Windows 8 apps will be able to share data with each other through a unified platform that has been built in to the OS. This will allow developers to create advanced sharing features inside their apps to allow data to be shared and be used by other independent 3rd-party applications. This opens a whole new world of possibilities for developers and users alike. And it does not require the app developers to have specific apps in mind when creating the feature to share date or receive shared data.
Windows Share inside Windows 8 is a feature that is similar the clipboard feature found inside all modern OS’ and even Mobile OS’ now. It is akin to a universal live clipboard that can be accessed by all registered Windows 8 applications. Through this framework, apps can share anything from text, URL’s and html to bitmaps and entire files. The choice to share data and receive shared data will ultimately rest with the individual developers and app makers though.
Through this sharing service, users can share all things imaginable between apps — links, addresses, photos, media files, geo-location and more. The interconnectivity between apps will make for easier workflows all round. For example, a file generated by one app can now easily be instantly shared with another app. This instead of having to locate the file on the file system and then opening it through the other app. The sharing feature works in three parts — Source, Broker and Target.
Source, as the name suggests, is any software that has information to share. This app needs to register with the Data Transfer Manger with the type of data that it wishes to share. Then when the user chooses the share option inside the app, the app create a data package and sends it to the Broker, which is the mediator in the system. The Broker then looks up list of apps that registered as target for that type of data. This list is then presented to the user, who then has to choose which app should receive the data that is being shared. Once the choice is made, the chosen app is launched and it receives the data package that was created by the source. Any app that receives and processes shared data can be a Target.
Most apps have the capability to be a target and Microsoft is encouraging most Windows 8 app developers to enable data sharing on their apps. If developers oblige, then the whole Windows 8 app ecosystem will be filled with apps that have the option to share whatever they are doing. Whether it is a gaming app that can share your score and a short link to itself or a complex designing app that can share the graphics file you just created so that you can immediately upload via a collaboration tool like DropBox. This is one feature of the Windows 8 App Environment that has the potential to cause explosive growth. And developers are likely to come up with very creative ways of utilizing this feature by the time Windows 8 is ready for commercial launch.
