Cory Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I think our community would benefit from some commentary regarding Universal Windows Platform from some experts, especially ISS. UWP, AKA "Windows app". AKA "Metro app" are the relatively new immersive touch interface apps. Obviously MEP was designed to interface with Windows API (Normal old apps) and not UWP. MEP can see the Windows but no controls and such. But it also seems to have limitations in seeing windows based activation triggers and such. Let's establish a list of limitations and tips to work around these limitations. I'd like it to be a post we can point the uninitiated to as a reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted October 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 It's interesting to me that no one has any comment on this. The other day there was an update to Windows and now the WinAPI network credentials dialog has been replaced with a UWP dialog. I was doing some work for a client and noticed several other things that have changed also. And a month or so ago I found a new setting that could no longer be accessed from the old control panel interface. Microsoft has come out and said that they are going to phase out all the Control Panel items in favor of the UWP Settings interface. I have a feeling that MEP will soon be much less effective to all Windows facilities. And we don't have a choice given that there will never be a Windows 10 and they will force all future updates and Windows will evolve incrementally via these updates. Seems we're seeing it already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnewtonne99 Posted November 8, 2016 Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 Hi all ... What is the latest on supporting UWP apps. I have few developers who migrated their apps to it and none of my macros work. I have emailed MEP developer multiple times, but no reply. Has anyone heard anything? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted November 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 I know that ISS is looking into it and taking this seriously. Much can be made to work in MEP but I think that some things like controls interactions will be a long time off. It seems to me that what MEP developed a long time ago for the WinAPI will need to be reproduced for the new WinRT. I can get some things to work but it's akin to a web browser. On a web page there are controls that MEP can't 'see' so one must tab count and fire blind mouse clicks. UWP apps can be made to work that way. But there is some strangeness like windows not being apparent. That's the purpose of this thread, to identify limitations and develop work-arounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted November 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2016 I have been writing .NET programs and dealing with some of my other older utilities in Win10 and I think I might have figured something out. One of the complaints with UWP apps is window activation and such. I've seen similar problems without MEP or UWP. One instance is an application that's launched from an Outlook rule that launches a WinForm as 'on top'. Most of the time it launches on top but sometimes it launches behind other applications even when those applications are not in use. Another example is a keyboard shortcut on my keyboard for the Windows Calculator. Recently it was changed to a UWP app but before and after when it's launched it sometimes loads behind other windows. I mention these to suggest to you all to consider that some of the issues with Windows activation and such might be failing not because of MEP but Windows itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted November 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2016 There's another reason to be concerned about UWP. Microsoft is actively replacing many older and familiar apps with UWP. Calculator I mentioned in the previous message is an example. Will Notepad be next? Also I was doing some admin on a Win10 system recently and had to make a setting change. I went to the control panel and discovered that the setting was missing. I read around online and discovered that it had been moved to the new UWP Settings app. The author of the article cited an MS article where they stated that they will be moving all of the control panel items there as well as all other settings. In fact every facility of windows is being moved to UWP apps. What's more with the new Windows Update we will be given all these gifts whether we want them or not and with no warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCH Posted May 14, 2019 Report Share Posted May 14, 2019 Hi Cory. Did you ever figure out a way to use MEP with UWP apps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted July 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2019 No. I think it's practically impossible with MEP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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