From 91fcebdca80149d9fedc2dcabc9f2339d257c749 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Gordon Lam <73506701+yeelam-gordon@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2025 02:52:48 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] Allow PowerToys to launch (without error) in Debug mode
 without requiring a full build of all modules (#41962)

<!-- Enter a brief description/summary of your PR here. What does it
fix/what does it change/how was it tested (even manually, if necessary)?
-->
## Summary of the Pull Request
This pull request updates the error handling logic when a module fails
to load in the `runner` function.
**In debug mode ONLY**, the code now logs a warning instead of showing
an error dialog, making it easier for developers to iterate quickly
without being blocked by missing modules.

Without these fixes, a long list of errors appears if not all modules
are built. Here is just one example:
<img width="642" height="361" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ee01e47a-73d6-47a0-a3ee-eb532c5bfcda"
/>


Error handling improvements:

* In `src/runner/main.cpp`, the error handling for module load failures
now logs a warning in debug mode instead of displaying a blocking error
dialog, streamlining the developer experience during debugging. In
release mode, the error dialog is still shown as before.
---
 src/runner/main.cpp | 9 +++++++++
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)

diff --git a/src/runner/main.cpp b/src/runner/main.cpp
index 527cf15bbb..31afbd0378 100644
--- a/src/runner/main.cpp
+++ b/src/runner/main.cpp
@@ -190,10 +190,19 @@ int runner(bool isProcessElevated, bool openSettings, std::string settingsWindow
             {
                 std::wstring errorMessage = POWER_TOYS_MODULE_LOAD_FAIL;
                 errorMessage += moduleSubdir;
+                
+#ifdef _DEBUG
+                // In debug mode, simply log the warning and continue execution.
+                // This contrasts with the past approach where developers had to build all modules
+                // without errors before debugging—slowing down quick clone-and-fix iterations.
+                Logger::warn(L"Debug mode: {}", errorMessage);
+#else
+                // In release mode, show error dialog as before
                 MessageBoxW(NULL,
                             errorMessage.c_str(),
                             L"PowerToys",
                             MB_OK | MB_ICONERROR);
+#endif
             }
         }
         // Start initial powertoys