Pro XAML with C#: Application Development Strategies is your guide to real-world development practices on Microsoft’s XAML-based platforms, with examples in WPF, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1. Learn how to properly plan and architect an application on one or more of these platforms for a robust, scalable solution. In Part I, authors Buddy James and Lori Lalonde introduce you to XAML and reveal proven techniques for developing successful line-of-business applications. You’ll also find out about some of the conflicting needs and interests that you might encounter as an enterprise XAML developer. Part II begins to lay the groundwork to help you properly architect your application, providing you with a deeper understanding of domain-driven design and the Model-View-ViewModel design pattern. You will also learn about proper exception handling and logging techniques, and how to cover your code with unit tests to reduce bugs and validate your design. Part III explores implementation and deployment details for each of Microsoft’s XAML UIs, along with advice on deploying and maintaining your application across different devices using version control repositories and continuous integration. Pro XAML with C# Application Development Strategies is for intermediate to experienced developers looking to improve their professional practice. Readers should have experience working with C# and at least one XAML-based technology (WPF, Silverlight, Windows Store, or Windows Phone).

Master Windows 8.1/Windows Runtime Programming Through 80 Expert Projects This is the most complete, hands-on, solutions-focused guide to programming modern Windows applications with the Windows Runtime. Leading Windows development consultants Jeremy Likness and John Garland present easy-to-adapt C# and XAML example code for more than 80 projects. Their real-world application examples help you apply Windows 8.1’s best improvements, including large tiles, the new search control, flyouts, command bars, native WinRT networking, and new deployment and sideloading options. Drawing on their pioneering experience, they illuminate key areas of the Windows Runtime API, offering uniquely detailed coverage of encryption, cloud connectivity, devices, printers, and media integration. You’ll find cutting-edge tips and tricks available in no other book. This is an indispensable resource for all intermediate-to-advanced Windows developers, and for any architect building desktop, tablet, or mobile solutions with Microsoft technologies. Its focus on both C# and XAML will make it valuable to millions of Windows developers already familiar with Silverlight, WPF, and/or .NET. Coverage includes • Creating robust app interfaces with the newest XAML controls, including flyouts and command bars • Saving data in a persistent “roaming zone” for syncing across Windows 8.1 devices • Using Visual State Manager (VSM) to build apps that adapt to various device resolutions and orientations • Integrating virtually any form of data into your apps • Connecting with web services, RSS, Atom feeds, and social networks • Securing apps via authentication, encrypting, signing, and single sign-on with Microsoft Account, Facebook, Google, and more • Leveraging Windows 8.1 media enhancements that improve battery life and app performance • Networking more effectively with Windows 8.1’s revamped HTTP implementation and new location APIs • Using Tiles and Toasts to keep apps alive and connected, even when they aren’t running • Enabling users to send content between devices via NFC tap and send • Ensuring accessibility and globalizing your apps • Efficiently debugging, optimizing, packaging, and deploying your apps • Building sideloadable apps that don’t have to be published in Windows Store “This book doesn’t just focus on singular concepts, it also provides end-to-end perspective on building an app in WinRT. It is one of those essential tools for Windows developers that will help you complete your software goals sooner than without it!” —Tim Heuer, Principal Program Manager Lead, XAML Platform, Microsoft Corporation

Learn how to build great Windows Store apps! Figures and code appear as they do in Visual Studio. In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, Sams Teach Yourself Windows 8.1 Apps with XAML and C# in 24 Hours will help you build compelling apps for Windows 8.1 devices of all kinds. Using this book’s straightforward approach, you’ll learn to design and build apps, create flexible user interfaces, handle inputs, integrate controls, and more. Step by step, you’ll discover how to leverage XAML’s visual richness and the immense power of Windows 8.1. Every lesson builds on what you’ve already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success! Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through today’s most common XAML and C# development tasks. Quizzes at the end of each chapter help you test your knowledge. Notes present interesting information related to the discussion. Tips offer advice or show you easier ways to perform tasks. Cautions alert you to possible problems and give you advice on how to avoid them. Learn how to… Create user interfaces that adapt to any device, from tablets to high-def TVs Handle input from touch, mouse, pen, and keyboard Manage the entire Windows 8.1 app lifecycle and all execution states Master powerful XAML controls for text, images, audio, video, and more Integrate vector graphics that scale perfectly to any size Apply rich animations Work with styles, templates, and visual states Exploit the Windows charms within your apps Take full advantage of data binding and contracts Read data from sensors and control external devices Provide dynamic updates via live tiles, notifications, and the lock screen Discover the many ways to monetize your Windows Store apps

Windows Store App Development introduces C# developers to working with Windows Store apps. It provides full coverage of XAML, and addresses both app design and development. Following numerous carefully crafted examples, you'll learn about new Windows 8 features, the WinRT API, and .NET 4.5. Along the way, you'll pick up tips for deploying apps, including sale through the Windows Store. And, of course, you'll find the same deep and unique insights Pete provides in his Silverlight books. About the Technology The Windows Store provides an amazing array of productivity tools, games, and other apps directly to the millions of customers already using Windows 8.x or Surface. Windows Store apps boast new features like touch and pen input, standardized app-to-app communication, and tight integration with the web. And, you can build Windows Store apps using the tools you already know: C# and XAML. About the Book Windows Store App Development introduces the Windows 8.x app model to readers familiar with traditional desktop development. You'll explore dozens of carefully crafted examples as you master Windows features, the Windows Runtime, and the best practices of app design. Along the way, you'll pick up tips for deploying apps, including selling through the Windows Store. What's Inside Designing, creating, and selling Windows Store apps Developing touch and sensor-centric apps Working C# examples, from feature-level techniques to complete app design Making apps that talk to each other Mixing in C++ for even more features About the Reader This book requires some knowledge of C#. No experience with Windows 8 is needed. About the Author Pete Brown is a Developer Evangelist at Microsoft and author of Silverlight 4 in Action and Silverlight 5 in Action. Quotes Informative, fun, and easy to read. - Todd Miranda, NxtDimension Solutions Broad coverage of all aspects of W8 XAML development. - Roland Civet, iSolutions For You! Pete is a consistently great author, and once again he nails his subject. - Gordon Mackie, Openfeatured Ltd. Your roadmap to modern Windows design. - Patrick Toohey, Mettler-Toledo Hi-Speed Much less a book than a must-have tool for efficient and quality app development. - Dave Campbell, WynApse

“Jeremy builds real apps for real customers. That’s why I can heartily recommend this book. Go out and write some great apps…and keep this book handy.” —From the Foreword by Jeff Prosise Build Exceptionally Immersive and Responsive Touch-Based Windows Store Apps for Windows 8 with C# and XAML This is the first practical guide to building breakthrough applications for Windows 8 from project templates through publication to the new Windows Store. Microsoft “MVP of the Year” Jeremy Likness helps you combine your existing developer skills with new Visual Studio 2012 tools and best practices to create apps that are intuitive and innovative. His guidance and insight will help you dive into Windows 8 development—and gain a powerful competitive advantage for years to come. Likness illuminates the entire apps lifecycle, from planning and Model-View-View Model (MVVM) based design through coding, testing, packaging, and deployment. He covers both business and consumer apps, showing how Windows 8/WinRT development builds upon and contrasts with older WPF and Silverlight approaches. Using carefully crafted downloadable code examples and sample projects, Likness shows how to make the most of new platform features, including integrated social networking, search, contracts, charms, and tiles. Throughout, he addresses crucial development challenges that have only been discussed on MSDN, blog posts, and Twitter feeds—and never with this depth and clarity before. Coverage includes • Mastering real-world Windows 8 development for all devices and form factors • Understanding the new WinRT framework and the unique characteristics of Windows 8 apps • Designing apps that are faster, more responsive, do more with less, and maximize battery life • Creating exceptionally fluid interfaces with VS 2012 templates, built-in animations, and XAML • Building apps that respond consistently to multiple forms of input, including complex touch manipulations • Using contracts and charms to expose services or enable users to do so • Providing information to users through Live Tiles even when your app isn’t running • Connecting your app seamlessly to multiple data sources, including social networks and cloud storage • Syndicating rich, network-based content • Using Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) • Securing Windows 8 apps through authentication and authorization • Efficiently testing, debugging, packaging, and deploying apps

Pixel shaders are some of the more powerful graphic tools available for XAML programmers, but shader development bears little resemblance to traditional .NET programming. With this hands-on book, you’ll not only discover how to use existing shaders in your Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Silverlight applications, you’ll also learn how create your own effects with XAML and Microsoft’s HLSL shading language. In the process, you’ll write, compile, and test custom XAML shaders with the Shazzam Shader Editor, a free utility developed by author Walt Ritscher. The book includes XAML and C# sample code, and Shazzam contains all of the sample shaders discussed. Learn how shaders help you extend the GPU’s rendering capabilities Explore prevailing shader types, such as color modification, blurring, and spatial transformation Get a quick tour of the shader features, and use pre-built effects on image elements in your application Examine the XAML ShaderEffect class to understand how WPF and Silverlight use shaders Learn about the shader-specific tools available in Visual Studio and Expression Blend Get up to speed on HLSL basics and learn how to create a variety of graphics effects

Your expert guide to designing and building dynamic user interfaces Sharpen your application design and development skills using XAML—the declarative markup language used in Microsoft Silverlight and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Led by two XAML experts, you’ll learn practical ways to build rich, interactive user interfaces with data integration capabilities and support for multimedia, graphics, and animation. This hands-on guide is ideal for Microsoft .NET developers and web designers alike. Discover how to: Control UI behavior and implement business logic with code-behind solutions Manage UI element positioning with the XAML layout system Use templates to customize UI elements—without affecting their functionality Apply different types of property and event systems in WPF and Silverlight Bind various kinds of data to your UI, and display them in the format you want Implement 2D and 3D vector graphics and animations Reuse control styles and properties to maintain consistency throughout your application

This Wrox Blox presents WPF along with the Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML), showing developers how to customize existing user interface controls such as the Button, Progress Bar, CheckBox, Radio Button, and Label along with creating two new custom controls. The Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) released with the .NET 3.0 SDK provides a rich foundation for developing and customizing user interfaces. Unlike existing user interface development tools like GDI and GDI+, WPF is entirely vector-based, offering the developer enhanced two-dimensional and even three-dimensional rendering in the presentation layer. The author customizes these existing controls using XAML to: Create control templates to define their appearance and behaviors. Create two new custom controls, one derived from System.Windows.UserControl and the second from System.Windows.Control. Illustrate the interoperability of WPF content in Windows Forms and Win32 applications. Create the code samples using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 with extensions for .NET 3.0 and the .NET 3.0 SDK. These code samples contain four projects: A C# WPF control library that contains the control templates and a User Control containing the customized Windows controls and the two new custom controls; a C# WPF application to host the WPF User Control; a C# Windows Forms application to host the WPF User Control; and a C++ Win32 application to host the WPF User Control. Usage Rights for Wiley Wrox Blox Any Wrox Blox you purchase from this site will come with certain restrictions that allow Wiley to protect the copyrights of its products. After you purchase and download this title, you: Are entitled to three downloads Are entitled to make a backup copy of the file for your own use Are entitled to print the Wrox Blox for your own use Are entitled to make annotations and comments in the Wrox Blox file for your own use May not lend, sell or give the Wrox Blox to another user May not place the Wrox Blox file on a network or any file sharing service for use by anyone other than yourself or allow anyone other than yourself to access it May not copy the Wrox Blox file other than as allowed above May not copy, redistribute, or modify any portion of the Wrox Blox contents in any way without prior permission from Wiley If you have any questions about these restrictions, you may contact Customer Care at (877) 762-2974 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. EST, Monday - Friday). If you have any issues related to Technical Support, please contact us at 800-762-2974 (United States only) or 317-572-3994 (International) 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. EST, Monday - Friday).

When Microsoft releases Windows Vista, the new operating system will support applications that employ graphics now used by computer games--clear, stunning, and active. The cornerstone for building these new user interfaces is XAML ("Zammel"), the XML-based markup language that works with Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Vista's new graphics subsystem. An acronym for Extensible Application Markup Language, XAML offers a wealth of new controls and elements with exciting capabilities, including animation and rendering of 3D graphics. Windows developers are already jazzed by the possibilities of using XAML for fixed and flow format documents like PDF and HTML, 2D and 3D vector-based graphics, form development, animation, audio and video, transparent layering, and a lot more. Many feel that XAML will eliminate the need for multiple file formats or plug-ins (read: Flash), while lowering development costs and reducing time to market. The problem is, most developers don't know XAML. While it is fairly easy to understand, you still need a quick guide to bring you up to speed before Vista's release, and that's where this book's simple, no nonsense approach comes in. XAML in a Nutshell covers everything necessary to design user interfaces and .NET applications that take advantage of WPF. Prerequisites such as Microsoft's new unified build system, MSBuild, and core XAML constructs and syntax--including shortcuts--are all presented with plenty of examples to get you started. The Core XAML Reference section lets you dig even deeper into syntax rules and attributes for all XAML elements with a series of quick-reference chapters. This section divides XAML elements into logical categories of elements, controls, shapes and geometry, layout, animations, and transformations for easy reference. XAML in a Nutshell helps you learn, firsthand, how to use this XML-based markup language to implement the new generation of user interface graphics. As one reviewer noted, "Strong code examples and an efficient, conversational style take the tedium out of learning XAML and make the subject understandable--even interesting."