winapps-org / winapps-org/winapps

Other applications menu doesn't show all applications

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windows
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Description

Not to be confused with #397, this is a separate issue.
I have a Docker Windows 11 VM setup, and currently the apps list looks like this when going on the Settings app:

Image

Image

However, WinApps setup lists these:

Image

Some apps are missing, most importantly for me Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and PyCharm. To note, I installed the Affinity programs using their default installer and PyCharm using JetBrains Toolbox. I looked a bit in the code and in ExtractPrograms.ps1 it seems it searches a path in the Registry which doesn't contain all installed apps (HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\).

The Uninstall folder also under CurrentVersion includes more apps and most have an entry called InstallLocation, but some leave it empty:

Image

Also, the only way I found to get a list that includes PyCharm is using the Get-Package cmdlet, but I couldn't find a way to get an install path from the output:

PS C:\Users\Anna> Get-Package

Name                           Version          Source                           ProviderName
----                           -------          ------                           ------------
Mozilla Firefox (x64 en-CA)    134.0.2                                           Programs
Mozilla Maintenance Service    134.0.2                                           Programs
Office 16 Click-to-Run Exte... 16.0.18429.20044                                  msi
Office 16 Click-to-Run Lice... 16.0.18429.20132                                  msi
Microsoft 365 - en-us          16.0.18429.20132                                  Programs
Affinity Photo 2               2.5.6.2887                                        msi
Affinity Designer 2            2.5.6.2887                                        msi
PyCharm Professional           2024.3.2                                          Programs
JetBrains Toolbox              2.5.2.35332                                       Programs
Microsoft Edge Update          1.3.155.85                                        Programs
Microsoft Edge WebView2 Run... 100.0.1185.36                                     Programs
Microsoft OneDrive             23.038.0219.0001                                  Programs


PS C:\Users\Anna>

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First steps

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  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with ExtractPrograms.ps1 and its lookup of HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths. Compare that source with the Uninstall registry entries and the Get-Package output described in the issue, including applications installed through Affinity's default installer and JetBrains Toolbox. Done means the Other applications menu discovers the missing applications without breaking existing entries.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
docker, powershell
Domain
desktop, tooling
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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