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https://github.com/player-alex/dokan-mirror-manager

A modern WPF application for managing Dokan file system mirrors with system tray support, single-instance mode, and intuitive UI
https://github.com/player-alex/dokan-mirror-manager

caliburn-micro csharp dokan dotnet filesystem mahapps-metro mount-manager system-tray windows wpf

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A modern WPF application for managing Dokan file system mirrors with system tray support, single-instance mode, and intuitive UI

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README 

          



# ☁️ Dokan Mirror Manager



![Platform](https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-Windows-0078D6?logo=windows&logoColor=white)

![.NET](https://img.shields.io/badge/.NET-8.0-512BD4?logo=.net&logoColor=white)

![C#](https://img.shields.io/badge/C%23-12.0-239120?logo=csharp&logoColor=white)

![WPF](https://img.shields.io/badge/WPF-UI-0078D6?logo=windows&logoColor=white)

![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)



**A modern WPF application for managing Dokan file system mirrors with an intuitive user interface** 🚀



[Features](#-features) • [Installation](#-installation) • [Usage](#-usage) • [Building](#-building-from-source)






---



## ✨ Features



- 🗂️ **Multiple Mount Management** - Create and manage multiple mirror mounts simultaneously

- 💾 **Smart Drive Letter Selection** - Automatically assigns available drive letters, prevents conflicts

- 🤖 **Auto-Mount on Startup** - Configure mounts to automatically mount when the application starts

- 🔒 **Read-Only Mode** - Mount mirrors in read-only mode for data protection (enabled by default)

- 🌍 **Environment Variable Support** - Use environment variables in paths (e.g., `%USERPROFILE%\Desktop`)

- 🎯 **System Tray Support** - Minimize to system tray with notification support

- ⚡ **Single Instance** - Only one application instance runs at a time; launching again restores the window

- 🔄 **Auto-Unmount** - Automatically unmount drives on application exit with confirmation

- 💾 **Persistent Configuration** - Save and restore mount configurations between sessions

- 🏷️ **Dynamic Volume Labels** - Automatically sets volume labels based on source (drive label or folder name)

- 🎨 **Modern UI** - Built with MahApps.Metro for a clean, modern interface

- 🚀 **Non-Blocking Operations** - Async mount/unmount operations keep UI responsive

- ⏱️ **Smart Unmount** - Progress tracking with timeout handling and background completion

- 🔌 **IPC API** - Query mount points from external applications via WM_COPYDATA and Named Pipes



## 📸 Screenshots



![Main Window](screenshot.png)



## 📋 Requirements



- 🪟 **Windows 10/11** (x64)

- 🔷 **.NET 8.0 Runtime** - [Download](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0)

- 📦 **[Dokan Driver](https://github.com/dokan-dev/dokany/releases)** - User mode file system library for Windows

- 🔑 **Administrator privileges** - Required for mount operations



## 📥 Installation



1. **Download** the latest release from the [Releases](../../releases) page

2. **Install** [Dokan Driver](https://github.com/dokan-dev/dokany/releases) if not already installed

3. **Extract** the downloaded archive

4. **Run** `dokan-mirror-manager.exe` as Administrator



> ⚠️ **Important**: The application must be run with Administrator privileges to perform mount operations.



## 📖 Usage



### ➕ Adding a Mount



1. Click the **Add** button

2. Select a source directory or drive using the folder browser

3. A drive letter is **automatically assigned** from available letters

4. Optionally enable **Auto Mount** to automatically mount on application startup

5. **Read Only** mode is enabled by default for safety

6. Click the **Mount** 📂 button to mount the drive



### 🔄 Mounting/Unmounting



- **Mount**: Click the folder open icon (📂) next to the mount item

- **Unmount**: Click the folder remove icon (🗑️) next to the mounted item

  - Shows elapsed time during unmount: "Unmounting Z:\... (5s)"

  - If unmount takes longer than expected (>10s), displays timeout dialog with options

  - Can continue in background if needed



### ❌ Removing a Mount



1. Select an **unmounted** item from the list

2. Click the **Remove** button



> 💡 **Tip**: You cannot remove a mounted drive. Unmount it first.



### 🎯 System Tray



- **Minimize**: Close the window to minimize to system tray (shows notification)

- **Restore**: Click the tray icon or launch the application again

- **Exit**: Right-click tray icon → Exit (prompts to unmount drives)



### 🔐 Single Instance



The application runs as a single instance. If you try to launch it while already running:

- If **visible**: Nothing happens (already running)

- If **in tray**: Window automatically restores and comes to front



## 🛠️ Building from Source



### Prerequisites



- 🔧 **Visual Studio 2022** or later (or VS Code with C# extension)

- 🔷 **.NET 8.0 SDK** - [Download](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0)

- 📦 **Dokan Driver** (for testing) - [Download](https://github.com/dokan-dev/dokany/releases)



### Build Steps



```bash

# Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/player-alex/dokan-mirror-manager.git

cd dokan-mirror-manager



# Restore dependencies

dotnet restore



# Build the project (Release configuration)

dotnet build -c Release



# Or build for x64 specifically

dotnet build -c Release --arch x64

```



### Run from Source



```bash

# Run as Administrator (required for Dokan operations)

dotnet run --project dokan-mirror-manager/dokan-mirror-manager.csproj

```



> ⚠️ **Note**: Must be run as Administrator for Dokan operations.



## ⚙️ Configuration



Mount configurations are automatically saved to `mounts.json` in the application directory.



**Configuration includes:**

- 📁 Source paths (supports environment variables)

- 💾 Destination drive letters

- 🤖 Auto-mount settings

- 🔒 Read-only settings



The configuration file is created automatically on first mount and updated whenever changes are made.



### Environment Variables



You can use Windows environment variables in source paths within `mounts.json`:



```json

[

  {

    "SourcePath": "%USERPROFILE%\\Desktop",

    "DestinationLetter": "Z:\\",

    "AutoMount": true,

    "IsReadOnly": true

  }

]

```



**Supported variables:**

- `%USERPROFILE%` - User's home directory

- `%APPDATA%` - Application data folder

- `%LOCALAPPDATA%` - Local application data folder

- `%ProgramFiles%` - Program Files directory

- `%TEMP%` - Temporary files directory

- Any other Windows environment variables



### Smart Drive Letter Management



The application automatically manages drive letters to prevent conflicts:

- **Auto-Assignment**: Automatically assigns available drive letters when adding new mounts

- **Conflict Resolution**: If a drive letter is already in use, automatically selects the next available one

- **Duplicate Handling**: When loading from `mounts.json`, duplicates are automatically resolved

- **Dynamic Updates**: Drive letter dropdowns update in real-time based on availability



## 🔌 IPC API



Dokan Mirror Manager provides an IPC (Inter-Process Communication) API that allows external applications to query mount point information.



### API Overview



The API uses Windows messages (`WM_COPYDATA`) and Named Pipes for communication:



1. **Client** finds the application window by title: `"Dokan Mirror Manager"`

2. **Client** sends `WM_COPYDATA` message with a unique pipe name

3. **Server** responds via the specified Named Pipe with JSON data



### Protocol Details



**Message:** `WM_COPYDATA (0x004A)`

- `dwData`: `0x8002` (WM_GET_MOUNT_POINTS)

- `lpData`: UTF-16LE encoded pipe name (with null terminator)

- `cbData`: Byte length of pipe name (including null terminator)



**Response Format (JSON):**

```json

{

  "success": true,

  "mountPoints": [

    {

      "srcPath": "C:\\SourceFolder",

      "dstPath": "Z:\\",

      "driveName": "SourceFolder",

      "status": "Mounted",

      "isReadOnly": true,

      "autoMount": false,

      "errorMessage": ""

    }

  ],

  "timestamp": "2025-10-26T18:00:00.000Z",

  "version": "1.0"

}

```



### Python Example



See [Examples/MountPointQuery/Python/mount_point_query_client.py](Examples/MountPointQuery/Python/mount_point_query_client.py) for a complete implementation:



```python

import win32gui

from ctypes import *



# Find application window

hwnd = win32gui.FindWindow(None, "Dokan Mirror Manager")



# Create Named Pipe name

pipe_name = f"DokanMirrorManager_Query_{uuid.uuid4().hex}"



# Send WM_COPYDATA request

# ... (see example file for complete code)



# Receive response via Named Pipe

# Response contains JSON with mount point information

```



### C# Example



See [Examples/MountPointQuery/CSharp/TestSendCopyData/Program.cs](Examples/MountPointQuery/CSharp/TestSendCopyData/Program.cs) for a complete C# implementation.



### Status Values



| Status | Description |

|--------|-------------|

| `Unmounted` | Not currently mounted |

| `Mounting` | Mount operation in progress |

| `Mounted` | Successfully mounted |

| `Unmounting` | Unmount operation in progress |

| `Error` | Mount operation failed |



### Security Notes



- **UIPI (User Interface Privilege Isolation)**: The application uses `ChangeWindowMessageFilterEx` to allow `WM_COPYDATA` messages from processes with different privilege levels

- **Named Pipes**: Each request uses a unique pipe name to prevent conflicts

- **Timeout**: The server has a 10-second timeout for pipe connections



## 🔧 Technologies Used



| Technology | Purpose | Version |

|------------|---------|---------|

| [.NET](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/) | Application framework | 8.0 |

| [WPF](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/desktop/wpf/) | UI framework | - |

| [Caliburn.Micro](https://caliburnmicro.com/) | MVVM framework | 5.0.258 |

| [MahApps.Metro](https://mahapps.com/) | Modern UI toolkit | 2.4.11 |

| [DokanNet](https://github.com/dokan-dev/dokan-dotnet) | .NET wrapper for Dokan | 2.3.0.1 |

| [Hardcodet.NotifyIcon.Wpf](https://github.com/hardcodet/wpf-notifyicon) | System tray support | 2.0.1 |



## 🐛 Troubleshooting



❌ Application crashes on mount



- ✅ Ensure Dokan Driver is properly installed

- ✅ Run the application as Administrator

- ✅ Check `mount_error.log` in the application directory for details

- ✅ Verify the source path exists and is accessible



💾 Drive letter not available



- ✅ Make sure the drive letter is not already in use

- ✅ Check Windows Disk Management for assigned letters

- ✅ Try a different drive letter



🚫 Application won't start



- ✅ Verify .NET 8.0 Runtime is installed

- ✅ Check `crash.log` in the application directory

- ✅ Ensure you're running as Administrator

- ✅ Try running from command line to see error messages



⚠️ Already running message appears



This is normal behavior. The application uses single-instance mode:

- If the window is hidden in tray, it will be restored automatically

- If the window is already visible, the existing instance continues running



⏱️ Unmount is taking a long time



If unmount takes longer than expected:

- ✅ Close any programs accessing files on the drive (Explorer, cmd, etc.)

- ✅ Wait for the timeout dialog to show processes using the drive

- ✅ Choose to continue waiting or let it complete in background

- ✅ The drive will unmount automatically when all file handles are released



## 📄 License



This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.



## 🙏 Acknowledgments



- [Dokan Project](https://github.com/dokan-dev/dokany) - User mode file system library for Windows

- Application icon created by Muhamad Ulum - Flaticon



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