Windows Edge Light

A lightweight WPF application that adds a customizable glowing edge light effect around your primary monitor on Windows. Perfect for ambient lighting during video calls, streaming, or just adding a professional touch to your workspace.

Features

• Automatic Updates: Built-in update system checks GitHub Releases for new versions
• Primary Monitor Display: Automatically detects and displays on your primary monitor, even in multi-monitor setups
• DPI Aware: Properly handles high-DPI displays (4K monitors with scaling)
• Fluent Design: Modern UX that fits in with the Windows look and feel
• Click-Through Transparency: Overlay doesn't interfere with your work - all clicks pass through to applications beneath
• Customizable Brightness: Adjust opacity with easy-to-use controls
• Toggle On/Off: Quickly enable or disable the edge light effect
• Always On Top: Stays visible above all other windows
• Keyboard Shortcuts:
  • Ctrl+Shift+L - Toggle light on/off
  • Ctrl+Shift+Up - Increase brightness
  • Ctrl+Shift+Down - Decrease brightness
• Gradient Effect: Beautiful white gradient with subtle blur for a professional look

Screenshots

The application creates a smooth, glowing border around the edges of your primary monitor:

• Adjustable brightness levels (20% to 100% opacity)
• Soft blur effect for a natural glow
• Minimal UI controls that fade in on hover

Installation

Option 1: Download Pre-built Executable

Download the latest WindowsEdgeLight.exe from the Releases page. This is a single-file executable that includes everything you need - no .NET installation required!

Option 2: Build from Source

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 or later
• .NET 10.0 SDK for building

Building from Source

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/shanselman/WindowsEdgeLight.git
   cd WindowsEdgeLight

2. Build the project:

   cd WindowsEdgeLight
   dotnet build

3. Run the application:

   dotnet run

Creating a Single-File Executable

To create a standalone executable:

cd WindowsEdgeLight
dotnet publish -c Release /p:DebugType=None /p:DebugSymbols=false

The executable will be in bin\Release\net10.0-windows\win-x64\publish\WindowsEdgeLight.exe

Note: WPF applications cannot use AOT compilation or aggressive trimming. The single-file executable is self-contained and compressed (~72MB) but includes the full .NET runtime.

Usage

1. Launch WindowsEdgeLight.exe
2. The edge light will appear around your primary monitor
3. Hover over the top-right corner to reveal controls:
   • 🔅 Decrease Brightness - Reduces opacity
   • 🔆 Increase Brightness - Increases opacity
   • 💡 Toggle Light - Turn the effect on/off
   • ✖ Exit - Close the application

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+Shift+L: Toggle the edge light on/off
• Ctrl+Shift+Up: Increase brightness
• Ctrl+Shift+Down: Decrease brightness
• Taskbar: Right-click the taskbar icon to close the application

Technical Details

Architecture

• Framework: .NET 10.0 WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation)
• Language: C#
• UI: XAML with transparent window overlay
• Monitor Detection: Windows Forms Screen API for accurate multi-monitor support

Key Features Implementation

• Click-Through: Uses Win32 WS_EX_TRANSPARENT and WS_EX_LAYERED window styles
• DPI Scaling: Converts physical pixels to WPF Device Independent Pixels for proper sizing
• Primary Monitor: Uses Screen.PrimaryScreen.Bounds with DPI correction
• Gradient Border: Custom Rectangle with LinearGradientBrush and BlurEffect

Multi-Monitor Support

The application specifically targets the primary monitor in your display setup:

• Automatically detects primary monitor position and dimensions
• Correctly handles DPI scaling (e.g., 150%, 200% on 4K displays)
• Works with any monitor arrangement (horizontal, vertical, mixed)
• Does not span across multiple monitors

Development

Project Structure

WindowsEdgeLight/
├── WindowsEdgeLight/
│   ├── App.xaml              # Application entry point
│   ├── App.xaml.cs
│   ├── MainWindow.xaml       # Main UI layout
│   ├── MainWindow.xaml.cs    # Application logic
│   ├── WindowsEdgeLight.csproj
│   └── AssemblyInfo.cs
└── README.md

Building

Requires:

• Visual Studio 2022 or later (with .NET desktop development workload)
• Or .NET 10.0 SDK for command-line builds

Version History

v0.6 - Automatic Update System

• Integrated Updatum for automatic updates from GitHub Releases
• Beautiful update dialog with release notes
• Download progress tracking
• One-click install for new versions
• See UPDATUM_INTEGRATION.md for details

v0.3 - Global Hotkeys and Taskbar Support

• Added global hotkeys for brightness control (Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down)
• Fixed taskbar overlap - window now respects taskbar area
• Added taskbar icon for easy right-click close
• Removed conflicting exit hotkey
• Added custom ring light icon
• Added assembly information with author details

v0.2 - Primary Monitor Display Fix

• Fixed window to display on primary monitor only
• Added proper DPI scaling support for high-resolution displays
• Resolved namespace conflicts with Windows Forms integration
• Improved multi-monitor setup compatibility

v0.1 - Initial Release

• Basic edge light overlay functionality
• Customizable brightness controls
• Toggle and keyboard shortcut support
• Click-through transparency

License

This project is provided as-is for personal and educational use.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

• Report bugs
• Suggest new features
• Submit pull requests

Acknowledgments

Inspired by the need for professional lighting effects during video conferences and streaming setups.

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Note: This application is designed for Windows only and requires the .NET 10.0 runtime.