399 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
399 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
# Desktop Environment Integration
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Different operating systems provide different features for 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 explains how to integrate your application into those desktop
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environments with Electron APIs.
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## Notifications (Windows, Linux, macOS)
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All three operating systems provide means for applications to send notifications
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to the user. Electron conveniently allows developers to send notifications with
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the [HTML5 Notification API](https://notifications.spec.whatwg.org/), using
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the currently running operating system's native notification APIs to display it.
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**Note:** Since this is an HTML5 API it is only available in the renderer process.
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```javascript
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let myNotification = new Notification('Title', {
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body: 'Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet'
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})
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myNotification.onclick = () => {
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console.log('Notification clicked')
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}
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```
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While code and user experience across operating systems are similar, there
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are fine differences.
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### Windows
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* On Windows 10, notifications "just work".
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* On Windows 8.1 and Windows 8, a shortcut to your app, with a [Application User
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Model ID][app-user-model-id], must be installed to the Start screen. Note,
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however, that it does not need to be pinned to the Start screen.
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* On Windows 7, notifications are not supported. You can however send
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"balloon notifications" using the [Tray API][tray-balloon].
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Furthermore, the maximum length for the notification body is 250 characters,
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with the Windows team recommending that notifications should be kept to 200
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characters.
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### Linux
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Notifications are sent using `libnotify`, it can show notifications on any
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desktop environment that follows [Desktop Notifications
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Specification][notification-spec], including Cinnamon, Enlightenment, Unity,
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GNOME, KDE.
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### macOS
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Notifications are straight-forward on macOS, you should however be aware of
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[Apple's Human Interface guidelines regarding notifications](https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/OSXHIGuidelines/NotificationCenter.html).
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Note that notifications are limited to 256 bytes in size - and will be truncated
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if you exceed that limit.
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## Recent documents (Windows & macOS)
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Windows and macOS provide easy access to a list of recent documents opened by
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the application via JumpList or dock menu, respectively.
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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 the
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[app.addRecentDocument][addrecentdocument] API:
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```javascript
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const {app} = require('electron')
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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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const {app} = require('electron')
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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 a handler of the file type of the document, otherwise the file
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won't appear in JumpList even after you have added it. You can find everything
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on registering your application in [Application Registration][app-registration].
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When a user clicks a file from the JumpList, a new instance of your application
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will be started with the path of the file added as a command line argument.
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### macOS 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 will be emitted for it.
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## Custom Dock Menu (macOS)
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macOS enables developers to specify a custom menu for the 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 macOS:
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```javascript
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const {app, Menu} = require('electron')
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const dockMenu = Menu.buildFromTemplate([
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{label: 'New Window', click () { console.log('New Window') }},
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{label: 'New Window with Settings',
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submenu: [
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{label: 'Basic'},
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{label: 'Pro'}
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]
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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 macOS which is a real menu, user tasks in Windows work
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like application shortcuts such that when user clicks a task, a program will 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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const {app} = require('electron')
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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 window'
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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 an empty array:
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```javascript
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const {app} = require('electron')
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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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## Thumbnail Toolbars
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On Windows you can add a thumbnail toolbar with specified buttons in a taskbar
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layout of an application window. It provides users a way to access to a
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particular window's command without restoring or activating the window.
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From MSDN, it's illustrated:
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> This toolbar is simply the familiar standard toolbar common control. It has a
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> maximum of seven buttons. Each button's ID, image, tooltip, and state are defined
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> in a structure, which is then passed to the taskbar. The application can show,
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> enable, disable, or hide buttons from the thumbnail toolbar as required by its
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> current state.
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>
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> For example, Windows Media Player might offer standard media transport controls
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> such as play, pause, mute, and stop.
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__Thumbnail toolbar of Windows Media Player:__
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You can use [BrowserWindow.setThumbarButtons][setthumbarbuttons] to set
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thumbnail toolbar in your application:
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```javascript
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const {BrowserWindow} = require('electron')
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const path = require('path')
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let win = new BrowserWindow({
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width: 800,
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height: 600
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})
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win.setThumbarButtons([
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{
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tooltip: 'button1',
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icon: path.join(__dirname, 'button1.png'),
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click () { console.log('button1 clicked') }
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},
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{
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tooltip: 'button2',
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icon: path.join(__dirname, 'button2.png'),
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flags: ['enabled', 'dismissonclick'],
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click () { console.log('button2 clicked.') }
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}
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])
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```
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To clean thumbnail toolbar buttons, just call `BrowserWindow.setThumbarButtons`
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with an empty array:
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```javascript
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const {BrowserWindow} = require('electron')
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let win = new BrowserWindow()
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win.setThumbarButtons([])
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```
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## Unity Launcher Shortcuts (Linux)
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In Unity, you can add custom entries to its launcher via modifying the
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`.desktop` 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, macOS, 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 the user having to
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switch to the window itself.
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On macOS the progress bar will be displayed as a part of the dock icon.
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The Unity DE also has a similar feature that allows you to specify the progress
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bar in the launcher.
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__Progress bar in taskbar button:__
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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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const {BrowserWindow} = require('electron')
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let win = new BrowserWindow()
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win.setProgressBar(0.5)
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```
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## Icon Overlays in Taskbar (Windows)
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On Windows a taskbar button can use a small overlay to display application
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status, as quoted from MSDN:
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> Icon overlays serve as a contextual notification of status, and are intended
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> to negate the need for a separate notification area status icon to communicate
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> that information to the user. For instance, the new mail status in Microsoft
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> Outlook, currently shown in the notification area, can now be indicated
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> through an overlay on the taskbar button. Again, you must decide during your
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> development cycle which method is best for your application. Overlay icons are
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> intended to supply important, long-standing status or notifications such as
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> network status, messenger status, or new mail. The user should not be
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> presented with constantly changing overlays or animations.
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__Overlay on taskbar button:__
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To set the overlay icon for a window, you can use the
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[BrowserWindow.setOverlayIcon][setoverlayicon] API:
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```javascript
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const {BrowserWindow} = require('electron')
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let win = new BrowserWindow()
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win.setOverlayIcon('path/to/overlay.png', 'Description for overlay')
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```
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## Flash Frame (Windows)
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On Windows you can cause the taskbar button to become highlighted. This can be
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used similarly to macOS's Bounce Dock Icon to get the users attention. From the
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MSDN reference documentation:
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> Typically, a window is flashed to inform the user that the window requires
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> attention but that it does not currently have the keyboard focus.
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To flash the BrowserWindow taskbar button, you can use the
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[BrowserWindow.flashFrame][flashframe] API:
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```javascript
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const {BrowserWindow} = require('electron')
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let win = new BrowserWindow()
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win.once('focus', () => win.flashFrame(false))
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win.flashFrame(true)
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```
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Don't forget to call the `flashFrame` method with false to turn off the flash. In
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the above example, it is called when the window comes into focus, but you might
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use a timeout or some other event to trigger it off.
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## Represented File of Window (macOS)
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On macOS a window can set its represented file, so the file's icon can show in
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the title bar and when users Command-Click or Control-Click on the title a path
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popup will show.
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You can also set the edited state of a window so that the file icon can indicate
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whether 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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const {BrowserWindow} = require('electron')
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let win = new BrowserWindow()
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win.setRepresentedFilename('/etc/passwd')
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win.setDocumentEdited(true)
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```
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## Dragging files out of the window
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For certain kinds of apps that manipulate on files, it is important to be able
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to drag files from Electron to other apps. To implement this feature in your
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app, you need to call `webContents.startDrag(item)` API on `ondragstart` event.
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In web page:
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```html
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<a href="#" id="drag">item</a>
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<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
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document.getElementById('drag').ondragstart = (event) => {
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event.preventDefault()
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ipcRenderer.send('ondragstart', '/path/to/item')
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}
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</script>
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```
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In the main process:
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```javascript
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const {ipcMain} = require('electron')
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ipcMain.on('ondragstart', (event, filePath) => {
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event.sender.startDrag({
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file: filePath,
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icon: '/path/to/icon.png'
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})
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})
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```
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[addrecentdocument]: ../api/app.md#appaddrecentdocumentpath-os-x-windows
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[clearrecentdocuments]: ../api/app.md#appclearrecentdocuments-os-x-windows
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[setusertaskstasks]: ../api/app.md#appsetusertaskstasks-windows
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[setprogressbar]: ../api/browser-window.md#winsetprogressbarprogress
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[setoverlayicon]: ../api/browser-window.md#winsetoverlayiconoverlay-description-windows-7
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[setrepresentedfilename]: ../api/browser-window.md#winsetrepresentedfilenamefilename-os-x
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[setdocumentedited]: ../api/browser-window.md#winsetdocumenteditededited-os-x
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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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[setthumbarbuttons]: ../api/browser-window.md#winsetthumbarbuttonsbuttons-windows-7
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[tray-balloon]: ../api/tray.md#traydisplayballoonoptions-windows
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[app-user-model-id]: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd378459(v=vs.85).aspx
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[notification-spec]: https://developer.gnome.org/notification-spec/
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[flashframe]: ../api/browser-window.md#winflashframeflag
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