Microsoft/calculator

Multiple instances of app don't appear as separate processes in Task Manager

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#83 opened on Feb 28, 2019

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 (6 comments) (4 reactions) (0 assignees)C++ (2,422 forks)batch import
EnhancementPri: 2help wantedneeds spec

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Description

Problem Statement Calculator supports multiple windows today, but they are all part of a single process. This means that a crash or hang in one instance brings down all instances and that it is not possible to terminate individual instances via Task Manager.

Evidence or User Insights Terminating one instance will shut down all. image

Proposal Instead of handling multiple views of the app within a single process, we should use the new platform APIs to enable an app to be multi-instance. That will allow instances to be tracked in Task Manager, and if one instance crashes the other instances will remain alive.

Goals

  • Refactor current multi-window architecture to leverage platform APIs and enable true multi-instance Calculator
  • Maintain existing reliability/performance targets

Non-Goals

  • None

Low-Fidelity Concept N/A

Requested Assignment I'm just suggesting this idea. I don't want to implement it.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Study Windows multi instance APIs (e.g., CreateProcess, App Containers). Understand current single process multi window architecture. Identify API calls to spawn separate processes for each window while maintaining IPC if needed.
Tech stack
cpp
Domain
desktop
Issue type
Refactor
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Mostly clear
Prerequisites
GitC++Windows API
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
35