StartupTask Class

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: Windows.ApplicationModel

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Edit

Represents a UWP app or a desktop application background task that runs at system startup or when the user logs in to their device.

public ref class StartupTask sealed

/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.ContractVersion(Windows.ApplicationModel.StartupTaskContract, 65536)]
/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingBehavior(Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingType.Agile)]
/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.Threading(Windows.Foundation.Metadata.ThreadingModel.Both)]
class StartupTask final

[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.ContractVersion(typeof(Windows.ApplicationModel.StartupTaskContract), 65536)]
[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingBehavior(Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingType.Agile)]
[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.Threading(Windows.Foundation.Metadata.ThreadingModel.Both)]
public sealed class StartupTask

Public NotInheritable Class StartupTask

Inheritance: Object Platform::Object IInspectable StartupTask

Attributes: ContractVersionAttribute MarshalingBehaviorAttribute ThreadingAttribute

Windows requirements

Device family	Windows Desktop Extension SDK (introduced in 10.0.14393.0)
API contract	Windows.ApplicationModel.StartupTaskContract (introduced in v1.0)

Remarks

This functionality is supported on desktop versions of Windows in both UWP apps and desktop applications in a Windows app package. For more information on packaged desktop applications (also known as Desktop Bridge Apps), see Package desktop applications. Support for packaged desktop applications was introduced in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (version 1607), and for UWP apps in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709).

An app must add the windows.startup extension category to its app package manifest in order to be activated at startup or when the user logs in. Adding this extension will not, by itself, automatically cause the app start.

UWP apps must call RequestEnableAsync from a UI thread to trigger a user-consent dialog. If the user consents, the UWP app will then start on startup or user log in. Note that UWP startup apps will start minimized.

If RequestEnableAsync is called from a packaged desktop app, no user-consent dialog is shown. Desktop apps can set their startup tasks to Enabled in the manifest, in which case they do not need to call RequestEnableAsync.

In both cases, to enable startup functionality, the user must either launch the app at least once, or they must enable startup functionality for the app on the Startup page in Settings. Once enabled, the user is in control and can change the enabled state of your app at any time via the Startup page in Settings or the Startup tab in Task Manager.

The following extension declaration goes in the app package manifest. The declaration that you use depends on whether your startup task will be a UWP app or desktop app background task.

Packaged desktop app startup task extension

<Package xmlns:uap5="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/uap/windows10/5"...>
...
<Applications>
    <Application ...>
        ...
        <Extensions>
          <uap5:Extension
            Category="windows.startupTask"
            Executable="MyDesktopApp.exe"
            EntryPoint="Windows.FullTrustApplication">
            <uap5:StartupTask
              TaskId="MyStartupId"
              Enabled="false"
              DisplayName="My Desktop App" />
          </uap5:Extension>
        </Extensions>
    </Application>
</Applications>

Attribute	Description
xmlns:uap5	Specifies the general UAP contract version 5 namespace. Note: for the Fall Creators update (Windows version 1703) use the Windows Desktop specific XML namespace instead, `xmlns:desktop="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/desktop/windows10",` and replace occurrences of `uap5:` with `desktop:` in the example above.
Category	Must have the value `"windows.startupTask"`.
Executable	The relative path to the .exe to start.
EntryPoint	Must have the value `"Windows.FullTrustApplication"`.
TaskId	A unique identifier for your task. Using this identifier, your app can call the APIs in this class to programmatically enable or disable a startup task.
Enabled	May be set to `true` for packaged desktop apps to indicate that the app is enabled for startup without first needing to call RequestEnableAsync.
DisplayName	The name of the task that appears in Task Manager.

For packaged desktop apps, multiple startupTask extensions are permitted, and each one can specify a different executable.

UWP app startup task extension

<Package xmlns:uap5="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/uap/windows10/5" ...>
...
<Applications>
    <Application ...>
        ...
        <Extensions>
          <uap5:Extension Category="windows.startupTask">
            <uap5:StartupTask
              TaskId="MyStartupId"
              Enabled="false"
              DisplayName="Test startup" />
          </uap5:Extension>
      </Extensions>
    </Application>
</Applications>

Attribute	Description
xmlns:uap5	UWP apps use the general UAP contract version 5 namespace.
Category	Must have the value `"windows.startupTask"`
TaskId	The unique identifier for your task. Using this identifier, your app can call the APIs in this class to programmatically enable or disable a startup task.
Enabled	For UWP apps, this attribute is ignored and the feature is implicitly disabled until the user first launches the app and the user confirms the app's request to enable activation at startup.
DisplayName	The name of the UWP app that appears in Task Manager.
Executable	Ignored. If provided, it cannot be empty or null. The app this Package.appxmanifest file belongs to is the implied executable.
EntryPoint	Ignored. If provided, it cannot be empty or null. The entry point is implied.

UWP apps should only have one Executable entry and windows.startupTask extension.
The windows.startupTask extension is only available for UWP apps that run on Windows Desktop.

Windows Web App (WWA) startup task extension

<Package xmlns:uap5="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/uap/windows10/5" .m..>
...
<Applications>
    <Application ...>
        ...
        <Extensions>
          <uap5:Extension Category="windows.startupTask" StartPage="EntryPage">
            <uap5:StartupTask
              TaskId="MyStartupId"
              DisplayName="Test startup"/>
          </uap5:Extension>
      </Extensions>
    </Application>
</Applications>

Attribute	Description
xmlns:uap5	UWP apps use the general UAP contract version 5 namespace.
StartPage	The name of the page to display when the WWA starts.
Category	Must have the value `"windows.startupTask"`
TaskId	The unique identifier for your task. Using this identifier, your app can call the APIs in this class to programmatically enable or disable a startup task.
DisplayName	The name of the UWP app that appears in Task Manager.

For WWA apps, Executable, EntryPoint, and Enables are ignored and may be either missing or null.

Example

The following code creates a StartupTask:

StartupTask startupTask = await StartupTask.GetAsync("MyStartupId"); // Pass the task ID you specified in the appxmanifest file
switch (startupTask.State)
{
    case StartupTaskState.Disabled:
        // Task is disabled but can be enabled.
        StartupTaskState newState = await startupTask.RequestEnableAsync(); // ensure that you are on a UI thread when you call RequestEnableAsync()
        Debug.WriteLine("Request to enable startup, result = {0}", newState);
        break;
    case StartupTaskState.DisabledByUser:
        // Task is disabled and user must enable it manually.
        MessageDialog dialog = new MessageDialog(
            "You have disabled this app's ability to run " +
            "as soon as you sign in, but if you change your mind, " +
            "you can enable this in the Startup tab in Task Manager.",
            "TestStartup");
        await dialog.ShowAsync();
        break;
    case StartupTaskState.DisabledByPolicy:
        Debug.WriteLine("Startup disabled by group policy, or not supported on this device");
        break;
    case StartupTaskState.Enabled:
        Debug.WriteLine("Startup is enabled.");
        break;
}

Properties

State	Gets the state (enabled, disabled, or disabled by user) of the startup task.
TaskId	Gets the Id of the startup task.

Methods

Disable()	Disables the startup task.
GetAsync(String)	Gets a startup task by Id.
GetForCurrentPackageAsync()	Gets all startup tasks for the current app package.
RequestEnableAsync()	Requests that the startup task be enabled. If the task was disabled by the user using Task Manager, this method will not override their choice and the user must re-enable the task manually.

Applies to

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