How to implement intent(?) on windows 10? - windows

I see some features on windows 10 that are a copy of Android intent concept.
For example, when opening games, they open the Xbox programs by triggering an event ms-gamingoverlay. The flow have a windows native UI to select the application to be used, or search for one at the proprietary-application-store.
What exactly are those called in windows development literature?

Related

Is it possible to drag-and-drop files between File Explorer and Windows Store apps in Windows 10?

I am currently evaluating building an app that uses the Windows Store architecture (formerly known as Metro). This app will target not just Windows Phone devices, but also Windows 10 desktop.
One function of the app would be to drag-and-drop files onto the app from File Explorer. An example scenario would be to click-and-hold on a JPEG image and drag it into the app, which would then process the file. This would provide the user with another option instead of going through file dialogs.
I can find plenty of resources about using drag-and-drop inside Windows Store apps, but it seems there's no information about drag-and-drop from a "normal" Windows desktop app, such as File Explorer.
With Windows 10, Store apps are promoted to proper windows, rather than fullscreen apps, so this functionality seems to be a bit more useful in this environment.
This comment seems to suggest that it isn't supported, but is dated two years ago and refers to Windows 8. Is this still the case with Windows 10?
Here is video tutorial and simple example on GitHub.

Can Windows store apps generate UI Events?

I am considering writing a Kinect v2.0 Gesture -> Keyboard/Mouse event translator so I can control video games. Since I will be using Microsoft's SDK, cross-platform is out-of-the-question; it seems natural to distribute this through the Windows store. However, I know Windows store apps have significant restrictions. Can a Windows store app:
Run in the background (possibly with an elevated priority to ensure that the game doesn't miss input)?
Create user input events like "key-down" and "mouse move" that will be read by other applications?
Looking at Microsoft's capability page didn't seem to give me a definite yes or no.
You'll need to write this as a desktop app. Windows Store apps run in a sandboxed context with limited access to the system. They cannot interact with other processes as you'd need, and they cannot inject input events.

Where can I start creating a Windows application?

I want to create an application to run on a Windows 7 PC with a touch screen that is a sort of toolbox with large icons optimized for touch screens.
I need it to include a file browser with a hard coded path. That way I can auto launch the application and they will be taken to the folder right away. I would also like a section where I can put "Useful Applications" shortcuts so that they do not have to go through the start menu or the desktop.
Can someone guide me where I can start learning how I can do this? I would most likely code in C#
Get started with Windows Runtime apps. You can write a Windows Runtime app in a variety of languages, such as C# or C++ with XAML, C++ with DirectX, and JavaScript with HTML/CSS. Now you can easily create apps for Windows devices and Windows Phone from a single project.
https://dev.windows.com/en-us/getstarted

How to detect if Windows 8 is showing desktop

In a Windows desktop application written in C# and running on Windows 8 how can I detect if Windows 8 is in desktop mode (i.e. showing the Desktop rather than the modern UI)?
Although it's in C++, the Start Screen Visibility Sample should be a good starting point for you. It uses COM objects to get the state of all monitors on the system that are either displaying Windows Store Apps or the Start Screen, and illustrates how to receive notifications when the state of a monitor changes or when the visibility of the Start screen changes.

if I use a BlankApp(xaml) Template in Metro Apps and develop my desired UI , will it work accordingly in Windows phone also?

1) What I have understood that if you develop a application in metro style, it work in desktop, tablet and also phone?
2) I can understand if I use a standard template like grid template for developing my metro style app, that grid view will be converted to listview because of visual state transitions and will work in Windows phone. but my doubt is if we use a blank app template and develop whatever UI I developed as per client requirement will it be able to render or show up in windows phone?
A WinRT app (I assume that is what you mean by Metro) will run on the desktop/tablet and theoretically a Windows Phone 8 device without code changes. First, note that we are talking about Windows Phone 8 (not the current Windows Phone 7) and that it runs, not that the UI layout will be exactly right.
You can design the app however you like, whether it conforms to the Metro design or some other look altogether. If it is developed on WinRT, it should be code compatible with the phone as well.

Resources