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WCL322: The Windows API Code Pack – Add Windows 7 Features to Your Application. Kate Gregory Gregory Consulting www.gregcons.com/kateblog, @gregcons . It’s Simple, Really. If you have a Windows application, it should be a Windows 7 application. Agenda. What is different about Windows 7?
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WCL322: The Windows API Code Pack – Add Windows 7 Features to Your Application Kate Gregory Gregory Consulting www.gregcons.com/kateblog, @gregcons
It’s Simple, Really If you have a Windows application, it should be a Windows 7 application.
Agenda • What is different about Windows 7? • Visuals • Taskbar jumplists • Taskbar overlays – icons and progress bars • Thumbnail buttons and custom thumbnails • Fundamentals • Power awareness • Network awareness • Libraries • Restart and recovery
Accessibility from managed code Easy • Directly-callable using. NET interop mechanisms • Eg RSS, Office • C++/CLI or PInvoke signatures • EgApplication Recovery and Restart • Raw Win32 • EgPower Management, Windows Vista Wizards • COM • EgSearch and Organize APIs • Extra difficult to call from managed code • EgCommon File Dialogs, Network Awareness Hard
What is the Windows API Code Pack? • Managed class library to access to Windows 7 features • Windows Shell namespace • Windows Vista and Windows 7 Task Dialogs • Support for Shell property system • Taskbar Jump Lists, Icon Overlay and Progress bar • Common file dialogs • Direct3D 11.0 and DXGI 1.0/1.1 APIs • Sensor Platform APIs • Extended Linguistic Services APIs • http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapicodepack
Highlights from Windows API Code Pack • All demos are from the samples that ship with it • All demos are provided in both VB and C# • Samples are designed as a source of code for you • But you would hardcode so much more • Run the apps to experiment and see what you like
What You Will See • Taskbar Jumplists • Taskbar Overlays • Taskbar Thumbnail Buttons • Restart and Recovery • Power Management
Taskbar - Jumplists demo
Taskbar Jumplists - destinations • Private jumpList As JumpList • jumpList.AddToRecent(fileName) • jumpList.KnownCategoryToDisplay = • JumpListKnownCategoryType.Recent • category1 = new JumpListCustomCategory(“My Category 1") • jumpList.AddCustomCategories(category1) • category1.AddJumpListItems(New JumpListItem(path)) • jumpList.AddUserTasks(jll)
Taskbar Jumplists - tasks • Dim p As String = Path.Combine(systemFolder, "notepad.exe") • Dim ir As IconReference = New IconReference(p, 0) • Dim jll As JumpListLink = New JumpListLink(p, • "Open Notepad") • jll.IconReference = ir • jumpList.AddUserTasks(jll)
Taskbar - Overlays demo
Taskbar Overlays • TaskbarManagerwindowsTaskbar = TaskbarManager.Instance • windowsTaskbar.SetOverlayIcon(Me.Handle,My.Resources.Green, "Green") • windowsTaskbar.SetProgressState( • TaskbarProgressBarState.Error) • windowsTaskbar.SetProgressValue( • currentValue, maxValue)
Taskbar Thumbnails • buttonFirst = • New ThumbnailToolbarButton( • My.Resources.first, "First Image") • AddHandlerbuttonFirst.Click, AddressOfbuttonFirst_Click • TaskbarManager.Instance.TabbedThumbnail. • SetThumbnailClip(Me.Handle, • New Rectangle(pictureBox1.Location, pictureBox1.Size))
Restart and Recovery • Register for Recovery • Chance to save your information on another thread • OS calls your code for you • Register for Restart • OS will run your app again (with a hint) after it dies
Restart and Recovery demo
Restart and Recovery • ApplicationRestartRecoveryManager. • RegisterForApplicationRestart(new RestartSettings("/restart", • RestartRestrictions.None)); • RecoveryData data = new RecoveryData( • new RecoveryCallback(RecoveryProcedure), null); • RecoverySettings settings = new RecoverySettings(data, 0); • ApplicationRestartRecoveryManager. • RegisterForApplicationRecovery(settings);
Power Management • Is the machine running on battery? • What can your application do to extend battery life? • Autosaveless frequently • Autosave before critical battery reached • Scale back the user experience • Graphics richness • Reduce the frequency of data updates • Stop spinning the CD for sound effects access • Reduce CPU work loads • Number of threads, thread priorities • Use hardware (not software) rendering for graphics • Turn off or constrain background processing • Defer unnecessary tasks
Power Management demo
Power Management • PowerManager.PowerSourceChanged += • new EventHandler(PowerSourceChanged); • PowerManager.PowerPersonality • PowerManager.PowerSource • PowerManager.GetCurrentBatteryState().EstimatedTimeRemaining
Code Pack • Gets managed developers working on Windows 7 now • WPF or Windows Forms • C# or VB • Not the only way to get there • Some of this is in WPF (.NET 4) • You could do your own interop, but why? • Others have written other wrappers • Documentation and samples • Discussions on Code Gallery • If you need to change or redistribute, you can
What you’ve seen • Taskbar • Jumplists – nouns and verbs • Icon overlays • Progress bar overlays • Thumbnail buttons • Thumbnail clipping • Restart and Recovery • Power Awareness
Call to Action • Download Code Pack • http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapicodepack • Add functionality to your application so it lights up on Win 7 • Feels like a Windows 7 app (taskbar etc.) • Never lose unsaved data to a crash again • Power efficiency and thoughtfulness
Resources • http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/WindowsAPICodePack • http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/developers • http://www.developforwindows.com/
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