Last update: 31.10.2015
Let's start Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows. Select File->New Project... from the menu. The project creation window will open in front of us:
On the left side of the window, select Visual C#->Store Apps->Windows Phone Apps. And among the templates of the new project, select Blank App (Windows Phone) , give some name to the project, for example, let's call it HelloApp. And click OK.
And Visual Studio will create a new project:
The Blank App template project has the following nodes by default:
The Assets directory containing the image files used
App.xaml and App.xaml.cs - xaml application resource file and c# application code file, respectively
MainPage.xaml and MainPage.xaml.cs - application window GUI file and window code file in c#, respectively
Package.appxmanifest - application manifest file
At this initial stage, for now, files are of value to us MainPage.xaml and MainPage.xaml.cs. Let's open the MainPage.xaml file, which represents the GUI:
On the left, in the form of a phone, we will have a graphic designer window. On the right is the graphical interface markup window in xaml. The graphical interface in this case is represented by the MainPage class, which is a separate page. All interface changes that we make will immediately be displayed in the graphic designer, which will give us a visual understanding of how everything will look in the end.
Let's say our application will calculate the amount of the deposit after interest is calculated. To do this, we need a field for entering the amount of the contribution, a field for displaying the result and a button with which we will initiate the calculation of the final amount. So let's change the file code MainPage.xaml in the following way:
With the help of element attributes, we set their appearance and positioning. For example, using the Margin attribute, indents from the outer edge are set. We will talk more about attributes and other elements of the xaml language later.
After adding elements and their attributes, the designer window will be automatically updated:
Now let's change the button code as follows:
With the Click="button1_Click" expression, we have added a Click event handler. Thus, when the button is clicked, the button1_Click method will be triggered. Now let's define this method.
Let's open the file MainPage.xaml.cs, which contains the page's logic. By default it has the following code:
Using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.IO; using System.Linq; using System.Runtime.InteropServices.WindowsRuntime; using Windows Foundation; using Windows.Foundation.Collections; using Windows.UI.Xaml; using Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls; using Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Primitives; using Windows.UI.Xaml.Data; using Windows.UI.Xaml.Input; using Windows.UI.Xaml.Media; using Windows.UI.Xaml.Navigation; namespace HelloApp ( public sealed partial class MainPage: Page ( public MainPage() ( this.InitializeComponent(); this.NavigationCacheMode = NavigationCacheMode.Required; ) protected override void OnNavigatedTo(NavigationEventArgs e) ( ) ) )
Add a new method to the MainPage class:
Private void button1_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) ( double capital; if(Double.TryParse(textBox1.Text,out capital)) ( capital+=capital * 0.12; textBlock1.Text = capital.ToString() + " dollars"; ) else ( textBlock1.Text="Incorrect value"; ) )
In the method, we get the value entered in the text field and try to convert it to the double type. If the transformation is successful, then we display the result of simple calculations.
Let's run:
At launch, we can choose where we will test the application - on a real device or an emulator. In my case, I'm running the application on a real smartphone, so I select Device from the dropdown list. However, you can also select one of the emulators if they are already installed.
When launching an application on a smartphone, it is important that the smartphone is not in a locked state. So let's run:
Enter a number in the text field and click on the button:
When testing via a smartphone, it is important to remember that when you start the application is automatically installed on the phone, and we can find it in the list of all applications:
And if necessary, then, disconnecting from the computer, we can also start it or delete it.
This completes the creation of the first application.
Developing applications for Windows Phone is not that difficult, especially if you are trying to make an application that provides information about services and products or collects data from an RSS feed.
These are the type of applications that can be implemented using JavaScript code in the browser, or using the Access designer, and therefore, you do not need to acquire a full set of tools to develop such mobile or desktop applications. A new generation of app builders has arrived, web services that allow you to create and run your own applications.
Recently, Microsoft launched its own studio for creating applications - Windows Phone App Studio. This is a simple tool that will allow you to create working applications from scratch. For example, it will take you less than 15 minutes to develop a simple application, which is discussed in the article, since this constructor contains standard templates. Of course, we are not talking about the development of complex programs or games now, but this article will be enough for you to start.
Like Access apps, programs built with Windows Phone App Studio use data connections, meaning they are built on the master/detail view model. You can connect a content feed (be it RSS, Youtube, etc.) or use it to publish your own content. Of course, the application is capable of both at the same time. In addition to feeds, you'll also have the ability to host your own content, whether it's compiled HTML pages or pages organized using simple databases that Microsoft calls "collections."
1. First step, you need to decide on the content of your application, you can edit or delete those pages and elements that are by default.
We have linked our test app to the great-world RSS feed. All we need is the feed URL, and the builder will automatically create a viewport that displays a list of recent articles, as well as a second viewport that displays detailed information about the articles.
However, it is worth noting that the process of creating your own application is not so simple, since the RSS parser used in App Studio sometimes cannot cope with the formatting of the RSS feeds generated by the site. That is, sometimes this can become a real problem, because the text of the article simply will not be displayed, and the ability to debug will be severely limited, as is the case with any cloud-based development tools.
3. Now, you will need to ask name, description, and also set the size to 160x160 pixels.
4. Well, the final stage - generation and publication applications. Here's what we got:
At the end, a preview of the created application is available, you can check how it will work on a smartphone or tablet. If all is well, press the "Generate" button, a pop-up window will appear:
Two options to choose from, the first is to generate an application for mobile devices, the second is for tablets and regular PCs. The service takes less than 10 minutes to generate, so you can take turns making a product for each platform. The installation process is very simple thanks to the built-in support for QR codes in Windows Phone. First, you need to install a certificate on your phone, and this is done through a QR code, which allows you to download the certificate directly to your phone.
- To lay out the resulting miracle in the Windows Phone Store i.e. to the app store, so that anyone can download it, and not just you, you need a developer certificate. It costs about 600 rubles.
It is immediately obvious that this tool is aimed at BYODev scenarios - when you need to quickly get the application, and at the same time not get involved in the full development process. Although it is worth noting that you still have the opportunity to download ready-made source codes, and use this tool for prototyping before giving them to the development team for revision. You will certainly be able to independently bind data sources in the form of collections hosted in the cloud.
This is one of the good reasons why Microsoft allows you to download source code that is prepared to run in Visual Studio. It will be bundled into a Visual Studio project and can be imported directly into the desktop IDE and then debugged. Debugging the application with your favorite device simulator will help you quickly identify the problem - the image inserted at the beginning of the article has been deleted on the server. You can quickly change the code and the application will work again.
In addition to simplifying the debugging process, access to the source code also makes it easier to style the generated code, either by modifying templates or by changing data source connections to private sources. The generated code is all commented, and since it is used as the main development design pattern when creating applications, it will be much easier for you to understand exactly how each individual piece of code works and how to adapt it to your requirements.
One thing is clear about creating such applications: they are not designed to create complex applications. They are like plastic toys for children: everything is in front of us, and we just have to put something together with meaning. As you gain experience through these "playgrounds", you can gradually move on to the design of the code, and use it to create more complex things. With toolkits like Windows Phone App Studio, you can get some experience with content-driven apps, RSS feeds, web content, and local content.
Of course, this set is unlikely to represent everything you need to create a commercial application, no matter how simple it must be. But that's not the point, as the generated code gives you a framework to work from and a way to understand how the process of building an application works. One thing is for sure: if you are planning to start developing your own applications, then this is a great place to start. Read more: and
Last update: 04/12/2017
UWP (Universal Windows Platform) is a unified platform for building and running apps on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile.
UWP is the result of a foliation of earlier technologies. So, with the release of Windows 8, a new architectural platform for applications was introduced - Windows Runtime (WinRT), which allowed running applications in the so-called Modern (Metro) mode on desktops and tablets. Then, with the release of Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1, this technology was developed - there were "universal applications" that could run immediately Windows 8.1 and WP8.1. And in July 2015, the new Windows 10 OS was officially released. It uses the UWP platform, which is an evolution of the Windows Runtime.
As the name of the platform suggests, it is universal - universal for all devices in the Windows 10 ecosystem. And these are ordinary desktops, tablets, mobile devices, IoT devices (Internet of Things), Xbox, Surface Hub devices. And a UWP app can run the same on all of these platforms as long as they have Windows 10 installed.
Why UWP?
Programming under UWP has a number of advantages:
Distribution breadth. To date (April 2017), Windows 10 has already been installed on more than 400 million devices. On desktops, Windows 10 is already ahead of Windows 8/8.1.
Support for a wide range of devices. Desktops, tablets, smartphones, large Surface Hub tablets, various IoT devices, HoloLens virtual reality devices in the future - the range of devices that Windows 10 can run on is really wide.
Support for different programming languages and technologies. UWP apps can be built using languages such as Visual C++, C#, Visual Basic, JavaScript. Visual C++, C#, and Visual Basic use XAML as a technology for creating a graphical interface; JavaScript uses HTML. Also, C++ can use DirectX instead of XAML. That is, quite common and familiar to many technologies.
App store and ease of distribution. The Windows Store is a great place to distribute UWP apps, both paid and free. The very capabilities of the platform and the Windows Store store allow you to use different ways of monetization. For example, you can integrate ad blocks into applications through various SDKs. You can distribute for a fee, and the payment can be flexibly configured. Optionally, you can embed the provision of a trial version, after which the user can decide whether to buy the application or not. And you can also monetize according to the freemium model, in which the application is shareware, and certain services within the application are provided for a fee. Moreover, all these monetization opportunities are provided by the built-in SDK tools.
Rich platform features. UWP inherits a lot from Windows Runtime from Windows 8.1 and at the same time provides many new features like richer cloud integration, Cortana, Win10 notification system and more.
What you need for UWP development
UWP programming requires Windows 10. All other operating systems like Windows 8.1/8/7, not to mention Windows XP, are not suitable!
You will also need the Visual Studio 2017 Community development environment. This is a fully functional free development environment that can be downloaded from the official website at https://www.visualstudio.com/downloads/download-visual-studio-vs .
It is also possible to use VS 2015 version and all other previous versions of Visual Studio - 2013, 2012, 2010 etc. do not work with UWP.
When installing Visual Studio 2017, the appropriate item must be checked in the installer program:
Before you start creating apps, make sure that the appropriate option for developers is installed in Windows 10 Update:
And with Windows 10 and Visual Studio 2017 installed, you can start developing applications.
It is believed that in real life, smartphones with Microsoft OS are as common as people with the patronymic "Artyomovich". The strange (to put it mildly) policy of "Evil Corporation" in relation to the seventh and eighth families of the mobile operating system turned away many users from experimenting with "windows" for smartphones, and now the corporation has seriously taken up correcting its image in this user niche. As an underground fan of Microsoft, I hope that they will succeed - the "ten" is walking around the planet, its main trump card is one core for all platforms, and therefore it has every chance to pull over a good part of the mobile market. And as a programmer, I will be happy to make an introductory article for you on developing for this mobile axis, so that you are always ready for the growth of its popularity :).
Architecture overview
With a common core and runtime for UWP apps, an app once written will run on all devices running Windows 10. This range includes:
- desktop computers;
- server systems - OS Windows Server 2016;
- laptops - MS Surface Book;
- tablets - MS Surface Pro;
- smartphones - Lumia;
- game consoles - Xbox One;
- augmented reality glasses - MS HoloLens;
- wall tablets - MS Surface Hub;
- smart watch - MS Band 2.
The list is impressive. In addition, UWP is not limited only to the execution of application programs, it also supports the operation of drivers at the kernel level. This allows you to create drivers that work on different devices, as long as the specific component for which the driver is intended is the same.
UWP supports both kernel-level and user-level drivers. The subsystem includes the Device Driver Interface (DDI) interfaces that the UWP driver can use.
But all this does not save the developer from adjusting the interface to certain platforms and screen resolutions. In some special cases, this may not be necessary.
Developer Tools
To write, debug, deploy, and test apps for Windows 10 Mobile, you'll need Visual Studio 2015 (no doubt). The third update came out this summer. I strongly recommend! Its main bugfix is the reduced memory consumption compared to the second update.
Also you will need Windows 10 Anniversary Update SDK: it includes all the necessary tools to develop applications for the entire fleet of devices running on Windows 10. If you are using VS 2015 with the third update, then the latest SDK is already included.
One of the main innovations is Windows Ink. Using this API, you can add pen support in two lines of code. There are two control objects for this: InkCanvas and InkToolbar.
The new Cortana API simplifies the implementation of voice control. The Cortana Actions component in the new API allows you to create new phrases/expressions.
Windows Hello biometric authentication is now available to web developers in the Edge browser.
The Blend for Visual Studio 2015 user interface modeling tool provides more advanced interface building capabilities than VS. With it, you can create layouts in XAML for all supported applications: application, web, universal, mobile, and so on. It also contains constructors for additional tasks, such as creating animations and controlling the behavior of elements.
Ways to create apps for Windows 10 Mobile
The main way to create applications for Windows 10 Mobile smartphones is to develop universal (UWP) apps(scroll Visual C# → Windows → Universal project creation wizards).
However, he is not the only one. As you know, Xamarin is built into Visual Studio 2015, it can also be used to create applications for Windows 10 Mobile, both for Android and iOS, changing the interface and leaving the program logic in C# (Visual C# → Cross-Platform).
In addition to the Visual C# language, Visual Basic or Visual C++ can equally be chosen. VS 2015 allows you to create Universal Applications with JavaScript (JavaScript → Windows → Universal Applications). They can also be deployed to a Windows 10 Mobile device.
Tools for working with legacy projects
Over the long history of the Windows operating system, a huge number of various applications have been created for it. With the release of Windows 8 and WinRT (and later Windows 10 and UWP), old desktop applications are a thing of the past, as only Win 8 and Win 10 desktop applications support classic Win32, COM, .NET applications. This made Microsoft sad. But the guys realized that they could develop a converter that would convert old applications for the new advanced UWP subsystem. Born from this Desktop App Converter.
Converting an Xcode project is a two-step process. First you need to add Objective-C syntax highlighting to Visual Studio: install the objc-syntax-highlighting.vsix extension from the winobjc\bin folder. Then, using the vsimporter.exe command line utility, you need to convert the Xcode project to a VS project. After that, the resulting sln file can be opened in the studio, where the Objective-C syntax will be highlighted. You can build and run the application and it will run just like any other Windows program.
Break me down, how amazing it is to see correctly highlighted Objective-C code in Visual Studio!
A free compiler is used to compile Obj-C code Clang. Since the output is a standard UWP app, it can be run on a mobile device in a Windows 10 Mobile environment. One program can have both C++ and Obj-C code.
If you have a project for a previous version of Windows Phone, i.e. 8.1 (or 8.0), then when you open it in VS 2015, the studio will automatically update the project so that it meets the requirements of the Universal Windows App (UWP). Not only the user interface markup in XAML will be converted, but also the program logic in JS/C++/C#/VB along with it. If there were calls to the WinRT subsystem in the code, then they will be converted to UWP calls.
There is another common type of application - games. iOS and Android render through the low-level OpenGL interface. On the other hand, on Windows 10 Mobile, DirectX 11 is used to display images in games. This results in incompatibility. But there is a solution - the open project ANGLE . ANGLE (Almost Native Graphics Layer Engine) - an almost native graphics layer engine - allows Windows users to seamlessly run OpenGL ES applications on DirectX 11 hardware. This is achieved by converting calls from OpenGL ES API to DirectX 11 API. ANGLE fully supports the following three types of applications:
- universal applications for Windows 10 (Universal Windows apps);
- applications for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1;
- classic Windows desktop applications.
The issue is discussed in more detail in my book “ The magic of the moment of rotation"(Again you are promoting your book! Well, okay, you deserve it. - Approx. ed.).
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