WorkParcel is a Windows app that keeps everything related to one task—files, folders, browser tabs, notes and apps—together in one workspace.
You can pack a task away, work on something else, then reopen it later with everything you need ready again. Its like a solution to the problem every dev faces!
After spending a lot of time designing, building, testing and fixing WorkParcel, the main version of the app is finally ready!
WorkParcel started from a simple problem I kept noticing. Whenever I worked on a project, I had multiple apps, files, folders and useful links open. If I closed everything and returned later, I had to manually find and reopen the whole setup again.
That is exactly what WorkParcel is made for.
A user can now create a parcel for a task and add the apps, open windows, files, folders and web links connected to it. Creating the parcel keeps the current setup open. Later, the user can use Pack Away to close selected supported application windows and Open Parcel to reopen the saved items.
I also added a to-do list feature. Tasks can now be connected to a particular parcel, so the user can remember what needs to be done when returning to that project. These tasks are also available through the Today page, making it easier to see and manage important work.
Parcel archiving is working now as well.
Item management has also been completed and fixed. Users can remove a particular app, file, folder or link from a parcel, and it disappears from the interface immediately. This only removes the saved WorkParcel record—the original file or folder on the computer is never deleted.
Files and folders can also be checked for availability and relinked if their location changes. Web links are saved as normal URLs and open in the default Windows browser. The app does not require any Chrome or Edge extension and does not claim to capture or close individual browser tabs.
All parcel information is stored locally using SQLite, so the saved setup remains available after closing and reopening WorkParcel. I also added archive and restore, search, local backups, light and dark themes, and a downloadable Windows installer.
WorkParcel is basically a place where you can pack away the digital setup connected to a task and return to it later without searching for everything again.
Like, as soon as i completed makin this, I have started usin it! like the besttttt thing i have ever madee.
After completing the UI, I finally worked on making the main WorkParcel system actually functional. Users can now create a parcel and easily select everything connected to their work setup. WorkParcel can show the apps and windows currently open on the computer, and the user can choose only the particular ones they want to save.
Files can be selected using the Windows file picker, and multiple files can be added at once. Complete folders can also be selected, along with useful links, applications and notes. Everything is organised into separate categories with checkboxes, so users remain in control of exactly what gets included. Before packing the parcel, WorkParcel shows a review of the complete selection too!!!!!
Once confirmed, all the selected items are packed together and saved locally. The parcel remains available even after WorkParcel or the computer is restarted. When the user returns, they can open the parcel, review everything saved inside it and choose which items they want to reopen. Files open through their regular applications, folders open in File Explorer, links open in the default browser and supported apps can launch again.
The Pack Away option also lets users update the parcel whenever their setup changes. New items can be added, old ones can be removed, and the latest version of the workspace can be saved for the next time.
Removing something from WorkParcel never deletes the original file or folder from the computer. So WorkParcel has now moved beyond being only a UI prototype—the main system properly works. Apps, files, folders, links and notes can all be selected easily, packed into one parcel and reopened whenever that complete setup is needed again.
Now, cuz finally it works, i just need to do some testing and also like I am thinking to add another feature like a exact window layout restoration, so that i can open the whole setup as it is! like if my vs code was on the left side and chrome tab on the right, it would open the same way! Now i just need to figure out how i will make that happen…. lets see!!
Hii! So i am a bit sick, so couldn’t work much today, but I completed working on the UI of WorkParcel and gave it a clean, dark look instead of making it feel like another productivity app. I also organised the whole app properly and added different tabs to the navbar — Parcels, Today, Archive and Settings.
The main Parcels page makes it easy to view saved setups, search through them and choose whether to open or pack them away (so that its easy to navigate thru).
I also designed the Create New Parcel popup, parcel details screen and the Capture Current Setup flow, where users will be able to select specific apps, windows, browser tabs, files, folders, links and notes they want to save inside a parcel.
The Today page has a simple to-do list, while Archive keeps older parcels separate from the main workspace.
Mainly completed the visual design and navigation. Next, I’ll connect everything to real local storage so parcels and to-do items stay saved even after restarting the app.
Also, I wanna make a few more changes in the UI to make it look a bit more well structured.
Soo, stay tuned! :)
I spent some time brainstorming a new project idea and thought about an issue that I, and probably a lot of other devs, face regularly.
While workin on a project, we usually have a bunch of specific files, folders, browser tabs, notes, VS Code windows and other apps open. Once we close everything and return later, we have to manually find and reopen the entire setup again.
That’s where the idea for WorkParcel came from.
WorkParcel will let users create a “parcel” for a task and add everything connected to it. Later, they’ll be able to click Open Parcel and quickly reopen that complete workspace. For the first part, I set up the GitHub repo, connected it to VS Code and initialised the project using C#, .NET 10 and WinUI 3.
There isn’t much to visually show yet, but the complete foundation is ready now. Next, I’ll start designing the actual WorkParcel UI.
I am so excited to complete making this project, cuz I’d def would want to use this, as it will def be very helpful.
