Overview

The new Windows 7 Taskbar represents the culmination of many years of Windows launch surface evolution. The new taskbar streamlines many end-user scenarios including:

• Launching applications
• Switching between running applications and windows within a single application
• Managing recent/frequent user destinations
• Accessing common application tasks
• Reporting progress and status notifications through the taskbar button

Controlling the application without leaving the taskbar thumbnail

The new taskbar is a differentiating opportunity that allows applications to shine on the Windows 7 platform. It is the end user’s primary point-of-contact for initiating and managing activities. Thus, the integration of new taskbar features into modern Windows 7 applications is a critically important goal.

The consolidation of features into the new taskbar user interface is designed to provide a cleaner look to Windows, reduce the number of concepts users must learn in order to interact with the system, ease discoverability of key features, tasks and destinations, and make common end-user scenarios more accessible.

Objectives

In this Hands-On Lab, you will learn how to integrate your application with the Windows 7 Taskbar, including:

• Providing visual progress and status indicators using taskbar progress bars and overlay icons
• Remotely controlling a window from the taskbar thumbnail using thumbnail toolbars
• Customizing the taskbar thumbnail and live preview using thumbnail clips and fully custom on-demand thumbnails

Quickly accessing common tasks and frequent destinations using jump list tasks, system categories and custom categories

System Requirements

You must have the following items to complete this lab:

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 SP1
• Windows 7 RC or later
• Windows API Code Pack 1.00 and above

Graphics card fully supporting Windows Aero