📱 AppSystem
A modular desktop-style framework that manages launchable in-game apps and their runtime processes.
This system forms the logical backbone of the in-game DesktopEnvironment, handling everything from app registration to process creation and window management.
🚀 Features
- Unified launching for both ScriptableObject and JSON-defined apps
- Process-based lifecycle with unique PIDs via
AppProcess - Supports singleton and multi-instance apps
- Automatically integrates with the UIWindowSystem for window creation
- Runtime registry for managing all installed apps
- Used by the Task Manager, Start Menu, and other OS panels
- Fully decoupled from UI logic — works headless or integrated
🧩 Architecture Overview
The AppSystem works as the logical OS layer that connects the UI windowing system and the higher-level DesktopEnvironment.
📱 CosterGraphics.Systems.AppSystem │ ├── 🧠 AppSystemHost ← Scene-level entry point; owns AppSystemCore │ └── Initializes Core, Registry, and TaskManager │ ├── ⚙️ AppSystemCore ← Core runtime logic; handles app launch & process tracking │ └── Depends on UIWindowSystemCore for window creation │ ├── 🧾 RuntimeAppRegistry ← Holds all known apps (SO and JSON) │ └── Provides lookup by AppID for StartMenu and TaskManager │ ├── ♾️ AppProcess ← Represents a running instance of an app │ └── Tracks UIWindow instances & PID │ ├── 📄 AppDefinitionSO ← Editor-defined app metadata (icon, prefab, etc.) └── 🌐 AppDefinitionJSON ← Runtime/serialized app metadata (e.g. downloadable apps)
🖥 Integration with DesktopEnvironment
The DesktopEnvironment acts as the user-facing layer built on top of the AppSystem.
Panels such as the Start Menu and Task Manager use the AppSystemHost to:
- Query available apps from the
RuntimeAppRegistry - Launch apps via
AppSystemCore - Monitor running processes for window/task management
This clean separation allows you to evolve the DesktopEnvironment UI independently from the AppSystem backend.
📦 Namespace
CosterGraphics.Systems.AppSystem