- 1 year ago
Windows Runtime Component and ApiInformation.IsTypePresent
In the context of Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app development, a Windows Runtime Component is a special type of project that allows you to create components or libraries using languages like C++/WinRT or C++/CX that can be consumed by other UWP apps regardless of the programming language they are written in.
ApiInformation.IsTypePresent
is a method provided by the Windows namespace in UWP apps. It is used to check whether a specific type, class, method, or property is present in the currently running version of Windows. This is particularly useful for conditional code execution, where you want to use certain features or APIs only if they are available on the user's device.
Here's a brief overview of how to use a Windows Runtime Component and ApiInformation.IsTypePresent
in a UWP app:
Create a Windows Runtime Component:
In Visual Studio, you can create a new Windows Runtime Component project. Choose the appropriate language, such as C++/WinRT or C++/CX. This project will contain the functionality you want to expose to other UWP apps.Add Code to the Windows Runtime Component:
Write the necessary code in your Windows Runtime Component project to implement the functionality you want to provide to other UWP apps.Build the Windows Runtime Component:
Build the Windows Runtime Component project to generate the required component files.Referencing the Windows Runtime Component in UWP Apps:
In your UWP app project(s), you can reference the Windows Runtime Component you created earlier. This allows your UWP app(s) to use the functionality exposed by the component.Use
ApiInformation.IsTypePresent
for Conditional Execution:
Inside your UWP app's code, you can use theApiInformation.IsTypePresent
method to check whether a specific API or type is available before using it. This is especially useful when dealing with new APIs that were introduced in later versions of Windows.
Here's an example of how you can use ApiInformation.IsTypePresent
in a UWP app to conditionally use an API if it's available:
csharpusing Windows.Foundation.Metadata;
if (ApiInformation.IsTypePresent("Windows.Phone.UI.Input.HardwareButtons"))
{
// Use the HardwareButtons API for Windows Phone
}
else
{
// Fallback to other handling for other device families
}
In this example, the app checks whether the HardwareButtons
type is present in the current version of Windows. If it is available (e.g., on Windows Phone), it uses the API for handling hardware button presses; otherwise, it falls back to other handling methods for other device families.
By using ApiInformation.IsTypePresent
, you can create apps that are flexible and can adapt to different Windows versions and device families, taking advantage of newer features when available while providing fallback options for older versions.