So Windows 11 has been around for a few months now, however, the Windows template only has icons for Windows 10. I think a visual update is needed for Windows 11.
The Microsoft Store icon has a new design as does Settings, the Wi-Fi icon, Explorer, etc.
I prob want to use this thread to compile a table of datamined Windows 11 icons (either already datamined and put on Wikipedia or datamined from Microsoft’s site) so that they can then be implemented in the Windows template in one swift edit.
I probably also want to make a change to the template so that if no icon is specified it displays nothing rather than funky wikitext. I have started a template sandbox at Template:Windows/sandbox - wikiHow
that can be used for the major edit so we don’t break anything on the main site. After everything is done we can implement the changes into the main template and then delete the template sandbox.
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I am actually against this change. You change these and the windows 10 articles using these template symbols will look confusing to readers hoping to see the 10 symbols. I feeel that perhaps a second windows11 template be used instead and only apply those windows template icons to windows 11 articles.
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I pretty much agree with @EpcotMagic
.
I think Windows 11 icons are needed, but I feel it’s really very important to have Windows 10 icons as well because we have way too many Windows 10 articles around. Any changes to the current icon templates, and we’d have Windows 11 symbols on Windows 10 articles. We’d probably need to create new templates for Windows 11. If we change the current templates and create new ones for Windows 10 like we have for Windows 7, that’d bring massive work that’s practically impossible.
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I can see where this is coming from, but the issue is that there are still a lot of people using Windows 10. The icons between 10 and 11 are somewhat different, so I think it would make sense to create a separate Windows 11 template and keep windows as is – until Windows 11 becomes the predominant Windows version, that is.
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Why not just keep using the windows template, but instead of using {{windows|start}}, you would use {{windows|start11}} or something like that? Also, I’m pretty sure some icons have been updated on both 10 and 11, so those should be applied throughout the entire template.
Also, the windows template has some special coding in the wikiHow software. I know this because I have tried to use the sandbox to test it before, and it didn’t work right. So making a new template would not work properly without engineering assistance, so it’s probably best to just add new inputs to the windows template.
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I think I know what is up that is making the icons render inline rather than as images - the icon is labeled as “techicon” and that is why this
works.
As for keeping Windows 10 icons, it sounds like something that we can do. The reason I wrote this forum post is largely because of the “Windows as a service” model, where biannual updates to Windows are done. I am using Windows 11 and a few tasks can only be completed on Windows 11, such as installing certain desktop apps through the Microsoft Store, because Microsoft is now distributing app installers through their marketplace, and that does not work on Windows 10 AFAIK. Microsoft is also distributing WSA apps from the Amazon App Store, and WSA as I know only is available as a Windows 11 feature. If I remember correctly this is a different thing from UWP which Spotify and iTunes ported to but allows for mostly one-click installation of apps that previously required configuration.
Here is an example of that:
This app, while distributed through Microsoft Store, once installed is managed by Adobe. Discord, Zoom, Edge, and a few other apps can be installed this way as well only from the Windows 11 Microsoft Store.
I understand why to keep the Windows 10 icons, but using Windows 10 icons to reflect Windows 11 tasks creates a bit of inconsistency, as Windows 10 readers looking for advice on Windows 10 would get startled when they see that something does not work as they thought it would work.
Here is something that could be done.
Let’s add the version number (10/11/7/etc.) to each of the template parameters in that switch statement. So “start” would become “start10”. (Technically since that Start icon was used from Windows 8-Windows 10 we could name that parameter start8-10.) Explorer would become “Explorer10”. And for Microsoft apps where the icons are the same (like Command Prompt, Task Manager, Microsoft Edge) just have no prefix. But it would also be helpful to have icons for Word/Excel/PowerPoint/OneNote (if we do not have icons for those already).
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Would that mean we’d have to edit all Windows 10 articles to day “start10” instead of “start”?
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@Buterflie
, yes, that would be an issue. Let’s just keep the current inputs how they are and just add new ones for 11. It’s much easier that way.
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Yeah, right. While changing all Windows 10 articles to say “start10” would be technically possible with a massive
project, it wouldn’t be practical and would make no sense to do all that when we could just leave “start” as is and create “start11” and so on.
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Ok so I saw a few new Win10 screenshots from WikiVisual and it seems as if Windows 10 uses the new Microsoft Store icon. I went ahead and uploaded the new Microsoft Store icon. @JayneG
can you change out the old icon on Template:Windows - wikiHow
for the new icon? Image:Microsoft_Store_app_icon_2022.png - wikiHow
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JayneG
12
@Awesome_Aasim
can you please post a couple of article links where you saw the screenshots? Thanks!
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Hi, so it has been a few months, and this still needs to get done. Sorry I have been quite busy with university and completely forgot this was an issue. Now that I have a little more time, I wonder if all the Windows 11 icons can be added to the Windows template now. This will prob need a bit of work in my userspace but once that is done we can update the template entirely.
Windows Explorer is another such icon that needs to have a Windows 11 version added for. Actually, virtually all icons need to be updated to use Windows 11 themes and the like. I wonder if I should upload the icons and then create a “Windows 11” template with these icons present. That might be a good compromise rather than replacing each and every icon which has been the same from Windows 8-Windows 10 with new icons. Although I think the new Microsoft Store icon should still be added in the Windows template since the new icon is used in Windows 10 now (and someone with Windows 10 can verify that).
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@JayneG
so I managed to get a Windows 10 screenshot showing the new Microsoft Store icon.
Can the icon now be added?
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Yep, I can verify that one. Why didn’t you just ask me directly? Since picking up that malware last September, i haven’t been able to upgrade to Windows 11.
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JayneG
18
Thanks - I’ve updated the Microsoft Store icon.
For the others, just a reminder that we don’t want to replace the Windows 10 template, we’d want to add new icons for Windows 11. @Awesome_Aasim
if you have time to work on it in your userspace that’d be great
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I’ll see what I can do - like I said before, I have been busy with university for about two and a half years. Maybe when I finally get a more proper break and not just some work shoved in the middle of summer I’ll be able to take a look at it. Or maybe when I go off on some sort of tangent I’ll end up working on it.
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