Application User Model ID (AppID) Window Property Sample

  • Article

Demonstrates how to control the taskbar grouping behavior of an application's windows through the System.AppUserModel.ID property.

This topic contains the following sections.

  • Description
  • Requirements
  • Downloading the Sample
  • Building the Sample
  • Running the Sample
  • Related topics

Description

This sample shows how to set the System.AppUserModel.ID property through the use of the window's IPropertyStore implementation, which is obtained through SHGetPropertyStoreForWindow.

Requirements

Product Minimum Product Version
Windows Windows 7
Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) 7.0

 

Downloading the Sample

This sample is available in the following locations.

Location Path URL
Code Gallery Windows Shell Integration Samples on Code Gallery
Windows 7 SDK Download Windows 7 SDK

 

In the case of the Windows SDK, once you have downloaded and installed it, you will find the samples in the installed directory. For example, use of the default installation path for the Windows 7 SDK results in the samples being placed under C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0\Samples\.

Building the Sample

To build the sample from the command prompt:

  1. Open the command prompt window and navigate to the AppUserModelIDWindowProperty project directory.
  2. Enter msbuild AppUserModelIDWindowProperty.sln.

To build the sample using Microsoft Visual Studio (preferred):

  1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the AppUserModelIDWindowProperty project directory.
  2. Double-click the icon for the AppUserModelIDWindowProperty.sln file to open the project in Visual Studio.
  3. From the Build menu, select Build Solution.

Running the Sample

  1. Navigate to the directory that contains the new executable, using the command prompt or Windows Explorer.
  2. At the command line, enter AppUserModelIDWindowProperty.exe. Alternatively, from Windows Explorer double-click the icon for AppUserModelIDWindowProperty.exe.
  3. To demonstrate the effect Application User Model IDs (AppUserModelIDs) have on taskbar grouping, launch at least three instances of the application at the same time.
  4. Use the menu to set a different AppUserModelID on each of the three windows. Notice that each separate AppUserModelID results in a separate taskbar button and that windows can change their identity at runtime.
  5. Set at least two windows to the second AppUserModelID. Notice that they both move into the same taskbar group.
  6. Open the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting Properties in the context menu. Change the Taskbar buttons: drop-down between the Combine when taskbar is full and Never combine values. Notice that each window can get a separate button, but that the buttons are grouped by AppUserModelID.

Application User Model IDs (AppUserModelIDs)