Windows Store app using XAML and C#: Enterprise Product Development

Windows Store app using XAML and
C#: Enterprise Product Development
What beyond POCs ?!

Mahmoud Hamed
ITWorx

patterns & practices Symposium 2013

Mahmoud mahmoud.hamed@itworx.com @mhamedmahmoud

Hamed
http://eg.linkedin.com/in/mah
dev.mhamed@gmail.com moudhamedmahmoud

This presentation is based on a presentation
by p&p team at pattern & practices
symposium 2013 with updates to reflect my
own experience
Tips for building a Windows Store app using
XAML and C#: The Kona project


Why I need this session can I live
without it ??????!


Build and Test a Windows Store App Using Team
Foundation Build
A. Build Windows Store App Using Team Foundation Build
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh691189.aspx

B. Walkthrough: Creating and Running Unit Tests for Windows Store Apps
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh440545.aspx

C. Validating an app package in automated builds (Windows Store apps)
Windows Store app certification
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh994667.aspx

D. TFS 2012 Express (5 user per server)
http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/products/visual-studio-team-foundation-
server-express#product-express-tfs-requirements

Demo TFS 2012 and Windows Store
Apps

Windows Phone vs Windows Store app

Windows Phone apps Windows Store apps

Deactivate/Tombstoned/Reactivate Suspend/Terminate/Resume

Microsoft Push Notification Service Windows Push Notification Service
(MPN) (WNS)
Windows Phone Marketplace certification Windows Store app certification &
Application Excellence Review (AER)
App manifest declares capabilities App manifest declares capabilities

Push Notification requires Windows Store registration
• Make sure to register your app
with the Windows Store to get
proper credentials (SID &
secret key)
• Purely sideloaded apps won’t
be able to receive notifications
from Windows Notification
Service (WNS)

Globalization

<ToolTip
x:Uid=“PreviewCartoonizeAppBarButtonToolTip”
Content=“Preview Cartoonization”
… />

Globalization
A. Globalizing your app
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh465006.aspx

B. How to use the Multilingual App Toolkit
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/xaml/jj572370.aspx

C. Application resources and localization sample
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapps/Application-resources-and-
cd0c6eaa

Demo Windows Store Apps
Globalization

Logging
Logging Sample for Windows Store Apps (ETW Logging in WinRT)
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapps/Logging-Sample-for-
Windows-0b9dffd7

MetroLog Overview
MetroLog is a lightweight logging framework designed for Windows Store
and Windows Phone 8 apps
https://github.com/mbrit/MetroLog

Demo Windows Store Apps Logging

async & await are your friends
1: async Task<int> AccessTheWebAsync()
2: {
3: HttpClient client = new HttpClient();
4: Task<string> getStringTask = client.GetStringAsync("http://msdn.microsoft.com");
5: DoIndependentWork();
6:
7: string urlContents = await getStringTask;
8: return urlContents.Length;
9: }

From MVC to MVVM

DataBinding Commands Services
Messages

Events

ViewModel  View

Behaviour
Binding

Loose coupling, more flexibility
Behavior is highly Blendable

ViewModel  View (Win8)
No behaviors in Windows 8
 Workaround: Use properties and binding
 PropertyChanged event

Binding

PropertyChanged

Focus on AttachedBehaviors
• No Blend Behavior<T>
• No BindingExpressions
• Break out your
AttachedBehavior
experience and
ROCK ON!

View services

ISelectFilesService

injection

Use BindableBase class to provide
INPC
public abstract class BindableBase : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;

protected bool SetProperty<T>(ref T storage, T value, [CallerMemberName] String propertyName = null)
{
if (object.Equals(storage, value)) return false;
storage = value;
this.OnPropertyChanged(propertyName);
return true;
}
protected void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
var eventHandler = this.PropertyChanged;
if (eventHandler != null)
{
eventHandler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
}

Commanding vs ViewModel Method
Invocation
ICommand:
void Execute(object)
bool CanExecute(object)
event EventHandler CanExecuteChanged
Command Invoker:
ButtonBase
-----------------------------------------------------
Event -> Action

Use DelegateCommand for controls that
support ICommand
View:
<Button Content=“Go to shopping cart”
Command="{Binding ShoppingCartNavigationCommand}" />

ViewModel:
ShoppingCartNavigationCommand = new
DelegateCommand(NavigateToShoppingCartPage,
CanNavigateToShoppingCartPage);

ShoppingCartNavigationCommand.RaiseCanExecuteChanged();

Use AttachedBehaviors and Actions for
the rest
View:
<GridView x:Name="itemGridView“
ItemsSource="{Binding Source={StaticResource groupedItemsViewSource}}"
ItemTemplate="{StaticResource KonaRI250x250ItemTemplate}"
SelectionMode="None“ IsItemClickEnabled="True"
behaviors:ListViewItemClickedToAction.Action=
"{Binding CategoryNavigationAction}">

ViewModel:
CategoryNavigationAction = NavigateToCategory;

Use the Kona ViewModelLocator
• Convention based lookup
• Ability to override convention with exceptions to
rule
• Can leverage container to instantiate
ViewModels.

Decoupled Eventing
• Hollywood Parent style UI
Composition (user control)
• Child control needs to listen
to events raised by long
lived services but no way to
unhook…

• Ported Prism
EventAggregator

Use EventAggregator when
necessary
public SubscriberViewModel(IEventAggregator eventAggregator)
{
eventAggregator.GetEvent<ShoppingCartUpdatedEvent>()
.Subscribe(s => UpdateItemCountAsync());
}

public PublisherViewModel(IEventAggregator eventAggregator)
{
_eventAggregator = eventAggregator;
}

_eventAggregator.GetEvent<ShoppingCartUpdatedEvent>()
.Publish(string.Empty);

Navigation: View or ViewModel First
View First:
this.Frame.Navigate(typeof(ItemDetailPage), itemId);

ViewModel First:
Var itemDetailPageViewModel = new ItemDetailPageViewModel(…)
{ ItemId = itemId };
navigationService.Navigate(itemDetailPageViewModel);

Use the LayoutAwarePage class to provide
navigation, state management, and visual state
management
Navigation support
protected virtual void GoHome(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
protected virtual void GoBack(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
protected virtual void GoForward(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
Visual state switching
public void StartLayoutUpdates(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
public void StopLayoutUpdates(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
Process lifetime management
protected override void OnNavigatedTo(NavigationEventArgs e)
protected override void OnNavigatedFrom(NavigationEventArgs e)
protected virtual void LoadState(Object navigationParameter,
Dictionary<String, Object> pageState)
protected virtual void SaveState(Dictionary<String, Object> pageState)

Navigation & Visual State Support
XAML:
<Button Click="GoBack" IsEnabled="{Binding Frame.CanGoBack, ElementName=pageRoot}"
Style="{StaticResource BackButtonStyle}"/>

<UserControl Loaded="StartLayoutUpdates" Unloaded="StopLayoutUpdates">

LoadState & SaveState: SuspensionManager
protected override void SaveState(System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary<string, object> pageState)
{
var virtualizingStackPanel =
VisualTreeUtilities.GetVisualChild<VirtualizingStackPanel>(itemGridView);
if (virtualizingStackPanel != null && pageState != null)
{
pageState["virtualizingStackPanelHorizontalOffset"] = virtualizingStackPanel.HorizontalOffset;
}
}

protected override void LoadState(object navigationParameter,
System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary<string, object> pageState)
{
if (pageState != null && pageState.ContainsKey("virtualizingStackPanelHorizontalOffset"))
{
double.TryParse(pageState["virtualizingStackPanelHorizontalOffset"].ToString(),
out virtualizingStackPanelHorizontalOffset);
}
}

Support visual state for landscape, portrait, fill, and
snap
<VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
<VisualStateGroup x:Name="ApplicationViewStates">
<VisualState x:Name="FullScreenLandscape"/>
<VisualState x:Name="Filled"/>
<VisualState x:Name="FullScreenPortrait">
<Storyboard> ... </Storyboard>
</VisualState>
<VisualState x:Name="Snapped">
<Storyboard> ... </Storyboard>
</VisualState>
</VisualStateGroup>
</VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>

Typical Validation in
WPF/Silverlight
• Implement INotifyDataErrorInfo
• UI controls bind to errors dictionary if
NotifyOnValidationError=True

<TextBox Text="{Binding Id, Mode=TwoWay, ValidatesOnExceptions=True,
NotifyOnValidationError=True}"/>

Use Kona BindableValidator
View:
<TextBox
Text="{Binding Address.FirstName, Mode=TwoWay}"
behaviors:HighlightFormFieldOnErrors.PropertyErrors="{Binding
Errors[FirstName]}" />

ViewModel:
_bindableValidator = new BindableValidator(_address);

public BindableValidator Errors
{
get { return _bindableValidator; }
}

Suspend, Resume, and Terminate

15. Use Kona RestorableStateAttribute and MVVM
framework
public class MyViewModel : ViewModel, INavigationAware
{
private string _name;

[RestorableState]
public string Name
{
get { return _name; }
set { SetProperty(ref _name, value); }
}
}

Symposium 2013

Unit Testing nicely integrated into VS2012
WP7: Jeff Wilcox's Silverlight Unit Test Framework
• Tests run in emulator or device

Unit Test Library (Windows Store apps)
• Run and debug from IDE
• Can run tests from command line and export as trx format.

<ItemGroup>
<TestAppPackages Include="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)..Source***.appx" />
</ItemGroup>

<Target Name="Test">
<Exec ContinueOnError="true" Command="vstest.console.exe /InIsolation /logger:trx
%(TestAppPackages.Identity)" />
</Target>

File System

 Local Data (SQLite)

 Roaming Data

 Hi Priority Roaming Data

 Password Vault

Symposium 2013

Final Tips
 Read Windows 8 SDK
 http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/apps/
 Watch Some videos
 Channel 9: Windows Camps
 http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Windows-Camp
 Channel 9: Windows tag
 http://channel9.msdn.com/Tags/windows+8
 Pluralsight windows 8 series
 http://www.pluralsight.com/training/Courses#windows-8

Symposium 2013

Thanks!

 http://konaguidance.codeplex.com

Symposium 2013

Windows Store app using XAML and C#: Enterprise Product Development

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