ExeRoam

ExeRoam is a small Windows launcher for applications stored in portable folders.

Instead of creating hundreds of Windows shortcuts, ExeRoam scans the folders you choose, keeps the application list in a readable apps.tsv file, and opens the launcher with one keyboard shortcut. If a drive letter changes, update the configured root folder once (in exeroam.ini) instead of fixing every application entry.

ExeRoam is written for AutoHotkey v2 and intended for x64 Windows.

Files to keep together

• ExeRoam.exe or ExeRoam.ahk
• exeroam.ini
• apps.tsv
• VERSION

apps.tsv.example is an empty example showing the TSV columns.

Initial setup

Open exeroam.ini in a text editor before starting ExeRoam. Its three sections control the launcher.

Application folders

Add the folders containing your portable applications under [Roots] inside exeroam.ini. For example:

[Roots]
Root1=D:\Programs
Root2=H:\Programs

You may define up to 20 roots using Root1 through Root20. Blank roots are ignored. Each configured folder is scanned recursively for .exe files.

The root numbers also make saved paths portable. For example, an executable at D:\Programs\Notepad++\notepad++.exe is stored as {ROOT1}\Notepad++\notepad++.exe. If the folder later moves to another drive, change only Root1 in exeroam.ini.

Launcher hotkey

The default global hotkey is Win+Alt+Space:

[Launcher]
Hotkey=#!Space
CenterOnMouseMonitor=1

Set CenterOnMouseMonitor to 1 to center the launcher in the work area of the monitor containing the mouse pointer. Set it to 0 to use the default Windows/AutoHotkey centering behavior.

AutoHotkey uses these modifier symbols:

Symbol	Key
#	Windows
!	Alt
^	Ctrl
+	Shift

For example, ^!Space means Ctrl+Alt+Space.

Scanner exclusions

ExcludedExecutables is an AutoHotkey regular expression used to skip installers, uninstallers, updaters, helpers, and similar executables during a scan.

[Scanner]
ExcludedExecutables=i)^(unins.*|setup.*|updater.*)\.exe$

The supplied configuration contains a broader default list. Leave the value blank if you do not want filename exclusions:

ExcludedExecutables=

First run

1. Configure the roots and hotkey in exeroam.ini.
2. Start ExeRoam.exe, or run ExeRoam.ahk with AutoHotkey v2.
3. If apps.tsv is missing or contains no application entries, ExeRoam scans the configured roots automatically.
4. Press Win+Alt+Space, or your configured hotkey, to open the launcher.
5. Type part of an application name, alias, path, or argument to filter the list.
6. Select an application and press Enter.

ExeRoam remains available from its notification-area tray icon when the launcher window is hidden.

Keyboard controls

These keys work while the launcher window is active:

Key	Action
Enter	Run the selected application
Ctrl+Enter	Run the selected application as administrator
Ctrl+F	Add or remove the selected application as a favourite
Ctrl+E	Open the selected application's folder
Ctrl+C	Copy the expanded executable path
F1	Show the keyboard shortcuts window
F2	Open apps.tsv in Notepad
F5	Reload apps.tsv after manual edits
Down Arrow	Move focus from the search box to the application list
Escape	Hide the launcher

The global hotkey configured in exeroam.ini opens or hides ExeRoam.

Tray menu

Right-click the ExeRoam tray icon to:

• Open the launcher, application list, configuration, or ExeRoam folder.
• Reload apps.tsv after editing it.
• Validate whether enabled application paths still exist.
• Force a new scan of all configured roots. WARNING: This will destory your manual entries. So be careful. You should not use this unless you are sure you want to do this.
• Reload or exit ExeRoam.

Force rescan applications replaces the current list. It removes manual names, aliases, favourites, arguments, and usage history after asking for confirmation.

Editing the application list

apps.tsv is a tab-separated text file with these columns:

Enabled | Favourite | Name | Aliases | Executable | WorkingDirectory | Arguments | RunCount | LastUsed

• Set Enabled to 0 to hide an entry without deleting it.
• Set Favourite to 1 to keep an entry at the top of the list.
• Put comma-separated alternative search terms in Aliases.
• Add command-line parameters in Arguments.
• Do not insert literal tabs or line breaks inside a field.
• Press F5 in ExeRoam after saving manual changes.

Paths under configured roots use {ROOT1}, {ROOT2}, and similar placeholders. Paths inside the ExeRoam folder use {SCRIPT}. Other paths remain absolute.

With an empty search, favourites and recently used applications appear first. During a search, favourites appear first and results are then sorted by name.

Resetting the list

To rebuild the list, remove all application rows from apps.tsv while optionally keeping its comment lines. Restart ExeRoam or press F5 to scan the configured roots again.

Version and license

VERSION contains the semantic version shown in the window title and tray tooltip. Release history is recorded in CHANGELOG.md.

ExeRoam is created by Ruhani Rabin and released under the MIT License. See LICENSE.

Building from source

Install AutoHotkey v2 with Ahk2Exe, then run Compile-ExeRoam.ahk. The x64 executable and required runtime files are written to dist.