Combine Metro/UWP apps and win32 apps by taking Metro/UWP apps out of the "apps" folder

[DragoCubed]

A lot of the Windows 10 inbuilt apps are now UWP and getting to them is harder when only using a mouse.

[XenHat]

@DragoCubed Can you elaborate on your issues accessing them? This would help us design the appropriate fix.

Perhaps you mean the fact it's hidden at the bottom?:

[david-rahrer]

FWIW, I prefer the separation. One of the first things I do on a new machine is remove most of the inbuilt apps. The few that I use (only calculator really) can be linked to the main area. The less I have to run into what's left the better. I'm thinking this may be a common feeling among those who prefer the original start menu, but I could be wrong.

[DragoCubed]

Yeah. The apps folder is what I'm talking about. We can always put the apps somewhere else. It just makes sense to do this. If you get Spotify from the store it goes to the apps folder. If you get it from the website the shortcut is outside of the apps folder.

[XenHat]

Yeah. The apps folder is what I'm talking about. We can always put the apps somewhere else. It just makes sense to do this. If you get Spotify from the store it goes to the apps folder. If you get it from the website the shortcut is outside of the apps folder.

I'm not too sure how the existing code handles displaying these but it should be possible to force sorting them with the root level ones, somehow.

FWIW, I prefer the separation. One of the first things I do on a new machine is remove most of the inbuilt apps. The few that I use (only calculator really) can be linked to the main area. The less I have to run into what's left the better. I'm thinking this may be a common feeling among those who prefer the original start menu, but I could be wrong.

This would be an option, and improved as feedback comes in. Perhaps the best method would be to have a function/button to create shortcuts at the root level, and hide the "Apps" folder from the list.

[Ibuprophen]

I am able to customize the view of the directories and files within the start menu myself...

I'm just surprised a bit that this isn't a known customization from both within the advanced settings as well as the 2 locations in which the software is looking to for displaying the contents within the menu itself.

Depending on what specifically is wanted to be done determins the action/task to get it done.

It's lengthy to explain as a whole but, those specific individual tasks are quite simple to accomplish.

I hope that I had explained this okay via text.... 😀

~Ibuprophen

[DragoCubed]

it's been a couple of months. it's hard to believe it'll be Christmas one month!

@david-rahrer Adobe Acrobat DC, Office 365, Firefox and Chrome (among others) aren't in any folders so it makes sense for UWP apps to be out of their own folder for consistency.

@ibuprophen1 I don't seem to be able to move any UWP apps out of the "apps" folder :/

[ImSpecial]

I'm with @david-rahrer on this, I like how things are handled as is, separated. If anything do change with this there needs to be an option to keep things the way they are for a lot of us users.

[DragoCubed]

@ImSpecial Why do you like them separated?

[XenHat]

Wouldn't the best fix for this be to fix UWP app and settings listing ? I have a feeling it's the same API. EDIT https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/uwp/win32-and-com/win32-and-com-for-uwp-apps @ge0rdi @ibuprophen1

[Ibuprophen]

@XenHat... I'll do the best I can regarding this whole mess with Microsoft.

Well the "Geniuses" at Microsoft had made so many changes to the Framework for its Apps and, a majority of them, had been made in a "very" short period of time.

This has ultimately been causing ALLOT of confusion for many developers (as i'm sure your experiencing as well).

Technically, Microsoft had just combined/rebranded the names of the "Windows Store Apps", "Metro Apps" and "Modern Apps" to a single new name "Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Apps" along with the updating/changes to (also now known as) the UWP API's.

Now we're down to the separate UWP, Win32/64 and even WinRT to deal with as a separate (and also can be inclusive) entities.

With this stated...

Here's some links that, I believe, can be helpful for this HUGE monster that Microsoft has now created.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/misc/migrate-apps-to-the-universal-windows-platform-uwp?

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/design

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Metro-apps

https://www.cnblogs.com/CodeHunters/p/5039343.html

What I had provided is actually a more abridged version based upon what I know of and located as well. I just didn't want to type out a Wiki Style description... LMAO! :-)

Also, the links above are just a few of the resources out there and, you can even state, a reference for those who already have knowledge of them too.

I hope that I was helpful in some way... :-)

Happy/Merry Christmahanakwanzika Everyone!!!

~Ibuprophen

[Ibuprophen]

@DragoCubed, it looks like this issue is actually a Customization question rather than an issue with the software.

Am I correct with this issue being resolved/answered?

~Ibuprophen

[DragoCubed]

It has to do with the software.

[Ibuprophen]

So i had read this issue again and i'm just thinking that this is more likely a feature request.

I'm going that direction because the question looks like it's regarding the ability to do something that the software isn't currently designed to do.

Am i correct?

~Ibuprophen

[DragoCubed]

Yeah. It's a feature request.

I think this is very important. As I said above I wasn't able to rearrange UWP apps. It wasn't important in Windows 8 because (if I recall correctly) the desktop had its own apps and you never had to touch Metro except for Settings (which was useless at the time).

[Imold]

Just create shortcuts to the UWP apps and put those where you want in the start menu.

The UWP apps should stay separate because you can't move them. That's why I don't use the windows 10 start menu, because I don't want my start menu cluttered with every UWP app on my pc.

[XenHat]

it would technically be possible to inline the content of the apps folder in the menu display if we use a list instead of a pure folder hierarchy display. I however have no idea of the size of that patch. it may range from trivial to version-incrementing...