Category: Stability • Integrated Mode • WPF Improvements • Interop Hardening
Release Date: March 2026
🧠 Overview
The March 2026 release is the most significant stability and architectural refinement the yoAnimeServer platform has ever shipped.
This update strengthens every layer of the Integrated Mode runtime:
- DPI correctness
- WPF sizing and rendering
- Interop reliability
- Parenting authority
- Crash capture
- WebSocket security
- Startup and shutdown determinism
But more importantly:
🔥 This release introduces a deterministic, order-independent runtime architecture that guarantees consistent behavior regardless of startup timing, connection order, or UI readiness.
🆕 Architecture Principles (NEW)
This release establishes a unified runtime model built on:
- Deferred lifecycle orchestration
- Authority-based component roles
- Multi-phase readiness gating
- Snapshot + epoch-based state management
- Late-join recovery guarantees
- Idempotent event processing
🆕 1. Deferred Startup & Lifecycle Orchestration
Integrated Mode now uses a Deferred Startup pipeline to ensure initialization only occurs when PowerPoint is truly ready.
Key Behavior
- Startup is delayed until:
- A valid document window is detected
- UI context is stable
- Triggered via:
WindowActivate- First real document HWND
Result
- Eliminates invalid HWND usage
- Prevents premature COM access
- Guarantees deterministic initialization timing
🆕 2. Authority Model & Role Separation
The system now enforces a clear authority model between components.
| Component | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Add-in | PowerPoint integration, HWND tracking |
| WPF | UI orchestration, rendering, state control |
Key Principle
Authority is negotiated, not assumed.
Lifecycle States
- Disconnected (WPF not present)
- Connected (pipe established)
- Authoritative (WPF controls UI)
Result
- Eliminates dual ownership conflicts
- Prevents race conditions
- Ensures clean responsibility boundaries
🆕 3. Multi-Phase Readiness & Gate Synchronization
The runtime now uses explicit readiness gates:
WV = WebView ready
Page = UI loaded
JS = Script bridge ready
Pipe = IPC connected
HS = Handshake complete
Rule
✅ FULLY READY = All gates satisfied
Result
- No premature UI updates
- No race conditions
- Fully synchronized startup
🆕 4. Late Handshake Recovery & State Rehydration
The system now supports late-joining components.
Flow
- Add-in runs independently
- WPF connects later
- Handshake completes
- System triggers:
- Readiness re-evaluation
- Pane restoration
- Context replay
Guarantee
The system always converges to a correct state, regardless of connection timing.
🆕 5. Snapshot-Based Context & Epoch Replay
The geometry and context system is now fully snapshot-driven.
Features
- Context computed even before WPF connects
- Stored as epoch-bound snapshots
- Replayed after handshake
Safeguards
- Duplicate suppression
- Epoch fencing
- Already-seeded protection
Result
- Deterministic UI state
- No redundant recomputation
- Stable overlay positioning
🆕 6. Order-Independent Startup Architecture
The runtime now behaves correctly regardless of startup order.
Supported Flows
Path A
WPF → launches PowerPoint → Add-in connects
Path B
PowerPoint → Add-in starts → WPF joins later
Guarantee
System behavior is deterministic regardless of startup order
🆕 7. Pre-Connection Behavior & Safe Degradation
Before IPC connection:
- Messages are NOT buffered
- Context is computed locally
- System operates safely without WPF
Result
- No stale message replay
- No invalid state propagation
- Clean recovery after connection
🆕 8. Idempotent Event Processing & Deduplication
The event system now guarantees idempotency.
Mechanisms
- Duplicate suppression windows
- Initial seed protection
- Epoch-based filtering
Result
- No flicker
- No redundant UI updates
- Stable rendering pipeline
9. DPI-Perfect MainWindow Sizing
MainWindow sizing now uses physical monitor resolution + true window DPI (GetDpiForWindow).
Improvements
- Accurate monitor detection (
MonitorFromWindow) - px → DIP conversion using real DPI
- Eliminates fractional scaling drift
Result
Perfect overlay coverage at all scaling levels (100–175%).
10. Status Bar Visibility (Standalone → Integrated)
Introduced controlled topmost toggling:
SetHudTopmost(true)in Welcome modeSetHudTopmost(false)in Integrated Mode
Result
Status messages are always visible when needed.
11. Crash Reporting Banner Logic Fixed
- Removed incorrect unconditional “READY” banner
- Display only when
CrashReportingEnabled == true
12. Full Parent Integrity Monitor (V2)
Now fully aligned with the authoritative parenting pipeline.
Highlights
- Gate-aware (respects readiness)
- Ignores transient parents
- No direct
SetParentcalls - Debounced + throttled corrections
13. Resize Coalescing & WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGED Cleanup
- Resize storms suppressed
- Single resize per update cycle
- Stable behavior during UI transitions
14. Visibility & Minimized Guards
All operations now skip automatically when PowerPoint is:
- Hidden
- Minimized
- Temporarily reparented
15. Strengthened Unified Parenting Pipeline
All parenting now flows through a centralized pipeline.
Enhancements
- PID parity validation
- DPI-aware sizing
- Backoff + retry logic
- Rich diagnostic beacons
16. Early MainWindow Visibility
MainWindow now appears earlier in Standalone mode:
- Transparent
- Non-activating
- Safe
17. Integrated Documentation System
Structured documentation tiers:
- Lifecycle / Startup
- VSTO activation
- Parenting / DPI / UIPI
18. WebSocket Runtime Policy & Security
- Unified runtime policy
- Constant-time token validation
- Origin policy diagnostics
- Safe offline behavior
19. Interop Determinism & HWND Identity Hardening
Major stabilization of interop layer.
Key Systems
Strict HWND Authority Model
| Layer | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Host HWND | Lifecycle |
| Document HWND | Geometry |
| WebView HWND | Rendering |
WebView Identity Isolation
- No fallback to incorrect HWNDs
- Strict mapping validation
Epoch-Based Geometry System
- Monotonic epoch IDs
- Snapshot reuse
- Deterministic computation
Finalization Gate Fix
- Eliminates 15s stalls
- Ensures immediate completion
Snapshot-Only Selection Pipeline
- No redundant COM calls
- Smooth updates
- Flood protection
🆕 20. UI Automation Stabilization (Selection → UIA Pipeline)
This release introduces a fully deterministic UI Automation pipeline, resolving long-standing instability caused by querying UI state during active mutation.
Previously, UIA queries were executed while PowerPoint’s UI and COM selection state were still evolving, leading to inconsistent AutomationElements, incorrect geometry, and intermittent failures.
The root cause was a violation of temporal consistency between COM-driven state and UI Automation execution.
This has been resolved through:
- A snapshot-first execution model (COM → managed → UIA)
- Debounced UI stabilization windows
- Cancellation-driven event deduplication
- Strict reentrancy guards
As a result:
- UIA now operates exclusively on stable UI state
- AutomationElements are consistent and reliable
- Bounding rectangles are accurate
- Rapid interaction scenarios are fully supported without degradation
UI Automation is now fully aligned with the snapshot + epoch architecture, ensuring deterministic behavior across all interaction scenarios.
🎯 Conclusion
The March 2026 update represents a fundamental architectural milestone.
You now have:
- Deterministic startup
- Order-independent execution
- Stable parenting pipeline
- Snapshot-based UI state
- Fully synchronized readiness model
🧠 Final Statement
yoAnimeServer is no longer just an integration layer —
it is now a fully orchestrated, state-driven, cross-process UI runtime.
This release lays the foundation for:
🚀 April 2026 — Flow Realtime