WinUI 3 in C++ Without XAML

WinUI 3 is a modern UI framework for Windows apps. WinUI 3 can be used with C++/WinRT, a C++17 language projection that provides access to the Windows Runtime (WinRT) APIs. Usually, XAML is used to define the UI. Therefore, XAML and C++ are combined to create applications. However, there are those who want to create simple applications in C++ without XAML. This repository provides a step-by-step guide to creating WinUI3 apps in C++ without XAML.

Caution

Creating WinUI 3 apps without XAML is an unsupported scenario and some features are limited; it is strongly recommended to use XAML when creating Winui 3 apps. If you still want to create a winui 3 app without XAML, proceed to the next section.

Sample

You can download a sample zip file from winui3-without-xaml repository.

master.zip.

Issues

~~Issues is closed. When you have a problem, please comment in windows-ui-xaml Discussions to show needs of WinUI 3 without XAML to WinUI 3 team.~~

Step 1: Creating a Project

Normally, when creating a WinUI 3 application, start with a WinUI 3 project template. Here, we start with an empty project.

Create an empty project.
Set project properties for unpackage WinUI 3 app
1. Open .vcxproj file in any text editor. Or, right-click the project on Solution Explorer of Visual Studio and click "Unload Project".
2. Add the following properties inside the PropertyGroup element.
```
  <PropertyGroup Label="Globals">
    <WindowsAppSDKSelfContained>true</WindowsAppSDKSelfContained>
    <WindowsPackageType>None</WindowsPackageType>
    <AppxPackage>false</AppxPackage>
    ...
  </PropertyGroup>
```
If you have unloaded the project, right-click on the project and click "Reload Project". Usually, WinUI 3 projects are packaged with MSIX. If you do not want to package it, set the WindowsPackageType option and the AppxPackage option. In addition, if you want to run the app without installing the Windows App SDK, set the WindowsAppSDKSelfContained option to make the app self-contained, including dependencies.
Install the Microsoft.Windows.CppWinRT NuGet package to enable support for C++/WinRT and Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK for WinUI 3.
1. Right-click your project in Solution Explorer and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
2. Select the Browse tab, search for the Microsoft.Windows.CppWinRT and Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK package, and install the latest version of these packages.
Set /SUBSYSTEM liker option for the GUI application.
1. Right-click on the project and click "Properties".
2. Set Windows in "Linker->System->SubSystem".

Step 2: Implementing an Entry Point

When the Windows operating system (OS) runs an app, the OS begins execution in the app's entry point. That entry point takes the form of wWinMain function instead of main. wWinMain function is declared in Windows.h. Include Windows.h and define wWinMain function in your code.

#include <Windows.h>

int WINAPI wWinMain(HINSTANCE, HINSTANCE, LPWSTR, int)
{
	return 0;
}

Step 3: Including C++/WinRT Header Files

C++/WinRT header files for access to Windows SDK APIs and Windows App SDK APIs are generated in your project folder. Include some required header files.

#include <Windows.h>
#undef GetCurrentTime
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.h>

using namespace winrt;
using namespace Microsoft::UI::Xaml;

#undef GetCurrentTime is needed to avoid compile error on duplicated macros. Microsoft.UI.Xaml.h header file provides general XAML APIs including Application class and Window class. APIs provided by Microsoft.UI.Xaml.h has winrt::Microsoft::UI::Xaml namespace. In general, Windows Runtime APIs have winrt namespace, Windows SDK APIs have Windows namespace, and Windows App SDk APIs have Microsoft namespace. using namespace is useful for simplifying code.

Step 4: Creating an Application and a Window

Application class provides an entry point for the WinUI 3 application. OnLaunched method is invoked when the application is launched. Inherit Application class and override this method to perform application initialization and to create a new window.

class App : public ApplicationT<App>
{
public:
	void OnLaunched(LaunchActivatedEventArgs const&)
	{
		window = Window();
		window.Activate();
	}
private:
	Window window{ nullptr };
};

This inheritance pattern is called F-bound Polymorphism pattern or Curiously Recurring Template Pattern. In OnLaunched method, create a new windows and activate it.

Step 5: Initializing and Start an application

In wWinMain function, start application by instantiating App derived from application.

int WINAPI wWinMain(HINSTANCE, HINSTANCE, LPWSTR, int)
{
	init_apartment();
	Application::Start([](auto&&) {make<App>(); });
	return 0;
}

init_apartment initializes the thread in the Windows Runtime. Application::Start provides the entry point and requests initialization of the application. The lambda expression is passed that make App to be invoked in the initialization sequence.

Step 6: Building and Running a WinUI 3 app

Here is the complete code for the program:

#include <Windows.h>
#undef GetCurrentTime
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.h>

using namespace winrt;
using namespace Microsoft::UI::Xaml;

class App : public ApplicationT<App>
{
public:
	void OnLaunched(LaunchActivatedEventArgs const&)
	{
		window = Window();
		window.Activate();
	}
private:
	Window window{ nullptr };
};

int WINAPI wWinMain(HINSTANCE, HINSTANCE, LPWSTR, int)
{
	init_apartment();
	Application::Start([](auto&&) {make<App>(); });
	return 0;
}

Build and run the app. You can see a blank window.

Step 7: Adding WinUI 3 Controls

Add stack panel and button.

...
#include <winrt/Windows.Foundation.Collections.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Primitives.h>
...
using namespace Microsoft::UI::Xaml::Controls;
...

	void OnLaunched(LaunchActivatedEventArgs const&)
	{
		window = Window();

		StackPanel stackPanel;
		stackPanel.HorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment::Center);
		stackPanel.VerticalAlignment(VerticalAlignment::Center);

		Button button;
		button.Content(box_value(L"WinUI 3 Without XAML!"));

		window.Content(stackPanel);
		stackPanel.Children().Append(button);

		window.Activate();
	}

...

StackPanel arranges child elements into a single line that can be oriented horizontally or vertically. Horizontal alignment and vertical alignment are set by properties (Accessors and Mutators in C++). Button represents a templated button control that interprets a Click user interaction. Content can be passed an instance of any runtime class. But you can't directly pass to such a function a scalar value (such as a numeric or text value), nor an array. Instead, a scalar or array value needs to be wrapped inside a reference class object. That wrapping process is known as boxing the value. C++/WinRT provides the winrt::box_value function, which takes a scalar or array value, and returns the value boxed into a reference class object. After creating conrtols, connect child elements to the parent controls.

Step 8: Adding WinUI 3 Themes

You can add WinUI 3 controls, but it looks UWP controls. You need to add WinUI 3 themes. WinUI 3 themes are written in XAML, so the App requires XAML integration. What you need to do is implementing a IXamlMetadataProvider interface. This interface implements XAML type resolution and provides the mapping between types used in XAML markup and the corresponding classes implemented in an application or component. The interface is passed as a template parameter.

...
#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop.h>
...
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.XamlTypeInfo.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Markup.h>

...
using namespace Microsoft::UI::Xaml::XamlTypeInfo;
using namespace Microsoft::UI::Xaml::Markup;
using namespace Windows::UI::Xaml::Interop;

class App : public ApplicationT<App, IXamlMetadataProvider>
{
public:
	void OnLaunched(LaunchActivatedEventArgs const&)
	{
		Resources().MergedDictionaries().Append(XamlControlsResources());
		...
	}
	IXamlType GetXamlType(TypeName const& type)
	{
		return provider.GetXamlType(type);
	}
	IXamlType GetXamlType(hstring const& fullname)
	{
		return provider.GetXamlType(fullname);
	}
	com_array<XmlnsDefinition> GetXmlnsDefinitions()
	{
		return provider.GetXmlnsDefinitions();
	}
private:
	...
	XamlControlsXamlMetaDataProvider provider;
};

IXamlMetadataProvider interface provides XAML type information with following three methods;

GetXamlType(TypeName)
GetXamlType(String)
GetXmlnsDefinitions()

Implement these methods by passing arguments to XamlControlsXamlMetaDataProvider class. XamlControlsXamlMetaDataProvider class provides XAML type information for WinUI 3. Finally, add WinUI 3 theme to the applicarion by appending WinUI 3 XAML resource to Resources property. XamlControlsResources() returns default styles for the controls in WinUI 3.

Step 9: Building and Running a WinUI 3 app with Fluent Design

Here is the complete code for the program:

#include <Windows.h>
#undef GetCurrentTime
#include <winrt/Windows.Foundation.Collections.h>
#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Primitives.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.XamlTypeInfo.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Markup.h>

using namespace winrt;
using namespace Microsoft::UI::Xaml;
using namespace Microsoft::UI::Xaml::Controls;
using namespace Microsoft::UI::Xaml::XamlTypeInfo;
using namespace Microsoft::UI::Xaml::Markup;
using namespace Windows::UI::Xaml::Interop;

class App : public ApplicationT<App, IXamlMetadataProvider>
{
public:
	void OnLaunched(LaunchActivatedEventArgs const&)
	{
		Resources().MergedDictionaries().Append(XamlControlsResources());

		window = Window();

		StackPanel stackPanel;
		stackPanel.HorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment::Center);
		stackPanel.VerticalAlignment(VerticalAlignment::Center);

		Button button;
		button.Content(box_value(L"WinUI 3 Without XAML!"));

		window.Content(stackPanel);
		stackPanel.Children().Append(button);

		window.Activate();
	}
	IXamlType GetXamlType(TypeName const& type)
	{
		return provider.GetXamlType(type);
	}
	IXamlType GetXamlType(hstring const& fullname)
	{
		return provider.GetXamlType(fullname);
	}
	com_array<XmlnsDefinition> GetXmlnsDefinitions()
	{
		return provider.GetXmlnsDefinitions();
	}
private:
	Window window{ nullptr };
	XamlControlsXamlMetaDataProvider provider;
};

int WINAPI wWinMain(HINSTANCE, HINSTANCE, LPWSTR, int)
{
	init_apartment();
	Application::Start([](auto&&) {make<App>(); });
	return 0;
}

Build and run the app. You can see a beautiful WinUI 3 button.

Step 10: Things More Interesting

Now you can build WinUI 3 app in C++ without XAML. Here, I will show you some examples to help you to use WinUI 3 controls.

void OnLaunched(LaunchActivatedEventArgs const&)
{
	Resources().MergedDictionaries().Append(XamlControlsResources());

	window = Window();

	StackPanel stackPanel;
	stackPanel.HorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment::Center);
	stackPanel.VerticalAlignment(VerticalAlignment::Center);

	TextBlock title;
	title.Style(Application::Current().Resources().Lookup(box_value(L"TitleTextBlockStyle")).as<Style>());
	title.Text(L"WinUI 3 in C++ Without XAML!");
	title.HorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment::Center);

	HyperlinkButton project;
	project.Content(box_value(L"Github Project Repository"));
	project.NavigateUri(Uri(L"https://github.com/sotanakamura/winui3-without-xaml"));
	project.HorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment::Center);

	Button button;
	button.Content(box_value(L"Click"));
	button.Click([&](IInspectable const &sender, RoutedEventArgs) { sender.as<Button>().Content(box_value(L"Thank You!")); });
	button.HorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment::Center);
	button.Margin(ThicknessHelper::FromUniformLength(20));

	window.Content(stackPanel);
	stackPanel.Children().Append(title);
	stackPanel.Children().Append(project);
	stackPanel.Children().Append(button);

	window.Activate();
}

Step 11 (Optional): Add Precompiled Header Files

C++/WinRT is header-only library and takes a lot of time to compile. You can reduce the time by precompiling. Any stable header files, for example Standard Library headers and C++/WinRT headers, can be precompiled cause it is not often changed.

Add pch.h and pch.cpp files with following code.
Right-click the project on Solution Explorer of Visual Studio and click "Properties".
Set Use in "C/C++->Precompiled Headers->Precompiled Header".
Set pch.h in "C/C++->Precompiled Headers->Precompiled Header File".
Right-click pch.cpp and click "Properties".
Set Create in "C/C++->Precompiled Headers->Precompiled Header".
Move including header files to pch.h and include pch.h

//pch.h

#include <Windows.h>
#undef GetCurrentTime
#include <winrt/Windows.Foundation.Collections.h>
#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Primitives.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.XamlTypeInfo.h>
#include <winrt/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Markup.h>

//pch.cpp

#include "pch.h"

//main.cpp

#include "pch.h"

using naespace ...

Reference

This method is an unsupported scenario; it is strongly recommended to use XAML when creating Winui 3 apps. Please refer to the official documents to get started with Windows App SDK. If you are not familiar with C++/WinRT and XAML, I highly recommend you to learn them before developing. C++ is not primary language for WinUI 3 apps, so this senario is not documented well. You need to refer to API reference many times. Windows App SDK APIs are mainly for WinUI 3. You can access modern Windows features through Windows SDK APIs.

Documents

Windows App SDK: The Windows UI Library (WinUI) 3 is the latest and recommended user interface (UI) framework for Windows desktop apps. By incorporating the Fluent Design System into all experiences, controls, and styles, WinUI provides consistent, intuitive, and accessible experiences using the latest UI patterns. WinUI 3 is available as part of the Windows App SDK.
C++/WinRT: C++/WinRT is an entirely standard modern C++17 language projection for Windows Runtime (WinRT) APIs, implemented as a header-file-based library, and designed to provide you with first-class access to the modern Windows API.
XAML: Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) is a declarative language. Specifically, XAML can initialize objects and set properties of objects using a language structure that shows hierarchical relationships between multiple objects and a backing type convention that supports extension of types. You can create visible UI elements in the declarative XAML markup.

API reference

Windows App SDK APIs Reference: APIs for WinUI 3.
Windows SDK APIs Reference: APIs for modern Windows features.

Some text in this document is cited from Microsoft documentation. https://learn.microsoft.com

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 47 Commits
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE.txt		LICENSE.txt
README.md		README.md
controls.png		controls.png
main.cpp		main.cpp
packages.config		packages.config
pch.cpp		pch.cpp
pch.h		pch.h
winui3-without-xaml.sln		winui3-without-xaml.sln
winui3-without-xaml.vcxproj		winui3-without-xaml.vcxproj
winui3-without-xaml.vcxproj.filters		winui3-without-xaml.vcxproj.filters

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WinUI 3 in C++ Without XAML

Caution

Sample

Issues

Step 1: Creating a Project

Step 2: Implementing an Entry Point

Step 3: Including C++/WinRT Header Files

Step 4: Creating an Application and a Window

Step 5: Initializing and Start an application

Step 6: Building and Running a WinUI 3 app

Step 7: Adding WinUI 3 Controls

Step 8: Adding WinUI 3 Themes

Step 9: Building and Running a WinUI 3 app with Fluent Design

Step 10: Things More Interesting

Step 11 (Optional): Add Precompiled Header Files

Reference

Documents

API reference

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WinUI 3 in C++ Without XAML

Caution

Sample

Issues

Step 1: Creating a Project

Step 2: Implementing an Entry Point

Step 3: Including C++/WinRT Header Files

Step 4: Creating an Application and a Window

Step 5: Initializing and Start an application

Step 6: Building and Running a WinUI 3 app

Step 7: Adding WinUI 3 Controls

Step 8: Adding WinUI 3 Themes

Step 9: Building and Running a WinUI 3 app with Fluent Design

Step 10: Things More Interesting

Step 11 (Optional): Add Precompiled Header Files

Reference

Documents

API reference

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