How to start a WinRT app from a web application?

Question

Suppose I have a video hosting site, like youtube. When user clicks on a link on the site, I want to open a WinRT application for a better viewing experience, how would I do that?

How do I pass parameters into the WinRT application, to let it know what video it should stream? I need to be able to go back and forth, so I assume I can introduce a hyperlink to go back to the site from the app.

The other possibility is to embed the application on the site itself. How would that work? Can you still inline an applet style application on the site itself (eg. flash/silverlight)?

Answer 1

It is possible to launch a Windows Store app, given that you know the URI scheme associated with that application. For example, the Games app has the xboxgames: associated with it. If you insert a link with that URI scheme, the shell will pick it up as an internal reference. Read more details here.

You might also be interested in reading more on how to connect your website to a Windows Store app here.

Answer 2

Edit: It is possible to have an associated url: see accepted answer from Den Delimarsky.

Alternatively, a Windows Store app can declare file type associations. So you could make the user download a file (for example "video.customExtension"), which could contain informations, such as the video the app should play. In the same way as it works for Office Live Meeting when you download a meeting file to start a meeting.

If the user download that kind of file from your website, and that he doesn't have the corresponding app installed, he will be prompted to look for an app that can open that file in the store, and he will find your app.

And finally, no you can't embbed an Windows 8 Store app in a webpage.