Is there any way to create a virtual drive in "(My) Computer" and manipulate it, somewhat like JungleDisk does it?
It probably does something like:
override OnRead(object sender, Event e) {
ShowFilesFromAmazon();
}
Are there any API:s for this? Maybe to write to an XML-file or a database, instead of a real drive.
The Dokan Library seems to be the answer that mostly corresponds with my question, even though System.IO.IsolatedStorage seems to be the most standardized and most Microsoft-environment adapted.
Depending on what type of virtual drive you wish to build, here are some new OS API recently introduced in Windows, macOS and iOS.
Some of the below API is available as managed .NET code on Windows but many are a native Windows / macOS / iOS API. Even though, I was able to consume many of the below API in .NET and Xamarin applications and build entire Virtual Drive in C# for Windows, macOS and iOS.
For Remote Cloud Storage
On Windows. Windows 10 provides Cloud Sync Engine API for creating virtual drives that publish data from a remote location. It is also known under the “Cloud Filter API” name or “Windows Cloud Provider”. Here are its major features:
On-demand folders listing. Folder listing is made only when the first requested by the client application to the file system is made. File content is not downloaded, but all file properties including file size are available on the client via regular files API.
On-demand file content loading. File content can be downloaded in several modes (progressive, streaming mode, allow background download, etc) and made available to OS when application makes first file content reading request.
Offline files support. Files can be edited in the offline mode, pinned/unpinned and synched to/from the server.
Windows shell integration. Windows File Manager shows file status (modified, in-sync, conflict) and file download progress.
Metadata and properties support. Custom columns can be displayed in Windows File Manager as well as some binary metadata can be associated with each file and folder.
On macOS and iOS. MacOS Big Sur and iOS 11+ provides similar API called File Provider API. Its features are similar to what Windows API provides:
On-demand folders listing.
On-demand files content loading.
Offline files support.
File Manager Integration. In macOS Finder and iOS Files application you can can show file status (in the cloud, local).
I am not sure currently if files/folders and can show custom columns in macOS Finder and store any metadata.
For High-Speed Local Storage
On Windows. Windows provides ProjFS API. Its main difference from the Cloud Sync Engine API and macOS/iOS File Provider API is that it hides the fact that it is a remote storage. It does not provide any indication of the file status, download progress, ets. The documentation says it is intended for “projecting” hierarchical data in the form of file system.
You can use the Dokan library to create a virtual drive. There is a .Net wrapper for interfacing with C#.
Yes, use the classes in System.IO.IsolatedStorage
The contents of My Computer can include Shell Namespace Extensions. These COM objects run inside the main Explorer process, as do many other shell extensions. Using C# for such extensions is a bad idea, since your extension cannot control which CLR version Explorer.exe can use. And Microsoft allows only one CLR per process.
Related
I'm making an App where I need to create CSV files with data I need to load in a software in a Windows machine. I want to connect an Android Device via USB to a computer and get the file from there. Is there any way I can create a file that's visible for a computer?
From what I've found you can only create cache files and files only visible to the app (neither my PC or the File Manager on the phone can see them).
I thought about creating a service in the network and send the data to that and create the file in the server but that would add more failing points and of course is more work, besides sometimes the app could be running in parts where the Wifi doesn't get to it and would mean I would have to do a temporal file and somehow upload it when it connects back, so not practical at all.
Of course you can create files and folders on external storage of the android device, which is publicly accessible. Refer to this guide.
Note: You need to get permission WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE to write and READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE to read from device's external storage.
Need to create a service application that monitor all files being downloaded. I was thinking about using the file watcher class but some end users can change the download directory. Any idea would be great.
Monitoring file system is no indicative of download activity, as you already figured out. Browsers do not expose a cross-platform API to report download events. Browsers plugins do, but that requires the plugin to be loaded, enabled and you'll need separate plugins for each browser out there. So the only sensible approach is a filter driver. In fact the OS exposes a handy helper layer specifically designed for this, the Windows Filtering Platform. Of course, C++ and networking expertise is required. Detecting downloads from all traffic is left as an exercise to the reader.
If you want to monitor files downloaded on computers in an office environment, your best bet would be to install a proxy server.
I have created an app that makes use of file types that are not standard to Windows Phone and I have registered my app to these extensions and they can be opened in my app perfectly from example the email client.
My application can modify the file as well as generate completely different ones. I then have an internal file manager page where users can delete files and choose to open then.
My problem now is that I want the user to share these files via email, Bluetooth, tap+send(nfc), etc. with a menu pretty much like the you get in the gallery(photos) app on Windows Phone. Is this a standard function that I can somehow access, or is there another standard library or anything really that I can use to as quickly as possible implement file sharing?
There is a ShareMediaTask but it is intended for sharing media files on any kind of files, so you need to implement everything by yourself.
Using XAML C# in Windows "Metro" Apps how do I go about playing a certain video file. Examples:
D:\video1.wmv
\\MEDIAPC\video2.wmv
The only way I managed to get this working so far is by using FilePicker, but I don't want to use this as I already have a list of files to play.
I have tried to use GetFileFromPathAsync but I keep getting permission / access issues
await StorageFile.GetFileFromPathAsync(#"D:\video1.wmv");
Apologies if this has been answered I just couldn't find an answer that fits my problem.
If your D:\ drive is a non-network resource try adding the Removable storage application capability. This can be accomplished by double-clicking on the Package.appxmanifest and navigating to the Capabilities tab. By default your application (assuming it is a Windows Store app) only has access to local files packaged with your app or files stored in local/roaming/temp folders (usually reserved for Application state).
If your data is stored on a Network resource that requires authentication you will want to enable the Enterprise Authentication capability.
You may also want to fiddle with the Home and Work Networks for the \MEDIAPC\ files if you aren't accessing resources that require network authentication.
Further Reads:
Accessing data and files
How to load data from files
App Capabilities Overview
Is it possible to write a filesystem for Windows in pure usermode, or more specifically purely in managed code? I am thinking of something very similar to GMAILFS. Excluding what it is doing under the covers (GMAIL, Amazon, etc..) the main goal would be to provide a drive letter and support all of the basic file operations, and possibly even adding my own structures for storing metadata, etc..
Windows provides several approaches to building a user-mode file system for different purposes, depending on your storage location and features that you need to support. Two of them, Projected File System API and Cloud Files API were recently provided as part of the Windows 10 updates.
Windows Projected File System API
Projected File System API is designed to represent some hierarchical data, such as for example Windows Registry, in the form of a file system.
Unlike Cloud Files (see below) it does not provide any information about file status and hides the fact that this is not the “real” file system. Example.
Windows Cloud Sync Engine API
Cloud Sync Engine API (Cloud Files API, Cloud Filter API) is used in OneDrive on Windows 10 under the hood. It provides folder content loading during the first request, on-demand files content loading in several different modes, and offline files support. It integrates directly into Windows File Manager and Windows Notification Center and provides file status (offline, in-sync, conflict, pinned) and file content transfer progress.
The Cloud Files API runs under regular user permissions and does not require admin privileges for file system mounting or any API calls. Example.
Windows Shell Namespace Extensions API
While Shell Namespace Extension is not a real file system, in many cases you will use it to extend the functionality of the Projected File System and Cloud Files API. For example, you will it to add custom commands to context menus in Windows File Manager as well as you can create nodes that look and behave like a real file system (again, applications would not be able to read or write to such nodes, this is just a user interface).
Cloud Files API is using a namespace extension to show your sync root at the top level in Windows File Manager.
It's difficult. I'd take a look at some projects which have done some of the hard work for you, e.g. Dokan.
Yes. It's possible and has been successfully done for the ext2 filesystem.
Note that you will need to write your own driver which will require Microsoft signing to be run on some OSes.
Sure, you can abstract the regular file operations and have them running in the cloud (see Google Apps, Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure etc.). But if you'd like to talk to local devices - including the local HD - you'll have to use system APIs and those use drivers (system/kernel mode).
As long as all you want is a storage service -no problem. If you want a real OS, you'll need to talk to real hardware and that means drivers.
Just as a reference - our Callback File System is a maintained and supported solution for creation of filesystems in user-mode.