Downloaded 18 times
Uploaded byJoe Healy
Universal Apps Oct 2014
This document discusses Windows Universal Apps and provides guidance on creating apps that can run across Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox. It covers templates for universal apps, sharing code and resources across platforms using shared projects, platform-specific APIs, storage, controls from third parties, and best practices for a unified user experience.
More Related Content
Similar to Universal Apps Oct 2014
![Presentation[1]](https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thumbnails/a079c96b-ce50-4b5a-809a-93d9f9d48071-150801075340-lva1-app6892-thumbnail.jpg?width=640&height=640&fit=bounds)
Universal Apps Oct 2014
- 1. Windows Universal Apps Joe Healy :: @devfish :: jhealy@Microsoft.com Blogs.msdn.com/devfish
- 2. Universal – GettingStarted • Download VS 2013 Update 3 or VS2014 previews • Make sure physical phone is at Windows Phone 8.1 or later • Make sure Windows is at 8.1 or later
- 3. Universal App Templates • Blank • Pretty straight forward • Hub • Similar to grid template in Windows 8 • Displayed as pivot control in Windows Phone
- 4. File, New, UniversalApp DEMO
- 5. Universal Apps ProjectLayout Windows 8.1 XAML Project Windows Phone 8.1 XAML Project Shared Project linked back Into other projects Common reference items NOT pcode lib
- 6. Unified Windows Apps • Develop W8 and WP8 app with Universal Apps • Choose to let user download an app once, and get it on both platforms • Free or paid • New Unified Windows Apps symbol
- 7. Shared Project •Simplify sharing files across platform specific projects • Not meant to be compiled on their own • Not meant to be compiled directly to reference libraries • Allows you to include selected files into WP81 and Win81 projects separately, but in a single place • Some things just can’t go in a PCL, aka APP.XAML and #ifdef
- 8. Portable Class Libraries I compile just once and know it works on all platforms Shared Projects I can easily include platform-specific code under #if or partial classes
- 9. Debug Target •Dropdown menu to choose debug target • Switch between targeting Windows 8 and Windows Phone • Run both in emulators or on a device
- 10. Shared Project ContextSwitcher • Changes how screen is rendered • Changes what shows up in the device tab
- 11. Shared Project ContextSwitcher
- 12. Shared Project ContextSwitcher
- 13. Shared Project ContextSwitcher • ErrorChecks APIs for each platform
- 14. #ifdef directive •constants WINDOWS_APP and WINDOWS_PHONE_APP are conveniently predefined for you • Have platform specific code for each • If windows app, do this • If windows phone app, do this
- 15. #ifdef directive #ifWINDOWS_APP if (!rootFrame.Navigate(typeof(HubPage))) #endif #if WINDOWS_PHONE_APP if (!rootFrame.Navigate(typeof(WindowsPhoneStartPage))) #endif { throw new Exception("Failed to create initial page"); }
- 16. Classes Structs Interfaces Windows 8.1 SDK 566 119 59 Windows Phone 8.1 SDK 624 131 57 +58 +12 -2 Windows.UI.Xaml.* * Via Tim Heuer’s analysis runs at BUILD 2014
- 17. Visual Studio streamlinesdeveloping universal Windows apps
- 18. You can tailorthe design to each device
- 19. ‘Primitives’ – SameAcross Platforms • Layout: Panel, StackPanel, Grid, Border • Buttons, Slider, ToggleSwitch, CheckBox, RadioButton, ProgressBar • TextBox/TextBlock • Shapes/Path
- 20. ‘Primitives’ – sameAPI, tailored behavior Hub CommandBar Date/Time Pickers and List Pickers ListView Flyouts Media Ads SDK
- 21. Device-specific APIs Windows • AppBar • SearchBox • SettingsFlyout Windows Phone • Pivot • AutoSuggestBox • ContentDialog • Maps • System Chrome
- 22. converged controls what’sit really mean? 80% exact same XAML 20% custom Common Optimized Signature DatePicker TimePicker CommandBar Button CheckBox ToggleSwitch Slider RadioButton ProgressBar Hub Pivot ListView GridView AppBar SysTray
- 24. Why Custom WindowsWindows Phone
- 25. CommandBar <Page.BottomAppBar> <CommandBar> <AppBarButton Icon="Accept" Label="Accept" /> <AppBarButton Icon="Cancel" Label="Cancel" /> <CommandBar.SecondaryCommands> <AppBarButton x:Uid="AboutAppBarButton" Icon="Help" /> <AppBarButton x:Uid="HomeAppBarButton" Icon="Home" /> </CommandBar.SecondaryCommands> </CommandBar> </Page.BottomAppBar>
- 27.
- 28. Navigation Model NavigationAPIs Same Phone Hardware Back Button Windows in-app Back Button #if WINDOWS_PHONE_APP Windows.Phone.UI.Input.HardwareButtons.BackPressed += HardwareButtons_BackPressed; #endif
- 29. Approaches Native App ( aka 8.0 ) SL 8.1 (WP) Windows Store API ( aka Universal ) • Continues to work as is Add new funct and fixes • Reuse most code Add 8.1 features ( geofence, calendar, screen recording, WNS, others ) • Same app model and UI • Easy to support Not much work Repackage and republish Umm. To port? Just a little bit. Plus more. Runs on 8.0 and 8.1 WP Runs on 8.0 and 8.1 Win8 WP 8.1 Not all phones at 8.1 yet WP 8.1 Win 8.1 No future enhancements Controls, some older libs not there Win10 future? Win10 Future? Pathway to Win10
- 30. App Studio •File New Project for Universal Apps • Why not? • http://appstudio.windows.com
- 31. Controls • XAMLand Phone Toolkit no worky here • Not much good stuff open source
- 32.
- 33. Telerik • UniversalControls in Beta - http://www.telerik.com/windows-universal- ui - release around Nov 1 – not sure of price
- 34. Telerik Controls •AutoComplete • BusyIndicator • Chart • Date Picker • Time Zpicker • Rating • DataBoundList
- 35.
- 36. Sync Fusion •Sync Fusion - $1 for individual developer – http://www.syncfusion.com/sales/offers/winrt-hobbyist - $399 to companies • In release NOW
- 37. SyncFusion • Grid • DocIO / XlsIO / PDF • Busy Indicator • Hub Tile • Chart • Range Navigator • Guages • Maps • Treemap • Barcode • Sparkline • Calculate • TextBoxExt • ComboBox • DropDown • Date and Time Picker • Numeric Updown … lots more
- 38.
- 39.
- 40. To Share orNot to Share • Question…How much of your UI code will be shared? • Options • Completely separate pages • Shared page with separate styles and templates • Shared page with shared styles and templates • Some other combination • Answer…whatever fits your app the best!
- 41. Shared Styles/Templates •How to share styles/templates • Add styles and templates to Shared Project • Share app.xaml • Reference styles and templates in ResourceDictionary
- 42.
- 43.
- 44. StorageFile and StorageFolder Most file content is managed with these types • Local files/folders • File activation • Media libraries • Share contract • Pickers Nearly all Windows Runtime APIs are supported
- 45. App Data Model IsolatedStorage Folder Roaming Folder Settings • Data roamed across Windows devices Local Folder Settings • Primary local store Temp Folder • Temporary storage • Cleaned up in low storage condition LocalCache Folder • Not backed up • Not cleaned up • Phone only
- 46. Accessing User Content User data exposed via KnownFolders • RemovableDevices (SD) • MusicLibrary • PicturesLibrary • VideosLibrary Direct access protected by capability All public files are available via pickers
- 47. Access Cache •Usedto maintain access to shared files/folders • File activation • Share contract • File picker •Knowledge of file is maintained across deletes •If you need the file, make a copy
- 48.
- 49. Roaming Local Temp Phone App – PFN 12345 Temp Local Roaming Windows App – PFN 12345 Roaming PFN 12345 App writes data using standard file/settings APIs. Sync engine transfers data periodically based on triggers (user idle, battery, network, etc.) OneDrive stores up to 100kb of roaming data per app (not included in user quota). If app exceeds the limit, sync stops. Other clients are notified of updated data via WNS. If app is running when sync occurs, an event is raised. ROAMING Local Cache
- 50. Roaming Best Practices Use roaming for settings and small state Stick to core WinRT types Avoid dependencies across files/settings Be resilient against sync delays Use Windows.Security.Credentials for secure data
- 51.
- 52. NUGET PACKAGES •Must be added to both Windows and Windows Phone projects if referenced in shared folder • “if your Windows Store app contained an assembly reference for a third-party library, and you move the associated code into the Shared folder, then you also have to reference the third-party library in the Windows Phone project”
- 53. Linked Apps •Share IAP and “Paid” status • Buy once, own everywhere • Shared roaming • Shared credential vault • Uses common Product Family Number (PFN) • Linking to WP8, WinRt possible
- 54.
- 55. Visual Studio 2014– WinJS Universal Apps
- 56. Resources • dfWikiUniversal Apps - http://dfwiki.devfish.net/technology.Universal-Apps.ashx • Developing Apps Using the Common XAML UI Framework - http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2014/2-507 • What About XAML UI and Controls? Shawn Oster - 2-516 - http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2014/2-516 • Using VS to Build XAML Converged Apps – Nivit Saxena - http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2014/3-591
- 57.
- 58. Todo • Universalapp samples out of windows 8.1 sdk