# Keyboard Manager UI ## Table of Contents: 1. [C++ XAML Islands](#c-xaml-islands) 1. [Debugging exceptions in XAML Islands](#debugging-exceptions-in-xaml-islands) 2. [Build times](#build-times) 3. [Setting custom backgrounds for Xaml Controls using brushes](#setting-custom-backgrounds-for-xaml-controls-using-brushes) 2. [UI Structure](#ui-structure) 3. [EditKeyboardWindow / EditShortcutsWindow](#editkeyboardwindow--editshortcutswindow) 1. [OK and Cancel button](#ok-and-cancel-button) 2. [Delete button](#delete-button) 3. [Handling common modifiers in EditKeyboardWindow](#handling-common-modifiers-in-editkeyboardwindow) 4. [SingleKeyRemapControl](#singlekeyremapcontrol) 5. [ShortcutControl](#shortcutcontrol) 6. [KeyDropDownControl](#keydropdowncontrol) 1. [Localized key names](#localized-key-names) 2. [Single Key ComboBox Selection Handler](#single-key-combobox-selection-handler) 3. [Shortcut ComboBox Selection Handler](#shortcut-combobox-selection-handler) ## C++ XAML Islands The KBM UI is implemented as a C++ XAML Island, but all the controls are implemented in code behind rather than .xaml and .xaml.cs files. This was done as per a XAML Island Code sample and it didn't require a separate UWP project, which could be limited in terms of using hooks. There is a [tech debt item](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/2027) for moving this to XAML. The reason it wasn't implemented in the C# Settings was because it required communication with the low level hook thread, which could be too slow if IPC is used, since the UI needs to update on every key event. **Note:** For functions which take a XAML component as argument, pass it by value and not by reference. This is because `winrt` WinUI classes store their own internal references, so they are supposed to be passed by value (and internally ref counts are incremented). Passing by reference can lead to weird behavior where the object is `null`. The windows are [created as C++ windows](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/b80578b1b9a4b24c9945bddac33c771204280107/src/modules/keyboardmanager/ui/EditKeyboardWindow.cpp#L128-L140) and the window sizes are set to default by [scaling them as per DPI](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/b80578b1b9a4b24c9945bddac33c771204280107/src/modules/keyboardmanager/ui/EditKeyboardWindow.cpp#L120-L126) using the `DPIAware::Convert` API from common lib. Since the UI is launched on a new thread, the window may not be in the foreground, so [we call `SetForegroundWindow`](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/b80578b1b9a4b24c9945bddac33c771204280107/src/modules/keyboardmanager/ui/EditKeyboardWindow.cpp#L146-L150). `DesktopWindowXamlSource` has to be declared and [it is initialized](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/b80578b1b9a4b24c9945bddac33c771204280107/src/modules/keyboardmanager/ui/EditKeyboardWindow.cpp#L159-L162) using the [`XamlBridge`](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/main/src/modules/keyboardmanager/ui/XamlBridge.cpp), and [a second window handle](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/b80578b1b9a4b24c9945bddac33c771204280107/src/modules/keyboardmanager/ui/EditKeyboardWindow.cpp#L161-L162) is generated for the internal Xaml Island window. Most of the code was based on the [Xaml Island Sample](https://github.com/microsoft/Xaml-Islands-Samples/blob/master/Samples/Win32/SampleCppApp/XamlBridge.cpp). The `XamlBridge` class contains code which handles initializing the Xaml Island containers as well as handling special messages like keyboard navigation, and focus between islands and between the C++ window and the island. It also has methods for clearing the xaml islands and closing the window. Once the UI controls are created, the parent container is set as the content for the `DesktopWindowXamlSource` and the `XamlBridge.MessageLoop` is executed. Messages are processed by the C++ window handler like [`EditKeyboardWindowProc`](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/b80578b1b9a4b24c9945bddac33c771204280107/src/modules/keyboardmanager/ui/EditKeyboardWindow.cpp#L364-L404). The general structure we use for this is, for any `WM_PAINT` or `WM_SIZE` message we resize the Xaml Island window. For `WM_GETMINMAXINFO` we set minimum widths so that the window cannot be resized beyond a minimum height and width. This is done to prevent the WinUI elements from overlapping and getting cropped. If it is neither of these cases we send the message to the [`XamlBridge.MessageHandler`](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/b80578b1b9a4b24c9945bddac33c771204280107/src/modules/keyboardmanager/ui/XamlBridge.cpp#L291-L301) which handles Destroy, Activation and Focus. If `WM_NCDESTROY` is received when the `XamlBridge` is `nullptr`, the window thread is terminated. **Note:** `ContentDialog` in Xaml Islands requires manually settings a `XamlRoot`. This can generally be done by passing the XamlRoot from a component in the main window, such as the button used to open the dialog ([`sender.as