185 lines
6.6 KiB
Markdown
185 lines
6.6 KiB
Markdown
# Windows Taskbar
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Electron has APIs to configure the app's icon in the Windows taskbar. Supported
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are the [creation of a `JumpList`](#jumplist),
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[custom thumbnails and toolbars](#thumbnail-toolbars),
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[icon overlays](#icon-overlays-in-taskbar-windows), and the so-called
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["Flash Frame" effect](#flash-frame), but
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Electron also uses the app's dock icon to implement cross-platform features
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like [recent documents][recent-documents] and
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[application progress][progress-bar].
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## JumpList
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Windows allows apps to define a custom context menu that shows up when users
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right-click the app's icon in the task bar. That context menu is called
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`JumpList`. You 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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const win = new BrowserWindow()
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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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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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const win = new BrowserWindow()
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win.setThumbarButtons([])
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```
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## Icon Overlays in Taskbar
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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
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On Windows you can highlight the taskbar button to get the user's attention.
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This is similar to bouncing the dock icon on macOS.
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From the 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 disable it.
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[setthumbarbuttons]: ../api/browser-window.md#winsetthumbarbuttonsbuttons-windows
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[setusertaskstasks]: ../api/app.md#appsetusertaskstasks-windows
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[setoverlayicon]: ../api/browser-window.md#winsetoverlayiconoverlay-description-windows
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[flashframe]: ../api/browser-window.md#winflashframeflag
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[recent-documents]: ./recent-documents.md
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[progress-bar]: ./progress-bar.md
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