private void Window_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            try
            {
                // set up the tray icon
                System.Windows.Forms.NotifyIcon notifyIcon = _trayIcon = new System.Windows.Forms.NotifyIcon
                {
                    Icon    = new System.Drawing.Icon("Resources\\icon.ico"),
                    Text    = Title,
                    Visible = true
                };
                _trayIcon.DoubleClick +=
                    delegate(object sender2, EventArgs args)
                {
                    Show();
                    WindowState = WindowState.Normal;
                };

                // grab the handles of everything we'll be tweaking
                _taskbar     = new TaskbarElement("Shell_TrayWnd");
                _startButton = new TaskbarElement(_taskbar, "Start", 1);
                _startMenu   = new TaskbarElement("Windows.UI.Core.CoreWindow", "Start");

                // get the buttons on the taskbar that directly have the taskbar as a parent
                for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
                {
                    _taskbarButtons[i] = new TaskbarElement(_taskbar, "TrayButton", (i + 1));
                }

                _cortanaButton     = new TaskbarElement(_taskbar, "TrayButton", 1);
                _cortanaSearchMenu = new TaskbarElement("Windows.UI.Core.CoreWindow", "Cortana");
                _mainAppContainer  = new TaskbarElement(_taskbar, "ReBarWindow32", 1);
                _trayIconContainer = new TaskbarElement(_taskbar, "TrayNotifyWnd", 1);
                //_volumeContainer = new TaskbarElement(_taskbar, "")
                _showDesktopButton = new TaskbarElement(_trayIconContainer, "TrayShowDesktopButtonWClass", 1);

                // set up sliders
                SliderTaskWidth.Maximum = _taskbar.GetWidth();

                //if (CheckAutoStart.IsChecked == true) {
                // create an instance of a dummy taskbar with some settings
                _dummyTaskbar                    = new Window();
                _dummyTaskbar.WindowState        = WindowState.Normal;
                _dummyTaskbar.WindowStyle        = WindowStyle.None;
                _dummyTaskbar.ResizeMode         = ResizeMode.NoResize;
                _dummyTaskbar.Width              = _taskBarWidth;
                _dummyTaskbar.Height             = _taskbar.GetHeight();
                _dummyTaskbar.Top                = _taskbar.GetTop();
                _dummyTaskbar.Left               = (_taskbar.GetWidth() / 2) - _dummyTaskbar.Width / 2;
                _dummyTaskbar.AllowsTransparency = true;
                UpdateDummySliders();
                _dummyTaskbar.ShowInTaskbar = false;
                _dummyTaskbar.Hide();
                //}
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                using (StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter("debug.txt"))
                {
                    sw.WriteLine(ex);
                }
            }

            if (!File.Exists("settings.json"))
            {
                CreateSettings();
                _settings.LoadSettings();
            }
            else
            {
                _settings.LoadSettings();

                //TODO (justin): add some error checking here
                SliderTaskWidth.Value            = Convert.ToInt16(_settings.FindSetting("width").SettingValue);
                SliderDummyTaskRed.Value         = Convert.ToByte(_settings.FindSetting("red").SettingValue);
                SliderDummyTaskGreen.Value       = Convert.ToByte(_settings.FindSetting("green").SettingValue);
                SliderDummyTaskBlue.Value        = Convert.ToByte(_settings.FindSetting("blue").SettingValue);
                SliderDummyTaskOpacity.Value     = Convert.ToByte(_settings.FindSetting("opacity").SettingValue);
                CheckTaskbarVisible.IsChecked    = Convert.ToBoolean(_settings.FindSetting("showtaskbar").SettingValue);
                CheckHideStart.IsChecked         = Convert.ToBoolean(_settings.FindSetting("hidestartbutton").SettingValue);
                CheckHideShowDesk.IsChecked      = Convert.ToBoolean(_settings.FindSetting("hideshowdesktopbutton").SettingValue);
                CheckAutoStart.IsChecked         = Convert.ToBoolean(_settings.FindSetting("autostart").SettingValue);
                CheckLaunchWithWindows.IsChecked = Convert.ToBoolean(_settings.FindSetting("launchwithwindows").SettingValue);
            }

            textBoxSettings.Text = File.ReadAllText("settings.json");

            _dummyTaskbar?.Show();

            Focus();

            // set up background worker
            _bgWorker = new BackgroundWorker
            {
                WorkerSupportsCancellation = true
            };
            _bgWorker.DoWork += _bgWorker_DoWork;

            // TODO: create method for the button click action
            //       because this is stupid
            if (CheckAutoStart.IsChecked == true)
            {
                ButtonStart_Click(null, null);
            }
        }
        private void ApplyStyle()
        {
            // make taskbar transparent
            if (CheckTaskbarVisible.IsChecked == true)
            {
                // show the taskbar
                _taskbar.AccentPolicy.AccentState = Utility.AccentState.ACCENT_DISABLED;
                _taskbar.ApplyAccentPolicy();
            }
            else
            {
                // hide the taskbar
                _taskbar.AccentPolicy.AccentState = Utility.AccentState.ACCENT_INVALID_STATE;
                _taskbar.ApplyAccentPolicy();
            }

            // make sure the dummy taskbar maintains position
            _dummyTaskbar.Top    = _taskbar.GetTop();
            _dummyTaskbar.Width  = _taskBarWidth;
            _dummyTaskbar.Left   = (_taskbar.GetWidth() / 2) - _dummyTaskbar.Width / 2;
            _dummyTaskbar.Height = _taskbar.GetHeight();
            //_dummyTaskbar.Background = new SolidColorBrush(Color.FromArgb((byte)SliderDummyTaskOpacity.Value, 0, 0, 0));
            UpdateDummySliders();

            // get the offsets of buttons that may or may not be visible
            int offset = 0; // (_startButton.IsElementVisible() ? _startButton.GetWidth() : 0);

            for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
            {
                offset += _taskbarButtons[i].IsElementVisible() ? _taskbarButtons[i].GetWidth() : 0;
            }

            // resize the app container and then move it into position
            _mainAppContainer.ResizeElement((int)_dummyTaskbar.Width - _trayIconContainer.GetWidth() - offset - 32);
            _mainAppContainer.MoveElement((int)_dummyTaskbar.Left + offset + 32);

            // move the start button into position
            if (_startButton.IsElementVisible())
            {
                _startButton.MoveElement((int)_dummyTaskbar.Left);
            }

            // show or hide the show desktopbutton
            if (CheckHideShowDesk.IsChecked == true)
            {
                _showDesktopButton.HideElement();
            }
            else
            {
                _showDesktopButton.ShowElement();
            }

            // move taskbar buttons into position
            for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
            {
                if (_taskbarButtons[i].IsElementVisible())
                {
                    _taskbarButtons[i].MoveElement((int)_dummyTaskbar.Left + offset - (_taskbarButtons[i].GetWidth() * i));
                }
            }

            // move the start menu into the correct position
            if (_dummyTaskbar.Top == 0)
            {
                _startMenu.MoveElement((int)_dummyTaskbar.Left, (int)_dummyTaskbar.Height);
                _cortanaSearchMenu.MoveElement((int)_dummyTaskbar.Left, (int)_dummyTaskbar.Height);
            }
            else
            {
                _startMenu.MoveElement((int)_dummyTaskbar.Left);
                _cortanaSearchMenu.MoveElement((int)_dummyTaskbar.Left, (int)_dummyTaskbar.Top - (_cortanaSearchMenu.GetHeight()));
            }

            // move the tray icon container into position
            _trayIconContainer.MoveElement((int)_dummyTaskbar.Left + (int)_dummyTaskbar.Width - _trayIconContainer.GetWidth());
        }