Run Javascript+WinJS code from universal windows application on C#

Question

Some time ago we started development of our application for Win8.1/Win10 on Javascript+WinJS (it wasn't my decision to use Javascript, but well, it was done). After a half of the year we published our product to Windows application store, and a few months later we realised we can't implement all features we want on Javascript. So now we decided to switch to C#/XAML. But well, we already have pretty big codebase written on Javascript+WinJS. There was idea we can build new application (UI, new features) on C#, but also reuse current JS code. I've read MSDN a lot and as far as I see it is possible to create class library on C# and use it from JS, but our case is just opposite - I need to encapsulate JS+WinJS in some "component" and use it from our new C# application. Is it possible? I don't even see in Visual Studio such type of project as "Javasctipt library for universal applications".

Things could be not so bad our application was pure JS (I always can put WebView on form and eval some JS code). But WinJS doesn't work in WebView!

So I can't use our JS+WinJS code as "class library" and I can't run it in WebView. Any chances I can use some other approach?

Eldar Dordzhiev Eldar Dordzhiev · Accepted Answer · 2015-09-16T17:37:19

WinJS is just a JS library, it isn't tied to any of Windows Runtime APIs. WinJS can even be used in web development (check this out).

The standart WinJS app template handles the Application.Activated event and invokes WinJS.UI.processAll() in the handler. As long as you host the code in the WebView control, the Application.Activated event doesn't fire because the application is already activated.

The problem solves easily, you just need to invoke WinJS.UI.processAll() explicitly:

<script>
    WinJS.UI.processAll();
</script>

Run Javascript+WinJS code from universal windows application on C#

1 Answers