Contents tagged with Windows 8
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Working with Tile Notifications in Windows 8 Store Apps – Part I
One of the features that really makes Windows 8 apps stand out from others is the tile functionality on the start screen. While icons allow a user to start an application, tiles provide a more engaging way to engage the user and draw them into an application. Examples of “live” tiles on part of my current start screen are shown next:
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Getting Started Building Windows 8 Store Apps with XAML/C#
Technology is fun isn’t it? As soon as you think you’ve figured out where things are heading a new technology comes onto the scene, changes things up, and offers new opportunities. One of the new technologies I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with lately is Windows 8 store applications. I posted my thoughts about Windows 8 during the BUILD conference in 2011 and still feel excited about the opportunity there. Time will tell how well it ends up being accepted by consumers but I’m hopeful that it’ll take off.
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Rendering Text with the HTML5 Canvas
In a previous post I walked through the fundamentals of rendering shapes such as squares and circles using the HTML5 Canvas API. In this post I’ll provide a simple example of rendering and rotating text. To render text you can use the fillText() or strokeText() functions which take the text to render as well as the x and y coordinates of where to render it. To rotate text you can use the transform functions available with the HTML5 Canvas such as save(), rotate(), and restore(). To run the live demos that follow click the Result tab in the blue bar of each demo.
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New Pluralsight Course: HTML5 Canvas Fundamentals
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Getting Started with CSS Media Queries
If you've ever printed a page and noticed that it looks different than the actual page displayed in the browser you've more than likely witnessed a CSS media type in action. By using CSS media types such as "print", backgrounds, navigation bars, and other items can be hidden as a user prints which makes the printed page look much more readable. An example of changing styles through a CSS media type as a page is printed is shown next. This type of code can be placed directly in a <style> element in a given page or in an external style sheet.
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Code and Slides: Getting Started Building Windows 8 HTML/JavaScript Metro Apps
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Call for Speakers – Fall 2012 ClientDev Connections
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Creating Metro Style Icons with Metro Studio
I normally don’t post about 3rd part software or giveaways but I’m really impressed with Syncfusion’s new Metro Studio product after downloading it today (registration required). It’s includes 600 free icons and you can easily customize the icons. I don’t know how long the free offering will last but it’s worth registering to get a key while it’s available (nobody from Syncfusion asked me to post about the program by the way – I just liked it). Here’s what the program looks like (very Metro-ish):
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Looking Forward: Single Page Apps, Client-Side Databinding, Entity Change Tracking, and Windows 8
I had the opportunity to attend the MVP Summit and some other events that were also running up in Redmond, WA for Windows 8 and ASP.NET this past week and if there’s one thing I learned it’s that Microsoft’s developers definitely aren’t sitting around idly twiddling their thumbs. A slew of new technologies are on their way which adds to the fun if you’re someone who enjoys learning, being challenged, and having access to technologies that can help you be more productive. For me personally, that’s the fun of being in the development world. Change is part of the game and embracing it is key to being successful as a developer - at least in my opinion. While it’s true that not every new technology deserves attention (and I’d agree that some technologies seem to move too fast), there were several I saw that have some great potential. The good news is that they’re available to start using or experimenting with now if you’re interested.
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Upcoming ASP.NET, HTML5 and Windows 8 Talks and Workshops at DevConnections 2012
It’s that time of the year again! DevConnections 2012 is right around the corner and we have a lot of great new workshops and sessions planned for the ASP.NET and Client-Dev (HTML5, Windows 8 Metro, JavaScript, jQuery, etc.) tracks.
