Is it possible to send Toast notification from console application?

Question

Is it possible to send Toast notifications from console application using ToastNotificationManager ?

I know that it is possible to send Toast notifi

Answer 1

1) For a toast notification to appear using a console or Desktop application, your application must have a shortcut on the start menu.

2) For an application to have a shortcut icon(not tile icon) in the start menu of Windows, your app must have an AppId. To create a short cut for you you application create a new class named ShellHelpers.cs and Paste this code in it.

using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.WindowsAPICodePack.Shell.PropertySystem;
using MS.WindowsAPICodePack.Internal;

 namespace DesktopToastsSample.ShellHelpers
 {
     internal enum STGM : long
     {
        STGM_READ = 0x00000000L,
    STGM_WRITE = 0x00000001L,
    STGM_READWRITE = 0x00000002L,
    STGM_SHARE_DENY_NONE = 0x00000040L,
    STGM_SHARE_DENY_READ = 0x00000030L,
    STGM_SHARE_DENY_WRITE = 0x00000020L,
    STGM_SHARE_EXCLUSIVE = 0x00000010L,
    STGM_PRIORITY = 0x00040000L,
    STGM_CREATE = 0x00001000L,
    STGM_CONVERT = 0x00020000L,
    STGM_FAILIFTHERE = 0x00000000L,
    STGM_DIRECT = 0x00000000L,
    STGM_TRANSACTED = 0x00010000L,
    STGM_NOSCRATCH = 0x00100000L,
    STGM_NOSNAPSHOT = 0x00200000L,
    STGM_SIMPLE = 0x08000000L,
    STGM_DIRECT_SWMR = 0x00400000L,
    STGM_DELETEONRELEASE = 0x04000000L,
}

internal static class ShellIIDGuid
{
    internal const string IShellLinkW = "000214F9-0000-0000-C000-000000000046";
    internal const string CShellLink = "00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046";
    internal const string IPersistFile = "0000010b-0000-0000-C000-000000000046";
    internal const string IPropertyStore = "886D8EEB-8CF2-4446-8D02-CDBA1DBDCF99";
}

[ComImport,
Guid(ShellIIDGuid.IShellLinkW),
InterfaceType(ComInterfaceType.InterfaceIsIUnknown)]
internal interface IShellLinkW
{
    UInt32 GetPath(
        [Out(), MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] StringBuilder pszFile,
        int cchMaxPath,
        //ref _WIN32_FIND_DATAW pfd,
        IntPtr pfd,
        uint fFlags);
    UInt32 GetIDList(out IntPtr ppidl);
    UInt32 SetIDList(IntPtr pidl);
    UInt32 GetDescription(
        [Out(), MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] StringBuilder pszFile,
        int cchMaxName);
    UInt32 SetDescription(
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string pszName);
    UInt32 GetWorkingDirectory(
        [Out(), MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] StringBuilder pszDir,
        int cchMaxPath
        );
    UInt32 SetWorkingDirectory(
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string pszDir);
    UInt32 GetArguments(
        [Out(), MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] StringBuilder pszArgs,
        int cchMaxPath);
    UInt32 SetArguments(
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string pszArgs);
    UInt32 GetHotKey(out short wHotKey);
    UInt32 SetHotKey(short wHotKey);
    UInt32 GetShowCmd(out uint iShowCmd);
    UInt32 SetShowCmd(uint iShowCmd);
    UInt32 GetIconLocation(
        [Out(), MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] out StringBuilder pszIconPath,
        int cchIconPath,
        out int iIcon);
    UInt32 SetIconLocation(
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string pszIconPath,
        int iIcon);
    UInt32 SetRelativePath(
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string pszPathRel,
        uint dwReserved);
    UInt32 Resolve(IntPtr hwnd, uint fFlags);
    UInt32 SetPath(
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string pszFile);
}

[ComImport,
Guid(ShellIIDGuid.IPersistFile),
InterfaceType(ComInterfaceType.InterfaceIsIUnknown)]
internal interface IPersistFile
{
    UInt32 GetCurFile(
        [Out(), MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] StringBuilder pszFile
    );
    UInt32 IsDirty();
    UInt32 Load(
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string pszFileName,
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U4)] STGM dwMode);
    UInt32 Save(
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string pszFileName,
        bool fRemember);
    UInt32 SaveCompleted(
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string pszFileName);
}
[ComImport]
[Guid(ShellIIDGuid.IPropertyStore)]
[InterfaceType(ComInterfaceType.InterfaceIsIUnknown)]
interface IPropertyStore
{
    UInt32 GetCount([Out] out uint propertyCount);
    UInt32 GetAt([In] uint propertyIndex, out PropertyKey key);
    UInt32 GetValue([In] ref PropertyKey key, [Out] PropVariant pv);
    UInt32 SetValue([In] ref PropertyKey key, [In] PropVariant pv);
    UInt32 Commit();
}


[ComImport,
Guid(ShellIIDGuid.CShellLink),
ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.None)]
internal class CShellLink { }

public static class ErrorHelper
{
    public static void VerifySucceeded(UInt32 hresult)
    {
        if (hresult > 1)
        {
            throw new Exception("Failed with HRESULT: " + hresult.ToString("X"));
        }
    }
}
}

Code for creating a shortcut(This code can be added to the same class where you will be showing the toast)

public bool TryCreateShortcut()
    {
        String shortcutPath = Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.ApplicationData) + "\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\FixSus Toasts Sample .lnk";
        if (!File.Exists(shortcutPath))
        {
            InstallShortcut(shortcutPath);
            return true;
        }
        return false;
    }

    private void InstallShortcut(String shortcutPath)
    {
        // Find the path to the current executable
        String exePath = Process.GetCurrentProcess().MainModule.FileName;
        IShellLinkW newShortcut = (IShellLinkW)new CShellLink();

        // Create a shortcut to the exe
        DesktopToastsSample.ShellHelpers.ErrorHelper.VerifySucceeded(newShortcut.SetPath(exePath));
        DesktopToastsSample.ShellHelpers.ErrorHelper.VerifySucceeded(newShortcut.SetArguments(""));

        // Open the shortcut property store, set the AppUserModelId property
        IPropertyStore newShortcutProperties = (IPropertyStore)newShortcut;

        using (PropVariant appId = new PropVariant(APP_ID))
        {
            DesktopToastsSample.ShellHelpers.ErrorHelper.VerifySucceeded(newShortcutProperties.SetValue(SystemProperties.System.AppUserModel.ID, appId));
            DesktopToastsSample.ShellHelpers.ErrorHelper.VerifySucceeded(newShortcutProperties.Commit());
        }

        // Commit the shortcut to disk
        IPersistFile newShortcutSave = (IPersistFile)newShortcut;

        DesktopToastsSample.ShellHelpers.ErrorHelper.VerifySucceeded(newShortcutSave.Save(shortcutPath, true));
    }

Now you can create an show a toast

// Get a toast XML template
        XmlDocument toastXml = ToastNotificationManager.GetTemplateContent(ToastTemplateType.ToastImageAndText04);

        // Fill in the text elements
        XmlNodeList stringElements = toastXml.GetElementsByTagName("text");
        stringElements[1].AppendChild(toastXml.CreateTextNode("Message" + newMessage));


        // Specify the absolute path to an image
        string codeWebFolderPath = Path.GetFullPath(Path.Combine(Environment.CurrentDirectory, @"..\..\"));
        String imagePath = "file:///" + Path.GetFullPath(codeWebFolderPath+ "Resources\\FixSus.png");
        XmlNodeList imageElements = toastXml.GetElementsByTagName("image");
        imageElements[0].Attributes.GetNamedItem("src").NodeValue = imagePath;

        // Create the toast and attach event listeners
        ToastNotification toast = new ToastNotification(toastXml);

        toast.Activated += ToastActivated;
        toast.Dismissed += ToastDismissed;
        toast.Failed += ToastFailed;

        // Show the toast. Be sure to specify the AppUserModelId on your application's shortcut!
        ToastNotificationManager.CreateToastNotifier(APP_ID).Show(toast);

The APP_ID can be any string. In my case it was "NotificationTest.KEY" Note: Dont modify the ShellHelper class. Edit : Follow Evaldas B's answer first then apply this solution.