Electron Js How To Minimize Close Window To System Tray And Restore Window Back From Tray

Today, we're delving into an interesting aspect of Electron.js – how to minimize the close window to the system tray and restore it back from the tray. This feature can enhance the user experience of your Electron.js application by providing a convenient way to manage windows.

When a user closes a window, they may expect the application to continue running in the background rather than completely shutting down. Minimizing the window to the system tray and restoring it from there can be a useful functionality to implement for various applications.

To achieve this in your Electron.js application, you'll need to utilize the Tray module, which allows you to create a tray icon for your application. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to implement the minimize to tray and restore from tray functionality:

Step 1: Import the necessary modules

In your Electron.js main process file, import the app and Tray modules:

Javascript

const { app, Tray, Menu } = require('electron');

Step 2: Create a Tray instance and tray menu

Create a Tray instance and specify the path to the tray icon image. You can choose an icon that represents your application appropriately.

Javascript

let tray = null;
app.on('ready', () =&gt; {
  tray = new Tray('path_to_icon.png');

Next, define a context menu for the tray icon that includes options to minimize the window to the tray and restore it:

Javascript

const contextMenu = Menu.buildFromTemplate([
    { label: 'Minimize to Tray', click: () =&gt; mainWindow.hide() }, // Hide the main window
    { label: 'Restore Window', click: () =&gt; mainWindow.show() }, // Show the main window
    { label: 'Quit', click: () =&gt; app.quit() } // Quit the application
  ]);

  tray.setContextMenu(contextMenu);
});

Step 3: Handle window show and hide events

In your main window renderer process, you need to handle the show and hide events to reflect the actions when the window is minimized to the tray or restored from the tray.

Javascript

const { remote } = require('electron');
const mainWindow = remote.getCurrentWindow();

// Handle show and hide events
document.getElementById('minimize-btn').addEventListener('click', () =&gt; {
  mainWindow.hide();
});

document.getElementById('restore-btn').addEventListener('click', () =&gt; {
  mainWindow.show();
});

With these steps in place, you have successfully implemented the minimize to tray and restore from tray functionality in your Electron.js application. Users can now conveniently manage the application window using the system tray icon.

Remember to customize the functionality and visual aspects to match your application's requirements and design aesthetics. Experiment with different tray icon images and context menu options to create a seamless user experience.

By incorporating this feature, you can enhance the usability of your Electron.js application and provide users with a more intuitive way to interact with the window management. Give it a try and make your application stand out with this handy functionality!

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