Tutorial: 1-Click Halo + Camera Apps

[stunt_man]

I find this extremely useful, and I don't think it's common knowledge, so I'm going to try and spread the word.

NOTE: References are to Halo CE, but this can still be used for the original Halo.

Do you use camera apps with Halo?

Are you sick of having to open them all individually?


Well, it's your lucky day, because it's possible to have everything open with just one click of your mouse! Here's how it works:

1. First, relocate all your camera apps to your Halo CE directory.

2. Second, right-click Haloce.exe and select 'Create Shortcut.' This step is crucial if you wish to use any command lines!*Details below

3. Rename the shortcut from 'Shortcut to Haloce.exe' to 'haloceshortcut' without any file extension or spaces.

4. Now, create a new text file. You can do this by right-clicking and selecting 'New > Text Document.' Make sure you create it within your Halo directory!

5. Rename the .txt file from 'New Text Document.txt' to 'halo_batfile.bat.' Windows is going to ask you if you're sure you want to change the file extension. Select 'Yes.'

6. Next, right-click your new .bat file and select 'Edit.'

7. The file will open with your default text application (Notepad or Wordpad by default). It will be blank. Here is an example what it should look like:

echo off
start halothirdfov.exe
start halonotext.exe
start haloceshortcut
echo off

That's what mine looks like. Of course, you can make this .bat file open as many apps as you want. The only important things are that you have 'echo off' at the beginning and end of the command, and that your halo shortcut starts last (this is just a precaution).

8. Save & exit.

9. Now, I'm assuming that you launch Halo from the desktop or from the Quick Launch tray. Right-click on your finished .bat file and choose Send to > Desktop.

10. You can now rename the shortcut, and even change the icon (right click > Properties, then choose 'Change Icon,' and select haloce.exe in your Halo directory).

Congratulations! From now on, when you open that icon, your camera apps will open with Halo, allowing you to remove all the extra icons from your desktop. If you wish to enter a command line, right-click not on the desktop or Quick Launch shortcut, but on the 'haloceshortcut' you created within the Halo directory earlier.

I hope this helped. Unfortunately, I have yet to figure out how to make the apps close when I exit Halo. If anyone knows how to do this, help would be appreciated.