Windows 8 Apps with XAML and C# Unleashed

Windows 8 Apps with XAML and C# Unleashed

Released December 2012
Publisher(s): Sams
ISBN: 9780132984355

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Book description

Windows 8 enables you to build stunning applications that integrate with each other, services, and Windows itself like never before. And you can sell them in the Windows Store for tablets such as Surface, laptops, and traditional desktop PCs! Now, world-renowned Microsoft programming guru Adam Nathan shows you exactly how to write first-class apps for this radically new version of Windows.

Clear, accessible, and intensely practical, this guide teaches through concise code examples, fully color-coded to match their appearance in Visual Studio--the same approach that made Nathan’s WPF 4 Unleashed so popular. Writing with unprecedented depth and insight, Nathan guides you through creating advanced user interfaces with XAML and exploiting key Windows 8 features such as touch, sensors, charms, and live tiles. Whether you’re already comfortable with Microsoft programming or relatively new to it, Windows 8 Apps with XAML and C# Unleashed will take you to the cutting edge of Windows 8 development.

Detailed information on how to...

  • Use XAML to represent state-of-the-art user interfaces

  • Ensure app usability on multiple devices and form factors

  • Handle touch, mouse, pen, and keyboard input

  • Manage the high-performance, low-power Windows 8 app lifecycle

  • Use Windows 8 controls for managing lists, rich text, images, multimedia, and more

  • Encode, decode, and transcode multimedia content

  • Leverage rich XAML vector graphics and animation

  • Make the most of styles and templates

  • Interact with built-in functionality such as the Camera app, file picker, contact picker, the lock screen, and more

  • Exploit the Windows 8 charms bar with contracts and extensions

  • Work with the rich set of available sensors: accelerometer, compass, light sensor, location, proximity, and more

    •

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright Page
    3. Contents at a Glance
    4. Table of Contents
    5. About the Author
    6. Dedication
    7. Acknowledgments
    8. We Want to Hear from You!
    9. Reader Services
    10. Introduction
      1. Who Should Read This Book?
      2. Software Requirements
      3. Code Examples
      4. How This Book Is Organized
      5. Conventions Used in This Book
    11. Part I. Getting Started
      1. Chapter 1. Anatomy of a Windows Store App
        1. Launching a New App
        2. The Package Manifest
        3. The Main Page
        4. The Application Definition
        5. Summary
      2. Chapter 2. Mastering XAML
        1. Elements and Attributes
        2. Namespaces
        3. Property Elements
        4. Type Converters
        5. Markup Extensions
        6. Children of Object Elements
        7. Mixing XAML with Procedural Code
        8. XAML Keywords
        9. Summary
    12. Part II. Building an App
      1. Chapter 3. Sizing, Positioning, and Transforming Elements
        1. Controlling Size
        2. Controlling Position
        3. Applying 2D Transforms
        4. Applying 3D Transforms
        5. Summary
      2. Chapter 4. Layout
        1. Discovering the Current Dimensions
        2. Discovering the Current View State
        3. Discovering the Current Orientation
        4. Panels
        5. Handling Content Overflow
        6. Summary
      3. Chapter 5. Interactivity
        1. Dependency Properties
        2. Routed Events
        3. Commands
        4. Summary
      4. Chapter 6. Handling Input: Touch, Mouse, Pen, and Keyboard
        1. Touch Input
        2. Mouse Input
        3. Pen Input
        4. Keyboard Input
        5. Summary
      5. Chapter 7. App Model
        1. Understanding the App Lifecycle
        2. Programmatically Launching Apps
        3. Interacting with the Windows Store
        4. Leveraging Navigation
        5. Summary
    13. Part III. Understanding Controls
      1. Chapter 8. Content Controls
        1. Button
        2. HyperlinkButton
        3. RepeatButton
        4. ToggleButton
        5. CheckBox
        6. RadioButton
        7. ToolTip
        8. AppBar
        9. Summary
      2. Chapter 9. Items Controls
        1. Items in the Control
        2. Items Panels
        3. ComboBox
        4. ListBox
        5. ListView
        6. GridView
        7. FlipView
        8. SemanticZoom
        9. Summary
      3. Chapter 10. Text
        1. TextBlock
        2. RichTextBlock
        3. TextBox
        4. RichEditBox
        5. PasswordBox
        6. Summary
      4. Chapter 11. Images
        1. The Image Element
        2. Multiple Files for Multiple Environments
        3. Decoding Images
        4. Encoding Images
        5. Summary
      5. Chapter 12. Audio and Video
        1. Playback
        2. Capture
        3. Transcoding
        4. Summary
      6. Chapter 13. Other Controls
        1. Range Controls
        2. Popup Controls
        3. A Few More Controls
        4. Summary
    14. Part IV. Leveraging the Richness of XAML
      1. Chapter 14. Vector Graphics
        1. Shapes
        2. Geometries
        3. Brushes
        4. Summary
      2. Chapter 15. Animation
        1. Theme Transitions
        2. Theme Animations
        3. Custom Animations
        4. Custom Keyframe Animations
        5. Easing Functions
        6. Manual Animations
        7. Summary
      3. Chapter 16. Styles, Templates, and Visual States
        1. Styles
        2. Templates
        3. Visual States
        4. Summary
    15. Part V. Exploiting Windows 8
      1. Chapter 17. Data Binding
        1. Introducing Binding
        2. Controlling Rendering
        3. Customizing the View of a Collection
        4. Summary
      2. Chapter 18. Data
        1. App Data
        2. User Data
        3. Networking
        4. Summary
      3. Chapter 19. Charms
        1. Search
        2. Share
        3. Devices
        4. Settings
        5. Summary
      4. Chapter 20. Extensions
        1. Account Picture Provider
        2. AutoPlay Content and AutoPlay Device
        3. Contact Picker
        4. File Type Associations
        5. Protocol
        6. Background Tasks
        7. Summary
      5. Chapter 21. Sensors and Other Devices
        1. Accelerometer
        2. Gyrometer
        3. Inclinometer
        4. Compass
        5. Light Sensor
        6. Orientation
        7. Location
        8. Proximity
        9. Summary
    16. Part VI. Advanced Topics
      1. Chapter 22. Thinking Outside the App: Live Tiles, Toast Notifications, and the Lock Screen
        1. Live Tiles
        2. Toast Notifications
        3. The Lock Screen
        4. Summary
    17. Index
    18. Ad Pages

    Product information

    • Title: Windows 8 Apps with XAML and C# Unleashed
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: December 2012
    • Publisher(s): Sams
    • ISBN: 9780132984355