Aeion Desktop Module Technical Specifications
How the windowed admin environment works — window management, saved workspaces, session persistence, Aero Snap, and glass theming, all running in the browser.
System Metrics
Window states
9 (normal, minimized, maximized, 4 snapped corners, left/right half)
Themes
4 (glass-dark, glass-light, solid-dark, solid-light)
Wallpaper types
4 (solid, gradient, image, animated)
Configurable areas
5 (Workspaces, Sessions, Shortcuts, Widgets, Settings)
Session persistence
continuous, browser-local (windows, settings, virtual desktops, pinned apps)
Architecture Overview
| Capability | What it handles |
|---|---|
| **Workspaces** | Window layout persistence |
| **Settings** | Theme, wallpaper, taskbar configuration |
| **Sessions** | Session state management |
| **Widgets** | Widget instances + lifecycle |
| **Shortcuts** | Keyboard shortcut bindings |
What Each Piece Remembers
Workspaces save a name, description, tags, an auto-captured thumbnail, and up to 30 windows — each with its title, icon, module view, position, size, and stacking order. Mark one as your default and it loads automatically when you open the desktop.
Sessions save your full window layout continuously to local storage, plus which workspace and window were active, so a reload or crash puts everything back exactly where it was. A PUT-able session endpoint also exists in the standard API for programmatic reads and writes of the current session.
Settings cover your wallpaper (solid, gradient, image, or animated), theme (glass-dark, glass-light, solid-dark, solid-light), accent color, transparency, animations, taskbar behavior, and clock format.
Shortcuts map a label, icon, and target view to a position in the Start Menu grid. Built-in shortcuts can't be deleted; your own custom ones can be added, edited, or removed freely.
Widgets are draggable mini-apps — Quick Actions, System Health, Recent Activity, and a Clock — each with its own position, size, and configuration.
Full API Access
Every piece of Aeion Desktop — settings, workspaces, sessions, shortcuts, and widgets — is available through the standard Aeion OS API, so you can read and update it programmatically:
Settings: read current settings, or update any subset (theme, wallpaper,
accent color, transparency, taskbar behavior, clock format)
Workspaces: list, create, update, or delete saved layouts
(up to 30 windows and 20 tags per workspace)
Sessions: read or save the current session on demand via the API;
day-to-day, the desktop itself persists continuously to
local storage without any API round-trip
Shortcuts: list, create, update, or delete keyboard shortcuts
Widgets: list, create, update, delete, or bulk-reorder widget positions
Same auth, same conventions as the rest of the platform — no separate integration to learn.
Aero Snap — Window States
9 window states: normal (freely draggable), minimized (hidden to taskbar), maximized (full screen), snapped-left / snapped-right (left or right half), and four snapped corners (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right quarter).
How snapping works:
``` Drag a window near a screen edge or corner → it snaps into place: → Near the top edge → maximizes → Near the left or right edge → snaps to that half → Near a corner → snaps to that quarter
Drag away from a snapped position → returns to its previous floating size and position. Every snap animates smoothly into place. ```
Key Architecture Decisions
Continuous local persistence
Never lose work on browser close or crash
Workspaces synced to your account
Cross-device sync, survives browser reinstalls
Hardware-accelerated window rendering
Smooth dragging and resizing, no extra plugins needed
Native browser blur for glass theming
A real glass effect with no extra graphics runtime
Native window streaming via Bridge
Non-browser apps can appear as a window too
Frequently Asked Questions
Two places, by design. Your live session — every open window's position, size, stacking order, and the active workspace and focused window — persists continuously to the browser's local storage, so a reload or crash restores you without any server round-trip. Saved Workspaces, by contrast, sync to your account, so they survive a browser reinstall and follow you across devices. A `PUT`-able session endpoint also exists in the standard API for programmatic reads and writes of the current session.
Up to 30, each capturing its title, icon, module view, position, size, and stacking order, plus up to 20 tags and an auto-captured thumbnail for the whole layout. Mark one Workspace as your default and it loads automatically when you open the desktop.
Normal (freely draggable), minimized (hidden to taskbar), maximized (full screen), snapped-left and snapped-right (either half), and four snapped corners (each quarter). Dragging a window near a screen edge or corner snaps it into the matching state; dragging it away returns it to its previous floating size and position.
Everything. Settings, workspaces, sessions, shortcuts, and widgets are each exposed through the standard Aeion OS API with the same auth and conventions as the rest of the platform — read current settings or update any subset, CRUD saved layouts, manage shortcuts, and bulk-reorder widget positions, all without a separate integration to learn.
Through Aeion Bridge. A non-browser application running on your own machine can be streamed into an Aeion Desktop window via Bridge, so it sits and behaves alongside your other admin windows rather than living in a separate app.