Share Text in between Windows 8 Metro Application using Share Contract

Two Metro applications can shared the content between them using Share Charm. Content can be as simple as text or may be image or a file. In content sharing, the application that shares content is called as Source Application and the application that receives content is called as Target Application. Source Application and Target Application need to declare the type of content; they are intent to share in a Declaration.

Declaration can be configured in the package.appmanifest file. Click onpackage.appmanifest file and then select Declaration tab. From the Available Declarations drop down select Share target and check SupportedAnyFile Type in Supported File Types. See the image below.

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A WinRT behavior to turn a FlipView into a kind of Windows 8 Panorama

One of the most beautiful controls of Windows Phone is the Panorama. It’s ideal for showing a lot related content on a small screen and enable the user to easily pan trough it. A visual cue for ‘there is more’ is provided by showing a little part of the next panel to the very right of the current data. A typical example is showed right.  

It’s also one of the most abused controls (guilty as charged Your Honor), but still I wanted to port Catch’em Birds to Windows 8 – and I found out there was no ready-to-use control. After fighting with ScrollViewers and GridViewers and whatnot I came to this very simple behavior, which basically takes a FlipView and hammers it into a kind of Panorama.

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Download WinRtBehaviors CodePlex project

Programming the WinJS App Bar–Part 1–The Basics

I’ve been doing a lot of Windows 8 HTML5 development lately and wanted to share some key learning's for what I would consider to be one of the most integral parts of every GREAT windows 8 application – The App Bar.  To that end, this is the first of a multi-part series on the topic of programming the Windows 8 App Bar – specifically via WinJS (HTML, JS, and CSS).

In Windows 8, the App Bar is really the new “Toolbar” and provides a consistent commanding surface for both local contextual commands and global app functionality across screens – all nicely tucked at the bottom (or top) of the screen to keep the surface area of your App Free & Clear.
Some examples uses of the App Bar may include operations such as:

• Pinning  a Secondary Live Tile
• Invoking a Camera interaction or working with other system elements
• Providing Actions on a Data Entry Screen such as (File/Save/New…)

I recently completed a 3-part “How Do I” short video series on programming the WinJS App Bar for Channel 9 – here’s the line-up:
#1 - How Do I: Implement App Bars in a Windows 8 Metro Style Application (Part1)?
#2 - How Do I: Implement App Bars in a Windows 8 Metro Style Application (Part2)?
#3 - How Do I: Implement App Bars in a Windows 8 Metro Style Application (Part3)?

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Windows 8 apps for the PhoneGap developer

PhoneGap is an interesting animal. While it’s most salient aspect is the cross platform nature of the applications you can build with it, it’s also interesting in that you use HTML and JavaScript to create the apps. Since this relies on the underlying mobile browser technology on each platform, there are (from time to time) a few little quirks. But overall, it really does provide a nice layer of abstraction. You can bring your web skills into play, and all you have to do is learn a few specifics of creating and publishing an app on a particular platform, design the UI with HTML and CSS, code it up with standard JavaScript, learn a few new APIs that PhoneGap offers, and you’re all set. In fact, to some teams, the cross platform nature is secondary. They embarked on PhoneGap development because it allowed their teams to reuse their web development skills, their favorite libraries, design tools, and more.

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