Developing Windows Metro Application is very easy,Lets develop a
Hello world app happily & quickly :)
Windows 8
Metro application can be developed using:
C++ with
XAML
(uses Component Extensions, or C++CX, that allows the language to make better use of WinRT)
(uses Component Extensions, or C++CX, that allows the language to make better use of WinRT)
C# or
Visual Basic with XAML (WinRT is directly accessible)
JavaScript
with HTML5 and CSS3
(the Windows Runtime is supplemented by a Windows Library for JavaScript, or WinJS, which provides a number of system-level features for Metro style apps written in JavaScript.).
(the Windows Runtime is supplemented by a Windows Library for JavaScript, or WinJS, which provides a number of system-level features for Metro style apps written in JavaScript.).
Create a "Hello, world" app (Windows Store
apps using C#VB and XAML) (Windows).
Create a simple "Hello, world" Windows
Store app using Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) with Microsoft
Visual Basic or C#.
Learn how to:
- Create a new project
- Add XAML content to your start page
- Handle touch, pen, and mouse input
- Switch between the light and dark themes
- Create your own custom styles
We show you how to create a Windows Store app using
XAML with Visual Basic or C#.
Getting started
To create an app, you need Windows 8 and
Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows 8. To download them.
You also need a developer license.
We assume you have a basic understanding of XAML.
We assume you're using the default window layout in
Microsoft Visual Studio. If you change the default layout, you can reset it in
the Window menu by picking the Reset Window Layout
command.
Step 1: Create a new project in Visual Studio
Launch Visual Studio Express 2012 for
Windows 8.
The Visual Studio Express 2012 for
Windows 8 start screen appears. (Going forward, we'll refer to Visual
Studio Express 2012 for Windows 8 as just "Visual Studio".)
Select File>New Project.
The New Project dialog appears. The
left pane of the dialog lets you select the type of templates to display.
In the left pane, expand Installed >
Templates, then expand Visual Basic or Visual
C# and pick the Windows Store template type. The
dialog's center pane displays a list of project templates for Windows Store
apps.
In the center pane, select the Blank App
template.
The Blank App template creates a
minimal Windows Store app that compiles and runs, but contains no user
interface controls or data.
In the Name text box, enter
"HelloWorld".
Click OK to create the project.
Visual Studio creates your project and displays it
in the Solution Explorer.
Although the Blank App is a minimal
template, it still contains a lot of files:
A manifest file (package.appxmanifest) that
describes your app (its name, description, tile, start page, and so on) and
lists the files that your app contains.
A set of large and small logo images (largelogo.png
and smalllogo.png)to display in the start screen.
An image (storelogo.png) to represent your app in
the Windows Store.
A splash screen (splashscreen.png) to show when your
app starts.
XAML and code files for the app (App.xaml and
App.xaml.cs.vb) .
A start page (MainPage.xaml) and an accompanying
code file (MainPage.xaml.cs.vb) that run when your app starts.
These files are essential to all Windows Store apps
using Visual Basic or C#. Any project that you create in Visual Studio contains
them.
Replace the MainPage
The MainPage in the Blank App
project template is based on the Blank Page template. It
contains the minimum amount of XAML and code to instantiate a Page.
In this example, you replace the default MainPage
with a page that uses the Basic Page template..
To
replace MainPage in the blank app
In Solution Explorer, right-click
MainPage.xaml and select Delete.
Click OK to confirm the deletion.
Select Project>Add New
Item. The Add New Item dialog box opens. It looks
similar to the New Project dialog.
Under Visual C# or Visual
Basic in the left pane, pick the Windows Store
template type.
In the center pane, pick Basic Page
as the type of page to add to your project.
Enter "MainPage.xaml" as the name for the
page.
Important If
you leave the default name, "BasicPage1", the project will not build
correctly.
Click Add.
The first time you add a new page to the Blank
App template (other than a Blank Page), Visual Studio
shows a dialog with a message that the addition depends on files that are
missing from your project.
Click Yes to add these files. Files
for several utility classes are added to your project in the Common
folder.
The XAML and code behind files for your page are
added to the project.
Click Build>Build
solution to build the app.
Step 2: Start the app
you created a very simple app. If you want to see
what it looks like, press F5 to build, deploy, and launch your app in debugging
mode. A default splash screen appears first. The splash screen is defined by an
image (splashscreen.png) and a background color (specified in our app's
manifest file).
The splash screen disappears, and then your app
appears. It contains a black screen and the title "My Application".
There's no button or command to close the app. You
can use the close gesture or Alt+F4 to close it.
Step 3: Modify
your start page
What's in the files ?
When you create a new project that uses the Blank
App template, Visual Studio creates an app that contains a handful of
files. To view and edit the files, double-click the file in the Solution
Explorer. You can expand a XAML file just like a folder to see its
associated code file. By default, XAML files open in a split view that shows
both the design surface and the XAML editor.
you work with just a few of the files listed
previously: App.xaml, App.xaml.cs.vb, MainPage.xaml, and MainPage.xaml.cs.vb.
App.xaml
App.xaml is where you declare resources that are
used across the app. This file contains a ResourceDictionary
that has a reference to the StandardStyles.xamlResourceDictionary
located in the Common folder. StandardStyles.xaml provides a set of default
styles that gives your app the Windows 8 look and feel.
XAML
<Applicationx:Class="HelloWorld.App"
xmlns="http:schemas.microsoft.comwinfx2006xamlpresentation"
xmlns:x="http:schemas.microsoft.comwinfx2006xaml"xmlns:local="using:HelloWorld">
<Application.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary>
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<!--
Styles that define common aspects of the platform look and feel Required
by Visual Studio project and item template -->
<ResourceDictionarySource="CommonStandardStyles.xaml">
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<ResourceDictionary>
<Application.Resources>
<Application>
App.xaml.cs/vb
App.xaml.cs.vb is the code-behind file for App.xaml.
Code-behind is the code that is joined with the XAML page's partial class. it
contains a constructor that calls the
InitializeComponentmethod.
You don't write the InitializeComponent method. It's generated by
Visual Studio, and its main purpose is to initialize the elements declared in
the XAML file. App.xaml.cs.vb also contains methods to handle activation and
suspension of the app.
C#,VB
using System;
usingWindows.ApplicationModel;
usingWindows.ApplicationModel.Activation;
usingWindows.UI.Xaml;
usingWindows.UI.Xaml.Controls;
The Blank
Application template is documented at http:go.microsoft.comfwlink?LinkId=234227
namespaceHelloWorld
{
<summary>
Provides application-specific behavior to supplement
the default Application class.
<summary>
sealedpartialclass App : Application
{
<summary>
Initializes the singleton application object. This is the first line of authored code
executed, and
as such is the logical equivalent of main() or WinMain().
<summary>
public App()
{
this.InitializeComponent();
this.Suspending += OnSuspending;
}
<summary>
Invoked when the application is launched normally by
the end user. Other entry points
will be used
when the application is launched to open a specific file, to display
search
results, and so forth.
<summary>
<param name="args">Details about the
launch request and process.<param>
protectedoverridevoidOnLaunched(LaunchActivatedEventArgsargs)
{
Frame rootFrame = Window.Current.Contentas Frame;
Do not repeat
app initialization when the Window already has content,
just ensure
that the window is active
if (rootFrame == null)
{
Create a
Frame to act as the navigation context and navigate to the first page
rootFrame = new Frame();
if (args.PreviousExecutionState ==
ApplicationExecutionState.Terminated)
{
TODO: Load state from previously suspended
application
}
Place the
frame in the current Window
Window.Current.Content = rootFrame;
}
if
(rootFrame.Content == null)
{
When the
navigation stack isn't restored navigate to the first page,
configuring
the new page by passing required information as a navigation
parameter
if(!rootFrame.Navigate(typeof(MainPage),
args.Arguments))
{
thrownew Exception("Failed to create initial
page");
}
}
Ensure the
current window is active
Window.Current.Activate();
}
<summary>
Invoked when application execution is being
suspended. Application state is saved
without
knowing whether the application will be terminated or resumed with the contents
of memory
still intact.
<summary>
<param name="sender">The source of
the suspend request.<param>
<param name="e">Details about the
suspend request.<param>
privatevoidOnSuspending(object sender,
SuspendingEventArgs e)
{
var deferral = e.SuspendingOperation.GetDeferral();
TODO: Save application state and stop any background
activity
deferral.Complete();
}
}
}
MainPage.xaml
In the MainPage.xaml file you define the UI for your
app. You can add elements directly using XAML markup, or you can use the design
tools provided by Visual Studio.
The Basic Page template creates a
new class called
MainPage (or whatever
name you enter) that inherits from LayoutAwarePage.
The LayoutAwarePage class
extends the base Page class and provides methods for
navigation, state management, and view management. The Basic Page
template also includes some simple content, like a back button and page title.
XAML
<common:LayoutAwarePage
x:Name="pageRoot"
x:Class="HelloWorld.MainPage"
DataContext="{Binding
DefaultViewModel, RelativeSource={RelativeSource Self}}"
IsTabStop="false"
xmlns="http:schemas.microsoft.comwinfx2006xamlpresentation"
xmlns:x="http:schemas.microsoft.comwinfx2006xaml"
xmlns:local="using:HelloWorld"
xmlns:common="using:HelloWorld.Common"
xmlns:d="http:schemas.microsoft.comexpressionblend2008"
xmlns:mc="http:schemas.openxmlformats.orgmarkup-compatibility2006"
mc:Ignorable="d">
<Page.Resources>
<!--
TODO: Delete this line if the key AppName is declared in App.xaml -->
<x:Stringx:Key="AppName">My
Application<x:String>
<Page.Resources>
<!--
This grid acts as a root panel for the
page that defines two rows:
* Row 0 contains the back button and
page title
* Row 1 contains the rest of the page
layout
-->
<GridStyle="{StaticResourceLayoutRootStyle}">
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinitionHeight="140">
<RowDefinitionHeight="*">
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<!--
Back button and page title -->
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinitionWidth="Auto">
<ColumnDefinitionWidth="*">
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Buttonx:Name="backButton"
Click="GoBack" IsEnabled="{Binding Frame.CanGoBack,
ElementName=pageRoot}"
Style="{StaticResourceBackButtonStyle}">
<TextBlockx:Name="pageTitle"
Grid.Column="1" Text="{StaticResourceAppName}"
Style="{StaticResourcePageHeaderTextStyle}">
<Grid>
<VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
<!--
Visual states reflect the application's view state -->
<VisualStateGroupx:Name="ApplicationViewStates">
<VisualStatex:Name="FullScreenLandscape">
<VisualStatex:Name="Filled">
<!--
The entire page respects the narrower 100-pixel margin convention for portrait
-->
<VisualStatex:Name="FullScreenPortrait">
<Storyboard>
<ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFramesStoryboard.TargetName="backButton"
Storyboard.TargetProperty="Style">
<DiscreteObjectKeyFrameKeyTime="0"
Value="{StaticResourcePortraitBackButtonStyle}">
<ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
<Storyboard>
<VisualState>
<!--
The back button and title have different styles when snapped -->
<VisualStatex:Name="Snapped">
<Storyboard>
<ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFramesStoryboard.TargetName="backButton"
Storyboard.TargetProperty="Style">
<DiscreteObjectKeyFrameKeyTime="0"
Value="{StaticResourceSnappedBackButtonStyle}">
<ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
<ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFramesStoryboard.TargetName="pageTitle"
Storyboard.TargetProperty="Style">
<DiscreteObjectKeyFrameKeyTime="0"
Value="{StaticResourceSnappedPageHeaderTextStyle}">
<ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
<Storyboard>
<VisualState>
<VisualStateGroup>
<VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
<Grid>
<common:LayoutAwarePage>
MainPage.xaml.csvb
MainPage.xaml.cs.vb
is the code-behind page for MainPage.xaml. Here you add your app logic and
event handlers. The Basic Page template includes 2 methods
where you can save and load the page state.
C#,
VB
using System;
usingSystem.Collections.Generic;
usingWindows.UI.Xaml.Controls;
The Basic
Page item template is documented at http:go.microsoft.comfwlink?LinkId=234237
namespaceHelloWorld
{
<summary>
A basic page that provides characteristics common to
most applications.
<summary>
publicsealedpartialclassMainPage :
HelloWorld.Common.LayoutAwarePage
{
publicMainPage()
{
this.InitializeComponent();
}
<summary>
Populates the page with content passed during
navigation. Any saved state is also
provided when
recreating a page from a prior session.
<summary>
<param
name="navigationParameter">The parameter value passed to
<see cref="Frame.Navigate(Type,
Object)"> when this page was initially requested.
<param>
<param name="pageState">A dictionary
of state preserved by this page during an earlier
session. This will be null the first time a page is
visited.<param>
protectedoverridevoidLoadState(Object navigationParameter,
Dictionary<String, Object>pageState)
{
}
<summary>
Preserves
state associated with this page in case the application is suspended or the
page is
discarded from the navigation cache.
Values must conform to the serialization
requirements
of <see cref="SuspensionManager.SessionState">.
<summary>
<param name="pageState">An empty
dictionary to be populated with serializable state.<param>
protectedoverridevoidSaveState(Dictionary<String,
Object>pageState)
{
}
}
}
To
modify the start page
Double-click MainPage.xaml in Solution
Explorer to open it.
To change the page title, select the "My
Application" text near the top of the page in the XAML designer.
Make sure the TextBlock named
pageTitle is showing in the Properties
panel. By default, the Properties panel is below the Solution
Explorer panel.
The Properties panel contains a
list of properties and values for the selected object. Next to each property
value is a property marker, a small box symbol that you can click to
open a property menu. The Text property marker is green to
indicate that it's set to a resource.
Under Common in the Properties
panel, click the property marker for the Text
property. The property menu opens.
In the property menu, select Edit Resource.
The Edit Resource dialog opens.
In the Edit Resource dialog, change
the value from "My Application" to "Hello, world!".
Click OK.
Instead of entering the app name directly into the
text block, you updated a string resource that the text block's Text
property is bound to. Using a resource like this makes text reusable, easier to
maintain, and easier to localize. In MainPage.xaml, the XAML for the
AppName resource definition
is updated like this.
XAML
<x:Stringx:Key="AppName">Hello,
world!<x:String>
In the XAML editor, add the controls for the UI.
In the root Grid, immediately
before the
<VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
tag, add this XAML.
It contains a
StackPanel with a TextBlock that asks the
user's name, a TextBox element to accept the user's name, a Button,
and another TextBlock element.
XAML
<StackPanelGrid.Row="1"
Margin="120,30,0,0">
<TextBlockText="What's your name?">
<StackPanelOrientation="Horizontal"
Margin="0,20,0,20">
<TextBoxx:Name="nameInput"
Width="300" HorizontalAlignment="Left">
<ButtonContent="Say
"Hello"">
<StackPanel>
<TextBlockx:Name="greetingOutput">
<StackPanel>
Press F5 to run the app. It looks like this.
you create an event handler for the button's Click
event that displays a personalized greeting. You add the event handler code to
your MainPage.xaml.cs.vb file.
Step 4: Create an event handler
These event
messages give you the opportunity to take some action in response to the event.
You put your code to respond to the event in an event handler method. One of
the most common events in many apps is a user clicking a Button.
Let's create an event handler for your button's Click
event.
The event handler will get the user's name from the
nameInputTextBox
control and use it to output a greeting to the greetingOutputTextBlock.
To
add an event handler
In XAML or design view, select the "Say
Hello" Button that you added to MainPage.xaml.
In the Properties Window, click the
Events button ().
Find the Click event at the top of
the event list. In the text box for the event, type the name of the function
that handles the Click event. For this example, type
"Button_Click".
Press Enter. The event handler method is created and
opened in the code editor so you can add code that's executed when the event
occurs.
In the XAML editor, the XAML for the Button
is updated to declare the Click event handler like this.
XAML
<ButtonContent="Say"Hello""
Click="Button_Click">
Add code to the event handler that you created in
the code behind page. In the event handler, retrieve the user's name from the
nameInputTextBox
control and use it to create a greeting. Use the greetingOutputTextBlock
to display the result.
C#, VB
privatevoidButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs
e)
{
greetingOutput.Text = "Hello, " +
nameInput.Text + "!";
}
Press F5 to build and run the app. When you enter
your name in the text box and click the button, the app displays a personalized
greeting.
Part 5: Style the start page
Choosing a theme
To
switch to the light theme
In Solution Explorer, double click App.xaml to open
it.
In the opening Application tag, add
the RequestedTheme property with its value set to Light.
XAML
RequestedTheme="Light"
Here's the full Application
tag with the light theme added.
XAML
<Applicationx:Class="HelloWorld.App"xmlns="http:schemas.microsoft.comwinfx2006xamlpresentation"
xmlns:x=http:schemas.microsoft.comwinfx2006xaml”
xmlns:local="using:HelloWorld"RequestedTheme="Light">
Press F5 to build and run the app. Now it uses the
light theme.
Note The
theme is applied when the app is started. You can't change themes while the app
is running.
Using standard styles
Earlier in this tutorial, we pointed out that the
App.xaml file contains a reference to the StandardStyles.xamlResourceDictionary:
XAML
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<!-- Styles that define common aspects of the
platform look and feel
Required by Visual Studio project and item templates
-->
<ResourceDictionarySource="CommonStandardStyles.xaml">
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
To
style an element
Double-click MainPage.xaml in Solution
Explorer to open it.
In XAML or design view, select the "What's your
name?" TextBlock that you added previously.
In the Properties Window, click the
Properties button ().
Expand the Miscellaneous group and
find the Style property.
Click the property marker next to the Style
property to open the menu.
In the menu, select Local Resource>BasicTextStyle.
BasicTextStyle
is a resource defined in the StandardStyles.xamlResourceDictionary.
In the XAML design surface, the appearance of the
text changes. In the XAML editor, the XAML for the TextBlock
is updated.
XAML
<TextBlockText="What's your name?"
Style="{StaticResourceBasicTextStyle}">
Repeat the process to assign the BasicTextStyle
to the
greetingOutputTextBlock element.
Tip There's
no text in this TextBlock, but when you hover the mouse
pointer over the XAML design surface, a blue outline shows where the TextBlock
is so you can select it.
XAML
<StackPanelGrid.Row="1"
Margin="120,30,0,0">
<TextBlockText="What's your name?"
Style="{StaticResourceBasicTextStyle}">
<StackPanelOrientation="Horizontal"
Margin="0,20,0,20">
<TextBoxx:Name="nameInput"
Width="300" HorizontalAlignment="Left">
<ButtonContent="Say
"Hello"" Click="Button_Click">
<StackPanel>
<TextBlockx:Name="greetingOutput"
Style="{StaticResourceBasicTextStyle}">
<StackPanel>
Creating your own styles
To customize the look and feel of your app, you can
create your own styles
Here, you create a new style and apply it to the
greetingOutputTextBlock.
You put the style in the ResourceDictionary in App.xaml.
To
use your own style
In XAML or design view, select the
greetingOutputTextBlock
that you added to MainPage.xaml.
Expand the Miscellaneous group and
find the Style property.
Click the property marker next to the Style
property to open the menu.
In the menu, select Convert to New
Resource.... The Create Style Resource dialog opens.
Note The
style that you want to modify must already be applied to the control. In this
example, the BasicTextStyle is still applied from the previous
step, so that's the style you'll modify a copy of.
In the Create Style Resource
dialog, enter "BigGreenTextStyle" as the resource key, and select the
option to define the resource in the application.
Click OK. The new style is created
in App.xaml and the TextBlock is updated to use the new
style resource.
XAML
<TextBlockx:Name="greetingOutput"
Style="{StaticResourceBigGreenTextStyle}">
Click the property marker next to the Style
property to open the menu again.
In the menu, select Edit Resource.
App.xaml opens in the editor.
Note Nothing
is shown in the XAML designer for App.xaml.
In the "BigGreenTextStyle" resource,
change the Foreground value to "Green" and
the FontSize value to "36".
XAML
<Stylex:Key="BigGreenTextStyle"
TargetType="TextBlock">
<SetterProperty="Foreground"
Value="Green">
<SetterProperty="FontSize"
Value="36">
<SetterProperty="FontFamily"
Value="{StaticResourceContentControlThemeFontFamily}">
<SetterProperty="TextTrimming"
Value="WordEllipsis">
<SetterProperty="TextWrapping" Value="Wrap">
<SetterProperty="Typography.StylisticSet20"
Value="True">
<SetterProperty="Typography.DiscretionaryLigatures"
Value="True">
<SetterProperty="Typography.CaseSensitiveForms"
Value="True">
<Style>
Press F5 to build and run the app. The greeting is
now displayed in large, green letter
By:
Khushbu Wadhwani,
Senior Windows app
developer,
References:MSDN,Microsoft
developer forum
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