WinAppSDK 1.7 Plans

[codendone]

We're currently early in the planning for Windows App SDK 1.7, but here are some of the top-of-mind improvements we're looking at:

• Convenience APIs for XAML Window (such as min/max width and height)
• Addressing TitleBar preview feedback, with the completed TitleBar control possibly coming in a future 1.6 servicing release
• TableView, inking controls, and cross-process Islands progress, continuing from 1.6
• WinUI 3 Designer progress
• Addressing some UWP gaps like Web Authentication support and CameraCaptureUI
• Continuing to address top quality and experience issues

We'll need to report back when we complete our 1.7 planning.

Please use this discussion to provide feedback on these top-of-mind improvements, or to provide feedback and up-votes on other features and issues we should prioritize.

[myokeeh]

Ability to pick WinUI3 / WindowsAppSDK app as a Kiosk app is a gap for me. Easy to do with UWP apps. Not possible with WinUI3 / WindowsAppSDK via Windows Settings.

[christopher-carmichael]

This. As I approach finishing a kiosk mode for my in-production app I have no easy way to set up a kiosk as I did with the UWP app it is replacing. Very frustrating. Packaged Winui3 apps should have same single-app support as UWP apps.

[smj389]

Are there plans to stabilise the Compositor and Content Experimental APIs that have been in preview for some time? Also are there plans to make it possible to render with DWriteCore in D2D or Win2D?

[castorix]

Also are there plans to make it possible to render with DWriteCore in D2D or Win2D?

I had posted a sample with DWriteCore/Direct2D (WinUI3_SwapChainPanel_DWriteCore)

[MartinZikmund]

As part of windowing improvements, we would really love to see a Application.Windows property allowing enumeration of open windows. Currently developers need to track open windows in custom way instead. It seems this property actually already exists in the sources, but it is not exposed

[egvijayanand]

Exactly what in my mind and about to log as a request.

It's hard to keep track of the list of Windows.

And a property to know the current Active Window too.

[tpoint75]

We need to set the app as owner of a new application window, to make it modal to avoid
It to make it stay on top.

[thomasclaudiushuber]

Hi WinUI team,

from my point of view (and my customers' point of view), you should implement input validation. That feature is crucial when deciding to use WinUI for line-of-business apps. Without input validation, the decision is usually against WinUI.

Here is the corresponding issue: microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml#179

[weitzhandler]

Lack of validation in WinUI is a black stain on WinUI's forhead. Input validation is a crucial building block of a UI framwork.

[horaciodiez]

This one from the 1.6 plans Mike! @codendone.

[riverar]

Can you transcribe that or link to it? Reading that image is difficult.

[horaciodiez]

Yes of course! @riverar

The original post
Dear WinAppSDK Team,

I hope this message finds you well. As I explore the capabilities of WinAppSDK, I've identified a usability concern related to ContentDialogs, especially when utilized for data entry. Due to the fixed positioning, the inability to drag and reposition these dialogs limits their flexibility and prevents users from viewing the content beneath them.
Introducing the option to move ContentDialogs or considering a Dialog-like Window would greatly enhance user experience and address this specific limitation.
I've noticed that even some Blazor libraries already offer similar controls for the web.
I'm eager to know if there are plans or considerations for incorporating this feature in future WinAppSDK releases. Thank you for your time and dedication to the developer community.

Best regards,

Thank You! 😄

---

@codendone Answer

Thanks for your feedback, @horaciodiez. Yes, improved dialog capabilities, including those you mention, is something we'd like to make easier and maybe even default.

[riverar]

Sweet, thanks!

[fabianoriccardi]

Another option (which may be preferrable in some cases) is the possibility to create a "modal" Window, so that the user can interact only with the new Modal Windows, until it is closed. This type of window should appear just like any other window (so, it is very different appearance from ContentDialog). An example is provided by Visual Studio: the Options Window behavior is what I would get.

I had tried to build it, but no success (here the details).

[DarranRowe]

Implement a set of pickers with capabilities like those in Windows.Storage.Pickers, but are actually usable in appcontainers and when running as administrator.
The ones in Windows.Storage.Pickers are just not being fixed.

[MartyIX]

If I get it right, it is this issue: dotnet/maui#23787 (comment) and that's the one issue that prevents us from moving to use the unpackaged mode for our app (@jonathanpeppers had the same experience). Note that MAUI app on Windows will use the unpackaged mode by default in .NET 9+.

tl;dr: Unpackaged MAUI apps crash when one opens a file picker and the user is logged in as administrator (!).

[bogdan-patraucean]

I can't upvote this enough: #2504
I think it's one of the top requested fixes of this framework.

[ghost1372]

It seems some work has started for the picker.
#4942

[ghost1372]

I hope to see the TitleBar in the next version 1.6.1

[HEIC-to-JPEG-Dev]

I missed the last part of the call, but do I see a WinUI vs designer coming ?

[ghost1372]

Yes

[riverar]

No news there, but Microsoft India Development Center (IDC) is exploring the capability.

[steskalja]

The designer needs to be top priority if WinUI3 is to replace Winforms!

[knightmeister]

I'd love to see you guys actually focus on clearing the backlog of bugs. You purged thousands of issues people had put time into diagnosing and documenting and I can see the same thing happening again.

You guys are leagues behind AppKit/UiKit and even Android feels less buggy than WinUI. Focus on paying down some of the bugs rather than shiny things.

Also it would be great to see input validation addressed (microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml#179), it's a huge issue to port a large LOB from WPF without this.

[egvijayanand]

Add native BlazorWebView control for WinUI. There is support for WinForms and WPF, why not WinUI? Current workaround via MAUI embedding is definitely an overhead. Adds too many dependencies for a single control.

[Pinox]

Agree. Biggest oversight from MS not to support BlazorWebView in WinUI as it will immediate help unifying the WinUI ecosystem with Blazor making it more attractive to invest.

[solomonfried]

Fix Not Implemented Exception in UWP for Image.Resize.

Multiple errors trying to Publish an app to UWP that references a MAUI Class Library.

[mominshaikhdevs]

@codendone what happened to UWP-like "Smooth App Resize" feature/(microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml#5148, microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml#2506) that were previously part of WASDK 1.7 roadmap?

[mklemarczyk]

Without that apps look like a kids project.

[tpoint75]

Please fix this NumberBox issues like false rounding floating point numbers and implement the exponential notation.

[tpoint75]

And let us open a file dialog at a custom folder, not only at downloads, pictures..

[DarranRowe]

The thing is, there are dialogs that allow you to set this. Both the Common Dialog Box library and the Common Item Dialog both allow you to set this. While I linked to the C++ documentation, .NET wraps the Common Dialog Box library in its dialog library.
The big thing to remember is that WinUI 3 applications are not UWP, so you have the full desktop library available to you. This includes these desktop dialogs. One other important thing to note is that the only advantage the pickers in Windows.Storage.Pickers has is that they work with permissions in appcontainers, but they don't work with desktop applications running in an appcontainer.
Another thing to note is that the Windows App SDK team do not own Windows.Storage.Pickers, so all they could do is file requests to the actual team who do. I honestly think this would be better to add on to my post above as a modification of my idea to implement a new set of pickers. It'll boost the upvotes increasing the probability of this being listened to.

[tpoint75]

@DarranRowe I am using WinApp SDK with winrt/c++. I tried this Common Item Dialog and this fixes the start path. But sure, I don't want to use this old win32 api Stuff.

[kierenkumulia]

Can we have an ability to delay the registration of appinstaller and delay the de-registration of removals of msix packages from the system if the packages are in use?

[drobzz]

When Win2d full support for WinUi3 will be ready?

[tpoint75]

What are you missing?

[drobzz]

Interop with DirectX. No memory leaks. Performence etc..

[tpoint75]

I only had as issue with a meamory leak what i colud solve usinge the CanvasControl function Device().Trim();

[MGGSK]

[castorix]

in very annoying way

What do you mean by "very annoying way" ? With UXTheme ?

[MGGSK]

in very annoying way

What do you mean by "very annoying way" ? With UXTheme ?

By annoying I mean that the functions are undocumented.

[JosHuybrighs]

I see that most of the features are UI related.
Isn't the Windows App SDK more?

What about for instance working and usable support for background tasks. There are currently possibilities for InProc and OOP background tasks but with serious limitations like:

• InProc only supports timerTriggered tasks.
• OOP needs CsWinRT but doesn't work when deploying selfcontained because of WinRT.Host.dll requiring stuff from .NET that isn't installed on a out of the box Windows device. It can be solved using the NativeHostNE.dll (available here) from @jlaanstra, but that is not what you would expect from an SDK.

Another suggestion: Support for an Uninstall task. If we have that then we could cleanup resources when an app/package is being uninstalled.

[whiskhub]

Big agree for the self-contained background task scenario, see microsoft/CsWinRT#1141.
Every MSIX app with background tasks is affected! Even inbox Microsoft apps like DevHome are were shipping with this bug, but it seems there is no interest at all by Microsoft for a fix.

[DrusTheAxe]

Another suggestion: Support for an Uninstall task. If we have that then we could cleanup resources when an app/package is being uninstalled

Something like Uninstall/Reset/Repair Tasks #2779 ?

[JosHuybrighs]

@DrusTheAxe

Something like #2779 ?

Indeed, that is exactly what I am looking for.

[DrusTheAxe]

Excellent. Please share your feedback on #2779 -- what sorts of resources are you managing, what gaps do you experience that something like #2779 could help, yadda yadda.

Community input is an important factor when we plan options vs capacity. The more we know what (and why) the better it helps us weigh work and tradeoffs amongst the many requests for our time. Thanks!

[lukaszzielnica]

Please resolve microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml#2508
It prevents enabling AOT in WinAppSdk\WinUI apps.

[HEIC-to-JPEG-Dev]

Can you update the Roadmap please - it still says 1.6 will be the next release

https://github.com/microsoft/WindowsAppSDK/blob/main/docs/roadmap.md

[whiskhub]

Good point. Actually, what did they mean with „ Enhancing the developer experience including IntelliSense and x:Bind improvements“. What were the x:Bind improvements?

[aries-zhang]

Convenience APIs for XAML Window (such as min/max width and height)

Would this also include the feature in UWP apps that allows it to automatically remember the previous session's window size and location (with multiple monitors)?

[1280103995]

Do you have plans to support eSIM in some version?

I currently have a UWP eSIM App that works fine, then I tried to upgrade it to WinAppSDK (latest version) and it no longer works.

There is a discussion here

[textGamex]

Are there any plans to improve memory leaks?

[DrusTheAxe]

Are there any plans to improve memory leaks?

Can you be more specific? Memory leaks in what component? When? Got a link to a reported leak?

[ghost1372]

Probably switching between pages in the NavigationView

[Prochy]

I would be happy when someone would dig and check the memory leaks in x:Bind, see my comment in this discussion. Nobody even tried to reply me and the leak is there for more than two years and nobody cares obviously. And in the doc you recommend using x bind even though you end up with memory leaks. And I’m getting a bit desperate because not sure whom I should push to at least get comment about the issue from MS team.

[textGamex]

Are there any plans to improve memory leaks?

Can you be more specific? Memory leaks in what component? When? Got a link to a reported leak?

@DrusTheAxe These are links to some issues: Memory leak when use x:Bind in winUI3, Window objects do not deregister event handlers added via XAML or implicitly by using x:Bind, leading to memory leaks, Memory leak in WinUI3 multiple window applications

[Prochy]

@DrusTheAxe I understand that these issues may not be your responsibility but if you had already asked for the specific issues, I would appreciate some feedback from you, even the negative one, or tag someone else. BUT if you asked and we don't get any answer within 3 weeks, I feel really desperate because it looks like nobody cares about those issues, no response, just nothing and I don't know what I should think about this communication way. Any dev feedback is really wanted as I consider those issue with high priority (ofc your dev can have different opinion about it).

[ghost1372]

Hi @DrusTheAxe
I am using v1.7-exp1 and I wanted to test the new API (ApplicationData.GetForUnpackaged()) but i get NotImplementedException

If it has not been implemented yet, what is the purpose of putting it? What exactly should we test and give feedback? Isn't the purpose of experimental builds to give feedback to new APIs?

[dotMorten]

I'm seeing the same thing.

It indeed contains nothing but a not-implemented method:

WindowsAppSDK/dev/ApplicationData/M.W.S.ApplicationData.cpp

Lines 95 to 99 in 999df08

	winrt::Microsoft::Windows::Storage::ApplicationData ApplicationData::GetForUnpackaged(hstring const& /*publisher*/, hstring const& /*product*/)
	{
	// TODO implement GetForUnpackaged
	throw hresult_not_implemented();
	}

[w-ahmad]

and I was thinking it's the best thing they did for unpackaged apps.

[dotMorten]

Yes I’m very excited for this feature too. Can’t wait to try it once it ships

[lostluna1]

When can I see input validation? At the current update speed, perhaps we have to wait until version 2.0? If there is no input validation, then it looks like a toy

[Gaoyifei1011]

We're currently early in the planning for Windows App SDK 1.7, but here are some of the top-of-mind improvements we're looking at:

• Convenience APIs for XAML Window (such as min/max width and height)
• Addressing TitleBar preview feedback, with the completed TitleBar control possibly coming in a future 1.6 servicing release
• TableView, inking controls, and cross-process Islands progress, continuing from 1.6
• WinUI 3 Designer progress
• Addressing some UWP gaps like Web Authentication support and CameraCaptureUI
• Continuing to address top quality and experience issues

We'll need to report back when we complete our 1.7 planning.

Please use this discussion to provide feedback on these top-of-mind improvements, or to provide feedback and up-votes on other features and issues we should prioritize.

In the Windows AppSDK 1.7 roadmap there are appwindow set window size properties, but I did not find the corresponding api, when to enter Windows AppSDK 1.7?

[solomonfried]

A critical path issue that I hope makes it, is the inability to publish a UWP MSIX app when the solution contains a MAUI Class Library.
Specifically, if the Class Library is named 'MyLibrary' the error message is
Payload contains two or more files with the same destination path 'MyLibrary.pdb'. Source files: ...

[dotMorten]

@solomonfried do you have a link to the issue? Would love to take a look at the repro

[solomonfried]

I had reported this in the developer community.
https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Error-Publishing-a-Win-version-of-a-MAUI/10729684

The latest status is Aug 26, 2024 "Under Consideration"

I feel that this should be critical. For me it is the number 1 issue (tied with the WebAuthenticator support in UWP)

Here are the steps as outlined in my original post.

1. Create a MAUI App
2. Set the target to Windows
3. Publish (this will work)
4. Add a MAUI Class Library to the solution
5. Reference the Class Library project from the main app.,
6. Publish.
   This will fail with the error shown above.

I have tried this with the very latest VS2022 release

Thank you

[joshua-lemli]

I second this. See active/original developer community thread about publication issues with MAUI + class libraries.
VS 2022 publish fails with MAUI Blazor + class libraries

[sonofsmog]

I had reported this in the developer community. https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Error-Publishing-a-Win-version-of-a-MAUI/10729684

The latest status is Aug 26, 2024 "Under Consideration"

I feel that this should be critical. For me it is the number 1 issue (tied with the WebAuthenticator support in UWP)

Here are the steps as outlined in my original post.

1. Create a MAUI App
2. Set the target to Windows
3. Publish (this will work)
4. Add a MAUI Class Library to the solution
5. Reference the Class Library project from the main app.,
6. Publish.
   This will fail with the error shown above.

I have tried this with the very latest VS2022 release

Thank you

I second this issue. Ugh.

[MPITech]

Please use this discussion to provide feedback on these top-of-mind improvements, or to provide feedback and up-votes on other features and issues we should prioritize.

One major problem we are having with our enterprise application is that NumberBoxes bind to double values and not decimals. The precision issues with double as opposed to decimal when it comes to financial calculations is a problem.

All of our columns for currency are stored as decimal in SQL Server to ensure accuracy. Binding NumberBox to decimal instead of double requires using a converter, which is crazy and is just asking for trouble when it comes to rounding issues.

This is very important for developers working with financials in WinUI.

[Gaoyifei1011]

We're currently early in the planning for Windows App SDK 1.7, but here are some of the top-of-mind improvements we're looking at:

• Convenience APIs for XAML Window (such as min/max width and height)
• Addressing TitleBar preview feedback, with the completed TitleBar control possibly coming in a future 1.6 servicing release
• TableView, inking controls, and cross-process Islands progress, continuing from 1.6
• WinUI 3 Designer progress
• Addressing some UWP gaps like Web Authentication support and CameraCaptureUI
• Continuing to address top quality and experience issues

We'll need to report back when we complete our 1.7 planning.

Please use this discussion to provide feedback on these top-of-mind improvements, or to provide feedback and up-votes on other features and issues we should prioritize.

Recently I saw code submissions for fileopenpicker, filesavepicker, and folderpicker. So I'm curious to ask whether these features will enter Windowsappsdk 1.7?

[Hong-Xiang]

We are actively working on the Storage.Pickers APIs and aim to include them in an upcoming release of WinAppSDK. However, please note that they will not be available in version 1.7.
Furthermore, the preview version of these APIs will not initially support app container scenarios. If you’ve come across a private branch, please be aware that it is a prototype and may undergo changes before the experimental release.

[mklemarczyk]

Hello, how much work you left on Ink controls, can we help you to speed things up ?
One of the apps I contribute to can't migrate to WinUI 3 without ink support. There is no workaround even to prepare something while waiting for WinUI 3 official ink support. That is great feature of Windows 10 that would be extremely useful for Windows 11.

Could you release early preview or beta of what you already have ? It might be very useful to have early feedback.

[mklemarczyk]

Mentioned API is Legacy to Windows 8 and earlier. I would prefer Ink UX that was introduced in Windows 8.
I found the API reference https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/inkpresenterdesktop/nn-inkpresenterdesktop-iinkdesktophost but no example of use in C++ or C# apps.

[castorix]

Mentioned API is Legacy to Windows 8 and earlier. I would prefer Ink UX that was introduced in Windows 8. I found the API reference https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/inkpresenterdesktop/nn-inkpresenterdesktop-iinkdesktophost but no example of use in C++ or C# apps.

There is the C++ source : https://github.com/microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml/blob/ff21f9b212cea2191b959649e45e52486c8465aa/src/controls/dev/InkCanvas/InkCanvas.cpp

[castorix]

Mentioned API is Legacy to Windows 8 and earlier. I would prefer Ink UX that was introduced in Windows 8. I found the API reference https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/inkpresenterdesktop/nn-inkpresenterdesktop-iinkdesktophost but no example of use in C++ or C# apps.

I tried a quick test in C# with CreateAndInitializeInkPresenter but it returned RPC_E_WRONG_THREAD (even by calling it inside a new thread). I probably missed something obvious...

[mklemarczyk]

@castorix I am not surprised, documentation mention that app need to use DirectComposition for UI. I am not sure if app with WinUI3 has access to DirectComposition visual tree.

Do you have a sample of your try somewhere on github ?

[castorix]

Do you have a sample of your try somewhere on github ?

I did not upload it on my GitHub repository as it does not work, but I made a Zip of the test project :
WinUI3_InkInputTest.zip
(Download button at top-right...)

[CastelloBrancoTecnologia]

There are no excuses for absense of input validation.

Ink support without input validation doesnt make sense.

[0x5bfa]

The feature I recently found useful and still missing in WinUI is x:TypeArguments support in WinUI. WPF already has it and thus we could imitate the implementation in WinUI XAML. What's the current status of this work?

• Proposal: Generic types in WinUI XAML microsoft-ui-xaml#931
• Proposal: Support the XAML 2009 Schema microsoft-ui-xaml#7037