WinToast is a lightly library written in C++ which brings a complete integration of the modern **toast notifications** of **Windows 8**, **Windows 10** and **Windows 11**.
Toast notifications allows your app to inform the users about relevant information and timely events that they should see and take action upon inside your app, such as a new instant message, a new friend request, breaking news, or a calendar event.
- [WinToast](#wintoast)
- [Toast Templates](#toast-templates)
- [Event Handler](#event-handler)
- [Notification Content](#notification-content)
- [Error Handling](#error-handling)
- [Example of Usage](#example-of-usage)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Toast configuration on Windows 10](#toast-configuration-on-windows-10)
- [Projects using WinToast](#projects-using-wintoast)
## Toast Templates
WinToast integrates all standard templates available in the [ToastTemplateType enumeration](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/br208660.aspx).
| Template | Description | Example |
| :------- | ----: | :---: |
| `ImageAndText01` | A large image and a single string wrapped across three lines of text. |  |
| `ImageAndText02` | A large image, one string of bold text on the first line, one string of regular text wrapped across the second and third lines. |  |
| `ImageAndText03` | A large image, one string of bold text wrapped across the first two lines, one string of regular text on the third line. |  |
| `ImageAndText04` | A large image, one string of bold text on the first line, one string of regular text on the second line, one string of regular text on the third line. |  |
| `Text01` | Single string wrapped across three lines of text. | |
| `Text02` | One string of bold text on the first line, one string of regular text wrapped across the second and third lines. |  |
| `Text03` | One string of bold text wrapped across the first two lines, one string of regular text on the third line. | |
| `Text04` | One string of bold text on the first line, one string of regular text on the second line, one string of regular text on the third line. |  |
**Note:** The user can use the default system sound or specify a sound to play when a toast notification is displayed. Same behavior for the toast notification image, by default Windows try to use the app icon.*
## Event Handler
WinToast handle different events:
- **Activated**: Occurs when user activates a toast notification through a click or touch. Apps that are running subscribe to this event
- **Dismissed**: Occurs when a toast notification leaves the screen, either by expiring or being explicitly dismissed by the user.
* Application Hidden: The application hid the toast using ToastNotifier.hide.
* User Canceled: The user dismissed the toast.
* Timed Out: The toast has expired
- **Failed**: Occurs when an error is caused when Windows attempts to raise a toast notification.
Create your custom handler to interact with the user actions by subclassing the interface `IWinToastHandler`:
```cpp
class WinToastHandlerExample : public IWinToastHandler {
The full documentation of the notification content [here](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/design/shell/tiles-and-notifications/adaptive-interactive-toasts?tabs=appsdk).
### Scenario
To create important notifications, alarms, reminders, and incoming call notifications, you simply use a normal app notification with a Scenario value assigned to it. The scenario adjusts a few behaviors to create a consistent and unified user experience. There are four possible Scenario values:
- Reminder
- Alarm
- IncomingCall
- Urgent
### Expiration Time
Set the time after which a toast notification is no longer considered current or valid and should not be displayed. Windows attempts to raise toast notifications immediately after you call Show, so this property is rarely used.
> For Windows 8.x app, this property also causes the toast notification to be removed from the
> Action Center once the specified data and time is reached.
**Note:** Default Windows behavior is to hide notification automatically after time set in Windows Ease of Access Settings.
If you need to preserve notification in Windows Action Center for longer period of time, you have to call `WinToastTemplate::setExpiration` method.
### Hint Crop
Microsoft style guidelines recommend representing profile pictures with a circular image to provide a consistent representation of people across apps and the shell. Set the HintCrop property to Circle to render the image with a circular crop.
templ.setTextField(L"Matt sent you a friend request", WinToastTemplate::FirstLine);
templ.setTextField(L"Hey, wanna dress up as wizards and ride around on hoverboards?", WinToastTemplate::SecondLine);
templ.setImagePath(L"C:/example.png");
templ.setHintCrop(WinToastTemplate::Circle);
```
### Hero Image
The hero image is a large image that appears at the top of a toast notification. The hero image is optional and can be used to provide additional context to the user.
**Note:** The hero image is not supported on Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1.
templ.setTextField(L"Check out where we camped last night!", WinToastTemplate::SecondLine);
templ.setHeroImagePath(L"C:/example.png");
```
The hero image is specified by calling the `WinToastTemplate::setHeroImagePath` method. The image path can be a local file path or a URI.
### Inline Image
The second parameter of the method `WinToastTemplate::setHeroImagePath` is a boolean value that specifies whether the image should be inlined in the toast notification.
templ.setTextField(L"New product in stock", WinToastTemplate::FirstLine);
std::vector<std::wstring> actions;
actions.push_back(L"See more details");
actions.push_back(L"Remind me later");
// ...
for (auto const &action : actions) {
templ.addAction(action);
}
WinToast::instance()->showToast(templ, handler)
```
### Attribution text
New in Anniversary Update: If you need to reference the source of your content, you can use attribution text. This text is always displayed below any text elements, but above inline images. The text uses a slightly smaller size than standard text elements to help to distinguish from regular text elements.
Configure your [App User Model Id](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd378459%28v=vs.85%29.aspx), this can be done by using the existing helper:
Shao Voon Wong wrote an excellent article about the usage of WinToast. You can find it [here](https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/5286393/Cplusplus-Windows-Toast-Notification).
## Installation
If you are using a package manager, there is a port for [vcpkg](https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg/). Otherwise, the easiest way is to copy the source files as external dependencies.
## Toast configuration on Windows 10
Windows allows the configuration of the default behavior of a toast notification. This can be done in the *Ease of Access* configuration by modifying the *Other options* tab.
The system configuration helps you to define how long you want notifications to appear for (5 seconds to 5 minutes) as turning on visual notifications for sound.
## Projects using WinToast
- [Git for Windows](https://github.com/git-for-windows/git): A fork of Git containing Windows-specific patches.
- [Firefox](https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/file/tip/third_party/WinToast/wintoastlib.cpp): A free and open source web browser.
- [Waterfox](https://github.com/WaterfoxCo/Waterfox): Fast and Private Web Browser
- [QGIS](https://github.com/qgis/QGIS): QGIS is a free, open source, cross platform (lin/win/mac) geographical information system (GIS)
- [Synergy Core](https://github.com/symless/synergy-core): Share one mouse and keyboard between multiple computers
- [Siv3D](https://github.com/Siv3D/OpenSiv3D): A C++20 cross-platform library for creative coding
- [MEGAsync](https://github.com/meganz/MEGAsync): Easy automated syncing between your computers and your MEGA Cloud Drive
- [chatterino2](https://github.com/Chatterino/chatterino2): Chat client for twitch.tv
- [nheko](https://github.com/Nheko-Reborn/nheko): Desktop client for the Matrix protocol.
- [EDPathFinder](https://github.com/neotron/EDPathFinder): A program that creates an optimal route that passes through two or more systems in Elite.
- [IW6X-Client](https://github.com/XLabsProject/iw6x-client): IW6x is a free, open-source, community-driven project aiming to recreate the multiplayer experience of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
- [H1-Mod](https://github.com/h1-mod/h1-mod): A client for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered.
- [AntiExploit](https://github.com/Empier/Anti-Exploit): antiexploit utility for Windows.
- [Zroya](https://github.com/malja/zroya): Python extension for creating native Windows notifications..
- [PidginWinToastNotifications](https://github.com/ChristianGalla/PidginWinToastNotifications): Windows Toast Notification Plugin for Pidgin.
