Winbatch and Touch Screens

[edmoran]

I am about to start playing around with Windows 8.1 on a Surface Pro 3.  Can we take advantage of the touch screen when building dialogs in Winbatch?

[td]

What do you mean by 'take advantage of touch screen'? Do you have some specific functionality in mind?  WinBatch Dialogs are part of desktop applications and in general have the same capabilities as other desktop applications on the soon-to-be-relegated-to-Vista-status Windows 8.1.

[edmoran]

I'm thinking about the possibility of doing swipe gestures in dialog screens.

[td]

First some background.  Windows 8.whatever has two different kinds of applications.  'Modern' apps which are touch oriented and desktop apps which have the 'traditional' Windows UI.  Modern apps live in their own ghetto and do not have access to much of the OS that desktop apps do.  Both Modern apps and desktop apps respond to touch.  Desktop apps respond to touch by allowing you to use traditional UI elements in the same way they might be used with a mouse. Modern apps do not have traditional UI elements like dialogs and are mostly touch oriented. They can be used with a mouse and keyboard but are not particularly mouse and keyboard friendly. 

WinBatch is a desktop application.  Its UI, therefore, is mouse oriented but you can interact with WIL dialogs using touch to manipulate traditional UI elements just like you can with other desktop applications.  However, WIL dialogs do not have any special Windows 8.whatever gestures. 

WinBatch is  a desktop application because it could not be used to do many of the things it is now used for, if it lived in the 'Modern' ghetto.  It simply would not have access to the OS features it needs to perform the tasks.

The not too far away Windows 10 represents a return of the desktop with mouse and keyboard again being the focus of user input on workstations and notebook computers.  Modern application will still run in their ghetto but will appear in a desktop window on workstation and notebook computers.  Windows 10 is a major retreat by MSFT from the touch interface (although they will never admit it) for workstations and notebooks, and to a lesser extent even for hybrid computers. 

For the above reasons WinBatch will remain a desktop application for the foreseeable future.

[kdmoyers]

I'd like to add a hearty harrumph to that message.
-Kirby

[td]

Harrumph, harrumph, harrumph, harrumph, harrumph. 

[edmoran]

Thanks for the clarification.  Regardless of the OS, Winbatch has been there for me and has helped me accomplish so much at my work.  I've even written complete applications in it.  Couldn't do without it.