## Summary
Guard PowerToys' WinUI windows against an empty native window title, so
the WinUI `TitleBar` control can't read an empty title during startup
and fault the process. This fixes a class of bugs like
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/48547
## Background
Spotted while reading through the Environment Variables `MainWindow`
startup path. The WinUI `TitleBar` control (used with
`ExtendsContentIntoTitleBar`) reads the owning window's
`AppWindow.Title` during a deferred layout pass (`OnApplyTemplate` →
`UpdateTitle`). When the native window title is empty at that instant,
the windowing layer can fault while resolving the title and terminate
the process during startup.
The native title ends up empty in two ways:
1. The title is computed from `ResourceLoader.GetString(...)`, which
returns an **empty string** (it doesn't throw) when the resource map
can't be resolved at runtime.
2. The window sets `AppWindow.Title` only *later*, not before the title
bar's first layout.
## Windows fixed
Every PowerToys window that hosts the `TitleBar` control:
| Window | Fix |
|---|---|
| Environment Variables | Non-empty fallback for the resource-based
title |
| Hosts | Non-empty fallback for the resource-based title |
| File Locksmith | Non-empty fallback for the resource-based title |
| Shortcut Guide | Non-empty fallback for the resource-based title |
| Settings — shortcut-conflict window | Non-empty fallback for the
resource-based title |
| Registry Preview | Set `AppWindow.Title` to the app name in the
constructor (previously only set later in `UpdateWindowTitle`) |
| Keyboard Manager Editor | No change — already sets a hardcoded
non-empty `Title` |
## Risk
Very low. The only behavior change is that a previously-empty title
becomes a non-empty fallback; the normal (resource-resolved) paths are
unchanged.
## Validation
Each affected project builds clean (`x64 | Release`):
EnvironmentVariables, Hosts, FileLocksmithUI, ShortcutGuide.Ui,
RegistryPreview, PowerToys.Settings.
## Related
Root cause write-up (windowing/WinUI side):
microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml#11214.
---
ADO:
https://microsoft.visualstudio.com/DefaultCollection/OS/_workitems/edit/62685601/
---------
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- Upgrade to WASDK 1.8.5 that includes a fix for the `TitleBar` control.
- Remove the workaround from windows that use this control, as we can
set the `TitleBar` directly now
* Fix borders for windows in the Settings UI
* Fix HOSTS window
* Fix Advanced Paste
* Fix Environment Variables
* Fix File Locksmith
* Fix Peek, with a caveat
* Fix Registry Preview
* Remove unused imports
* Clean up imports in OobeShellPage
* Move OSVersionHelper from Common.UI up into ManagedCommon
* Flatten everything and succeed build
* Figure out Settings assets
* Remove UseCommonOutputDirectory tag
* Proper settings app path
* [VCM] Fix assets location
* Fix some runtime paths
* [RegistryPreview]Use MRTCore specific pri file
* [Hosts]Use MRTCore specific pri file
* [Settings]Use MRTCore specific pri file
* [Peek]Use MRTCore specific pri file
* [FileLocksmith]Use MRTCore specific pri file
* [ScreenRuler]Use MRTCore specific pri file
* [PowerRename]Use MRTCore specific pri file
* [Peek]Move assets to own folder
* [FileLocksmith] Use own Assets path
* [Hosts]Use own assets folder
* [PowerRename]Use own assets dir
* [MeasureTool] Use its own assets folder
* [ImageResizer]Use its own assets path
* Fix spellcheck
* Fix tab instead of space in project files
* Normalize target frameworks and platforms
* Remove WINRT_NO_MAKE_DETECTION flag. No longer needed?
* Fix AOT and Hosts locations
* Fix Dll version differences on dependency
* Add Common.UI.csproj as refernce to fix dll versions
* Update ControlzEx to normalize dll versions
* Update System.Management version to 7.0.2
* Add GPOWrapper to Registry Preview to fix dll versions
* [PTRun]Reference Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting to fix dll versions
* Fix remaining output paths / dll version conflicts
* [KeyboardManager]Executables still on their own directories
* Fix Monaco paths
* WinAppSDK apps get to play outside again
* Enable VCM settings again
* Fix KBM Editor path again
* [Monaco]Set to own Assets dir
* Fix installer preamble; Fix publish. remove unneeded publishes
* Remove Hardlink functions
* Installer builds again (still needs work to work)
* Readd Monaco to spellcheck excludes
* Fix spellcheck and call publish.cmd again
* [Installer] Remove components that don't need own dirs
* [Installer] Refactor Power Launcher
* [Installer] Refactor Color Picker
* [Installer] Refactor Monaco assets
* [Installer]Generate File script no longer needs to remove files
* [Installer]Refactor FileLocksmith
* [Installer] Refactor Hosts
* [Installer]Refactor Image Resizer
* [Installer]Refactor MouseUtils
* [Installer]Refactor MWB
* [Installer]Refactor MeasureTool
* [Installer]Refactor Peek
* [Installer]Refactor PowerRename and registry fixes
* [Installer]Refactor RegistryPreview
* [Installer]Refactor ShortcutGuide
* [Installer]Refactor Settings
* [Installer]Clean up some unused stuff
* [Installer]Clean up stuff for user install
* [Installer]Fix WinUi3Apps wxs
* [Installer]Fix misplaced folders
* [Installer]Move x86 VCM dll to right path
* Fix monaco language list location
* [Installer]Fix VCM directory reference
* [CI]Fix signing
* [Installer] Fix resources folder for release CI
* [ci]Looks like we still ship NLog on PowerToys Run
* [Settings]Add dependency to avoid dll collision with Experimentation
* [RegistryPreview]Move XAML files to own path
* [RegistryPreview]Fix app icon
* [Hosts]Move XAML files to their own path
* [FileLocksmith]Move XAML files to their own path
* [Peek]Move XAML files to own path
* [ScreenRuler]Move XAML files to its own path
* [Settings]Move XAML to its own path
* [ColorPicker]Move Resources to Assets
* [ShortcutGuide]Move svgs to own Assets path
* [Awake]Move images to assets path
* [Runner]Remove debug checks for PowerToys Run assets
* [PTRun]Move images to its own assets path
* [ImageResizer]Icon for context menu on own assets path
* [PowerRename]Move ico to its own path
* Remove unneeded intermediary directories
* Remove further int dirs
* Move tests to its own output path
* Fix spellcheck
* spellcheck: remove warnings
* [CppAnalyzers]Ignore rule in a tool
* [CI]Check if all deps.json files reference same versions
* fix spellcheck
* [ci]Fix task identation
* [ci]Add script to guard against asset conflicts
* [ci]Add more deps.json audit steps in the release build
* Add xbf to spellcheck expects
* Fix typo in asset conflict check scripts
* Fix some more dependency conflicts
* Downgrade CsWinRT to have the same dll version as sdk
* [ci]Do a recursive check for every deps.json
* Fix spellcheck error inside comment
* [ci]Fix asset script error
* [ci]Name deps.json verify tasks a bit better
* [ci]Improve deps json verify script output
* [ci]Update WinRT version to the same running in CI
* Also upgrade CsWinRT in NOTICE.MD
* [PowerRename]Move XAML files to own path
* [Common]Fix Settings executable path
* [ci]Verify there's no xbf files in app directories
* [installer]Fix firewall path
* [Monaco]Move new files to their proper assets path
* [Monaco]Fix paths for new files after merge
* [Feedback]Removed unneeded build conditions
* [Feedback]Clear vcxproj direct reference to frameworks
* [Feedback]RunPlugins name to hold PTRun plugins
* [Feedback]Remove unneeded foreach
* [Feedback]Shortcut Guide svgs with ** in project file
* [Feedback]Fix spellcheck