Deskband in Windows 7 x64 C#?

Question

I want to create a deskband app, like BatteryBar, in C#. I understand that the deskband might not work in future versions of windows, that you shouldn't code explorer extensions in managed code, and whatnot. My question is, what is the current reccomended way to create a deskband (or a simulation of one) in C#? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

This may not answer your question, but it is important information related to your question:

You said,

I understand ... that you shouldn't code explorer extensions in managed code

This is no longer true.

This used to be true because the multiple versions of the CLR could not be loaded into a single process. For example, Explorer could not load an extension that used both .NET 2 and .NET 1; the host process would fail to load the second CLR version.

But with .NET 4, which comes with a new CLR, you can now run multiple versions of the CLR in the same process. So if you write your code using .NET 4, you're no longer at risk of making host processes error out.

In short, it is now OK to write Explorer extensions in managed code, provided you're using .NET 4 or greater.