I want to make a simple launcher for an application (like, using CreateProcess), that I can use as a HelloWorld app and customize the app tile appearance -- sort of killing two birds at the same time:
Getting familiar with the environment and
Creating tiles who's appearance can be changed (beyond just changing the icon for the app).
However, I'm not sure where to start. I've tried copying this code into the namespace, but this is not working:
[DllImport("coredll.dll")]
private static extern bool CreateProcess(null, "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Steam\\Steam.exe");
The full code is of course this blank application template for c# ( App.xaml.cs -- at C#, VB, and C++ project templates for Windows Store apps)
Writing Windows Store Apps requires learning new ways of doing common tasks.
For one, Windows Store Application (Metro) are restricted from running other processes. Think of your app as if it is running in a sandbox. You don't have direct access to the underlying system, you need to go through approved channels.
To run apps or open files in Metro you should use a launcher.
To modify the application tiles, you should use the tile API
Rather than call CreateProcess, you should use the Process class. The linked page has an example of creating and running a process. I think you'll find it much easier to use than calling the Windows API directly.
Related
Short backstory, I need to create an App for my computing coursework, and since I'm quite the procrastinator I wanted to make an app that shuts down processes that users waste time on.
Therefore I looked up how to make Windows 10 apps and stumbled across Microsoft's own "C# Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners" and "Windows 10 Development" for absolute beginners. I spent over 20 hours watching these videos over the past few weeks.
Now I have designed nearly all the UI in XAML over the past few days and now when working on the Code behind in c# I noticed that System.Diagnostics.Process could not be found, I tried to work out why and eventually stumbled across this answer which made my jaw drop (TLDR it's because it's a UWP app): Missing reference to System.Diagnostics.Process
I do not need my app to run on the Windows Store, all it needs to run on is my computer however messy the solution may be, but I really need access to that class to shutdown processes. I really want to make the app in C# and XAML though and I'm not sure if I can do this whilst having access to the System.Diagnostics.Process class.
I am really running out of time for this project and I can't just change my idea as the problem definition essay has already been marked, etc and that would take forever to rewrite.
I am open to the idea of just writing the application fully in C# if there's really no way I can use XAML without making a UWP app. But I'm not sure what's the easiest way of doing this/what project type so any help would be appreciated.
I feel very angry at Microsoft for not making it clear that "Windows 10 Development for absolute beginners is" actually "Windows Store Development for absolute beginners". I do not want my app on the Windows Store so if I could force reference the process class that would be great!
You need to develop a Desktop app (WPF). With WPF you also use C# and XAML, however you can use all .Net Framework.
UWP (Store apps) need to run in devices like Surface RT (Windows RT), Lumia 920 (Windows 10 Mobile), XBOX and Hololens so they use only a part of the full .Net Framework (they use the .Net Core Framework). UWPs run in a sandboxing so they usually don't have access to system APIs (low level access like create a IP package). In this case you should use WPF.
Your problem is one of the reason, I think that StackOverflow use the tag uwps and win-universal-app.
I'm working on a metro app and am having trouble finding how not to show the application.
We recently deployed tablets to our field reps, and need to add gps tracking. GPS is much easier to deal with in the metro libs (it's like 4 lines of code vs. unmanaged) so we're hoping to be able to push a metro app instead of spending time coding a winforms/wpf desktop app (the tablets are full version windows, so it's an option if we can't hide a metro app. I feel like it should be possible though as the start screen tiles update automatically without opening the main program).
In WPF, it's fairly simple to make a window invisible. I'm creating the metro app in wpf, but it uses different libs than desktop and I may just not know how to do it.
In desktop programs, it's fairly simple. You do something along the lines of:
<Page
x:Class = xxxxxxxx
..
Visibility="Hidden">
Unfortunately, with metro, the only options I have are collapsed and visible. Collapsed doesn't seem to have any effect, unless it's just because it's not deployed and visual studio shows it anyway...
So basically I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to start the program minimized or hidden so that it doesn't interrupt the field reps every time it takes their location.
If you really want to make a metro app and want it to run "minimised" you will need to look at background task. To start the background task the user would still need to start the app at least once, futhermore background task have limitation how how often and how long they can run. Also there is a lot of constraint on deploying a windows store app if you cannot publish it in the store.
If your goal is to just have access to GPS through C# apis, the GPS is actually one of the winRT api you can use from the desktop, you can find a tutorial on how to access winRT api from the desktop here
Here is the complete list of winRT api accessible from the desktop (You can find Geoposition class among them).
Have you looked into creating a background task that transmits GPS? The background task can run without the app running.
I am not entirely certain you can voluntarily minimize a Windows Store App on a user's behalf. I see nothing in IntelliSense about it, nor have I found anything online or see any app do it.
However, be aware that deploying the app without using the Windows Store -- sideloading -- requires Windows 8 Enterprise edition computers joined to the domain OR Windows 8 Pro with a sideloading key ($30 per key, purchased in packs of at least 100.) Perhaps a WPF app with unmanaged code is worth the money and effort.
I would like to rewrite an application that currently works as a Windows GUI in C#. The problem is, it works well on Windows, but is not adapted for Mac and Linux because of GUI issues with Mono.
So my idea, was to continue with C# (needed because of an essential sub program that needs to run C# and cannot be ported) and try to rewrite it as a web application that any user on Windows, Mac or Linux could access easily and make it work.
It is also important that my application remains working "out-of-the-box" because it aims high accessibility.
I've looked for solutions like :
KayakHTTP but it does not support POST data ! (needed for a web GUI)
XSP2 from Mono and make an ASP.NET MVC web app, but will it really work with my web app to make an out-of-the-box application ?
Alternatively, do you have any other idea for me to have a C# web app working out of the box for the end users ? The only thing needed would be to install Mono on Mac and Linux.
Thank you very much for your help.
EDIT 1 : I realize that I have not explained all aspects correctly. In fact, there are 2 applications in my project :
The CORE application which is written in C# and is too big to be ported or rewritten and thus must use Mono for running on Mac and Linux
My GUI application using Windows Forms which is written in C# too and controls the CORE application
My goal is to convert my GUI application into a web app application so there's no more the Windows Forms GUI hassle on Mac and Linux.
Is it necessary for your core application to run on the client?
If NOT, then the best approach is to rewrite everything as a web (ASP.NET) application which is going to run on a Windows server. Users on all your target platforms will then access this app through a web browser.
If YES, then a web app is not a good idea. You really don't want to require a web server on your clients. You have two possibilities:
Take a look at the GUI toolkits available for mono and select one that is available on all your target platforms to avoid having different front ends for each of your platforms.
To ensure best user experience on all platforms you should choose the native GUI toolkit for each of the platforms and write a different front end for them: either using Mono or using a native development environment as long as your core application has an interface that can be accessed from it (e.g. command line or similar).
This is a duplicate question, but I don't have time to find the duplicate.
Briefly, the answer is: don't do this. You cannot translate a desktop application to a web application on a one to one basis: the two paradigms are too different.
I recommend instead refactoring your current application to remove all dependencies on the GUI. Then, write a totally new web application to meet the requirements, and have the web application call the code you refactored out of the desktop application.
Be aware of the big, hidden difference between the two platforms: the web application will be running on a server. It will be used by multiple users at the same time, and by multiple threads at the same time. While you are refactoring, be certain to note any code that would be sensitive to the difference. For instance, code that uses static member fields now could work in the desktop application because there is only one user at a time. In a web application, that static will be shared across all users and all threads.
This may not be what you had in mind.
I am trying to build a Windows 8 "metro-style" app that will operate as a "app killer". For those of you who have used Win8 (Tech Preview) you'll notice that once you open a metro-style app you cannot close it (without going into Task Manager and ending the process).
My challenge is that I cannot access 'System.Diagnostics.Process' from my metro-style app, nor do I know if there is an comparable alternative within the WinRT. I also thought of building a separate app that hosts a service for my metro app to interface with, but I'd like to do this with a single app.
Fundamentally, I am looking for a pattern for building Metro-style apps that leverage .NET 4.0 components, specifically to be able to enumerate and kill other processes running on the PC.
CLARIFICATION: I am less concerned with this specific application than I am with access that type of .NET functionality within a Metro-style app
Thanks
To your specific question, this functionality is not available. Apps are not allowed to interact or interfere with other apps.
To answer your more general question, the APIs available to Metro style applications is limited compared to what is available to desktop applications. C# has a subset of the .Net library available, much like Silverlight does. The same is true for C++ where a subset of the desktop Win32/COM APIs are available.
From what I understand (watching Build2011 videos) a Metro App won't be able to do that...
Interaction between processes is severally limited to specific Contracts (the charms on the right: Search, Send-to).
Think Phone, not Desktop.
You might be able to build a non-Metro Win8 app though.
Don't waste too much time on this. I expect that in a beta a close option (perhaps even a charm) will be included. Until then use a keyboard Alt-F4 or the Task Manager
C++:
Window::Current->CoreWindow->Close();
or
Window::Current->Close();
I haven't explored the difference between these two (more precisely, I don't know how CoreWindow differs from Current. I could assume though...
I'm using an Oracle VBox with Win8 on my Win7 machine to develop a C++ Metro App using VS 11. I used both of the above methods. I verified in Task Manager the app was not running on both Win8 and the Simulator.
Using ExternalInterface in AS3 is it possible to call OS (C#?) functions within XP?
Example: Set the desktop background to a image supplied by a flash app?
If it is possible would it be different calls when applied to different OS. And what about cross over the Mac?
Any information would be great
Thanks
If you're launching the swf from within a C# app, external interface will do just fine. Nothing will change on the flash side, but you'll need to go through a couple hoops to get it to work in C#. It's not as simple as AMF or External Interface to JS.
All the communications to C# get converted to XML describing the data, and you've gotta write XML to send back to flash. Other than that though, its relativly simple.
Here's some info on how to do it. The AS portion is Flash 8/AS2, but the C# portion should say the same.
When working with Flash from a webpage or as a desktop app, you are limited to a small security sandbox and you will not be able to make any relevant OS call. I thought that switching to AIR would give the developper more flexibility but it doesn't seem correct either. From "The Pros and Cons of Adobe Air":
AIR apps have
file access, clipboard access, support
multiple windows, support drag and
drop, and can trigger notifications
(toast in Windows). If you app needs
to interact with the desktop in other
ways, the chances are that AIR is not
suitable. For example, there is no
access to COM automation, and no way
to execute external applications. The
reason is to maintain cross-platform
compatibility. That's a worthy goal,
but it would be good to have a way out
of the sandbox. Unlike Java or .NET,
you cannot extend AIR with custom
native code libraries. Nor can you
call operating system APIs.
As Alex Jillard commented, if your swf is called inside a C# desktop application, you should be able to access more OS funcionalities although I'm not sure how.
You could use as already mentioned AIR. Another idea would be to use HippoHX (I haven't written this, the similarity with my username is just coincidence). It runs on top of the NekoVM and gives you unrestricted (so no limitations like in AIR ) access to the system.