How to pin a website to the Windows 8 Start screen without Internet Explorer as default browser?

Question

I have some conditional code on a website that I did not create (just doing some edits). The navigation menu is below a slider on just on the front page. However, when you hover the submenu items display above the slider. Below is the code for this page, what am I missing?

$menu = wp_get_nav_menu_object( $menu_name );   
        $menu_items = wp_get_nav_menu_items($menu->term_id);

        $count = 0;
        foreach($menu_items AS $item):
            if($item->menu_item_parent==0) $count++;
        endforeach;

        $display = 'none';
        $i=0;
        foreach ( (array) $menu_items as $key => $menu_item ):
            if ($menu_item->menu_item_parent != 0 ) continue;
            $content = get_post_meta($menu_item->object_id, 
    'main_menu_hover_content', true);
            if(1):
                $subitems = array();
                foreach((array) $menu_items as $k => $subitem):
                    if($subitem->menu_item_parent==$menu_item->ID):
                        $subitems[] = $subitem;
                    endif;
                endforeach;
                if(count($subitems)): ?>
            <div class="overlay" id="overlay-<?=$menu_item->ID?>" style="display:<?=$display?>">
                <?php if(count($subitems)): ?>
                <div class="overlay-submenu clear">
                    <div class="in">
                    <span class="block" style="display: inline-block; width: <?= 
   ($i*20)?>%;"></span>
                    <?php foreach($subitems AS $subitem): ?>
                    <a href="<?=get_permalink($subitem->object_id)?>"><?=$subitem->title?></a>
                    <?php endforeach ?>
                    </div>
                </div>
                <?php endif ?>
             </div>
        <?php endif; endif; $display = 'none'; $i++;
        endforeach ?></div>
    </div>

        <div class="main-menu homepage-version"><?php 
        $args['walker'] = new Main_Menu_Walker; 
        $args['menu'] = $menu_name;

        $o = get_rootchild((object) $args);

         $children = wp_get_nav_menu_items( $o->menu, array('post_status'=>'publish') );
        $args['count'] = $count;
        wp_nav_menu($args) ?></div>

    <div class="sub-menu clearfix">
            <ul class="clearfix">
                <?php 
        $args['walker'] = new Submenu_Walker; 
        $args['menu'] = $menu_name;
        wp_nav_menu($args) ?>
            </ul>

Solution 1

The only way that I can think of is by using a app called OblyTile.

OblyTile

What you want to do is create a tile that opens up Chrome or whichever browser you want to use but in this example I will use Chrome. Once you have found the file path for Chrome, in the arguments section below it you might want to use "--homepage http://stackoverflow.com" so that when you open the tile it opens up StackOverflow. (Someone can feel free to correct me on this)

Solution 2

No need to use special programs to achieve this! First method works for all browser, and can be used to create shortcuts to all range of things. Second method is a Chrome only feature.

What we do is just to create a shortcut somewhere to the browser you'd like to open with websites as parameters.
Right click, select New -> Shortcut Select the browser you'd like. Mozilla Firefox is in Program Files, Google Chrome is in AppData.

Give the shortcut a name and finish. Then right click the new shortcut and select Properties. In the Target field, add the webpage to open.

Press OK, and then right click the icon again and select Pin to Start.

Chrome only:
Chrome even has special built in features for this. Open up the webpage you want in Chrome. Then click on the menu icon, select Tools and then Create application shortcuts. Make sure the Start Menu is ticked and press Create. Tada! Now you have a Tile on your start menu, with the proper icon for the website, even.

Solution 3

Method for Internet Explorer (If not default browser)

Edit: This only works for IE and is not necessary if you already use IE as your default browser..

You can copy a URL shortcut to the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu folder, and it will appear as a tile on the Start Screen.

For example:

• drag a shortcut from your browser to the desktop
• drag the shortcut from the desktop to the Start Menu folder

For either method, if you want to change the icon, check out the program in Matthew Wong's answer, OblyTile.

Solution 4

If you're using IE10 just click the button on the address bar and click Pin to start.

Solution 5

1. Open the Metro Internet explorer.
2. Browse to the website.
3. Click on the Pin and choose "pin to start".

Heres a picture of what it looks like on the start screen.

View more solutions

Comments

[Admin]

If you switch to chrome in windows 8 mode, the option simply becomes available under bookmarks. And in case you don't like windows 8 mode: the tile still works after you switch back to desktop mode.

[HebertZzz]

Now that is clever

[Taylor Gibb]

its not really necessary though

[Louis Waweru]

@TaylorGibb some people, myself for example, don't have access to the Metro version of IE because IE is not our default browser.

[Taylor Gibb]

do you mean you cant use IE if its not your default browser?

[Razor]

I just added a shortcut in that folder, but it doesn't seem to show on the start menu?

[Louis Waweru]

@Razor really, can I try to reproduce what you did?

[avirk]

@TaylorGibb you can't use the metro ui of IE if its not set the defualt.

[Taylor Gibb]

oh I guess I learnt something then :)

[Razor]

@Louis right click on the desktop -> new -> shortcut -> www.google.com -> Google -> drag and drop on C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu -> press win key and no shortcut name "Google"

[Louis Waweru]

@Razor Sorry, you are right this isn't an answer. I used IE to create the shortcut, but it creates a Pinned Site Shortcut and not what I was expecting.

[HebertZzz]

Worked like a champ

[HebertZzz]

Thanks for the answer but Chrome is my default

[HebertZzz]

Thanks for the answer but Chrome is my default

[Oliver Salzburg]

@Razor: When I create a shortcut like that, it also doesn't work. When I drag & drop the favicon out of IE onto my desktop and move that shortcut to the given folder, it works.

[Spook]

Well why didn't you add that useful piece of information to your question? You got the answer you deserve.

[Matsemann]

No need to use OblyTile for this, see my answer.

[HebertZzz]

Very nice! Too bad you didn't post this yesterday :)

[Matsemann]

@Mondain hmm, that one got closed.. :)

[HebertZzz]

This must be a Metro or RT thing because when I click on IE I don't get this interface from Start.

[HebertZzz]

I didn't think about it at the time; it was my mistake

[Matsemann]

If you like my answer you should upvote it, not copy it.

[Louis Waweru]

@Matsemann I honestly didn't see it.

[Matsemann]

Ah, np then. Just leave your answer as it was, including our method. :)

[George]

How do I launch Chrome in windows 8 mode you ask ?support.google.com/chrome/answer/2762879?hl=en