PowerToys/doc/devdocs/runner.md

main.cpp

Contains the executable starting point, initialization code and the list of known PowerToys. All singletons are also initialized here at the start. Loads all the powertoys by scanning the ./modules folder and enable()s those marked as enabled in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\settings.json config. Then it runs a message loop for the tray UI. Note that this message loop also handles lowlevel_keyboard_hook events.

powertoy_module.h and powertoy_module.cpp

Contains code for initializing and managing the PowerToy modules. PowertoyModule is a RAII-style holder for the PowertoyModuleIface pointer, which we got by invoking module DLL's powertoy_create function.

powertoys_events.cpp

Contains code that handles the various events listeners, and forwards those events to the PowerToys modules. You can learn more about the current event architecture here.

lowlevel_keyboard_event.cpp

Contains code for registering the low level keyboard event hook that listens for keyboard events. Please note that signal_event is called from the main thread for this event.

win_hook_event.cpp

Contains code for registering a Windows event hook through SetWinEventHook, that listens for various events raised when a window is interacted with. Please note, that signal_event is called from a separate dispatch_thread_proc worker thread, so you must provide thread-safety for your signal_event if you intend to receive it. This is a subject to change.

tray_icon.cpp

Contains code for managing the PowerToys tray icon and its menu commands. Note that dispatch_run_on_main_ui_thread is used to transfer received json message from the Settings window to the main thread, since we're communicating with it from a dedicated thread.

settings_window.cpp

Contains code for starting the PowerToys settings window and communicating with it. Settings window is a separate process, so we're using Windows pipes as a transport for json messages.

general_settings.cpp

Contains code for loading, saving and applying the general settings.

auto_start_helper.cpp

Contains helper code for registering and unregistering PowerToys to run when the user logs in.

unhandled_exception_handler.cpp

Contains helper code to get stack traces in builds. Can be used by adding a call to init_global_error_handlers in WinMain.

trace.cpp

Contains code for telemetry.

svgs

Contains the SVG assets used by the PowerToys modules.