Tabavoco - Taskbar Volume Control App
A lightweight WinUI 3 volume control application that provides persistent, easily accessible system volume control from the bottom left corner of your screen.
Features
- Always-on-top volume control - Stays above all windows including taskbar
- System volume integration - Direct control of Windows master volume
- Mute toggle - Quick mute/unmute with visual feedback
- Draggable interface - Move the control anywhere on screen
- Minimal footprint - No taskbar presence, small memory usage
- Right-click context menu - Easy exit and run on startup option
- External sync - Automatically detects and syncs with volume changes made by other applications
- Position persistence - Remembers window position across application restarts
Installation
Download the latest release from the releases page, unzip the file, and run tabavoco.exe.
Build from Source
Requirements
- .NET 9.0
- Windows 10.0.19041.0 or higher
- Platforms: x64, x86, ARM64
Build Commands
# From WSL2 dotnet.exe build # From Windows Command Prompt dotnet build # Run the application dotnet run
Architecture
Project Structure
├── App.xaml(.cs) # Application entry point and WinUI 3 setup
├── Views/
│ ├── MiniVolumeWindow.xaml(.cs) # Main UI window with volume slider
│ └── MediaControlsUserControl.xaml(.cs) # Media control buttons (play/pause/etc)
├── Services/
│ ├── VolumeManager.cs # High-level volume control API with caching
│ ├── AudioDeviceManager.cs # Windows Core Audio API COM interop wrapper
│ ├── MediaControlManager.cs # System Media Transport Controls integration
│ ├── ConfigurationService.cs # JSON-based configuration management
│ └── StartupManager.cs # Windows startup registry management
├── Platform/
│ ├── Win32WindowManager.cs # Native window positioning and topmost management
│ └── SmtcApiWrapper.cs # System Media Transport Controls wrapper
├── Utils/
│ └── Logger.cs # Debug logging utility with file output
└── appsettings.json # Application configuration (window position, etc.)
Data Flow & Design
- MiniVolumeWindow owns a VolumeManager instance and disposes it on close
- VolumeManager caches volume/mute/endpoint state to avoid expensive COM calls
- MediaControlManager handles system media transport controls (play/pause/next/previous)
- ConfigurationService manages JSON-based app settings (window position, etc.)
- Periodic refresh (1-second timer) syncs with external volume changes
- Immediate updates when user interacts for responsive UI
- Separation of concerns: UI → Services → Platform APIs → COM/Win32 APIs
Technical Implementation
- Windows Core Audio API (IAudioEndpointVolume) for direct system volume access
- Win32 API calls ensure window stays above taskbar and doesn't appear in task switcher
- Timer-based topmost enforcement overcomes Windows taskbar z-index changes
- Pointer events enable drag-to-move functionality
- JSON configuration system (Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration) for settings persistence
- Polling approach used since Windows audio change events are complex
Testing (Manual)
- App starts at bottom-left (or last saved position)
- App is initialized with current volume
- Slider changes system volume
- Mute button toggles system mute
- Window stays above taskbar
- Dragging moves window and saves position
- Right click to exit
Development
Guidelines
- Always add comments explaining why code is implemented a particular way
- Test manually after changes to volume or window management code
- Use Debug.WriteLine/Error for troubleshooting COM/Win32 API issues
Packaging
Build for distribution: Self-Contained (~80 MB includes .NET 9 and Windows App SDK)
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64
Output will be in bin/Release/net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0/win-x64/publish/
Note: Trimming must be disabled to preserve COM interop functionality for Windows Audio API.
License
MIT