2025r3 and Roadmap

General
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this annoy me greatly, but I have more and more to say “I do not understand”.

Right now, it is about the Roadmap (and 2025r3)…

The entry says:

Modern UI for Windows 10/11
Use the latest modern UI controls in your apps that run on Windows 10/11.

I also read in the Release Notes for 2025r3 something about WinUI (*)

As you can read (above), the Text talks about WIndows 10/11 targets.

I also read here and elsewhere that Windows 10 is deprecated … for the masses (but the support will not end for everyone).

(*) first time I saw Win associated with UI. Till i read back the Release Notes, I do not understand it was a WIndows Only “something”…
Apparently, I was not alone in that case. Read a Forum entry (TextArea and the new UI or something like that).

Someone can explain ?

PS: for the ones that need that piece of informaton, WinUI can be changed here:

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Click in: macOS, Windows, Linux OR This Computer (as I do first in my quest about the new UI)…

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The quest: I loaded the test project shared, run it and so nothing; then a click in the TextArea1 control, click to read its Super and found nothing.
At last, I clicked in This Computer (all that yesterday).

Minutes ago, I read back the Release Notes, found the two WinUI entries, write this text, then checked the three platforms entries in the Navigator.

Before one chime in and tells me “There are Blog links that was shared”, I do not recall when it was the last time I read a Blog entry (same apply for You Tube videos).

Now, since only some people have access to the Tester discussion (and not me), the “masses“ do not know what was noted there (needed information may be potentially lost).

Just in case someone want to improve the release notes, and for the future, add working links in the Highlights paragraph (as what was done some days after I flagged the wrong links in the Release Notes (**).

And about the wrong links:
Place links to the issue site in the Issue # because that is what people await to find there.

Have a nice Sunday.

2

You’re likely to get better answers if your posts are more succinct and have a clearer question.

In short, they’re transitioning the Windows UI controls from Win32 to WinUI. I know you said you don’t read the blog, but maybe you should because it has a good summary regarding WinUI. Toward the Future with WinUI – Xojo Programming Blog

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I strongly encourage our English as a Second Language friends to run their posts through AI for clarification and simplification. It can really help make your point more clear!

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I guess Emile isn’t very clear even in French, for our standards. An AI would introduce hallucinations over unclear statements. We just need to do our best, when possible, and guide him were to look for more answers, as Gavin did.

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If you are not a ‘Windows person’ you may not know what WinUI is. It is a Windows OS only feature, you will not see any changes on your Mac.

WinUI (Windows UI Library) is Microsoft’s modern native UI framework for building beautiful, high-performance Windows apps that embrace the Fluent Design System, providing native controls and styles for Windows 10 and 11.

I read the forum entry about TextArea, that has nothing to do with WinUI.

They are not wrong links. They are links that explain why, if we visit the Issues site, we will get a 404. The person who created the Issue (or someone at Xojo) marked the case as private/confidential, anyone outside Xojo and the original poster can’t see the information.

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Hmm.. can you rephrase your issues/questions? :thinking:

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Rephrased from Gemini:

The author expresses frustration regarding the communication and documentation surrounding the new Xojo 2025r3 feature “Modern UI” (WinUI).

Summary: What is this about?

1. Confusion regarding terminology: The author initially did not realize that “WinUI” was a specific, Windows-only feature. The Release Notes were not clear enough on this point.

2. Windows 10 Support: The author questions why Windows 10 is explicitly listed as a target platform, noting that it is generally considered “deprecated” (though support hasn’t ended for everyone yet).

3. Usability issues (UX): The author had significant trouble finding the setting to enable “Modern UI” within the IDE. They looked in the wrong places (on the Control itself, under “This Computer”) and only found it by checking the Windows Build settings after re-reading the notes.

4. Criticism of information distribution:

• Important information feels “hidden” in Blog posts or YouTube videos, which the author does not consume.

• Discussions among Beta Testers are not visible to the public, leading to a loss of knowledge for the “masses.”

• Links in the Release Notes are often broken or do not lead directly to the relevant Issue Tracker.

Clear Questions (Derived from the text)

Reducing the text to its factual core, the author is asking the manufacturer (Xojo) or the community the following:

1. What exactly is “Modern UI” (WinUI)?

Is this a Windows-exclusive framework, and was it clearly communicated that this is a “Windows Only” feature?

2. Why the focus on Windows 10?

Why is Windows 10 explicitly advertised and supported if Microsoft is deprecating it?

3. Where exactly do I enable WinUI?

Where in the IDE (Inspector, Build Settings, Shared Settings) is the switch to enable the new design located? (It was hard to find).

4. How can I get information without Blogs/Videos?

Can essential technical details please be included directly in the Release Notes (with working links to the Issue Tracker), rather than in external media that not everyone uses?

Helpful Context

Just in case you (or the original author) need the specific technical answer regarding the setting mentioned in the text:

To enable WinUI in Xojo, you must go to the Build Settings in the Navigator and click on Windows. There, in the Inspector (usually on the right), you will find the option for the UI Framework (switchable between “Classic” and “Modern” / WinUI). It is not a property of the individual control (like a TextArea), but a global setting for the Windows executable.

8

Sigh

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I stopped reading at that sentence.

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