Reverse seamless integration between local and remote computing environments
Methods and systems for transparent user interface integration between remote (“published”) applications and their local counterparts are described, providing a seamless, unified user experience, and allowing integration of a start menu, dock, taskbar, desktop shortcuts, windows, window and application switching, system tray elements, client-to-host and host-to-client file type association, URL redirection, browser cookie redirection, token redirection, status message interception and redirection, and other elements. These methods and systems further enhance theme-integration between a client and remote desktop or virtual machine by remoting all UI elements to a recipient for generation, including text controls, buttons, progress bars, radio buttons, list boxes, or other elements; presenting them with the receiver's product and OS-specific UI; and returning status back to the sender. This may achieve a more unified and transparent UI integration. Furthermore, international text may be correctly received in cross-language environments, or translated into the language of the presenting environment.
1. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a local client device, cause the local client device to act in accordance with the instructions, said instructions comprising:
identifying a local real window corresponding to an application executing on the client device;
creating, by a virtual desktop receiver application executing on the client device, a shadow window on the client device, said shadow window corresponding to the local real window, wherein the shadow window includes a replication of content from the local real window;
receiving input via the shadow window; and
proxying the input to the local real window.
2. The computer readable media of claim 1 , wherein the replication of content comprises a scaled version of the content from the local real window.
3. The computer readable media of claim 2 , wherein the scaled version complies with a scaling factor of the virtual desktop receiver application.
4. The computer readable media of claim 1 , wherein the identifying comprises:
tracking window alteration of the local application window relative to a remote desktop window of the virtual desktop receiver application; and
detecting the local application window intersecting a boundary of the remote desktop window,
and said instructions further comprising:
storing a position and size of the local application window;
hiding the local application window;
handling window changes to the shadow window as the shadow window is moved or resized;
presenting a first portion of the shadow window within the boundaries of the remote desktop window; and
hiding a second portion of the shadow window not within the boundaries of the remote desktop window.
5. The computer readable media of claim 4 , said instructions further comprising:
detecting when the shadow window position is entirely within boundaries of the remote desktop window;
restoring the local application window to a current position of the shadow window; and
destroying the shadow window.
6. The computer readable media of claim 4 , wherein said hiding the local application window comprises one of: changing a transparency property of the local application window, changing a Z-order of the local application window to be behind the remote desktop window, and changing a position of the local application window to be off-screen.
7. The computer readable media of claim 1 , wherein the local real window corresponds to a local application prevented from executing multiple instances on the local client device;
wherein identifying comprises determining when the virtual desktop receiver application requests a second instance of the local application;
wherein said instructions further comprising:
displaying the shadow window on a remote desktop presented by the virtual desktop receiver application.
8. The computer readable media of claim 7 , wherein the local real window is presented on a second remote desktop.
9. The computer readable media of claim 7 , wherein the local real window is presented on a local desktop of the local client device.
10. A method, comprising:
identifying, by a client device, a local real window corresponding to an application executing on the client device;
creating, by a virtual desktop receiver application executing on the client device, a shadow window corresponding to the local real window, wherein the shadow window includes a replication of content from the local real window;
receiving input via the shadow window; and
proxying the input to the local real window.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the replication of content comprises a scaled version of the content from the local real window.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the scaled version complies with a scaling factor of the virtual desktop receiver application.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the identifying comprises:
tracking window alteration of the local application window relative to a remote desktop window of the virtual desktop receiver application; and
detecting the local application window intersecting a boundary of the remote desktop window,
and the method further comprises:
storing a position and size of the local application window;
hiding the local application window;
handling window changes to the shadow window as the shadow window is moved or resized;
presenting a first portion of the shadow window within the boundaries of the remote desktop window; and
hiding a second portion of the shadow window not within the boundaries of the remote desktop window.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
detecting when the shadow window position is entirely within boundaries of the remote desktop window;
restoring the local application window to a current position of the shadow window; and
destroying the shadow window.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein said hiding the local application window comprises one of: changing a transparency property of the local application window, changing a Z-order of the local application window to be behind the remote desktop window, and changing a position of the local application window to be off-screen.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the local real window corresponds to a local application prevented from executing multiple instances on the local client device;
wherein identifying comprises determining when the virtual desktop receiver application requests a second instance of the local application; and
wherein the method further comprises displaying the shadow window on a remote desktop presented by the virtual desktop receiver application.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the local real window is presented on a second remote desktop.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the local real window is presented on a local desktop of the local client device.
19. A client device, comprising:
a processor; and
one or more memories storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the client device to perform:
identifying a local real window corresponding to an application executing on the client device;
creating, by a virtual desktop receiver application executing on the client device, a shadow window corresponding to the local real window, wherein the shadow window includes a replication of content from the local real window;
receiving input via the shadow window; and
proxying the input to the local real window.
20. The client device of claim 19 , wherein the identifying comprises:
tracking window alteration of the local application window relative to a remote desktop window of the virtual desktop receiver application; and
detecting the local application window intersecting a boundary of the remote desktop window,
and wherein the instructions further cause the client device to perform:
storing a position and size of the local application window;
hiding the local application window;
handling window changes to the shadow window as the shadow window is moved or resized;
presenting a first portion of the shadow window within the boundaries of the remote desktop window; and
hiding a second portion of the shadow window not within the boundaries of the remote desktop window.