Universal Windows Platform apps

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Khan Academy, an example of a Universal Windows App
graphical widgets
, and a thick border.
Right: Metro-style app; entirely composed of contents

Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps[1] (formerly Windows Store apps, Metro-style apps and Modern apps)[2] are applications that can be used across all compatible Microsoft Windows devices. They are primarily purchased and downloaded via the Microsoft Store, Microsoft's digital application storefront.[3]

Nomenclature

Starting with

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.

It's worth noting that the term "Universal Windows Platform" (UWP) is primarily used in Microsoft's developer documentation to specifically refer to the platform itself. Microsoft also introduced the term "Windows Runtime app" retrospectively to describe the precursors of UWP apps, as there was previously no clear and unambiguous name for them.

In Windows 8.x

UWP apps first became available under the name "Metro-style apps" in 2012 and were marketed with Windows 8.[2][4]

Look and feel

In Windows 8.x, Metro-style apps do not run in a 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 on start. Menus are located in the "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.[5]

In response to criticism from customers, in Windows 8.1, a title bar was added but hidden unless users move the mouse cursor to the top of the screen. However, the hamburger menu button on the title bar gives access to the charms.[5]

Distribution and licensing

For most users, the only point of entry for Metro-style apps is the

sideload their line-of-business Metro-style apps, circumventing Windows Store. Also, major web browser vendors are selectively exempted from this rule, they are allowed to circumvent Microsoft guidelines and Windows Store and run a Metro-style version of themselves if the user chooses to make their product the default web browser.[6][7]

Windows Store
, or be verified by Microsoft (most internal applications).

Multiple copies

Before Windows 8, programs were identified by their static

Windows 8.1 Update added taskbar icons for Metro-style apps.[9]

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

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).[10]

In Windows 10 and Windows 11

Windows 10 brings significant changes to how UWP apps look and work.

Look and feel

UWP apps are designed by individuals or software 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
]

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 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.[11][12][13]

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.[10]

Licensing and distribution

UWP apps can be downloaded from

digital certificate that chains to a root certificate.[14]

Lifecycle

Metro-style apps are suspended when they are closed; suspended apps are terminated automatically as needed by a Windows app manager. Dynamic tiles, background components and contracts (interfaces for interacting with other apps) may require an app to be activated before a user starts it.[15][16]

Invoking an arbitrary Metro-style app or UWP app from the command line was first introduced in the Insider build 16226 of Windows 10,[17] which was released on 21 June 2017.[18]

Development

Windows Runtime

Traditionally, Windows software is developed using the

development tools. Metro-style apps can only be developed using Windows Runtime (WinRT). (Note that not every app using WinRT is a Metro-style app.) A limited subset of WinRT is available for also conventional desktop apps.[19]
Calling a forbidden API disqualifies the app from appearing on Windows Store.

Metro-style apps can only be developed using Microsoft's own development tools. According to Allen Bauer, Chief Scientist of

Universal apps

UWP apps developed to work on

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.[25][26]

UWP is not separate 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, console or

Internet of Things (IoT). They react to the capabilities that become available to the device. A universal app may run on both a 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.[27]

APPX

APPX
Filename extension
.appx, .appxbundle
Developed by
Container for
Installation information and an EXE or MSI file
Open format?Yes

APPX is the file format used to distribute and install apps on Windows 8.x, 10, 11, Windows Phone 8.1, Windows 10 Mobile, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Hololens, and Windows 10 IoT Core.[28] Unlike legacy desktop apps, APPX is the only installation system allowed for UWP apps. It replaces the XAP file format on Windows Phone 8.1, in an attempt to unify the distribution of apps for Windows Phone and Windows 8.[29] APPX files are only compatible with Windows Phone 8.1 and later versions, and with Windows 8 and later versions.[30]

The Windows Phone 8.x Marketplace allows users to download APPX files to an

SD Card and install them manually. In contrast, sideloading is prohibited on Windows 8.x, unless the user has a developers license or in a business domain.[31][unreliable source?
]

Security

Traditional Windows applications generally have the power to use and change their ecosystem however they want to. Windows

sandboxed and cannot permanently change a Windows ecosystem. They need permission to access hardware devices such as webcams, microphones or their file system which is restricted to user folders, such as My Documents. Microsoft further moderates these programs and may remove them from the Windows Store if they are discovered to have security or privacy issues.[32][33]

See also

References

  1. ^ Weinberger, Matt (March 17, 2016), Microsoft is trying to change Windows software forever — here's why it'll be a tough fight, retrieved June 27, 2016
  2. ^ a b Harrel, William (April 10, 2015), "Metro, Modern, Now Universal? Microsoft Can't Make Up Its Mind!", Digital Trends, retrieved June 27, 2016
  3. ^ Weinberger, Matt (March 4, 2016), "Microsoft's Windows app strategy comes under fire: 'The most aggressive move Microsoft has ever made'", Business Insider, retrieved June 27, 2016
  4. ^ Newman, Jared (March 26, 2015), "Microsoft's Metro apps rechristened with a new, sixth name: Windows apps", PCWorld, retrieved June 27, 2016
  5. ^
    IDG
    .
  6. CBS Interactive
    . Under Microsoft's rules, Metro-style browsers are able to sidestep requirements that apply to all other apps, including the mandate to be distributed through the Windows Store
  7. ^ Branscombe, Mary (27 March 2012). "Windows 8 browsers: the only Metro apps to get desktop power". TechRadar. Future Publishing. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  8. ^ "Switch between open apps". Microsoft Surface manual. Microsoft. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  9. ^ Fitzsimmons, Michelle (May 13, 2014). "Windows 8.1 Update 1: hands on with Microsoft's latest Windows update". TechRadar. Future plc. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  10. ^ a b Whitechapel, Andrew (May 2018). "Universal Windows Platform - Closing UWP-Win32 Gaps". MSDN Magazine. Vol. 33, no. 5. Microsoft.
  11. ^ Seifert, Dan (29 July 2015). "The nine most important updates in Windows 10". The Verge. Vox Media.
  12. ^ Warren, Tom (28 July 2015). "Windows 10 review". The Verge. Vox Media.
  13. CBS Interactive
    .
  14. ^ Sheehan, John; Zanjani, Peyman (30 March 2016). Project Centennial: Bringing Existing Desktop Applications to the Universal Windows Platform (Video). San Francisco: Microsoft Corporation. 8:50 minutes in. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  15. ^ Joshi, Bipin (22 February 2013). "Understanding Windows Store App Lifecycle and State Management". Code Guru. QuinStreet.
  16. Windows Dev Center. Microsoft
    .
  17. ^ Whitechapel, Andrew (5 July 2017). "Command-Line Activation of Universal Windows Apps". Building Apps for Windows. Microsoft.
  18. ^ Sarkar, Dona (21 June 2017). "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16226 for PC". Windows Experience Blog. Microsoft.
  19. MSDN. Microsoft
    . Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  20. ^ Grange, Eric (23 August 2012). "Why no native WinRT support in Delphi XE3?". DelphiTools. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  21. ^ Anderson, Tim (23 August 2012). "Third-party compilers locked out of Windows Runtime development". Tim Anderson's ITWriting. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  22. ^ Bauer, Allen (22 August 2012). "HTML5 Builder". Embarcadero Developer Network. Embarcadero Technologies. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  23. ^ Waheed, Ahmed (2 March 2015). "A first look at the Windows 10 universal app platform". Microsoft Gulf Technical Community blog. Microsoft.
  24. MSDN Magazine. 29 (9). Microsoft
    .
  25. . Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  26. . Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  27. . Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  28. Windows Dev Center
    . Microsoft. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  29. ^ Warren, Tom (11 February 2014). "Windows Phone 8.1 includes universal apps and lots of feature updates". The Verge. Vox Media.
  30. ^ How to Install APPX File on Windows Phone 8.1 Archived April 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ "How To Sideload Modern Apps on Windows 8". How-To Geek.
  32. ^ Ziegler, Chris (17 May 2012). "Microsoft talks Windows Store features, Metro app sandboxing for Windows 8 developers". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  33. ^ Rosoff, Matt (9 February 2012). "Here's Everything You Wanted To Know About Microsoft's Upcoming iPad Killers". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2013.

External links