I have a potential requirement of modifying the Windows 10 Start Menu structure. I know that you can customize the groups and tiles: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/deploymentguys/2016/03/07/windows-10-start-layout-customization/
My question is if there is any possible way (through API or any other option) that allows to, instead of only pinning windows desktop applications, display your custom code.
Example: we have a group called My work which pins windows applications, but we also have a group called Discover which displays custom code, not windows 10 apps.
I think it is not achievable, but want to give it a try and ask the community. Thanks a lot in advance!
Modify start menu should not be a feature of common UWP development. The start menu should only be controlled by customer themselves. So it's not possible for you to think about develop this kind of feature.
And as you've already see that OEM can modify OEM group. Actually you can find related info from here.
Related
I'm reading the documentation for menus in Firemonkey desktop applications. It explains that there are two completely different menu components, one is to be used for Windows (TMenuBar) and the other is to be used for OS-X (TMainMenu).
Further, it also explains that a TMenuBar does not display on OS-X (nonstandard for OS-X), and that a TMainMenu is placed in the non-client area of the Windows form (nonstandard for Windows)
It's my understanding that Firemonkey is supposed to be one code-base for multiple platforms, but it appears they want me to separate the two. I can understand the menus work differently across both platforms, but it seems like an unnecessary pain to implement two different main menus (and conditionally show/hide them depending on the platform). I have no intention of using the special capabilities of menus specific to either platform. Not to mention the TMenuBar is completely ugly.
Since the TMainMenu also shows on Windows, but yet also claims it's "nonstandard for Windows", can I assume that the TMainMenu is sufficient for both? Or do I really need to implement a separate TMenuBar just for Windows? What are the implications if I don't separate them?
I saw this video, but It's for Delphi XE2, and I can't find such an option in the Delphi XE8 TMenuBar control. And again, the TMenuBar is very ugly and doesn't work like typical menus, like the TMainMenu does. I'm confused why they would advise to use this TMenuBar at all.
The help page linked to is wrong if being 'FireMonkey-native' (so to speak) is not a concern (for what I mean by that, see below). TMainMenu is not 'non-standard' on Windows - it wraps the Windows native menu bar API like the VCL equivalent. TMenuBar, in contrast, is completely custom.
That said, in general the fashion has been to use custom menu bars on Windows since Office 97 did so way back nearly twenty years ago, however the original menu bar API is still fully supported and used by (e.g.) Notepad in Windows 10. Further, writing a decent custom menu so that it fakes a real one properly - as well proving the additional functionalty that led to not using a real one in the first place - takes a fair bit of effort and detailed API knowledge. Unfortunately it might be doubted whether the FMX offering enjoyed this, which isn't to say it won't get better in the future.
One caveat - one reason to use TMenuBar might be if you are using FMX's custom styling options, and want your menu bars to fully participate.
I'd like to develop an application for the Windows Store using Visual Studio 2012 and C#.
However when I create an empty project (XAML) having "Windows Store" selected I get a metro-app. I want an ordinary XAML-application because my application works only as a windowed application (the user wouldn't benefit from the Metro-interface at all).
So how can I create a default XAML-application without Metro but still be able to put it in the Windows Store?
You just build the desktop application like you normally would. Don't pick Windows Store app or you'll end up with a metro app build on WinRT.
You'll need to run the certification kit against your application and submit it to MS. You'll also still need a company account to submit to the store.
You can find more information here: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsstore/archive/2012/06/08/listing-your-desktop-app-in-the-store.aspx
You'll just have to provide your own Style Templates for the controls you wish to use. The same way you would have done for any WPF/SL projects if you didn't want to use the standard out-of-the-box themes. So say for instance you want to use a Button but you don't want it to look like one of the default Light/Dark theme Buttons. Plop one on your design area, right click and go to Edit Template -> Edit a Copy and use Blend to style it however you want it to look. Unfortunately, this means you'll have to Theme all your controls to create your Theme where everything works together.
Which is one cool thing about how these environments are setup, you can just about literally make anything look however your imagination wants it to look. There's plenty of tutorials on the web on how to use Blend to customize Control Style Templates. Hope this helps.
For a while now I've disliked the default folder browser dialog in Windows:
Granted, at least it has the text box with autocomplete; but if you go strictly with the tree view, it can take a lot of clicks and scrolling to get where you want!
It'd be nice if I could develop a superior (to my taste) UI and have this override my system's default. That is, whenever an application requests a native folder browser from Windows on my system, I'd like to be able to define my own such control so that it will be displayed instead of the built-in one. Naturally I could/would then also offer this to others to install on their systems if they like.
Does Windows provide an API to override this particular feature? Maybe via a shell extension or something like that? (I've never done anything that interacts directly with the OS like that; so I don't even know where to start looking.)
Basically I am asking if this OS-level functionality is configurable within Windows.
An app called FlashFolder seems to have done that, and has a lot of good reviews (meaning it at least works for someone) but doesn't work for me at all on Windows 8. If you have an earlier version of Windows perhaps you'll have more luck.
mostly in all article i found that everyone show that their OS give them 5 button. can anyone explain how
http://www.asp.net/mvc/tutorials/getting-started-with-mvc3-part1-cs
in this article every window's title bar have 5 button on top whenever i can see only three button in my windows [close, restore ,maximize].
can anyone show me reason behind it.
They're running UltraMon, which is a utility that provides enhancements for multiple monitor support.
In particular, it adds extra window management buttons to the title bars of all applications, which make it easy to move windows from screen to screen.
You can download a free evaluation version from the vendor, but the full version will cost you $39.95 US.
He has multiple screens on his computer, those buttons mean move to next screen.
Extra buttons in the titlebar come from utility applications that hook into every process.
Take a look at this tutorial for a basic example, you also need to register a hook with SetWindowsHookEx (WH_CBT or WH_SHELL)
For Windows Vista and 7, Microsoft has provided detailed guidance in the article Custom Window Frame Using DWM.
Copied from my answer here.
I recently got myself a second monitor and I have been looking at software which offers the possibility to extend the taskbar to the second monitor. Softwares such as UltraMon and MultiMon offer such possibility.
I'd be interested to know what is the method they are using to replicate the tasbar? More precisely:
Is the second taskbar completely generated and managed by the software or is it some sort of extension/modification of how Windows behave?
How are the additionnal buttons on the window handle added? Is there some sort of templating system similar to what Stardock does?
How can you replicate the taskbar feel?
How can you remove open software icons from the main taskbar in order to move them to the software's taskbar?
Would creating a second start button actually be some sort of image of the said button, and the software would require to do POSSIBLE calls to the Windows API? (by possible, I mean I have no idea if such calls exists)
Finally, I'd be interested to know what field of knowledge is required to program such software.
I'd be glad to receive any pointers to articles or information that would lead to answers. If you have in depth knowledge that you'd gladly share, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks to all for your replies.
They completely re-create the experience. DisplayFusion uses the Desktop Window Manager API to capture live thumbnails. Scott Hanselman has a very good rundown on just how close they got and where they're different.
I would imagine there is a lot of ugly code required to get it as close as they've gotten it.