Windows 8.1 Apps with XAML and C# Sams Teach Yourself in 24 Hours

Adam Nathan is a principal software architect for Microsoft and a best-selling technical author. He introduced XAML to countless developers through his books on a variety of Microsoft technologies. Currently a part of the Windows division, Adam has previously worked on Visual Studio and the Common Language Runtime. He was the founding developer and architect of Popfly, Microsoft’s first Silverlight-based product, named by PCWorld as one of its year’s most innovative products. He is also the founder of PINVOKE.NET, the online resource for .NET developers who need to access Win32. His apps have been featured on Lifehacker, Gizmodo, ZDNet, ParentMap, and other enthusiast sites. Adam’s books are considered required reading by many inside Microsoft and throughout the industry. Adam is the author of Windows 8.1 Apps with XAML and C# Unleashed (Sams, 2013), 101 Windows Phone 7 Apps (Sams, 2011), Silverlight 1.0 Unleashed (Sams, 2008), WPF Unleashed (Sams, 2006), WPF 4 Unleashed (Sams, 2010), WPF 4.5 Unleashed (Sams, 2013), and .NET and COM: The Complete Interoperability Guide (Sams, 2002); a coauthor of ASP.NET: Tips, Tutorials, and Code (Sams, 2001); and a contributor to books including .NET Framework Standard Library Annotated Reference, Volume 2 (Addison-Wesley, 2005) and Windows Developer Power Tools (O’Reilly, 2006). You can find Adam online at www.adamnathan.net, or @adamnathan on Twitter.

Introduction   1
Part I: Getting Started
HOUR 1: Preparing for Development   5
Creating, Deploying, and Profiling an App   5
Understanding the App Package   8
Submitting to the Windows Store   18
Further Exploration   20
Summary   20
Q&A    21
Workshop   22
HOUR 2: Discovering the XAML Language   23
What Is XAML, Exactly?    23
Elements and Attributes   25
Namespaces   25
Property Elements   27
Type Converters   28
Markup Extensions   29
Children of Object Elements   31
Mixing XAML with C#   35
Updating the Hour1 Project   35
Making Your App World-Ready   42
Making Your App Accessible   48
Further Exploration   53
Summary   54
Q&A   54
Workshop   54
Exercises   55
Part II: Building an App
HOUR 3: Arranging UI Elements   57
Controlling Size   58
Controlling Position   60
Applying 2D Transforms   64
Applying 3D Transforms   70
Further Exploration   73
Summary   73
Q&A   73
Workshop   77
Exercises   77
HOUR 4: Mastering Layout   79
Discovering Your Window Size and Location   80
Panels   84
Handling Content Overflow   97
Further Exploration   110
Summary   110
Q&A   110
Workshop   112
HOUR 5: Handling Input: Touch, Mouse, Pen, and Keyboard   113
Touch Input    114
Mouse Input   138
Pen Input   141
Keyboard Input   150
Further Exploration   156
Summary   156
Q&A   156
Workshop   158
HOUR 6: Managing the App Lifecycle   159
Killing   161
Suspending   162
Resuming   164
Terminating   165
Launching   165
Activating   169
Managing Session State with SuspensionManager   171
Programmatically Launching Apps   174
Further Exploration   177
Summary   178
Q&A   179
Workshop   180
HOUR 7: Threading, Windows, and Pages   181
Understanding the Threading Model   181
Displaying Multiple Windows   186
Navigating Between Pages   190
Further Exploration   198
Summary   198
Q&A   198
Workshop   199
Part III: Understanding Controls
HOUR 8: Content Controls   201
Button   204
AppBarButton   207
HyperlinkButton   214
RepeatButton   215
ToggleButton   215
AppBarToggleButton   216
CheckBox   217
RadioButton   217
ToolTip   219
App Bars   222
Summary   229
Q&A   229
Workshop   231
Exercises   231
HOUR 9: Items Controls   233
Items in the Control    234
Items Panels   236
ComboBox   239
ListBox   241
ListView   242
GridView   246
FlipView   248
SemanticZoom   251
MenuFlyout   255
Summary   256
Q&A   256
Workshop   257
Exercises   258
HOUR 10: Text   259
TextBlock   259
RichTextBlock   272
TextBox   277
RichEditBox   284
PasswordBox   287
Further Exploration   289
Summary   289
Q&A   289
Workshop   291
Exercises   291
HOUR 11: Images   293
The Image Element   294
Multiple Files for Multiple Environments   302
Decoding Images   308
Encoding Images   318
Rendering PDF Content as an Image   326
Further Exploration   331
Summary   331
Q&A   332
Workshop   332
Exercises   333
HOUR 12: Audio, Video, and Speech   335
Playing Media   336
Capturing Media   347
Transcoding Media   359
Speech Synthesis   364
Further Exploration   366
Summary   367
Q&A   368
Workshop   369
HOUR 13: Other Controls   371
Range Controls   371
SearchBox   374
Popup Controls   381
Hub   391
Date and Time Controls   397
ProgressRing   400
ToggleSwitch   400
WebView   402
Further Exploration   408
Summary   408
Workshop   408
Part IV: Leveraging the Richness of XAML
HOUR 14: Vector Graphics   411
Shapes   411
Geometries   419
Brushes   427
Further Exploration   443
Summary   443
Q&A   444
Workshop   445
Exercises   445
HOUR 15: Animation   447
Theme Transitions   448
Theme Animations   459
Custom Animations   464
Custom Keyframe Animations   475
Easing Functions   480
Manual Animations   484
Further Exploration   486
Summary   488
Q&A   488
Workshop   490
Exercises   491
HOUR 16: Styles, Templates, and Visual States   493
Styles   494
Templates   503
Visual States   512
Summary   522
Q&A   522
Workshop   523
Exercises   523
HOUR 17: Data Binding   525
Introducing Binding   525
Controlling Rendering   533
Customizing the View of a Collection   541
High-Performance Rendering with ListView and GridView   545
Summary   549
Q&A   550
Workshop   550
Part V: Exploiting Windows 8.1
HOUR 18: Working with Data   551
An Overview of Files and Folders   551
App Data   553
User Data   559
Networking   564
Further Exploration   575
Summary   576
Q&A   576
Workshop   576
HOUR 19: Supporting Charms   579
The Search Charm   580
The Share Charm   585
The Devices Charm   592
The Settings Charm   603
Summary   608
Workshop   609
Exercises   609
HOUR 20: Leveraging Contracts   611
Account Picture Provider   613
AutoPlay Content and AutoPlay Device   616
File Type Associations   619
Protocol   621
File Open Picker   622
File Save Picker   626
Contact Picker   627
The Contact Contract   630
The Appointments Provider Contract   634
Background Tasks   636
Further Exploration   645
Summary   646
Q&A   646
Workshop   646
HOUR 21: Reading from Sensors   647
Accelerometer   647
Gyrometer   651
Inclinometer   651
Compass   651
Light Sensor   652
Orientation   652
Location   653
Proximity   660
Summary   663
Workshop   663
HOUR 22: Controlling Devices   665
Fingerprint Readers   666
Image Scanners   666
Barcode Scanners   670
Magnetic Stripe Readers   674
Custom Bluetooth Devices   676
Custom Bluetooth Smart Devices   679
Custom USB Devices   682
Custom HID Devices   686
Custom Wi-Fi Direct Devices   688
Further Exploration   690
Summary   690
Workshop   691
Exercises   691
HOUR 23: Live Tiles, Notifications, and the Lock Screen   693
Live Tiles   693
Badges   708
Secondary Tiles   710
Toast Notifications   713
Setting Up Push Notifications   718
The Lock Screen   726
Further Exploration   729
Summary   730
Workshop   730
Exercises   731
HOUR 24: Earning Money   733
Adding Advertisements to Your App   734
Supporting a Free Trial   740
Supporting In-App Purchases   744
Validating Windows Store Receipts   753
Testing Windows Store Features   755
Further Exploration   760
Summary   761
Q&A   761
Workshop   762
Index   763