Effective way to make a system tray application
c++, desktop-application, java, system-tray
Solution
Java 6 has new functionality which allows for the creation of applications which use the system tray.
The New System Tray Functionality in Java SE 6 article goes into the details, and provides some sample code as well.
The newly added `SystemTray` and `TrayIcon` classes of the `java.awt` package can be used to add icons to the system tray. The icons can respond to mouse clicks and use pop up menus as well. However, this new functionality is a part of AWT, so it doesn't do a very good job integrating with Swing components.
Here's an example of a little clock that shows up in the system tray which was made using the `SystemTray` and `TrayIcon` classes in Java 6:
(source: coobird.net)
Problem
This is my first post on Stack Overflow and I'm just wondering on the options of making a system tray application. The application would run primary from the system tray while still operating, and could be brought up into a window when clicked on. It is also needed to have some support for global keystroke tracking, to bring up a window. I'm curious on what options I have available to me, as I'm sure that there are many ways to do this. I'm most familiar with with Java though I have some experience with C++. I'm willing to explore other languages if they have some definite perks to them, though it would be nice to work with what I know in a way. Thank you