Question: Are there currently any file picker options available when running a WinUI3 app in PartialTrust mode?

[karter16]

Are there currently any file picker options available when running a WinUI3 app in PartialTrust mode?

I have an existing UWP app which I have chosen to migrate to a WinUI3-based app. I am building and packaging the app in PartialTrust mode for the following reasons:

1: Having been a UWP app to begin with the app was already running inside an AppContainer, etc.
2: I want to continue to be able to offer the app on the MS Store without having to request FullTrust for the app, which is unnecessary. The app is for use on PCs that are used during live productions and as a result my customers are fairly suspicious of anything that requires unfettered access to their devices, I'd therefore much prefer to not have to require FullTrust.

What I'm looking to understand is whether there are any file-picker-like options available to me at this point in time. I've done a fair amount of reading and investigation and as I understand it I'm not able to go the file picker route, as using a file picker requires giving it an HWND and WinRT.Interop.InitializeWithWindow can't be run in PartialTrust mode, so from what I can tell that option is off the table for me.

Are there any other suggestions/options that I could look at at this point in time (short of building my own filepicker type of thing)? Any suggestions/leads would be appreciated.

Note: I do realise that I have brought this on myself, my fallback option is to keep on as a UWP app, I just like to keep up to speed with the latest developments and options, hence wanting to explore this.

Thanks,

Matt

[DarranRowe]

What makes you think the file pickers can't be used in partial trust mode? All partial trust does is put the application into a lightweight app container, it is still running as a desktop application.

[DarranRowe]

@Rybasum
There is something else people could do to help.
Since the pickers and app containers are a Windows component, this should be reported through the Feedback Hub. I did open a bug report for this over a year ago and nobody has been upvoting it. I also can't find any other bug reports on the Feedback Hub related to the pickers. So, when the only bug report on the Feedback Hub related to the pickers has 2 upvotes, how important does that make this issue seem?

[ejhg]

What a wonderful situation. I couldn't get the workaround in microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml#4100 (comment) to work.

I tried the bug report link but was unable to open it.

[DarranRowe]

I think by now adding more support for the WAS team to implement a new set of pickers is the way to go.

Currently #8 is being used as the feature proposal to implement a new set of storage functionality. As always, replying/reacting to this feature proposal will help.
In the 1.7 plans post, I also added a suggestion to implement these new pickers. Again, the more upvotes these get the better. Basically, community demand is required here.

[ejhg]

upvoted those 2 links. thanks @DarranRowe !

[ejhg]

For now, I'll proceed by enabling full trust mode just to be able to open and save files in an app that would otherwise not need it. It's wild that doing the "right thing" (ie, least privilege principle) is so hard.

(Windows, vulnerable by design.)