Universal Windows Platform apps: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:56, 29 September 2023

Revision as of 11:58, 20 November 2023

Line 5:

[[File:Wikipedia App snapped to Windows 8 desktop.png|thumb|Left: A traditional desktop app without contents; it is showing 60 [[Widget (GUI)|graphical widgets]], and a thick border.<br/>Right: Metro-style app; entirely composed of contents]]

'''Universal Windows Platform''' ('''UWP''') '''apps'''<ref>{{citation|title=Microsoft is trying to change Windows software forever — here's why it'll be a tough fight|first=Matt|last=Weinberger|date=March 17, 2016|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-universal-windows-platform-explained|access-date=June 27, 2016}}</ref> (formerly '''Windows Store apps''', '''Metro-style apps''' and '''Modern apps''')<ref name=Harrel>{{citation|title=Metro, Modern, Now Universal? Microsoft Can't Make Up Its Mind!|first=William|last=Harrel|date=April 10, 2015|work=Digital Trends|url=http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/microsoft-universal-apps/|access-date=June 27, 2016}}</ref> are [[Application software|applications]] that can be used across all compatible [[Microsoft Windows]] devices. They are primarily purchased and downloaded via the [[Microsoft Store (digital)|Microsoft Store]], Microsoft's digital application storefront.<ref>{{citation|title=Microsoft's Windows app strategy comes under fire: 'The most aggressive move Microsoft has ever made'|first=Matt|last=Weinberger|date=March 4, 2016|work=Business Insider|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/epic-ceo-tim-sweeney-slams-windows-10-2016-3|access-date=June 27, 2016}}</ref>

==Nomenclature==

Starting with [[Windows 10]], [[Microsoft]] initially used the term "Windows app" to describe [[Universal Windows Platform]] (UWP) apps. These were [[Application software|applications]] that could be installed from the [[Microsoft Store]], which was previously known as the [[Windows Store]]. Initially, these apps were called "Trusted Windows Store apps," and later they were referred to as "Trusted Microsoft Store apps." On the other hand, traditionalTraditional programs designed to run on desktop computers were referred to as "[[Desktop app|desktop apps]]."

With the release of [[Windows 10]] version 1903, there was a shift in the terminology. [[Microsoft]] began using the term "Apps" to refer to both UWP apps and desktop apps indiscriminately. This change aimed to unify the naming convention for all types of applications.

Line 19:

===Look and feel===

{{See also|Metro (design language)}}

In Windows 8.x, Metro-style apps do not run in a [[window (computing)|window]]. Instead, they either occupy the entire screen or are snapped to one side, in which case they occupy the entire height of the screen but only part of its width. They have no title bar, system menu, window borders or control buttons. Command interfaces like scroll bars are usually hidden aton firststart. Menus are located in the "[[Windows shell#Charms|settings charm]]." Metro-style apps use the UI controls of Windows 8.x and typically follow Windows 8.x UI guidelines, such as horizontal scrolling and the inclusion of edge-UIs, like the app bar.<ref name="Infoworld-Win81u">{{Cite web |url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/2606675/microsoft-windows/147162-What-s-new-in-the-Windows-8.1-Update.html#slide6 |title=What's new in Windows 8.1 Update |work=[[InfoWorld]] |publisher=[[IDG]] |date=8 April 2014 |first=Woody |last=Leonhart }}</ref>

In response to criticism from customers, in [[Windows 8.1]], a title bar iswas added but hidden unless users move the mouse cursor to the top of the screen. TheHowever, "the [[Hamburger button|hamburger"]] menu button on theirthe title bar gives access to the charms.<ref name="Infoworld-Win81u" />

===Distribution and licensing===

Line 30:

===Multiple copies===

Before Windows 8, programs were identified by their static [[computer icon|icon]]s. The [[Windows Shell#Taskbar|Windows taskbar]] was responsible for representing every app that had a window whenwhile they runrunning. Metro-style apps, however, are identified by their "tiles" that can show their icon and also other dynamic contents. In addition, in Windows 8 and [[Windows 8.1]] RTM, they are not shown on the Windows taskbar when they run, but on a dedicated app switcher on the left side of the screen.<ref>{{cite web|title=Switch between open apps|url=http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/apps-and-windows-store/how-to-switch-between-apps?lc=1033|work=[[Microsoft Surface]] manual|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=31 December 2013}}</ref> [[Windows 8.1 Update]] added taskbar icons for Metro-style apps.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Michelle |title=Windows 8.1 Update 1: hands on with Microsoft's latest Windows update |url= http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/windows-8-1-update-1-what-s-in-microsoft-s-latest-windows-update-1232863 |work=[[TechRadar]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |access-date=May 19, 2014 |date=May 13, 2014}}</ref>

There is no set limit on how many copies of desktop apps can run simultaneously. For example, one user may run as many copies of programs such as [[Microsoft Notepad|Notepad]], [[Paint (software)|Paint]] or [[Firefox]] as long as the system resources can support. (Some desktop apps, such as [[Windows Media Player]], are designed to allow only a single instance, but this is not enforced by the operating system.) However, in Windows 8, only one copy of Metro-style apps may run at any given time; invoking the app brings the running instance to the front. True multi-instancing of these apps were not available until Windows 10 version 1803 (released in May 2018).<ref name="multi-instancing">{{cite magazine|last1=Whitechapel|first1=Andrew|title=Universal Windows Platform - Closing UWP-Win32 Gaps|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/mt846651|website=MSDN Magazine|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|volume=33|number=5|date=May 2018}}</ref>

== In Windows 10 and Windows 11 ==

Line 39:

=== Look and feel ===

{{See also|Fluent Design System}}

How UWP apps lookare dependsdesigned onby theindividuals appor itselfsoftware companies which leads to apps having their own look and feel. However, UWP apps built specifically for Windows 10 and 11 typically appear and function differently than ones on older versions, as they use new UI controls that look different from those of previous versions of Windows. The exception to this are apps that use custom UI, which is especially the case with video games. Apps designed for Windows 8.x look significantly different from those designed for Windows 10 and 11.

UWP apps can also look almost identical to traditional desktop apps, using the same legacy UI controls from Windows versions dating back to Windows 95. These are legacy desktop apps that are converted to the UWP apps and distributed using the [[APPX]] file format.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

=== Multitasking ===

In Windows 10, most UWP apps, even those designed for Windows 8.x, are run in floating windows, and users can use the Windows taskbar and [[Task View (Windows)|Task View]] to switch between both UWP apps and desktop apps. Windows 10 also introduced "Tablet Mode". This mode is by default disabled on desktop computers and enabled on tablet computers, but desktop users can switch it on or off manually. When the Tablet Mode is off, apps may have resizable windows and visible title bars. When the Tablet Mode is enabled, resizable apps use the windowing system similar to that of Metro-style apps on Windows 8.x in that they are forced to either occupy the whole screen or be snapped to one side.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Seifert|first1=Dan|title=The nine most important updates in Windows 10|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/29/9060177/microsoft-windows-10-update-changes-browser-start-menu-cortana-xbox#list-item-5|website=[[The Verge]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=29 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/28/9045331/microsoft-windows-10-review|title = Windows 10 review|date = 28 July 2015|website = [[The Verge]]|publisher = [[Vox Media]]|last = Warren|first = Tom}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-a-new-beginning/|title = Windows 10: A new beginning|date = 28 July 2015|website = [[ZDNet]]|publisher = [[CBS Interactive]]|last = Bott|first = Ed}}</ref>

UWP apps in Windows 10 can open in multiple windows. Microsoft Edge, Calculator, and Photos are examples of apps that allow this. Windows 10 v1803 (released in May 2018) added true multi-instancing capabilities, so that multiple independent copies of a UWP app can run.<ref name="multi-instancing" />

=== Licensing and distribution ===

UWP apps can be downloaded from [[Windows Store]] or can be [[Sideloading|sideloaded]]. The sideloading requirements were reduced significantly from Windows 8.x to 10, but the app must still be signed by a trusted [[digital certificate]] that chains to a [[root certificate]].<ref>{{cite AV media |last1=Sheehan |first1=John |first2=Peyman |last2=Zanjani |date=30 March 2016 |title=Project Centennial: Bringing Existing Desktop Applications to the Universal Windows Platform |medium=Video |url=https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2016/B829 |access-date=3 April 2016 |minutes=8:50 |___location=San Francisco |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |archive-date=29 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129101429/https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2016/B829 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Lifecycle==

Line 68:

UWP apps developed to work on [[smartphone]]s, [[personal computer]]s, [[video game console]]s and [[HoloLens]] are called '''universal apps'''. This is accomplished by using the universal app API, first introduced in Windows 8.1 and [[Windows Phone 8.1]]. [[Visual Studio 2013]] with Update 2 could be used to develop these apps.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Waheed|first1=Ahmed|title=A first look at the Windows 10 universal app platform|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/msgulfcommunity/archive/2015/03/02/a-first-look-at-the-windows-10-universal-app-platform.aspx|website=Microsoft Gulf Technical Community blog|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|date=2 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Appel|first1=Rachel|title=Modern Apps : Build Universal Apps for the Windows Platform|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dn781364.aspx|website=[[MSDN Magazine]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|date=September 2014|volume=29|number=9}}</ref> Windows 10 introduced [[Universal Windows Platform]] (UWP) 10 for developing universal apps. Apps that take advantage of this platform are developed with [[Visual Studio 2015]] or later. Older Metro-style apps for Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8.1 or for both (universal 8.1) need modifications to migrate to this platform.<ref>{{cite web|title=Migrate apps to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP)|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/mt148501.aspx|website=[[MSDN]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Move from Windows Runtime 8.x to UWP|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/xaml/mt238322.aspx|website=[[MSDN|Windows Developer Center]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref>

UWP is not distinctseparate from Windows Runtime; rather, it is an extension of it. Universal apps no longer indicate having been written for a specific OS in their manifest; instead, they target one or more device families, e.g. desktop, mobile, Xboxconsole or [[Internet of Things]] (IoT). They react to the capabilities that become available to the device. A universal app may run on both a small mobile phone and a tablet and provide a suitable experience. The universal app running on the mobile phone may start behaving the way it would on a tablet when the phone is connected to a monitor or a suitable [[docking station]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Guide to Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/xaml/dn894631.aspx|website=[[MSDN|Windows Dev Center]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref>

===APPX===