Creating desktop shortcuts for multiple games at once.

[Aldem]

See topic.

Is it possible ?

Thank you.

[Thony]

You want to start over one desktop-shortcut more than 1 game?

[Aldem]

Yes. I have quite a lot of games, so right clicking -> create desktop shortcut could take a while.

[Thony]

When you mean a script to run all of your games, then I can you say the way to do this.

[Aldem]

Well, if an automated tool would create a desktop shortcut for all my games in my library, then yeah, it would work too.

[Thony]

Originally posted by Aldem:

Well, if an automated tool would create a desktop shortcut for all my games in my library, then yeah, it would work too.

Mhm... No, sorry, I cann't help you.

[luadin]

I recently had an issue where all most my shortcuts were deleted. I found and modified an Autokey script. You need to download Autokey. Then create a file called Autokey.ahk in your steam\steamapps directory and put the code below in it. Run the code and it will create shortcuts on your desktop for all installed games and programs.

It works by looking at the .acf files in the steamapps directory. These are text files with install information. It gets the game name and steam ID number and makes a URL. It tries to guess at an icon to use by looking at the install directory, so the icons may not be correct.

 
#NoEnv  ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
SendMode Input  ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%  ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.
ArrayCount = _COMMONREDIST,ENBHOST,EDITOR,SETUP,CONFIG,SETTINGS,INSTAL

Loop, *, 0, 0
{
	Icon := ""
	Name := "NONE"
	gameID := 0
    if RegExMatch(A_LoopFileName, "appmanifest_\d+\.acf") {
		FileRead, Contents, %A_LoopFileName%
		Loop
		{
			FileReadLine, line, %A_LoopFileName%, %A_Index%
			if ErrorLevel
				break
			IfInString, line, "name"
			{
				line := StrReplace(line, "name")
				line := StrReplace(line, "	")
				line := StrReplace(line, ":")
				line := StrReplace(line, "/")
				line := StrReplace(line, "\")
				line := StrReplace(line, "*")
				line := StrReplace(line, "?")
				line := StrReplace(line, "™")
				line := StrReplace(line, "’")
				line := StrReplace(line, "®")
				StringReplace, line, line, ",,All
				Name := line
			}
			IfInString, line, "appid"
			{
				line := StrReplace(line, "appid")
				line := StrReplace(line, "	")
				StringReplace, line, line, ",,All
				StringReplace , line, line, %A_Space%,,All
				gameID := line
			}			
			IfInString, line, "installdir"
			{
				line := StrReplace(line, "installdir")
				line := StrReplace(line, "	")
				StringReplace, line, line, ",,All
				Loop, Files, %A_WorkingDir%\common\%line%\*.Icon, R
				{
					Icon := A_Loopfilefullpath ;
					break
				}
				if (StrLen(Icon) < 3)
				{
					Loop, Files, %A_WorkingDir%\common\%line%\*.exe, R
					{ 
						StringUpper, PATH, A_Loopfilefullpath
						Good := 1
						Loop, parse, ArrayCount, `,
						{

							IfInString, PATH, %A_LoopField%
							{
								Good := 0
							}
						}
						
						if Good = 1
						{
							Icon := PATH ;
							break
						}
					} 
				}
			}
		}
		if (StrLen(Icon) < 3)
		{
			Icon := "d:\steam\steam.exe" ;
		}
;		msgbox, 4, ,DEBUG Name <%A_Desktop%\Steam\%Name%.url>, ID <steam://rungameid/%gameID%>, Icon <%Icon%>
;		IfMsgBox, No
;			return
        IniWrite, steam://rungameid/%gameID%, %A_Desktop%\%Name%.url, InternetShortcut, URL
		sleep, 20
		IniWrite, %Icon%, %A_Desktop%\%Name%.url, InternetShortcut, IconFile
		sleep, 20
		IniWrite, 0, %A_Desktop%\%Name%.url, InternetShortcut, IconIndex
		}
}
MsgBox, Finished 

[AlgorithMan]

Based on luadins answer, I wrote a corresponding tool in python, because that is much more common than Autokey.

import os
import glob
import re

steamdir = 'F:\Games\Steam'
forbidden_ico = ['HEIGHT2NORMAL', 'WHESTART']
forbidden_exe = ['COMMON REDIST','ENBHOST','EDITOR','SETUP','CONFIG','SETTINGS','INSTAL']


os.chdir(steamdir)
desktop = os.path.join(os.path.join(os.environ['USERPROFILE']), 'Desktop')
for filename in glob.glob('SteamApps/appmanifest_*.acf'):
    Icon = None
    Name = None
    gameID = None

    f = open(filename, 'r', encoding="utf-8")
    for line in f:
        # Name
        m = re.search('^\s*"name"\s*"([^"]*)"\s*$', line)
        if m:
            Name = m.group(1)
            Name = re.sub(r"[\:\\\/\*\?\’™®\t\"\&]+","", Name).strip()

        # AppId
        m = re.search('^\s*"appid"\s*"([^"]*)"\s*$', line)
        if m:
            gameID = m.group(1)

        # Icon
        m = re.search('^\s*"installdir"\s*"([^"]*)"\s*$', line)
        if m:
            IcoIcon = None
            ExeIcon = None
            InstallDir = m.group(1)
            for icofile in glob.glob('SteamApps/common/' + InstallDir + '/**/*.ico', recursive=True):
                if not any(map(lambda x: x.casefold() in icofile.casefold(), forbidden_ico)):
                    IcoIcon = icofile
                    break
            for exefile in glob.glob('SteamApps/common/' + InstallDir + '/**/*.exe', recursive=True):
                if not any(map(lambda x: x.casefold() in exefile.casefold(), forbidden_exe)):
                    ExeIcon = exefile
                    break
            Icon = IcoIcon or ExeIcon or os.path.join(steamdir, "steam.exe")

    if not os.path.exists(os.path.join(desktop, Name + ".url")):
        print(gameID + ": " + Name + " - " + Icon)
        ico = open(os.path.join(desktop, Name + ".url"), "w")
        ico.write("[InternetShortcut]\n")
        ico.write("URL=steam://rungameid/" + gameID + "\n")
        ico.write("IconFile=" + os.path.join(steamdir, Icon.replace('/', '\\')) + "\n")
        ico.write("IconIndex=0")
        ico.close()
        input()

You have to press Return after each file. Just remove the "input()" at the end to proceed without pause

[Terwilf]

Honestly, I wasn't convinced about downloading an interpreter just to create shortcuts. So, I created a PowerShell script. I don't understand why Steam doesn't have an option like this. I always forget about the games I have installed, since I don't launch the Steam client with my system.

Automatic detection: Identifies and accesses all configured Steam libraries.
Direct access to games: Creates shortcuts to the "common" folder and installed games on the desktop.
Icon assignment: Filters and selects the most suitable .exe file to assign custom icons.

• Initial filtering by name.
  
• Exclusion of installers.
  
• Partial name matching.
  
• Sorting by directory depth.
  
• Icon verification and .ico file search

(Steam shortcuts > Run with Powershell)

Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms


# Ruta del archivo libraryfolders.vdf
$libraryFoldersPath = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\libraryfolders.vdf"


# Función para obtener las rutas de las bibliotecas de Steam
function Get-SteamLibraryPaths {
    param (
        [string]$libraryFoldersPath
    )
    $libraryPaths = @()
    $content = Get-Content -Path $libraryFoldersPath -Raw
    $matches = [regex]::Matches($content, '"path"\s+"([^"]+)"')
    foreach ($match in $matches) {
        $libraryPaths += $match.Groups[1].Value
    }
    return $libraryPaths
}


# Obtener las rutas de las bibliotecas de Steam
$steamLibraryPaths = Get-SteamLibraryPaths -libraryFoldersPath $libraryFoldersPath


# Ruta del icono predeterminado de Steam
$defaultSteamIconPath = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe"


# Ruta donde se crearán los accesos directos
$shortcutsPath = [System.IO.Path]::Combine([System.Environment]::GetFolderPath('Desktop'), 'Steam Enlaces')


# Crear la carpeta de accesos directos si no existe
if (-Not (Test-Path -Path $shortcutsPath)) {
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $shortcutsPath -Force
}


# Función para obtener el nombre, appid y installdir de los archivos .acf
function Get-SteamGameInfo {
    param (
        [string]$acfFilePath
    )
    $content = Get-Content -Path $acfFilePath -Encoding UTF8
    $name = ($content | Select-String -Pattern '"name"' -SimpleMatch).Line.Split('"')[3]
    $appid = ($content | Select-String -Pattern '"appid"' -SimpleMatch).Line.Split('"')[3]
    $installdir = ($content | Select-String -Pattern '"installdir"' -SimpleMatch).Line.Split('"')[3]
    return [PSCustomObject]@{ Name = $name; AppID = $appid; InstallDir = $installdir }
}


# Función para crear un acceso directo a Internet (.url)
function Create-InternetShortcut {
    param (
        [string]$name,
        [string]$url,
        [string]$iconPath
    )
    # Reemplazar caracteres especiales en el nombre del archivo
    $safeName = $name -replace '[<>:"/\\|?*]', ''
    $shortcutPath = "$shortcutsPath\$safeName.url"
    $shortcutContent = @"
[{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
Prop3=19,0
[InternetShortcut]
IDList=
IconIndex=0
URL=$url
IconFile=$iconPath
HotKey=0
"@
    Set-Content -Path $shortcutPath -Value $shortcutContent -Encoding UTF8
}


# Función para crear un acceso directo a una carpeta
function Create-FolderShortcut {
    param (
        [string]$name,
        [string]$folderPath
    )
    # Reemplazar caracteres especiales en el nombre del archivo
    $safeName = $name -replace '[<>:"/\\|?*]', ''
    $shortcutPath = "$shortcutsPath\$safeName.lnk"
    $wshShell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
    $shortcut = $wshShell.CreateShortcut($shortcutPath)
    $shortcut.TargetPath = $folderPath
    $shortcut.Save()
}
# Función para comprobar si el ejecutable es un instalador
function Check-Installer {
    param (
        [string]$executablePath
    )
    $isInstaller = $false
    try {
        $fileVersionInfo = [System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo]::GetVersionInfo($executablePath)
        if ($fileVersionInfo.FileDescription -match "Setup|InstallShield|Installer") {
            $isInstaller = $true
        }
    } catch {
        $isInstaller = $false
    }
    return $isInstaller
}


# Función para encontrar el ejecutable correcto
function Find-Executable {
    param (
        [string]$gamePath,
        [string]$name
    )
    $executables = Get-ChildItem -Path $gamePath -Filter *.exe -Recurse
    $filteredExecutables = $executables | Where-Object { $_.Name[0] -eq $name[0] -and $_.Name -notmatch "Setup|InstallShield" }
    $filteredExecutables = $filteredExecutables | Where-Object { -not (Check-Installer -executablePath $_.FullName) }
    if ($filteredExecutables.Count -gt 1) {
        $filteredExecutables = $filteredExecutables | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*$($name.Split(' ')[0])*" }
    }
    if ($filteredExecutables.Count -gt 1) {
        $filteredExecutables = $filteredExecutables | Sort-Object { $_.FullName.Split('\').Count }
    }
    if ($filteredExecutables.Count -eq 0) {
        return $null
    }
    return $filteredExecutables[0].FullName
}


# Código para contar iconos
$code = @'
using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;


namespace System {
    public class FileIconInfo {
        [DllImport("Shell32.dll", EntryPoint = "ExtractIconExW", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode, ExactSpelling = true, CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
        public static extern int ExtractIconEx( string lpszFile, int nIconIndex, out IntPtr phiconLarge, out IntPtr phiconSmall, int nIcons);
    }
}
'@


Add-Type -TypeDefinition $code 


# Función para comprobar si el ejecutable tiene un icono
function Check-ExecutableIcon {
    param (
        [string]$executablePath
    )
    [System.IntPtr] $phiconSmall = 0
    [System.IntPtr] $phiconLarge = 0
    $hasIcon = $false
    try {
        $nImages = [System.FileIconInfo]::ExtractIconEx($executablePath, -1, [ref] $phiconLarge, [ref] $phiconSmall, 0)
        if ($nImages -gt 0) {
            $hasIcon = $true
        }
    } catch {
        $hasIcon = $false
    }
    return $hasIcon
}


# Función para encontrar el icono del ejecutable o un archivo .ico en el directorio del juego
function Get-ExecutableIcon {
    param (
        [string]$gamePath,
        [string]$executablePath
    )
    $iconPath = $null
    if (Check-ExecutableIcon -executablePath $executablePath) {
        $iconPath = $executablePath
    } else {
        $icoFile = Get-ChildItem -Path $gamePath -Filter *.ico -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -First 1
        if ($icoFile) {
            $iconPath = $icoFile.FullName
        } else {
            $iconPath = $defaultSteamIconPath # Icono por defecto si no se encuentra un .ico
        }
    }
    return $iconPath
}


# Procesar cada archivo .acf
foreach ($libraryPath in $steamLibraryPaths) {
    $acfFilesPath = [System.IO.Path]::Combine($libraryPath, 'steamapps')
    $acfFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $acfFilesPath -Filter *.acf
    foreach ($acfFile in $acfFiles) {
        $gameInfo = Get-SteamGameInfo -acfFilePath $acfFile.FullName
        $gamePath = Join-Path -Path $libraryPath -ChildPath "steamapps\common\$($gameInfo.InstallDir)"
        $executable = Find-Executable -gamePath $gamePath -name $gameInfo.Name
        if ($executable) {
            $iconPath = Get-ExecutableIcon -gamePath $gamePath -executablePath $executable
        } else {
            $iconPath = $defaultSteamIconPath # Icono por defecto si no se encuentra el ejecutable
        }
        $url = "steam://rungameid/$($gameInfo.AppID)"
        Create-InternetShortcut -name $gameInfo.Name -url $url -iconPath $iconPath
    }
}


# Crear un acceso directo a la carpeta "common"
$commonPath = "E:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common"
Create-FolderShortcut -name "Steam Common Folder" -folderPath $commonPath


# Mostrar mensaje al finalizar todas las operaciones
$result = [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show("¡Operación completad! ¿Te gustaría explorar el directorio de iconos de tus juegos de Steam?", "Operación Completada", [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxButtons]::YesNo, [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxIcon]::Information)
if ($result -eq [System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult]::Yes) {
    Start-Process "explorer.exe" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam\games"
}

[Steve]

This thread was quite old before the recent post, so we're locking it to prevent confusion.