201 lines
7.2 KiB
Markdown
201 lines
7.2 KiB
Markdown
# Desktop environment integration
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Different operating systems provide different features on integrating desktop
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applications into their desktop environments, for example, on Windows
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applications can put shortcuts in the JumpList of task bar, and on Mac
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applications can put a custom menu in the dock menu.
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This guide introduces how to integrate your application into those desktop
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environments with Electron APIs.
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## Recent documents (Windows & OS X)
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Windows and OS X have provided easy access to recent documents opened by the
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application via JumpList and dock menu.
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__JumpList:__
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__Application dock menu:__
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<img src="https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/639601/5069610/2aa80758-6e97-11e4-8cfb-c1a414a10774.png" height="353" width="428" >
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To add a file to recent documents, you can use
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[app.addRecentDocument][addrecentdocument] API:
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```javascript
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var app = require('app');
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app.addRecentDocument('/Users/USERNAME/Desktop/work.type');
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```
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And you can use [app.clearRecentDocuments](clearrecentdocuments) API to empty
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the recent documents list:
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```javascript
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app.clearRecentDocuments();
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```
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### Windows notes
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In order to be able to use this feature on Windows, your application has to be
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registered as handler of the file type of the document, otherwise the file won't
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appear in JumpList even after you have added it. You can find everything on
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registering your application in [Application Registration][app-registration].
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When a user clicks a file from JumpList, a new instance of your application will
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be started with the path of file appended in command line.
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### OS X notes
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When a file is requested from the recent documents menu, the `open-file` event
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of `app` module would be emitted for it.
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## Custom dock menu (OS X)
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OS X enables developers to specify a custom menu for dock, which usually
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contains some shortcuts for commonly used features of your application:
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__Dock menu of Terminal.app:__
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<img src="https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/639601/5069962/6032658a-6e9c-11e4-9953-aa84006bdfff.png" height="354" width="341" >
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To set your custom dock menu, you can use the `app.dock.setMenu` API, which is
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only available on OS X:
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```javascript
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var app = require('app');
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var Menu = require('menu');
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var dockMenu = Menu.buildFromTemplate([
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{ label: 'New Window', click: function() { console.log('New Window'); } },
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{ label: 'New Window with Settings', submenu: [
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{ label: 'Basic' },
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{ label: 'Pro'},
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]},
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{ label: 'New Command...'},
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]);
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app.dock.setMenu(dockMenu);
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```
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## User tasks (Windows)
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On Windows you can specify custom actions in the `Tasks` category of JumpList,
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as quoted from MSDN:
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> Applications define tasks based on both the program's features and the key
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> things a user is expected to do with them. Tasks should be context-free, in
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> that the application does not need to be running for them to work. They
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> should also be the statistically most common actions that a normal user would
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> perform in an application, such as compose an email message or open the
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> calendar in a mail program, create a new document in a word processor, launch
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> an application in a certain mode, or launch one of its subcommands. An
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> application should not clutter the menu with advanced features that standard
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> users won't need or one-time actions such as registration. Do not use tasks
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> for promotional items such as upgrades or special offers.
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>
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> It is strongly recommended that the task list be static. It should remain the
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> same regardless of the state or status of the application. While it is
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> possible to vary the list dynamically, you should consider that this could
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> confuse the user who does not expect that portion of the destination list to
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> change.
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__Tasks of Internet Explorer:__
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Unlike the dock menu in OS X which is a real menu, user tasks in Windows work
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like application shortcuts that when user clicks a task a program would be
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executed with specified arguments.
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To set user tasks for your application, you can use
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[app.setUserTasks][setusertaskstasks] API:
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```javascript
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var app = require('app');
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app.setUserTasks([
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{
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program: process.execPath,
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arguments: '--new-window',
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iconPath: process.execPath,
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iconIndex: 0,
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title: 'New Window'
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description: 'Create a new winodw',
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}
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]);
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```
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To clean your tasks list, just call `app.setUserTasks` with empty array:
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```javascript
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app.setUserTasks([]);
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```
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The user tasks will still show even after your application closes, so the icon
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and program path specified for a task should exist until your application is
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uninstalled.
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## Unity launcher shortcuts (Linux)
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In Unity, you can add custom entries to its launcher via modifying `.desktop`
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file, see [Adding shortcuts to a launcher][unity-launcher].
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__Launcher shortcuts of Audacious:__
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## Progress bar in taskbar (Windows & Unity)
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On Windows, a taskbar button can be used to display a progress bar. This enables
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a window to provide progress information to the user without that user having to
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switch to the window itself.
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The Unity DE also has a simililar feature that allows you to specify progress
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bar in the lancher.
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__Progress bar in taskbar button:__
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__Progress bar in Unity launcher:__
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To set the progress bar for a Window, you can use the
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[BrowserWindow.setProgressBar][setprogressbar] API:
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```javascript
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var window = new BrowserWindow({...});
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window.setProgresssBar(0.5);
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```
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## Represented file of window (OS X)
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On OS X a window can set its represented file, so the file's icon can show in
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title bar, and when users Command-Click or Control-Click on the tile a path
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popup will show.
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You can also set edited state of a window so the file icon can indicate whether
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the document in this window has been modified.
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__Represented file popup menu:__
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<img src="https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/639601/5082061/670a949a-6f14-11e4-987a-9aaa04b23c1d.png" height="232" width="663" >
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To set the represented file of window, you can use the
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[BrowserWindow.setRepresentedFilename][setrepresentedfilename] and
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[BrowserWindow.setDocumentEdited][setdocumentedited] APIs:
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```javascript
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var window = new BrowserWindow({...});
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window.setRepresentedFilename('/etc/passwd');
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window.setDocumentEdited(true);
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```
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[addrecentdocument]: ../api/app.md#appaddrecentdocumentpath
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[clearrecentdocuments]: ../api/app.md#appclearrecentdocuments
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[setusertaskstasks]: ../api/app.md#appsetusertaskstasks
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[setprogressbar]: ../api/browser-window.md#browserwindowsetprogressbarprogress
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[setrepresentedfilename]: ../api/browser-window.md#browserwindowsetrepresentedfilenamefilename
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[setdocumentedited]: ../api/browser-window.md#browserwindowsetdocumenteditededited
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[app-registration]: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee872121(v=vs.85).aspx
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[unity-launcher]: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UnityLaunchersAndDesktopFiles#Adding_shortcuts_to_a_launcher
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