feat(samples): add repository issue and community Help links

Refs #28. Align WinUI and WPF Help commands with gclo and add native menu acceptance without launching a browser.

Co-Authored-By: Codex (GPT-6) <noreply@openai.com>
Signed-off-by: James Maes <james@kof22.com>

README.md

@@ -53,6 +53,12 @@ its build targets) and copies its brand assets (`Assets/Brand/app-icon.svg`,
 
 ## Usage
 
+The default sample/starter Help menus include **View on GitHub**,
+**Submit an issue…** and **Community support…**, matching gclo. Derive the issue
+chooser (`/issues/new/choose`) and Discussions (`/discussions`) from the app's
+`AppInfo.RepositoryUrl`; enable GitHub Discussions during repository setup.
+Both WinUI and WPF samples show the wiring without requiring a new AppKit API.
+
 New apps should start from the KofTwentyTwo Windows app template, which has everything
 below in place; the design is the
 [Windows desktop reference architecture](https://github.com/KofTwentyTwo/standards/blob/main/architecture/windows-desktop-app.md).

samples/AppKit.Sample.WinUI/MainWindow.Help.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2026 James Maes
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+ */
+
+using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;
+
+
+namespace AppKit.Sample.WinUI;
+
+/// <summary>Opens only the app's fixed public Help destinations after deliberate native menu actions.</summary>
+public sealed partial class MainWindow
+{
+   /// <summary>Shows this Windows app's repository in the user's default browser.</summary>
+   private async void GitHub_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs args) => await OpenHelpPageAsync(SampleApp.Info.RepositoryUrl!);
+
+
+
+   /// <summary>Offers the app's issue templates without sending private document data.</summary>
+   private async void SubmitIssue_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs args) => await OpenHelpPageAsync(SampleApp.IssuesUrl);
+
+
+
+   /// <summary>Opens community questions and tips in this app's repository.</summary>
+   private async void CommunitySupport_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs args) => await OpenHelpPageAsync(SampleApp.SupportUrl);
+
+
+
+   /// <summary>A missing browser or OS launch failure is visible; no document path/content is included.</summary>
+   private async Task OpenHelpPageAsync(Uri target)
+   {
+      try
+      {
+         if(!await global::Windows.System.Launcher.LaunchUriAsync(target))
+         {
+            StatusText.Text = "The link could not be opened. Check your default browser.";
+         }
+      }
+      catch(Exception exception) when(exception is System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException or InvalidOperationException or ArgumentException)
+      {
+         StatusText.Text = "The link could not be opened. Check your default browser.";
+         App.Log.Warning(FormattableString.Invariant($"A Help link could not be opened ({exception.GetType().Name}, 0x{exception.HResult:X8})."));
+      }
+   }
+}

samples/AppKit.Sample.WinUI/MainWindow.xaml

@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@
             <MenuFlyoutSeparator />
             <ToggleMenuFlyoutItem x:Name="SplashToggle" Text="Show splash at startup" Click="Splash_Click" />
          </MenuBarItem>
-         <MenuBarItem Title="Help">
+         <MenuBarItem Title="Help" AccessKey="H">
+            <MenuFlyoutItem Text="View on GitHub" AccessKey="G" AutomationProperties.AutomationId="MenuGitHub" Click="GitHub_Click" />
+            <MenuFlyoutItem Text="Submit an issue…" AccessKey="I" AutomationProperties.AutomationId="MenuSubmitIssue" ToolTipService.ToolTip="Report a bug or request a feature on GitHub" Click="SubmitIssue_Click" />
+            <MenuFlyoutItem Text="Community support…" AccessKey="S" AutomationProperties.AutomationId="MenuCommunitySupport" ToolTipService.ToolTip="Ask a question or share tips in GitHub Discussions" Click="CommunitySupport_Click" />
+            <MenuFlyoutSeparator />
             <MenuFlyoutItem x:Name="CheckForUpdatesMenuItem" Text="Check for updates" Click="CheckForUpdates_Click" />
             <MenuFlyoutItem x:Name="ActivityLogMenuItem" Text="Activity log" Click="ActivityLog_Click" />
             <MenuFlyoutSeparator />

samples/AppKit.Sample.Wpf/MainWindow.Help.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2026 James Maes (KofTwentyTwo)
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+ */
+
+using System.Diagnostics;
+using System.Windows;
+
+
+namespace AppKit.Sample.Wpf;
+
+/// <summary>Opens the sample's fixed public Help destinations using the Windows default browser.</summary>
+public partial class MainWindow
+{
+   /// <summary>Shows the sample's source repository.</summary>
+   private void GitHub_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs args) => OpenHelpPage(SampleApp.Info.RepositoryUrl!);
+
+
+
+   /// <summary>Offers the repository's bug/feature templates.</summary>
+   private void SubmitIssue_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs args) => OpenHelpPage(SampleApp.IssuesUrl);
+
+
+
+   /// <summary>Opens the sample's community support destination.</summary>
+   private void CommunitySupport_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs args) => OpenHelpPage(SampleApp.SupportUrl);
+
+
+
+   /// <summary>Surfaces OS/browser launch failure without passing private app data to the shell.</summary>
+   private void OpenHelpPage(Uri target)
+   {
+      try
+      {
+         using var process = Process.Start(new ProcessStartInfo(target.AbsoluteUri) { UseShellExecute = true });
+      }
+      catch(Exception exception) when(exception is System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception or InvalidOperationException)
+      {
+         StatusText.Text = "The link could not be opened. Check your default browser.";
+         Program.Log.Warning(FormattableString.Invariant($"A Help link could not be opened ({exception.GetType().Name}, 0x{exception.HResult:X8})."));
+      }
+   }
+}

samples/AppKit.Sample.Wpf/MainWindow.xaml

@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@
             <MenuItem x:Name="SplashToggle" Header="Show splash at startup" IsCheckable="True" Click="Splash_Click" />
          </MenuItem>
          <MenuItem Header="_Help">
+            <MenuItem Header="View on _GitHub" AutomationProperties.AutomationId="MenuGitHub" Click="GitHub_Click" />
+            <MenuItem Header="Submit an _issue…" AutomationProperties.AutomationId="MenuSubmitIssue" ToolTip="Report a bug or request a feature on GitHub" Click="SubmitIssue_Click" />
+            <MenuItem Header="Community _support…" AutomationProperties.AutomationId="MenuCommunitySupport" ToolTip="Ask a question or share tips in GitHub Discussions" Click="CommunitySupport_Click" />
+            <Separator />
             <MenuItem x:Name="CheckForUpdatesMenuItem" Header="Check for _updates" Click="CheckForUpdates_Click" />
             <MenuItem x:Name="ActivityLogMenuItem" Header="Activity _log" Click="ActivityLog_Click" />
             <Separator />

samples/Shared/SampleApp.cs

@@ -36,5 +36,17 @@ internal static class SampleApp
 
    public static AppPaths Paths { get; } = new(Info);
 
+
+
+   /// <summary>The app's bug/feature templates, independent of any upstream project credited in About.</summary>
+   public static Uri IssuesUrl { get; } = new(Info.RepositoryUrl!.AbsoluteUri.TrimEnd('/') + "/issues/new/choose");
+
+
+
+   /// <summary>Community questions and tips in the app's own repository.</summary>
+   public static Uri SupportUrl { get; } = new(Info.RepositoryUrl!.AbsoluteUri.TrimEnd('/') + "/discussions");
+
+
+
    public static SettingsStore<SampleSettings> SettingsStore { get; } = new(Paths.SettingsFile, SampleSettingsContext.Default.SampleSettings);
 }

tests/KofTwentyTwo.AppKit.UiTests/AppSession.cs

@@ -152,7 +152,12 @@ public sealed class AppSession : IDisposable
    /// expand (its flyout opens before the menu is ready), so the menu is re-opened
    /// until the item appears.
    /// </summary>
-   public void InvokeMenuItem(string menuName, string itemAutomationId)
+   public void InvokeMenuItem(string menuName, string itemAutomationId) => Invoke(OpenMenuItem(menuName, itemAutomationId));
+
+
+
+   /// <summary>Opens an owned native menu and returns its item without launching an external destination.</summary>
+   public AutomationElement OpenMenuItem(string menuName, string itemAutomationId)
    {
       AutomationElement menu = WaitFor(
           () => MainWindow.FindFirstDescendant(cf => cf.ByControlType(ControlType.MenuItem).And(cf.ByName(menuName))),
@@ -171,7 +176,7 @@ public sealed class AppSession : IDisposable
          Wait.UntilInputIsProcessed();
          item = Retry.WhileNull(() => FindInApp(cf => cf.ByAutomationId(itemAutomationId)), timeout: TimeSpan.FromSeconds(3), interval: s_pollInterval, ignoreException: true).Result;
       }
-      Invoke(item ?? throw new TimeoutException($"Menu item '{itemAutomationId}' never appeared under '{menuName}'. (app exited: {App.HasExited})"));
+      return item ?? throw new TimeoutException($"Menu item '{itemAutomationId}' never appeared under '{menuName}'. (app exited: {App.HasExited})");
    }
 
 

tests/KofTwentyTwo.AppKit.UiTests/SampleAppTests.cs

@@ -28,6 +28,25 @@ public class SampleAppTests
 
 
 
+   /// <summary>The real Help menu exposes the app's repository, issue reporting and community commands without launching a browser.</summary>
+   [Theory]
+   [InlineData(SampleKind.WinUI)]
+   [InlineData(SampleKind.Wpf)]
+   public void Help_PublicDestinations_AreAvailableInTheNativeMenu(SampleKind kind)
+   {
+      using var session = new AppSession(kind);
+      _ = session.OpenMenuItem("Help", "MenuGitHub");
+      foreach((string identity, string label) in new[] { ("MenuGitHub", "GitHub"), ("MenuSubmitIssue", "issue"), ("MenuCommunitySupport", "support") })
+      {
+         AutomationElement item = session.WaitForElement(identity);
+         Assert.True(item.IsEnabled);
+         Assert.False(item.IsOffscreen);
+         Assert.Contains(label, item.Name, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
    /// <summary>About: shows the build version.</summary>
    [Theory]
    [InlineData(SampleKind.WinUI)]