Render install app entries incrementally

functions/private/Initialize-InstallAppEntry.ps1

@@ -13,11 +13,13 @@ function Initialize-InstallAppEntry {
             $appKey
         )
 
+        $app = $sync.configs.applicationsHashtable.$appKey
+
         # Create the outer Border for the application type
         $border = New-Object Windows.Controls.Border
         $border.Style = $sync.Form.Resources.AppEntryBorderStyle
         $border.Tag = $appKey
-        $border.ToolTip = $Apps.$appKey.description
+        $border.ToolTip = $app.description
         $border.Add_MouseLeftButtonUp({
             $childCheckbox = ($this.Child | Where-Object {$_.Template.TargetType -eq [System.Windows.Controls.Checkbox]})[0]
             $childCheckBox.isChecked = -not $childCheckbox.IsChecked
@@ -61,10 +63,10 @@ function Initialize-InstallAppEntry {
         # Create the TextBlock for the application name
         $appName = New-Object Windows.Controls.TextBlock
         $appName.Style = $sync.Form.Resources.AppEntryNameStyle
-        $appName.Text = $Apps.$appKey.content
+        $appName.Text = $app.content
 
         # Add FOSS label after the name if FOSS
-        if ($Apps.$appKey.foss -eq $true) {
+        if ($app.foss -eq $true) {
             $fossRun = [System.Windows.Documents.Run]::new(" $([char]0x25CF)")
             $fossRun.Foreground = [Windows.Media.SolidColorBrush]::new([Windows.Media.Color]::FromRgb(110, 255, 114))
             $fossRun.FontSize = 11.5
@@ -74,10 +76,13 @@ function Initialize-InstallAppEntry {
         $checkBox.Content = $appName
 
         # Add accessibility properties to make the elements screen reader friendly
-        $checkBox.SetValue([Windows.Automation.AutomationProperties]::NameProperty, $Apps.$appKey.content)
-        $border.SetValue([Windows.Automation.AutomationProperties]::NameProperty, $Apps.$appKey.content)
+        $checkBox.SetValue([Windows.Automation.AutomationProperties]::NameProperty, $app.content)
+        $border.SetValue([Windows.Automation.AutomationProperties]::NameProperty, $app.content)
 
         $border.Child = $checkBox
+        if ($sync.selectedApps -contains $appKey) {
+            $checkBox.IsChecked = $true
+        }
         # Add the border to the corresponding Category
         $TargetElement.Children.Add($border) | Out-Null
         return $checkbox

functions/private/Initialize-InstallCategoryAppList.ps1

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ function Initialize-InstallCategoryAppList {
             $Apps
         )
 
-        # Pre-group apps by category
+        # Pre-group apps by category before creating WPF controls.
         $appsByCategory = @{}
         foreach ($appKey in $Apps.Keys) {
             $category = $Apps.$appKey.Category
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ function Initialize-InstallCategoryAppList {
             }
             $appsByCategory[$category] += $appKey
         }
+        $sync.InstallAppRenderQueue = [System.Collections.Queue]::new()
+
         foreach ($category in $($appsByCategory.Keys | Sort-Object)) {
             # Create a container for category label + apps
             $categoryContainer = New-Object Windows.Controls.StackPanel
@@ -89,9 +91,12 @@ function Initialize-InstallCategoryAppList {
             # Add the entire category container to the target element
             $null = $TargetElement.Items.Add($categoryContainer)
 
-            # Add apps to the wrap panel
-            $appsByCategory[$category] | Sort-Object | ForEach-Object {
-                $sync.$_ = $(Initialize-InstallAppEntry -TargetElement $wrapPanel -AppKey $_)
-            }
+            $sync.InstallAppRenderQueue.Enqueue([pscustomobject]@{
+                Category = $category
+                TargetElement = $wrapPanel
+                AppKeys = @($appsByCategory[$category] | Sort-Object)
+            })
         }
+
+        Start-WinUtilInstallAppRendering
     }

functions/private/Start-WinUtilInstallAppRendering.ps1

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+function Start-WinUtilInstallAppRendering {
+    if ($null -eq $sync.InstallAppRenderQueue) {
+        return
+    }
+
+    $sync.InstallAppEntriesRendered = $false
+
+    $renderCategory = {
+        param($CategoryBatch)
+
+        foreach ($appKey in $CategoryBatch.AppKeys) {
+            $sync.$appKey = Initialize-InstallAppEntry -TargetElement $CategoryBatch.TargetElement -AppKey $appKey
+        }
+
+        if ($sync.currentTab -eq "Install" -and $sync.SearchBar -and -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($sync.SearchBar.Text)) {
+            Find-AppsByNameOrDescription -SearchString $sync.SearchBar.Text
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($sync.Form -and $sync.Form.Dispatcher -and ("System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherTimer" -as [type])) {
+        $timer = New-Object System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherTimer
+        $timer.Interval = [TimeSpan]::FromMilliseconds(1)
+        $timer.Add_Tick({
+            $timer.Stop()
+
+            if ($sync.InstallAppRenderQueue.Count -gt 0) {
+                $categoryBatch = $sync.InstallAppRenderQueue.Dequeue()
+                & $renderCategory $categoryBatch
+            }
+
+            if ($sync.InstallAppRenderQueue.Count -gt 0) {
+                $timer.Start()
+                return
+            }
+
+            $sync.InstallAppEntriesRendered = $true
+            Write-WinUtilPerformanceCheckpoint -Name "Install app entries rendered"
+        })
+        $sync.InstallAppRenderTimer = $timer
+        $timer.Start()
+        return
+    }
+
+    while ($sync.InstallAppRenderQueue.Count -gt 0) {
+        $categoryBatch = $sync.InstallAppRenderQueue.Dequeue()
+        & $renderCategory $categoryBatch
+    }
+
+    $sync.InstallAppEntriesRendered = $true
+    Write-WinUtilPerformanceCheckpoint -Name "Install app entries rendered"
+}

pester/install-rendering.Tests.ps1

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#===========================================================================
+# Tests - Install tab rendering
+#===========================================================================
+
+BeforeAll {
+    $script:repoRoot = (Resolve-Path (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "..")).Path
+}
+
+Describe "Install app rendering startup contract" {
+    It "queues app entries after creating category containers" {
+        $categoryScript = Get-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:repoRoot "functions\private\Initialize-InstallCategoryAppList.ps1") -Raw
+
+        $categoryScript | Should -Match '\$sync\.InstallAppRenderQueue = \[System\.Collections\.Queue\]::new\(\)'
+        $categoryScript | Should -Match 'Start-WinUtilInstallAppRendering'
+        $categoryScript | Should -Match 'Pre-group apps by category before creating WPF controls'
+    }
+
+    It "renders queued apps through a dispatcher timer when a form dispatcher exists" {
+        $renderScript = Get-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:repoRoot "functions\private\Start-WinUtilInstallAppRendering.ps1") -Raw
+
+        $renderScript | Should -Match 'System\.Windows\.Threading\.DispatcherTimer'
+        $renderScript | Should -Match 'Initialize-InstallAppEntry'
+        $renderScript | Should -Match 'Install app entries rendered'
+    }
+
+    It "keeps app-entry metadata lookup independent from the old caller scope" {
+        $entryScript = Get-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:repoRoot "functions\private\Initialize-InstallAppEntry.ps1") -Raw
+
+        $entryScript | Should -Match '\$app = \$sync\.configs\.applicationsHashtable\.\$appKey'
+        $entryScript | Should -Not -Match '\$Apps\.\$appKey'
+    }
+
+    It "restores delayed app checkbox state from selected apps" {
+        $entryScript = Get-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:repoRoot "functions\private\Initialize-InstallAppEntry.ps1") -Raw
+
+        $entryScript | Should -Match '\$sync\.selectedApps -contains \$appKey'
+        $entryScript | Should -Match '\$checkBox\.IsChecked = \$true'
+    }
+}

pester/xaml.Tests.ps1

@@ -305,6 +305,9 @@ Describe "XAML and sync wiring" {
             "InstallAppAreaScrollViewer",
             "InstallAppAreaOverlay",
             "InstallAppAreaOverlayText",
+            "InstallAppRenderQueue",
+            "InstallAppRenderTimer",
+            "InstallAppEntriesRendered",
             "ProgressBar",
             "progressBarTextBlock",
             "Win11ISOImageInfo",

speed-todo.md

@@ -20,11 +20,11 @@ WinUtil currently does too much work before the first GUI paint. Work from the t
 
 ## P2 - Install Tab Rendering
 
-- [ ] Reduce up-front creation of all install app entries.
-- [ ] Keep category/app grouping as pure data before touching WPF controls.
-- [ ] Create WPF controls only on the UI thread.
-- [ ] Investigate replacing eager app-entry creation with item templates or incremental category rendering.
-- [ ] Verify search, selected-app counts, right-click popup, install, uninstall, and import/export selection state still work.
+- [x] Reduce up-front creation of all install app entries.
+- [x] Keep category/app grouping as pure data before touching WPF controls.
+- [x] Create WPF controls only on the UI thread.
+- [x] Investigate replacing eager app-entry creation with item templates or incremental category rendering.
+- [x] Verify search, selected-app counts, right-click popup, install, uninstall, and import/export selection state still work.
 
 ## P3 - Toggle And Registry Startup Cost