How to build a SystemTray app for Windows?
There are (at least) a couple of libraries openly available for this now:
- pystray
- infi.systray
I just started using infi.systray in a project, and it's worked well for me. Here's how little code you need to do something very basic (taken from their docs):
from infi.systray import SysTrayIcon
def say_hello(systray):
print("Hello, World!")
menu_options = (("Say Hello", None, say_hello),)
systray = SysTrayIcon("icon.ico", "Example tray icon", menu_options)
systray.start()
You do this using the pywin32 (Python for Windows Extensions) module.
Example Code for Python 2
Similar Question
To make it run at startup you could mess around with services but it's actually much easier to install a link to the exe in the users "Startup Folder".
Windows 7 and Vista
c:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Windows XP
c:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
I modified the SysTrayIcon.py Python 2 script to work in Python 3
- You need to install
pip install pywin32. - After that you need to run
python Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -installfrom your Python directory to register the dlls. - For the test script to run, you need to have some *.ico files in your working directory - you can find lots of them in your c:\windows* folders (search for
file:.ico). - To hide the program, you can run it via
pythonw.exe. - If you need balloon notifications, have a look at this post: https://stackoverflow.com/a/42085439/2441026 (
Plyerpackage). - To have a menu with only the Quit button you need to pass
menu_options = ((None, None, None),)- (or change the class to not always append menu_options).
#!/usr/bin/env python
# Module : SysTrayIcon.py
# Synopsis : Windows System tray icon.
# Programmer : Simon Brunning - [email protected] - modified for Python 3
# Date : 13 February 2018
# Notes : Based on (i.e. ripped off from) Mark Hammond's
# win32gui_taskbar.py and win32gui_menu.py demos from PyWin32
'''TODO
For now, the demo at the bottom shows how to use it...'''
import os
import sys
import win32api # package pywin32
import win32con
import win32gui_struct
try:
import winxpgui as win32gui
except ImportError:
import win32gui
class SysTrayIcon(object):
'''TODO'''
QUIT = 'QUIT'
SPECIAL_ACTIONS = [QUIT]
FIRST_ID = 1023
def __init__(self,
icon,
hover_text,
menu_options,
on_quit=None,
default_menu_index=None,
window_class_name=None,):
self.icon = icon
self.hover_text = hover_text
self.on_quit = on_quit
menu_options = menu_options + (('Quit', None, self.QUIT),)
self._next_action_id = self.FIRST_ID
self.menu_actions_by_id = set()
self.menu_options = self._add_ids_to_menu_options(list(menu_options))
self.menu_actions_by_id = dict(self.menu_actions_by_id)
del self._next_action_id
self.default_menu_index = (default_menu_index or 0)
self.window_class_name = window_class_name or "SysTrayIconPy"
message_map = {win32gui.RegisterWindowMessage("TaskbarCreated"): self.restart,
win32con.WM_DESTROY: self.destroy,
win32con.WM_COMMAND: self.command,
win32con.WM_USER+20 : self.notify,}
# Register the Window class.
window_class = win32gui.WNDCLASS()
hinst = window_class.hInstance = win32gui.GetModuleHandle(None)
window_class.lpszClassName = self.window_class_name
window_class.style = win32con.CS_VREDRAW | win32con.CS_HREDRAW;
window_class.hCursor = win32gui.LoadCursor(0, win32con.IDC_ARROW)
window_class.hbrBackground = win32con.COLOR_WINDOW
window_class.lpfnWndProc = message_map # could also specify a wndproc.
classAtom = win32gui.RegisterClass(window_class)
# Create the Window.
style = win32con.WS_OVERLAPPED | win32con.WS_SYSMENU
self.hwnd = win32gui.CreateWindow(classAtom,
self.window_class_name,
style,
0,
0,
win32con.CW_USEDEFAULT,
win32con.CW_USEDEFAULT,
0,
0,
hinst,
None)
win32gui.UpdateWindow(self.hwnd)
self.notify_id = None
self.refresh_icon()
win32gui.PumpMessages()
def _add_ids_to_menu_options(self, menu_options):
result = []
for menu_option in menu_options:
option_text, option_icon, option_action = menu_option
if callable(option_action) or option_action in self.SPECIAL_ACTIONS:
self.menu_actions_by_id.add((self._next_action_id, option_action))
result.append(menu_option + (self._next_action_id,))
elif non_string_iterable(option_action):
result.append((option_text,
option_icon,
self._add_ids_to_menu_options(option_action),
self._next_action_id))
else:
print('Unknown item', option_text, option_icon, option_action)
self._next_action_id += 1
return result
def refresh_icon(self):
# Try and find a custom icon
hinst = win32gui.GetModuleHandle(None)
if os.path.isfile(self.icon):
icon_flags = win32con.LR_LOADFROMFILE | win32con.LR_DEFAULTSIZE
hicon = win32gui.LoadImage(hinst,
self.icon,
win32con.IMAGE_ICON,
0,
0,
icon_flags)
else:
print("Can't find icon file - using default.")
hicon = win32gui.LoadIcon(0, win32con.IDI_APPLICATION)
if self.notify_id: message = win32gui.NIM_MODIFY
else: message = win32gui.NIM_ADD
self.notify_id = (self.hwnd,
0,
win32gui.NIF_ICON | win32gui.NIF_MESSAGE | win32gui.NIF_TIP,
win32con.WM_USER+20,
hicon,
self.hover_text)
win32gui.Shell_NotifyIcon(message, self.notify_id)
def restart(self, hwnd, msg, wparam, lparam):
self.refresh_icon()
def destroy(self, hwnd, msg, wparam, lparam):
if self.on_quit: self.on_quit(self)
nid = (self.hwnd, 0)
win32gui.Shell_NotifyIcon(win32gui.NIM_DELETE, nid)
win32gui.PostQuitMessage(0) # Terminate the app.
def notify(self, hwnd, msg, wparam, lparam):
if lparam==win32con.WM_LBUTTONDBLCLK:
self.execute_menu_option(self.default_menu_index + self.FIRST_ID)
elif lparam==win32con.WM_RBUTTONUP:
self.show_menu()
elif lparam==win32con.WM_LBUTTONUP:
pass
return True
def show_menu(self):
menu = win32gui.CreatePopupMenu()
self.create_menu(menu, self.menu_options)
#win32gui.SetMenuDefaultItem(menu, 1000, 0)
pos = win32gui.GetCursorPos()
# See http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/winui/menus_0hdi.asp
win32gui.SetForegroundWindow(self.hwnd)
win32gui.TrackPopupMenu(menu,
win32con.TPM_LEFTALIGN,
pos[0],
pos[1],
0,
self.hwnd,
None)
win32gui.PostMessage(self.hwnd, win32con.WM_NULL, 0, 0)
def create_menu(self, menu, menu_options):
for option_text, option_icon, option_action, option_id in menu_options[::-1]:
if option_icon:
option_icon = self.prep_menu_icon(option_icon)
if option_id in self.menu_actions_by_id:
item, extras = win32gui_struct.PackMENUITEMINFO(text=option_text,
hbmpItem=option_icon,
wID=option_id)
win32gui.InsertMenuItem(menu, 0, 1, item)
else:
submenu = win32gui.CreatePopupMenu()
self.create_menu(submenu, option_action)
item, extras = win32gui_struct.PackMENUITEMINFO(text=option_text,
hbmpItem=option_icon,
hSubMenu=submenu)
win32gui.InsertMenuItem(menu, 0, 1, item)
def prep_menu_icon(self, icon):
# First load the icon.
ico_x = win32api.GetSystemMetrics(win32con.SM_CXSMICON)
ico_y = win32api.GetSystemMetrics(win32con.SM_CYSMICON)
hicon = win32gui.LoadImage(0, icon, win32con.IMAGE_ICON, ico_x, ico_y, win32con.LR_LOADFROMFILE)
hdcBitmap = win32gui.CreateCompatibleDC(0)
hdcScreen = win32gui.GetDC(0)
hbm = win32gui.CreateCompatibleBitmap(hdcScreen, ico_x, ico_y)
hbmOld = win32gui.SelectObject(hdcBitmap, hbm)
# Fill the background.
brush = win32gui.GetSysColorBrush(win32con.COLOR_MENU)
win32gui.FillRect(hdcBitmap, (0, 0, 16, 16), brush)
# unclear if brush needs to be feed. Best clue I can find is:
# "GetSysColorBrush returns a cached brush instead of allocating a new
# one." - implies no DeleteObject
# draw the icon
win32gui.DrawIconEx(hdcBitmap, 0, 0, hicon, ico_x, ico_y, 0, 0, win32con.DI_NORMAL)
win32gui.SelectObject(hdcBitmap, hbmOld)
win32gui.DeleteDC(hdcBitmap)
return hbm
def command(self, hwnd, msg, wparam, lparam):
id = win32gui.LOWORD(wparam)
self.execute_menu_option(id)
def execute_menu_option(self, id):
menu_action = self.menu_actions_by_id[id]
if menu_action == self.QUIT:
win32gui.DestroyWindow(self.hwnd)
else:
menu_action(self)
def non_string_iterable(obj):
try:
iter(obj)
except TypeError:
return False
else:
return not isinstance(obj, str)
# Minimal self test. You'll need a bunch of ICO files in the current working
# directory in order for this to work...
if __name__ == '__main__':
import itertools, glob
icons = itertools.cycle(glob.glob('*.ico'))
hover_text = "SysTrayIcon.py Demo"
def hello(sysTrayIcon): print("Hello World.")
def simon(sysTrayIcon): print("Hello Simon.")
def switch_icon(sysTrayIcon):
sysTrayIcon.icon = next(icons)
sysTrayIcon.refresh_icon()
menu_options = (('Say Hello', next(icons), hello),
('Switch Icon', None, switch_icon),
('A sub-menu', next(icons), (('Say Hello to Simon', next(icons), simon),
('Switch Icon', next(icons), switch_icon),
))
)
def bye(sysTrayIcon): print('Bye, then.')
SysTrayIcon(next(icons), hover_text, menu_options, on_quit=bye, default_menu_index=1)