5 points developers should know about WinRT/Windows 8

Most of us already started developing for WinRT, so it make sense to have a better understanding of the run time. I am listing down few points with respect to WinRT, mainly from a developer’s perspective.

Read those 5 points here

The Unofficial Windows 8 Developer FAQ

Early this week I’ve been talking to a few current and former Microsoft staffers about all things Windows 8. In my discussions I’ve started to gather some gossip in around what happened to Silverlight and lastly the specifics around the DevDiv fall out between Steve Sinofsky and Soma.

It’s an entertaining read should I share the chat logs but what did struck me throughout the conversations was how much positivity Microsoft has been squandering due to petty internal squabbles or “dare not speak of that, for the overlord Sinofsky shall smite thee down for saying the nameless one outloud”.

Today, I’m going to attempt to dos something Microsoft staff should have done long ago or didn’t do correctly or simply were held back from doing so. I’m going to release the Unofficial FAQ on “What Just happened” in Microsoft for developer(s) worldwide.

Read full article here

Develop Windows 8 Apps without Windows 8? Yes, you can!

Windows is the premiere development platform in the world. With Windows 8, developers can leverage their existing skills and code assets to create applications. Step into these virtual labs and learn how to build, share and sell interesting and easy-to-use applications that will make your customers happy. Virtual labs are simple – no complex setup or installation required.

What is a HOLO event? It’s an online event where you listen to a live presentation and work on lab exercises. As you work on your labs, Microsoft experts can assist and provide guidance by chatting with you one-on-one or by virtually taking control of your lab.

BEFORE THE EVENT – Check to make sure the virtual lab works on your computer here

Here’s a link to the self-led labs: http://aka.ms/w8vlabs

Here’s a link to the expert-led labs: http://aka.ms/w8holo

Source : Jerry Nixon

WinRT/Xaml/AKA Metro DataTemplate selection based on Data Types

You may have noticed that WinRT does not have automatic resolution of a DataTemplate based on the data type of object added to an ItemsControl. While unfortunate as this behavior is quite handy, it’s not too difficult to replicate the functionality using a DataTemplateSelector.

WPF for example, could do something like this:

<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:Task}">
  <StackPanel>
    <TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=TaskName}" />
    <TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Description}"/>
    <TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Priority}"/>
  </StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>

When the Task type as shown above was found in a list, it would have been rendered as a StackPanel with three TextBlocks automatically. That rocked.

Read full article here

Adding multiple lines of text to your Win8 tile update

Live tiles is one of the best things about Windows Phone and WinRT. I love how easy it is to add updates to your tiles in Windows Phone but hate how limited the updates are allowed to be. With WinRT comes a new API and more robust tile updates. There are many different types oftile updates and your app should support AT LEAST one square and one wide tile. If you’re like me (and I know I am), I started with theC# WinRT sample for App tiles and badges. I began looking at the code and could easily see that you use the TileUpdateManager to update your tile. The TileUpdateManager needs a TileNotification in order to update your tile. Here is where I quickly became lost in this rather complex sample. The TileNotification needs to be created with XML (an XmlDocumentto be exact) but I had not idea what XML elements are needed (Seriously, is all of the abstraction really needed here? This is suppose to be a simple sample to let devs see how to quickly and easily create a tile update). All I wanted to know was how to format the XML!

Read full article here

Attached Behaviors in WinRT Metro Style App

Although you don't get the convenience of the Drag and Drop approach to using Blend Behaviors many have become used to, the Attached Behavior pattern still works with WinRT XAML applications. Even better, the underlying mechanism is unchanged.

I have a confession to make. I was never a fan of the Blend Behaviors anyway. I think they add complexity where it's not necessary (and I could never recall how to manually add them to XAML by hand). I always preferred to implement the pattern as an attached property on a dependency object rather than extending the Behavior class from the Blend SDK. It might be because, when I learned the benefits of what would later be called the Attached Behavior pattern, it had yet to be supported by Blend.

Read full article here
Here is the Gist that contains the behaviours

Win8, WinRT, Metro, Oh My

There has been a great deal of confusion about the differences between and among WinRT, Windows 8, Metro, Metro Applications and etc.

[ Click on the image for full size ]

While there is no reason to be absolutist or pedantic about these differences, if we are going to communicate effectively we need to understand the fundamental differences. 

Thus, I offer the following simplifications to get us started…

Read full article here

Poll: Is your company(or you) moving into #winRT development or are sticking with #silverlight & #WPF for now. #wpdev #win8dev

Poll: Is your company(or you) moving into #winRT development or are sticking with #silverlight & #WPF for now. #wpdev #win8dev

Submit your poll here

Porting Silverlight or WPF XAML/code to a Metro style app

If you're familiar with other XAML-based platforms such as Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Microsoft Silverlight or Silverlight for Windows Phone, then you can re-use these skills to create Metro style apps for Windows 8 Release Preview. This topic lists high-level differences you should be aware of between programming on these different platforms.

Read full article here