Drag and drop in Win UI

Question

Drag and drop in Win UI

123244 140

Hi, I'm doing drag and drop in Win UI application, but I have a problem. In drag and drop there is only Data.SetStorageItems method. It accepts an IStorageItem with which I have no access to hidden files and shortcuts (only using file picker, but in my case it is not an option). Are there any alternative ways to access such files, or to perform a drag and drop operation?

Castorix31 90,686 Reputation points

2024-11-05T16:10:46.3066667+00:00

I get shortcuts or hidden files if I drop them in a Grid.

Test with a desktop shortcut :
123244 140 Reputation points

2024-11-05T18:43:09.28+00:00

Indeed, you can get files from the Explorer side to the application, but the other way around is a different task. I apologize for not mentioning this right away, the point is that my application should generate the drop package correctly, preferably as flexible as possible, since the application is not intended to restrict the use of files
Jeanine Zhang-MSFT 11,356 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2024-11-07T03:11:44.5533333+00:00

It seems that there is no way to achieve that. There is only Data.SetStorageItems method in drag and drop currently.

I'd suggest you could submit a feature request about the feature in the Feedback Hub. And you could post the feature request to the Github for better help.
Castorix31 90,686 Reputation points

2024-11-09T10:24:27.8933333+00:00

A way can be with the Win32 method, with SHDoDragDrop

For example, I created a child Static window (empty for the test) with CreateWindowEx and I drag&drop a shortcut of Notepad to the Explorer from WM_LBUTTONDOWN:
Anonymous

2024-11-12T02:02:13.8733333+00:00

Hope you've been well. Any updates about this issue?
123244 140 Reputation points

2024-11-22T10:28:11.0266667+00:00

It seems that there will be no simple processing here. Thank you all for your responses. I think I'll try to use SHDoDragDrop where simple drag&drop won't be enough.

Accepted answer

0 additional answers

Your answer

Castorix31 90,686 Reputation points

2024-11-05T16:10:46.3066667+00:00

I get shortcuts or hidden files if I drop them in a Grid.

Test with a desktop shortcut :
123244 140 Reputation points

2024-11-05T18:43:09.28+00:00

Indeed, you can get files from the Explorer side to the application, but the other way around is a different task. I apologize for not mentioning this right away, the point is that my application should generate the drop package correctly, preferably as flexible as possible, since the application is not intended to restrict the use of files
Jeanine Zhang-MSFT 11,356 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2024-11-07T03:11:44.5533333+00:00

It seems that there is no way to achieve that. There is only Data.SetStorageItems method in drag and drop currently.

I'd suggest you could submit a feature request about the feature in the Feedback Hub. And you could post the feature request to the Github for better help.
Castorix31 90,686 Reputation points

2024-11-09T10:24:27.8933333+00:00

A way can be with the Win32 method, with SHDoDragDrop

For example, I created a child Static window (empty for the test) with CreateWindowEx and I drag&drop a shortcut of Notepad to the Explorer from WM_LBUTTONDOWN:
Anonymous

2024-11-12T02:02:13.8733333+00:00

Hope you've been well. Any updates about this issue?
123244 140 Reputation points

2024-11-22T10:28:11.0266667+00:00

It seems that there will be no simple processing here. Thank you all for your responses. I think I'll try to use SHDoDragDrop where simple drag&drop won't be enough.

Answer 1

There is no straightforward method in WinUI’s drag-and-drop system to directly handle hidden files or shortcuts. However, you can work around this limitation by accessing the files programmatically using the System.IO API (for hidden files), resolving shortcuts manually (via Shell32), or handling the drag-and-drop data with file paths.

For more flexible drag-and-drop scenarios involving hidden files and shortcuts, manually managing the drag-and-drop data (file paths) and accessing those files directly is often the best approach.

Share via

Drag and drop in Win UI

0 additional answers

Your answer