Windows Runtime Support in ReSharper 7

The forthcoming release of Windows 8 introduces the new Windows Runtime programming model (also known as WinRT). Since WinRT can be programmed in languages that ReSharper already supports (C#, VB.NET and JavaScript), it’s only natural that ReSharper 7 comes with comprehensive support for WinRT development.

C#, VB.NET and XAML Support

ReSharper continues its support of C#/VB.NET and XAML files with the following features:

• Code completion is provided in both code and XAML files. In XAML, ReSharper is aware of the new namespaces and URL formats, and is capable of offering correct completion options depending on context:

 

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The Unsung Story of the Windows 8 Desktop

When developers first got their hands on the Windows 8 Developer Preview, I heard some comment that it was Windows 7 with some touch-friendly menus added in Metro. While most now know that is far from the case, there is a heavy focus on the Metro-style features and I think it is easy to miss the long list of features that are available in Windows 8 on the desktop. To address this, I put together a talk called "Windows 8: A Tale of Two Stacks" and covered dozens of features that have been added for both Windows 8 and Metro.

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Creating beautiful views for local files in your metro app

Part of Metro style design is building clean views that allow content to shine and help users accomplish their tasks. We explore in particular how you can create beautiful galleries with content from user’s files and folders on the local file system. Being able to display local content is a key requirement for many gallery apps that let users browse and consume their content – photos, videos, music, or documents. Windows 8 provides tools to do this in a simple, efficient, and customizable way.

To show this I’ll take the example of the PhotoJournal app, a connected photo journal where users can view and manage their photos and videos using a timeline view. In the next figure, you can see the landing page of the app. A typical example of a view that this app creates over the file system is a timeline view, which shows photos recently published in the app and stored in the app’s local data folder. Another is a search results view that lets the user find specific photos. In this post, I’ll go through the two steps the app takes to build these views:



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8 Quirks Windows 8 XAML Developers Should Understand Before Starting Their Metro App

It’s no secret, I love XAML. I write XAML, I talk about XAML, I dream in XAML. Sometimes that’s true – especially in the middle of a project. Sometimes people misconstrue that I don’t like HTML as a result, but as a father of three daughters, I can assure you picking favorites isn’t a requirement – even if I have a favorite. ;) But as a Metro developer, there are some things XAML developers should know that will save them serious time. I wish I had this list to start!

Look, this blog is not about complaining. There is no time for that. We need to get building. This is about saving XAML developers time by letting them know the deltas between their previous XAML development experience and what to expect in Metro. Metro XAML is new, right? Yeah - it’s still in beta as I write this. WPF is a decade old and SL is half that. They have a head start and Metro XAML is winding up. In the meantime, I let’s help each other save time. 

PS: remember when Silverlight was only JavaScript? Things enhance! Meanwhile it is what it is. Don’t waste cycles complaining. Build with what you have!

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30 More Questions About Windows 8 That I Get Asked All The Time

As a developer evangelist, I interact with a lot of developers. Many developers are just meeting Windows 8 for the very first time. Some developers have started to tinker. And, others are deep into their first application – on target for the store. The common thread between them are a set of recurring questions that I get over and over. I thought I would document a few of them.

Note: since Windows 8 has not been released some of these answers are subject to change. At time of writing (June 19, 2012) these answers are correct.

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Creating tiled backgrounds in Metro style XAML apps

This class will let you tile an image in a Metro-style XAML app. Use an image that’s at least 128×128 for best memory efficiency

Textures can make your application beautiful. Here’s an example from http://subtlepatterns.com, which is full of classy textures:

A tileable (repeatable) texture image

These textures can make great backgrounds, but because the texture is usually smaller than your application (especially tiny textures like  ), you need to repeat (tile) the image vertically and horizontally. Images that “match up” on opposite sides are ideal. All the images on  http://subtlepatterns.com, http://bgrepeat.com and http://www.repeatxy.com are tileable.

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How to Make Your Grid Pan Automatically (HTML5/JS/CSS3 Metro Style APP)

I got a question at an event a few weeks ago that sounded at first like it was going to implicate a rather complicated answer. In the end, it turned out to be not so bad.
The question was…
On the start screen when the user moves his mouse to the edge, the tiles pan automatically. How do I make the grid in my app work just like that?
And the answer - or rather an answer is here…

var timer = null;
element.querySelector(".groupeditemslist").onmousemove = function (ev) {
    clearInterval(timer);
    timer = -1;
    if (ev.screenX > (document.body.scrollWidth - 50))
        timer = setInterval(function () { listView.scrollPosition += 30; }, 1);
    else if (ev.screenX < 50)
        timer = setInterval(function () { listView.scrollPosition -= 30; }, 1);
};

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