Drag and drop in Win UI

123244 80

Hi, I'm doing drag and drop in Win UI application, but I have a problem. In drag and drop there is only Data.SetStorageItems method. It accepts an IStorageItem with which I have no access to hidden files and shortcuts (only using file picker, but in my case it is not an option). Are there any alternative ways to access such files, or to perform a drag and drop operation?

Castorix31 86,396 Reputation points

2024-11-05T16:10:46.3066667+00:00

I get shortcuts or hidden files if I drop them in a Grid.

Test with a desktop shortcut :
123244 80 Reputation points

2024-11-05T18:43:09.28+00:00

Indeed, you can get files from the Explorer side to the application, but the other way around is a different task. I apologize for not mentioning this right away, the point is that my application should generate the drop package correctly, preferably as flexible as possible, since the application is not intended to restrict the use of files
Jeanine Zhang-MSFT 10,046 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-11-07T03:11:44.5533333+00:00

It seems that there is no way to achieve that. There is only Data.SetStorageItems method in drag and drop currently.

I'd suggest you could submit a feature request about the feature in the Feedback Hub. And you could post the feature request to the Github for better help.
Castorix31 86,396 Reputation points

2024-11-09T10:24:27.8933333+00:00

A way can be with the Win32 method, with SHDoDragDrop

For example, I created a child Static window (empty for the test) with CreateWindowEx and I drag&drop a shortcut of Notepad to the Explorer from WM_LBUTTONDOWN:
Roy Li - MSFT 33,496 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-11-12T02:02:13.8733333+00:00

Hope you've been well. Any updates about this issue?
123244 80 Reputation points

2024-11-22T10:28:11.0266667+00:00

It seems that there will be no simple processing here. Thank you all for your responses. I think I'll try to use SHDoDragDrop where simple drag&drop won't be enough.

Accepted answer

César Manuel Cuervo Orizondo 75 Reputation points

2024-11-10T22:58:37.35+00:00

There is no straightforward method in WinUI’s drag-and-drop system to directly handle hidden files or shortcuts. However, you can work around this limitation by accessing the files programmatically using the System.IO API (for hidden files), resolving shortcuts manually (via Shell32), or handling the drag-and-drop data with file paths.

For more flexible drag-and-drop scenarios involving hidden files and shortcuts, manually managing the drag-and-drop data (file paths) and accessing those files directly is often the best approach.
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