Is UWP the Right Development Tool for My Project?

R Evans 211 Reputation points
2020-01-14T17:22:34.523+00:00

I want to create an app for Window Store, but I fear that UWP is not the right development tool. My project targets the Windows desktop only, and my project will rename directores and files, and it will replace text in files.

After doing some research here, I think I have determined that a file picker can be used to allow the user to access additional locations, but I am not sure if my app would be allowed to rename directories, rename files and replace text.

I don't want to do a lot of development with UWP only to find that I have programmed my app into a hole and have to restart with a different strategy.

Universal Windows Platform (UWP)
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  1. John Torjo 861 Reputation points
    2020-01-14T20:59:28.74+00:00

    Let me save you a LOT of pain:

    DO NOT USE UWP.

    You'll end up hating your life, probably missing all your deadlines, and feel as if the "platform" is fighting you, every time coming up with things like "But you should do it like this".

    Here are a few "gotchas" that simply make this close to "I would rather develop software for Apple instead":
    https://learn.microsoft.com/answers/questions/608/please-either-allow-systemio-all-over-hdd-or-drast.html
    https://learn.microsoft.com/answers/questions/4027/uwp-cant-install-signed-application-non-ms-storeco.html

    And as a bonus, especially for you, say you actually request broadSystemAccess (basically, access to all HDD).
    Someone completely out of touch with reality at Microsoft, designed the following stupidity:

    1. When you request broadSystemAccess, your application, by default, DOES NOT have that access.
    2. You need to make your app resilient to this change, and handle "Access Denied" requests. In such a case, you should point your user to open "File System Privacy Settings" (there is a rather simple way to do it)
    3. The user ends up in that settings window, and he'll toggle your app ON...
    4. ... at which point, Windows closes your application.
    5. The user needs to restart your application

    The point 4. is simply beyond stupidity - it's the worst UI design flow anyone could come up with.

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  1. R Evans 211 Reputation points
    2020-01-14T21:56:26.633+00:00

    @John Torjo

    I have actually completed my app, using WPF, and I was considering rewriting it to UWP, but it looks like you have saved me a lot of grief.

    Thank you.

    1 person found this answer helpful.