This document discusses building Windows client applications for SharePoint 2013. It begins by explaining why apps and rich client applications are still important. It then covers developing apps for Windows 8, Windows Phone, and other mobile platforms. It emphasizes using REST/JSON to access SharePoint data from client applications and JavaScript frameworks like MVVM. The document demonstrates building a client-side app and recommends skills like JavaScript, REST, and HTML5 for mobile development. It concludes that hybrid apps allow code reuse across platforms and are a good choice for business applications in an increasingly mobile world.

2. Building Windows Client
Applications for SharePoint
2013
Bill Ayers

3. Building Windows Client
Applications for SharePoint
2013
Bill Ayers

4. MCM/MCSM SharePoint
MCTS, MCITP, MCSD, MCAD,
MCSA, MCDBA, MCT etc.
Consultant currently specialising in SharePoint
Development and Architecture for Web Content
Management and Collaboration. (I also do some
mobile development on the side)
Blog: www.SPDoctor.net
E-mail: BillA@flosim.com
Twitter: @SPDoctor

5. Agenda
 Why Apps?
 Why Rich Client Applications still matter
 Windows 8 apps
 Windows Phone apps
 Other Mobile Platforms
 Conclusions
200

6. SharePoint Development Timeline…
 SharePoint 2001 – forget it
 SharePoint 2003 – Limited, not aligned with ASP.NET,
complex ALM
 SharePoint 2007 – Server-side object model (farm
solutions)
 SharePoint 2010 – Sandboxed solutions
 SharePoint 2013 – SharePoint Apps.

7. Apps for SharePoint
• Development models
• SharePoint-hosted
• Cloud-hosted
• Interaction
• Full page
• App part
• Command extensions
SharePoint
Hosted App
Web Pages
Scripts
Style
Sheets
Cloud
Hosted App
Web Pages
Scripts
Style Sheets
Server-Side
Code
Databases

8. “Apps” are everywhere!

9. What are “Apps” anyway?
Easy distribution
Self-contained
Clean Uninstall
Sandboxed
Some degree of
vetting
Marketplace
infrastructure

10. Apps for SharePoint
• Distribution
•
•
Publish to App Catalog
Publish to Office Marketplace
• Self-contained, clean uninstall, sandboxed
•
•
No server-side code
All SharePoint artifacts hosted within app web

11. Rich clients still matter
Mobile vs. Desktop Internet
Global Internet Users
(millions)
2000
1600
1200
800
400
0
2007
2008
2009
2010
Mobile
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Desktop
Source: Morgan Stanley
87

12. Mobile (i.e. phones and tablets)
 Browsing – normal web site is good
solution (channels, responsive
design)
 Specific tasks – mobile app is better
model
 In general, mobile users want apps
– they don’t want to use a web
browser for Wikipedia, they want a
Wikipedia “app”

13. Why REST/JSON?
• We can use it anywhere
• URLs for Common SharePoint Objects
• Using OData Operators
• JSON  JavaScript
http://intranet.contoso.com
/_api/web/lists/getbytitle("MyList")/items
?$select=ID,Title
&$order=Title
&$filter=startswith(Title,”A”)
$.getJSON(”http://litvs13/_api/web”,
function(data) {
$(“#title”).text(data.d.Title);
});

14. Other endpoints:
Search:
http://intranet.contoso.com/_api/search/query?querytext=keyword
People Search:
http://intranet.contoso.com/_api/sp.userProfiles.peopleManager/...

15. Demo: Using REST

16. How would we do this in traditional
SharePoint development?

17. Demo: Client-side App

18. Mobile Platforms
iOS
XCode
Objective-C
Android
Eclipse
Java
Windows Phone
Visual Studio
C#/XAML or
HTML5 App
Windows 8/RT
Visual Studio
C#/XAML or
WinJS/HTML5
Other
(Blackberry?)

19. XAML, WinJS?
 C#/XAML WPF solutions are
Windows only
 WinJS/HTML5 framework is closely
tied to the platform
 Both are a great solution if you
know you will only need to
support Windows Store and want
native look-and-feel
 C#/XAML can also be used to
build Windows Phone Apps

20. Native vs. Web
Native
Native look
and feel,
performance
Codegen/
crosscompilers
HTML5
Hybrid
Web
apps
Web
Easy
deployment

21. JavaScript libraries:
 jQuery – DOM element selection
 Twitter Bootstrap – page structure, HTML5/CSS3
framework
 Knockout.js – data binding/MVVM
 Underscore.js – collections, iterations
 Angular.js (alternative to knockout/Durandal)
 Require.js
 Durandal – SPA framework
 SPServices.js

22. JavaScript mobile libraries and frameworks
 jQuery Mobile
 PhoneGap (Cordova)
 Kendo UI Mobile (commercial)

23. Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM)
JavaScript/HTML5
C#/XAML
ViewModel
Data binding
View
REST
Model

24. Demo: Client-side App code

25. Skills needed:
 JavaScript (done properly)
 jQuery
 JavaScript frameworks, e.g. MVVM
 REST
 OData
 HTML5
 CSS3.

26. Tools:
 Visual Studio 2013
 Chrome, IE developer tools (F12)
 Fiddler
 JSFiddle (or equivalent)
 Stack Overflow
 JSLint, “use strict”
 JavaScript libraries

27. Building HTML5 apps for other platforms
 Web – “native”
 SharePoint – Visual Studio
 Windows 8 – Visual Studio (“native” HTML5 apps)
 Windows Phone 8 – Visual Studio
 Android, iPhone, Blackberry…
 PhoneGap Build (Adobe)
 Icenium (Telerik)
 Nomad (Redgate)

28. Demo: Cloud Build

29. Conclusions:
 JavaScript – learn it, live it, love it!
 You need some REST
 Let’s re-use our JavaScript and REST API skills
 HTML5 Hybrid Apps not perfect but allow skills and code
re-use across all platforms
 Hybrid Apps a good choice for business applications
 Mobile development is going to be key to delivering
business solutions in an increasingly mobile world

30. Resources
 70-480
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/trainingcourses/learn-html5-with-javascript-css3-jumpstarttraining
 Andrew Connell
http://www.andrewconnell.com/blog/my-thoughts-onthe-sharepoint-app-model-office-365-sharepoint-storeand-the-business-of-sharepoint-apps-today
 Chris O’Brien
http://www.sharepointnutsandbolts.com/2012/08/share
point-2013-appsarchitecture.html
 Jeremy Thake http://www.jeremythake.com/
 SharePoint.StackExchange.com

31. Contact me:
 Blog: www.spdoctor.net
 Twitter: @spdoctor
 Sharepoint.stackexchange.com (moderator)
 Email: BillA@flosim.com