Win 8 Metro Notifications

Question

Hi,

My question is pretty simple. We are developing a Win 8 Metro application that we want to run similar to the Tweet@rama application or the stocks application. My question is focused solely on the Metro Client part of the problem. What I want to do is have my metro application tile updated without the need for the application to run. I understand how to accomplish this using WNS and the Push Notification. However what I am not sure of is the following:

How do I get the metro application to execute the code to connect to the channel Without the user launching the application ? Is there a good document explaining that ? For example I have never actually launched the Tweet@rama or the Stocks application however they are updating.

A more concise question to what I am asking would be: Is there a way I could cause my metro application to connect to the channel on deployment or on installation. So the app tile would get update regardless of whether the user actually launched the application or not ?

Let's assume the back end  infrastructure is in place.

 

Answer 1

Hi C,

You had to have started the application to start the notification.  If you do a fresh install of the Developer Preview you will see that the apps all have static tiles until you click on them:

-Jeff

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Jeff Sanders (MSFT)

Answer 2

Hi JP,

Would it be a viable option to start a metro application upon install ? What I am attempting to do is get a metro app to connect to the WNS Channels without the user having to click on the application. Therefore what I am thinking is. Using the ApplicationActiviationManager.What I would do is Runt he Powershell script to install the metro app and at the end of the PowerShell script have a quick little C ++ program execute which uses the ApplicationActiviationManager, to launch the Metro app. 

The Metro app would then connect to the channel and thus creating a "live" tile without the user having to interact with the metro app. I realize that this idea isn't feasible when the user download's the app from the app store. However If the user is installing my metro app on their own, then this solution could work...correct ?

Answer 3

Hi C,

There is more information about this covered in this thread: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/zh/windowsgeneraldevelopmentissues/thread/8d1b0861-5903-4289-8cb8-541ddaa012fb

Using powershell you could most likely do what you want.  The story for non-store delivered applications has not been discussed publically yet so I would not make any plans yet as to how you might accomplish this however!

-Jeff

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Jeff Sanders (MSFT)