Windows XP interface or FlexiCD to let you play a music CD from the taskbar. Now, the traditional PowerToys from the 90s are pretty much all baked into Windows or easily added through different apps.
Yet, Microsoft has resurrected PowerToys for Windows 10. They’ve also embraced their new open-source stance and getting the most out of their acquisition of GitHub. Being open-source, you can add your own functionality to PowerToys. More likely, there will be developers who add new features that Microsoft might never have thought to make.
Downloading & Installing PowerToys For Windows 10
Head over to this link.There will be a few releases listed, the top one is the most recent one. Look for PowerToysSetup.msi and click on that to download the installer. If you’re interested in working with the source code, click on either Source code (zip) or Source code (tar.gz).
Once PowerToysSetup.msi is downloaded, double-click to install it like any other program. There are options about where to install it, create a desktop shortcut, and run when Windows starts. The default options should be good for most people.
When installed and running, PowerToys will run in the system tray by the clock. Click on the icon to open the PowerToys General Settings.
The first settings you’ll see allow you to turn on or off the individual PowerToys. On the left side of the general settings window, you can access PowerToy specific settings.
PowerToy Fancy Zones
Fancy Zones is billed as a way to “create window layouts to help make multi-tasking easy.” If you’re working in a few programs you need to jump back and forth between, it could make your life a little easier.
- To use Fancy Zones, launch the editor by using the shortcut key combination Win Key + ~. That’s the tilde key, near the top-left of most keyboards.
- Choose a zone template. For this example, we chose three equal columns. When you choose a layout, it will preview on your screen what that will look like.
- See in the background that there are three transparent zones? That’s the preview. Click on the Apply button to set the layout.
- Press and hold the shift key, and click and hold on the top-bar of any program. Drag it across the screen. As you pass into the different zones, it will conform to that zone. Release the mouse button to drop it in the zone you want.
- Do that with three different programs and you’ll see how zones work.
PowerRename
By adding a feature to your right-click menu, PowerRename gives you a way to rename files or folders in bulk. You can do this through simple find-and-replace or even more powerful regular expressions.
In the image below, you can see how simple it would be to rename all the files in a series of chapters of a book.
- First, select all the files that need to be renamed. Then, right-click and select PowerRename in the context menu.
- The PowerRename window will open. There are several options provided. For this example, we’re sticking to the basic Match All Occurrences. The most powerful option is the Use Regular Expressions.
- If you know or learn regular expressions, you can do just about any renaming task you could ever think of with this tool. Regular expressions are great to learn if you do any programming at all, in any language, when working with texts of any kind.
- As you type in the Search for: and Replace with: fields, you’ll see a preview of the changes in the bottom part of the window. This is a great way to prevent mistakes before you commit to the change by clicking on the Rename button. Once you click the button, the changes are instantly made.
Shortcut Guide
Of the three PowerTools for Windows, Shortcut Guide is the one that should definitely be made a regular part of Windows. It’s an instant cheat sheet to the most common Windows shortcuts. When activated, all you have to do is hold down the Windows key for about a second. A transparent overlay will appear on your screen showing you Windows shortcuts.
- To use any of the shortcuts, hold down the Windows key and press the corresponding shortcut key shown. For example, if you wanted to open Windows Explorer, you would press and hold the Windows key and then press the D key.
Pay close attention to the bottom of the Shortcut Guide. See how the numbers line up with the programs that are currently open? It’s showing you that you can jump between these programs by using the Windows key plus the corresponding number key.
In the example below, 1 opens the Edge web browser, 2 opens File Explorer, 3 opens Windows Store, and so on.
More PowerToys?
Right now, there are only three PowerToys. However, the much older versions had over 20 tools. Plus, this is an open-source project, so expect to see more PowerToys added by Microsoft and by independent developers.
There are three more currently in development; Maximize to New Desktop, Process Terminate Tool, and Animated GIF Screen Recorder.
Maximize to New Desktop will allow you to create a new desktop and send that app to the new desktop, fully maximized in size. There’s no preview for what that may look like right now.
Process Terminate Tool (PTT) will provide a shortcut to quickly terminate a running program. Using the key combination Alt + F4 can already do this for whatever program currently has the focus, so what’s the point of PTT?
It will work when the program is not responding and cannot be closed by regular means or through Task Manager. It’ll be much easier than killing a process from the command line, too.
The proposal is that the user will access PTT using the Alt + Shift + X key combo. In the PTT window, the user clicks and holds the left mouse button and drags it over the program they wish to kill.
An Are you sure you want to kill this program? prompt will open and the user can choose Yes or No. The image below shows a prototype from the Process Terminate Tool page on GitHub.
The Animated GIF Screen Recorder does what you think it will. The tool will be used to capture any area of the screen and generate an animated GIF of what is happening there.
Aside from easier meme creation, making animated GIFs are a good way to show people how to do things on a computer, without having to write a lot. The image below shows a prototype of what the screen recorder might look like. This is from the Animated GIF Maker spec page on GitHub.
Is That All?
Considering Microsoft is kind of new to the open-source philosophy, they’re really embracing it. In addition to the three tools already released and the three in the pipeline, there are an additional ten tools sitting in their backlog.
So 16 free PowerToys for Windows is really something to be appreciated, and anything that makes your work easier is always welcomed.
