PS Hot Folders Help
Enhanced File Dialog Manager Documentation
About PS Hot Folders
PS Soft Lab development team is happy to introduce PS Hot Folders.
Using PS Hot Folders special easily configured menu, you can quickly go to the folder that you want in standard Windows Open, Save As and Browse dialogs (Microsoft Office dialogs are supported too) or quickly open the folder that you need in Windows Explorer. PS Hot Folders can also save your history of Open and Save As dialogs.
The above operations are carried out through the menu that can be called by clicking the special button in the dialog caption (see Fig. 1) or the program icon in the taskbar system tray, and also by pressing user assigned hot keys (support for the Win key significantly extends the number of possible combinations).
The list of folders can be shown as a tree, that is you can organize your folders hierarchically and access them through cascading menus for better organization.
Fig. 1
System Requirements
- - Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10/11
- - 32 MB RAM (recommended)
- - VGA monitor with 1000's or millions of colors display
- - 2 MB hard disk space
How To Register
PS Hot Folders is distributed as try-before-you-buy shareware. You can use the program for 30 days to evaluate its features and functionality. After the trial period expires, you will need to register the software to continue using it.
Registration Benefits
When you register PS Hot Folders, you get:
- Unlimited usage (no 30-day trial limit)
- All features unlocked permanently
- Free technical support via email
- Free minor updates and bug fixes
- No registration reminder dialogs
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Registration dialog window
How to Register
Registration cost is only $19.95 (US Dollars). You can register PS Hot Folders in several ways:
Online Registration
The fastest and most convenient way:
- Visit our secure registration page
- Fill out the registration form
- Pay securely with credit card or PayPal
- Receive your license key instantly via email
Email Registration
For questions or special requests:
- Contact us at sales@pssoftlab.com
- Include your name and contact information
- We'll provide registration instructions
- Payment options: check, money order, wire transfer
Purchase information
Entering Your License Key
After you receive your license key via email:
- Right-click on the PS Hot Folders system tray icon
- Select "Register..." from the context menu
- Enter your name exactly as it appears in the registration email
- Copy and paste your license key from the email
- Click "OK" to complete the registration
- Restart PS Hot Folders to activate your license
Getting Started
Installation
- Download PS Hot Folders from our download page
- Run the installer as Administrator
- Follow the installation wizard
- Restart your computer (recommended)
- Test PS Hot Folders in any Open/Save dialog
First Use
After installation, PS Hot Folders will automatically integrate with Windows file dialogs. You'll see new toolbar buttons in Open/Save dialogs that provide quick access to:
- Favorites: Your most frequently used folders
- History: Recently visited locations
- Desktop: Quick desktop access
- My Documents: Personal folders
Introduction
This Quick Tour will help you to configure the program in three steps and optimize your work. After you complete the last step you will get something similar to Fig. 1.
Fig. 1
On opening the main window of the program you will see the folders root ready to be configured.
You can do that by right-clicking on the PS Hot Folders icon in the system tray
and choosing the Configure... item in the pop-up menu. There is only one element there: Root.
"Why, will I have to spend a lot of my time creating my configuration?", you ask. We hope that this tour
will help you to carry out the configuration very quickly and efficiently, and after the last step you will
get the best configuration at your disposal, which will let you implement any action that you need.
Step 1. Creating Command Groups
First, let's add a group. For that, select Group in the drop-down menu and click the
button.
Adding a group
The configuration dialog will appear. Enter the name of the group (we'll call it "Work"). You can also choose a custom icon for the group if you want.
Step 1 result
Step 2. Filling Groups with Folders
Now let's add some folders to the group. Select "Work" in the tree and choose Folder in the
drop-down menu, then click the
button to add a folder.
The folder selection dialog will appear. Choose the folder you want to add to the group. You can also specify a custom name and icon for the folder shortcut.
Folder selection dialog
After adding several folders to your group, your configuration will look something like this:
Step 2 result - folders added to group
Step 3. Assigning Hot Keys
Now let's assign hot keys to our folders for quick access. Right-click on a folder item in the tree and select "Properties" from the context menu.
Hot key assignment dialog
In the properties dialog, you can assign a hot key combination to quickly access this folder. PS Hot Folders supports various key combinations including the Windows key, which significantly extends the number of possible combinations.
You can also enable the "Stay on top" option to keep certain dialogs visible above other windows.
Stay on top configuration
Conclusion
Congratulations! Now you have completed the configuration process. Let's test how it works. Open any application (for example, Notepad) and try to open a file. You should see something like this in the Open dialog:
PS Hot Folders working in file dialog
You can also access your configured folders through the system tray menu by right-clicking on the PS Hot Folders icon:
System tray menu access
Now you can quickly navigate to your frequently used folders without browsing through complex directory structures!
Configuration
To start forming the structure of folder shortcuts, you have to activate the configuration window.
You can do that by right-clicking on the PS Hot Folders icon in the system tray
and choosing the Configure... item in the pop-up menu.
Fig. 1 - PS Hot Folders configuration window
Two Ways to Configure
Method 1: Drag & Drop
Simply drag the elements that you want from:
- Windows Explorer folders
- Start menu items
- Quick Launch bar
- Desktop shortcuts
- Any application that supports drag & drop
This method is the quickest for adding multiple folders at once.
Method 2: Internal Tools
Use PS Hot Folders built-in buttons and menu items:
- Add/Remove buttons in toolbar
- Context menu options
- Properties dialogs
- Hot key assignment
- Icon customization
This method provides more control and customization options.
Element Types
You can add elements of four kinds using the drop-down menu. Each type serves a different purpose in organizing your folder shortcuts:
Organizational containers that hold multiple folders and create cascading submenus.
Example: "Work Projects", "Personal Files"
Direct links to specific folders that will open in file dialogs or Windows Explorer.
Example: "C:\Documents\Projects"
Visual dividers that help organize menu items into logical sections.
System folders, network locations, and special Windows directories.
Configuration Tools
Add Button
Add new elements to the current selection
Move Up
Move selected item higher in the list
Move Down
Move selected item lower in the list
Copy
Copy selected element to clipboard
Cut
Cut selected element to move elsewhere
Paste
Paste copied/cut element to current location
Advanced Configuration Options
Icon Customization
You can assign custom icons to any folder or group:
- Right-click on any item and select "Change Icon"
- Choose from Windows system icons
- Browse for custom .ico files
- Use icons from .exe or .dll files
Icon selection dialog
Hot Key Assignment
Assign keyboard shortcuts for instant access:
- Support for Ctrl, Alt, Shift combinations
- Windows key combinations (Win+Letter)
- Function keys (F1-F12)
- Conflict detection and warnings
Configuration Tips & Best Practices
- Group related folders together
- Use separators to divide sections
- Keep folder names short but descriptive
- Limit menu depth to 3-4 levels maximum
- Avoid adding too many top-level items
- Use network paths carefully
- Test hot key combinations regularly
- Backup your configuration periodically
- Use consistent icon themes
- Choose recognizable icons for folders
- Consider color coding for different projects
- Test menu appearance in different Windows themes
- Remove unused folder shortcuts regularly
- Update paths when folders are moved
- Export configuration before major changes
- Document hot key assignments
Detailed Element Configuration
After you add the right element you can configure it more specifically (see Fig. 3.1), that is:
Fig. 3.1 - Element properties dialog
- specify the name of the element in the Display Name field
- assign a hot key to the element. If the assigning has been successful, you will see your key combination on the right of the element highlighted green in the tree, otherwise (conflict) highlighted red.
- edit the path to the folder in the Path field or using the Select Folder button
Moving and Copying Of Elements
To quickly and handy move around elements, you can go one of the three ways:
- classic "drag&drop" which needs no further explanations;
- use the Move Up and Move Down buttons in the tool bar;
- use the Cut , Copy and Paste buttons.
After you add all the elements that you want, you can arrange them by simply dragging to any position or group.
Note: If you want to move an element in front of a group rather than to the group, hold down the Shift key.
Move Up/Down Operations
The Move Up
and Move Down
buttons let you move the selected item a position up or down respectively.
Cut & Copy Operations
The Cut button
will help you to move an item to a new position. To do it, just select the item and press the Cut button,
then select the item before which you want to insert the first item and press the Paste button .
Note: if you select a group before pasting, the item will be put there.
Copy Operation
The Copy button
lets you make a copy of a selected item. Then you can move the item that you copied to a new position.
The Paste operation in this case is similar to that in the Cut operation.
The Paste
button lets you insert an element that was copied or cut. See the description of the Cut and Copy buttons.
Changing the Element Icon
You can assign any icon to any element. To do it, click on the icon change button (see fig. 4). The standard Change Icon dialog will pop up, and you can choose any icon you like.
Fig. 4 - Change icon button
Icon Sources
- Windows system icons (shell32.dll, imageres.dll)
- Program executable files (.exe)
- Icon files (.ico)
- Resource libraries (.dll)
Icon Guidelines
- Choose icons that represent folder content
- Use consistent icon style throughout
- Prefer 16x16 pixel icons for menu display
- Test icons in different Windows themes
Back up and restore settings
Backup Configuration
It's highly recommended to backup your PS Hot Folders configuration regularly. This ensures you don't lose your carefully organized folder structure.
- Go to File → Export Settings...
- Choose location and filename
- Save the .reg or .xml file
- Store backup in a safe location
Restore Configuration
Restore your configuration when reinstalling PS Hot Folders or transferring settings to another computer.
- Go to File → Import Settings...
- Browse to your backup file
- Select the configuration file
- Restart PS Hot Folders to apply changes
- Create backups before major configuration changes
- Include backup date in filename (e.g., "pshf_config_2025_10_14.reg")
- Test restore process on a different computer if possible
- Keep multiple backup versions for different configurations
Options
You can specify additional settings in the Options window. Access the Options dialog by right-clicking on the PS Hot Folders system tray icon and selecting "Options..." from the menu.
Options dialog access
User Interface
Startup
Menu
Advanced Options
How to Get in Touch
We value your feedback and are here to help with any questions or issues you may have with PS Hot Folders.
Support Options
- Email Support: support@pssoftlab.com
- Website: www.pssoftlab.com
- Downloads: Latest versions
- Contact Form: Online contact form
- Product Info: PS Hot Folders details
- Registration: Purchase license
When Contacting Support
To help us assist you quickly, please include:
- PS Hot Folders version number
- Your Windows version
- Detailed description of the issue
- Steps to reproduce the problem
- Any error messages you've seen