BoBar

A lightweight floating taskbar application launcher for Windows.

Created by Bob James AI Dev the BoBar Toolbar App was buiilt using .NET 10.0 and Windows Forms, with a focus on high-quality icon extraction, shortcut resolution, and user-friendly customization.

Download BoBar ⬇️

Download the latest alpha release BoBar-0.1.0.12-alpha-win-x64.zip

Extract the ZIP file and run BoBar.exe.

I use this every day and it's been a great way to quickly launch my most-used applications without cluttering the taskbar. The icon extraction is fantastic - all my apps look crisp and clear, and the drag-and-drop support makes it super easy to add new items. I also love the snap-to-edge feature, it keeps the toolbar neatly tucked away when I'm not using it. Overall, BoBar has become an essential part of my Windows workflow! p.s. it's still in alpha, so expect some rough edges and missing features, but it is stable and very usable.

BoBar Video

bobar.mp4

Features

Core Functionality

• Floating Launcher Bar - Compact, always-accessible application launcher
• Drag & Drop Support - Add executables (.exe) and shortcuts (.lnk) by dragging onto the launcher or settings dialog
• Shortcut Resolution - Automatically resolves .lnk shortcuts to extract target path, arguments, and working directory
• High-Quality Icon Extraction - Extracts native high-resolution icons directly from PE resources without Windows upscaling
• Icon Caching - Saves extracted icons as PNG files for fast loading
• Persistent Configuration - Saves window position, launch items, and preferences
• System Tray Integration - Minimizes to system tray, double-click to restore
• Load on Startup - Optional Windows startup integration via registry

Visual Features

• Visual Button Separators - Subtle dividers between launcher buttons for better organization
• Animated Button Addition - Smooth pulse animation when adding new items
• Dark/Light Themes - Toggle between dark and light color schemes
• Snap to Edge - Automatically snaps to screen edges when moving
• Always on Top - Optional window pinning

Customization

• Custom Order - Reorder launch items with Move Up/Down buttons
• Editable Items - Modify name, path, arguments, and working directory
• Multi-Monitor Support - Works seamlessly across multiple displays

Settings Management

• Visual Settings Dialog - Easy-to-use interface for managing launch items
• Change Tracking - Prompts to save unsaved changes before closing
• Drag & Drop Zone - Dedicated area for adding new items
• Confirmation Dialogs - Prevents accidental deletions
• Live Preview - Changes appear immediately after saving

Installation

Requirements

• Windows OS
• .NET 10.0 or later

Download BoBar ⬇️

Download the latest release BoBar-0.1.0.12-alpha-win-x64.zip

Extract the ZIP file and run BoBar.exe.

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bbbjames/BoBar.git
cd BoBar

# Build the project
dotnet build

# Run the application
dotnet run

Release Build

Self-Contained (includes .NET runtime):

dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained

Framework-Dependent (requires .NET 10 installed):

dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --no-self-contained

The compiled executable will be in bin\Release\net10.0-windows\win-x64\publish\

Usage

First Launch

On first launch, BoBar displays with two default items:

• Notepad - Opens Windows Notepad
• Calculator - Opens Windows Calculator

Adding Applications

Method 1: Drag onto Main Window

1. Drag an .exe or .lnk file onto the BoBar window
2. The item is added and saved immediately
3. A smooth animation confirms the addition

Method 2: Via Settings Dialog

1. Right-click on the BoBar window
2. Select Settings
3. Drag .exe or .lnk files onto the drop zone
4. Click Save & Close to apply changes

Editing Launch Items

1. Open Settings from the context menu
2. Select an item from the list
3. Click Edit Item
4. Modify the name, path, arguments, or working directory
5. Click OK, then Save & Close

Reordering Items

1. Open Settings
2. Select an item
3. Use Move Up ↑ or Move Down ↓ buttons
4. Click Save & Close

Removing Items

1. Open Settings
2. Select an item
3. Click Remove Item
4. Confirm the deletion
5. Click Save & Close

Moving the Toolbar

Method 1: Ctrl+Drag

• Hold Ctrl and drag any button to move the toolbar
• The toolbar will snap to screen edges automatically

Method 2: Direct Drag

• Click and drag the toolbar background (between buttons)

Context Menu Options

Right-click on the BoBar window to access:

• Move - Shows instructions for moving the toolbar
• Settings - Open the settings dialog
• About - View version and developer information
• Always on Top - Toggle window pinning (checkmark when enabled)
• Dark Mode - Toggle theme (checkmark when enabled)
• Load on Startup - Add/remove BoBar from Windows startup (checkmark when enabled)
• Close - Exit the application

Configuration

BoBar stores configuration in %AppData%\BoBar\:

C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\BoBar\
├── launchitems.json    # Launch items list
├── settings.ini        # Window position and preferences
└── Icons\              # Extracted application icons (PNG format)
    └── *.png

launchitems.json

JSON array containing launch item definitions:

[
  {
    "Name": "Notepad",
    "ExecutablePath": "notepad.exe",
    "Arguments": "",
    "WorkingDirectory": "",
    "IconPath": "C:\\Users\\...\\BoBar\\Icons\\notepad.png",
    "Order": 0
  },
  {
    "Name": "Visual Studio Code",
    "ExecutablePath": "C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft VS Code\\Code.exe",
    "Arguments": "",
    "WorkingDirectory": "",
    "IconPath": "C:\\Users\\...\\BoBar\\Icons\\Code.png",
    "Order": 1
  }
]

settings.ini

INI format for window preferences:

[Window]
X=2225
Y=0
AlwaysOnTop=True
DarkMode=True

Windows Startup

When "Load on Startup" is enabled, BoBar adds an entry to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

This setting is per-user and does not require administrator privileges.

Architecture

Project Structure

BoBar/
├── Form1.cs                   # Main application window
├── Form1.Designer.cs          # Designer-generated code
├── SettingsForm.cs            # Settings dialog
├── AboutForm.cs               # About dialog
├── EditLaunchItemForm.cs      # Item editor dialog
├── LaunchItem.cs              # Data model for launch items
├── ConfigurationManager.cs    # Configuration persistence (includes AppConfiguration model)
├── IconExtractor.cs           # High-quality icon extraction from PE resources
├── ShortcutResolver.cs        # Windows .lnk shortcut resolution
├── StartupManager.cs          # Windows startup registry management
├── Program.cs                 # Application entry point
└── assets/
    └── bobar-256.ico          # Application icon

Key Components

Component	Responsibility
Form1	Main UI, button generation, drag-drop, system tray, snap-to-edge
SettingsForm	Launch items management, reordering, CRUD operations
AboutForm	Version info, developer credits, Twitter link
EditLaunchItemForm	Individual item property editing
LaunchItem	Data model, icon extraction, process launching
ConfigurationManager	JSON/INI persistence, default items, AppConfiguration data model
IconExtractor	Native high-resolution icon extraction from executables
ShortcutResolver	Windows shortcut (.lnk) file resolution via COM
StartupManager	Windows registry integration for startup management

Technical Details

Icon Extraction System

• Extracts icons directly from PE resources using Win32 APIs
• Attempts multiple extraction methods for best quality:
  1. Direct PE resource extraction (native sizes, no scaling)
  2. System image lists (SHIL_JUMBO for 256x256, SHIL_EXTRALARGE for 48x48)
  3. ExtractIconEx for embedded icons
  4. SHGetFileInfo as fallback
• Prioritizes largest size and highest color depth (32-bit ARGB)
• Saves as PNG with transparency preservation
• Normalized to 256x256 canvas for consistency

Shortcut Resolution

• Uses Windows Shell COM interfaces (IShellLink, IPersistFile)
• Extracts target path, command-line arguments, and working directory
• Validates target exists before adding
• Uses shortcut name as default item name

Button Separators

• Dynamically generated Panel controls between buttons
• Styled to match theme (dark/light mode)
• 65% of button height, vertically centered
• Automatically refreshed when buttons change

Snap-to-Edge

• Detects when window is within 10px of screen edge
• Automatically aligns to working area (excludes taskbar)
• Works with multiple monitors using Screen.FromPoint()

Theme System

• Dark mode: RGB(45, 45, 45) background
• Light mode: System default colors
• Applies programmatically to all buttons and separators
• Smooth hover and click effects

Startup Integration

• Uses HKEY_CURRENT_USER\...\Run registry key
• Per-user setting (no admin required)
• Stores absolute path to executable with quotes
• Checkbox reflects current registry state on load

Change Tracking

• Tracks adds, edits, removes, reorders in settings dialog
• Prompts on close if unsaved changes exist
• Three-way dialog: Save, Discard, Cancel

Development

Technology Stack

• Framework: .NET 10.0
• UI: Windows Forms
• Language: C# 14.0 with nullable reference types
• Serialization: System.Text.Json
• Icon Storage: PNG format (preserves transparency)
• COM Interop: Windows Shell for shortcut resolution

Code Style

• Named event handlers (minimal inline lambdas)
• Programmatic UI generation with dynamic controls
• Null-safe with nullable annotations enabled
• Clean separation of concerns
• Extensive debug logging for icon extraction

Building for Development

# Debug build
dotnet build

# Run with console output
dotnet run

# Clean build artifacts
dotnet clean

Testing Workflow

1. Basic Functionality

   • Run the application
   • Test drag-drop for .exe files
   • Test drag-drop for .lnk shortcuts
   • Verify icon extraction quality

2. Settings Dialog

   • Open Settings dialog
   • Add/edit/remove/reorder items
   • Test save prompts (X button, Discard button)
   • Verify JSON persistence

3. Visual Features

   • Test theme toggle (dark/light)
   • Verify button separators appear
   • Test animation when adding items
   • Test Always on Top toggle

4. System Integration

   • Test system tray behavior
   • Test Load on Startup registry integration
   • Verify window position persistence
   • Test multi-monitor snap-to-edge

5. Shortcut Support

   • Drag .lnk files from Start Menu
   • Verify target resolution
   • Test items with arguments
   • Verify working directory handling

Troubleshooting

Launch items not persisting

• Check that %AppData%\BoBar\ directory exists
• Verify write permissions to AppData folder
• Check launchitems.json is valid JSON

Icons not displaying

• Ensure .exe files still exist at their original paths
• Check %AppData%\BoBar\Icons\ for cached icons (PNG files)
• Try removing and re-adding the item
• Check debug output for icon extraction errors

Window position not saving

• Check settings.ini exists in %AppData%\BoBar\
• Verify window was on a visible screen when closed
• Position validation ensures window appears on valid display

Shortcuts not working

• Verify the shortcut target exists
• Check that the shortcut is a valid .lnk file
• Try creating the shortcut fresh from the Start Menu
• Check debug output for resolution errors

Startup not working

• Verify registry permissions (shouldn't require admin)
• Check registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• Look for "BoBar" entry with path to executable
• Try unchecking and re-checking the option

Separators not showing

• Ensure there are at least 2 buttons visible
• Check that theme is applied correctly
• Verify flowLayoutPanel is not suspended

Version History

📋 View Full Changelog - Detailed version history with all changes

v0.1.0.2-alpha (2025-01-03)

• ✅ Added Windows startup integration via registry
• ✅ Added "Load on Startup" menu option
• ✅ Per-user startup configuration (no admin required)
• ✅ StartupManager utility for registry management

Recent Improvements (2024-12)

• ✅ Added .lnk shortcut support with full resolution
• ✅ Implemented ShortcutResolver with COM interop
• ✅ Enhanced icon extraction with PE resource parsing
• ✅ Added visual button separators
• ✅ Animated button addition with pulse effect
• ✅ Improved icon caching (PNG format)
• ✅ Added About dialog with developer info
• ✅ Refactored event handlers to named methods
• ✅ Redesigned Settings dialog with better layout
• ✅ Added change tracking and save prompts
• ✅ Fixed ListBox display bug (DisplayMember)
• ✅ Improved button sizing and labels
• ✅ Added confirmation dialogs
• ✅ Enhanced user experience

Initial Release (2024-11)

• ✅ Dynamic launch items system
• ✅ JSON persistence
• ✅ Icon extraction and caching
• ✅ Dark/light theme support
• ✅ Drag-drop support
• ✅ System tray integration
• ✅ Snap-to-edge functionality

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these guidelines:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Follow existing code style
4. Test thoroughly (especially icon extraction and COM interop)
5. Submit a pull request with detailed description

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Credits

Developed by bbbjames
🌐 Bob James AI Dev
🐦 Bob's Twitter

Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests, please open an issue on GitHub: 📝 GitHub Issues

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BoBar - Your lightweight Windows application launcher ⚡