Essential Windows Phone 7.5 Application Development with Silverlight

by Wildermuth, Shawn

• ISBN13: 9780321752130
• ISBN10: 0321752139
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-12-05
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional

Summary

Consumers today expect their phone to be a multi-use machine with the capabilities of a phone, a GPS, a gaming device, and an Internet tablet. For some consumers, their phone is now their primary connection to the Internet, replacing the desktop/laptop computer for the first time. For developers, the challenge is to find the best way to create the experiences that the user needs. Windows Phone 7 provides that platform, and Silverlight is the engine to power those experiences. This book is not an exhaustive reference on the topic but a quick and easy-to-digest way for developers to jump into Windows Phone 7 programming with Silverlight guru Shawn Wildermuth.

Author Biography

Shawn Wildermuth, a nine-time Microsoft MVP, has been named by Microsoft as a Silverlight Insider and a Data Insider. He speaks regularly at leading development conferences including TechEd, MIX, VSLive, OreDev, SDC, WinDev, DevTeach, DevConnections, and DevReach. A 25-year veteran of the software development industry, Wildermuth has authored several books on .NET, including Pragmatic ADO.NET. He currently teaches Windows Phone 7.5 development workshops through his training company, AgiliTrain (agilitrain.com).

Table of Contents

Figures xvii

Tables xxv

Foreword xxvii

Preface xxix

Acknowledgments xxxi

About the Author xxxiii

 

Chapter 1: Introducing Windows Phone 1

A Different Kind of Phone 1

Integrated Experiences 6

Phone Specifications 7

Input Patterns 9

Application Lifecycle 14

Driving Your Development with Services 15

Live Tiles 16

The Marketplace 18

Where Are We? 24

 

Chapter 2: Writing Your First Phone Application 25

Preparing Your Machine 25

Creating a New Project 27

Designing with Blend 36

Adding Code 43

Working with the Phone 55

Where Are We? 59

 

Chapter 3: XAML Overview 61

What Is XAML? 61

Visual Containers 66

Visual Grammar 70

Images 75

Transformations and Animations 77

XAML Styling 82

Where Are We? 87

 

Chapter 4: Controls 89

Controls in Silverlight 89

Phone-Specific Controls 99

Data Binding 105

Silverlight for Windows Phone Toolkit 119

Where Are We? 138

 

Chapter 5: Designing for the Phone 139

The Third Screen 139

Deciding on an Application Paradigm 144

Microsoft Expression Blend 150

Blend Basics 159

Phone-Specific Design 176

Previewing Applications 185

Where Are We? 185

 

Chapter 6: Developing for the Phone 187

Application Lifecycle 187

The Phone Experience 200

Where Are We? 218

 

Chapter 7: Phone Integration 219

Using Vibration 219

Using Motion 220

Using Sound 226

Contacts and Appointments 233

Alarms and Reminders 240

Using Tasks 246

Media and Picture Hubs 266

Working with the Camera 280

The Clipboard API 287

Live Tiles 288

Location APIs 293

Where Are We? 303

 

Chapter 8: Databases and Storage 305

Storing Data 305

Isolated Storage 306

Local Databases 314

Where Are We? 335

 

Chapter 9: Multitasking 337

Multitasking 337

Background Agents 338

Background Transfer Service 360

Where Are We? 368

 

Chapter 10: Services 369

The Network Stack 370

Consuming JSON 376

Web Services 383

Consuming OData 387

Using Push Notifications 403

Where Are We? 429

 

Chapter 11: The Marketplace 431

What Is the Marketplace? 431

Submitting Your App 439

Modifying Your Application 453

Dealing with Failed Submissions 454

Using Ads in Your Apps 457

Where Are We? 458

 

Index 459