Included in the plans is info about the .NET MAUI Community Toolkit, a backwards-compatible version of the Xamarin Community Toolkit, and the sunsetting of the current version of the toolkit.

The .NET MAUI Community Toolkit is nearing release. Microsoft will be releasing two NuGet packages for it: CommunityToolit.Maui and CommunityToolkit.Maui.Markup. It is planning to release the first preview of these packages in August.

The team is currently in the process of bringing features from the Xamarin Community Toolkit to the .NET MAUI Community Toolkit. Microsoft recommends the .NET MAUI Community Toolkit as the toolkit for all .NET MAUI apps.

Microsoft will also be releasing two .NET MAUI-compatible versions of the Xamarin Community Toolkit to help developers avoid breaking changes when porting Xamarin.Forms apps to .NET MAUI. According to the company, these will be almost identical to the current Xamarin Community Toolkit libraries, with the only difference being a change in the Xamarin.Forms dependency to .NET MAUI.

In terms of sunsetting the Xamarin Community Toolkit, the company will continue to support it through November 2022. It will accept pull requests for bug fixes throughout time, but it will only accept pull requests to add new features through September 2021.

“Thank you to all of the amazing contributors to Xamarin Community Toolkit! We could not have created such a successful library without your help, and we can’t wait to see the amazing new features you’ll add to the .NET MAUI Community Toolkit,” Brandon Minnick, developer advocate for developer relations at Microsoft, wrote in a post.

Currently, Chrome and Edge only allow users to copy a small selection of common file formats between the web and desktop applications, including jpg, png, HTML and a few others.

New Pickle Clipboard APIs, however, could soon extend compatibility to a number of niche and proprietary file types, such as .docx  and TIFF. If adopted by developers, the new APIs could create a scenario whereby users can freely copy files between progressive web apps (PWAs) and software installed on Windows, macOS and mobile platforms.

For instance, Windows users could copy documents to the clipboard via File Explorer and paste them straight into the Google Docs web app without encountering any compatibility issues.

According to design documents reviewed by WindowsLatest, the Pickle Clipboard APIs will also allow developers to create custom clipboard formats and offer “fine-grained control” over the copy-and-paste function.

Copy-and-paste upgrades

The copy-and-paste feature may seem insignificant at face value but actually plays a central role in many aspects of the computing and web browsing experience. And this is by no means Microsoft’s first attempt to streamline the feature in recent months, across both Windows 10 and Edge.

In August, Microsoft unveiled a new Windows 10 clipboard with a dedicated panel for multimedia content, such as emojis and GIFs. This upgrade also extended the clipboard history function to include images and HTML content, as well as text.

Later in the year, Microsoft announced improvements to the Cloud Clipboard utility, which allows users to copy-and-paste items across multiple devices. Instead of synchronizing clipboard content across Windows 10 devices exclusively, users of the Microsoft-owned SwiftKey Keyboard for Android can also now take advantage of the tool.

Microsoft Edge, meanwhile, recently received a Link Format option that lets users paste web content as plain text, overriding any unwanted formatting. A new feature called Shared Links is also currently undergoing testing. Once live, this feature will give users access to a searchable history page, making it easier to re-find content they have copied and shared.

It’s been reported that Microsoft is taking elements of Windows 10X to use in Windows 10 – after 10X got shelved – and that the Sun Valley redesign will make extensive use of rounded corners, plus floating menus, aiming to achieve a more modern look overall (based on Fluent Design concepts), complete with a raft of refreshed icons and animations. In terms of porting stuff over from Windows 10X, the most recent leak indicates that the Action Center design from 10X could be brought across – or at least it’s present, albeit hidden, in recent preview builds of Windows 10.

The advert for a Program Manager in the Windows IXP (Interactive eXperiences Platform) team in the US (Redmond), which was spotted by Windows Latest, states that Microsoft is “now on a multi-year journey to revolutionize the Windows UX platform by delivering best interactive experiences, showcasing cutting-edge hardware”.

Big things are expected from the ‘Sun Valley’ interface revamp which is expected to arrive with the 21H2 update towards the end of the year, based not just on a multitude of leaks, but also on the kind of language seen here which Microsoft has used in the past, too.

Windows Latest also points to another job listing, which has since been taken down, that enthuses about a “multi-year journey to re-imagine this platform with the goal of enabling the best interactive experiences on Windows”.

Just like Kentaro, the occupational therapist, Eiichi Tanaka, who works at the hospital, is a keen gamer. Tanaka commented:

“We currently have about 100 patients in our neuromuscular rehabilitation centre who have been hospitalized for a long time. And 70 to 80% of them play computer games using smartphones, PCs and consoles.”

He has been giving courage to disabled people to play games since 1998. But there was a problem related to the fact that console controllers used to be designed only for players who could use fingers on both hands to move characters, attack enemies, talk and so on.

Tanaka and his colleagues would modify controllers with accessories to meet the needs and abilities of individual patients. But customizing controllers this way wasn’t at all easy or cheap.

That changed in 2018 with the debut of the Xbox Adaptive Controller, which has a large panel designed for easy operation by people with disabilities, as well as multiple ports for connection of additional buttons and other accessories. It exemplifies inclusive design principles like “recognize exclusion” “learn from diversity” and “solve for one, extend to many”.

The staff and patients of Hadikko Medical Center made a video about its impact with the aim to show how Xbox Adaptive Controllers can be used to play games from the perspective of people with disabilities.

Due to COVID-19, people involved in the use of Xbox Adaptive Controllers in Tokyo were unable to visit the centre to help with the video’s production. That’s why Microsoft Teams was used to connect staff in Hokkaido and Tokyo to develop the story and confirm production details. They wanted the video to be useful to people all around the world, so production staff also used Microsoft Translator and other tools in order to create English subtitles.

The video presents some of the characteristics of the Xbox Adaptive Controller, showing how people with limited mobility are able to use them.

Yoshinari shares he wants other people with disabilities to be aware that there are sports in the world they would be able to enjoy. He hopes that everyone who sees this video would understand how disabled people are able to play computer games just like everybody else.

Yoshinari is looking forward to connecting with more and more people from all around the world through games.