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Every day during the 30 day challenge, a Daily Tip will be published to this page to keep you informed of relevant resources during your Windows Phone app development. Check back every day from Jan 31 to Feb 29 for a new tip.
Day 30 - Windows Phone Marketplace submission walkthrough
- ...Day 30 of 30 to Launch! Hope you’ll agree that it’s been quite a fun journey. This is it. It’s time to talk about submitting your app on App Hub to make it available in the Windows Phone Marketplace. Four simple steps is all it takes to submit your application: 1.) Upload your application; 2.) Provide the application description; 3.) Set the application pricing; and 4.) Submit your application. Before beginning your submission, you will want to review the App Hub Application submission Walkthrough Submission found here: http://create.msdn.com/en-US/home/about/app_submission_walkthrough This will help prepare you for everything you need to know for the application submission process. Congratulations for completing 30 to Launch! Publish your app and show off your hard work!
Day 29 - Using the Windows Phone Marketplace test kit
- ...Day 29 of 30 to Launch! Undoubtedly you want to ensure your app moves quickly through the Marketplace certification process. The best way to avoid any potential issues is to identify and solve them before your app gets to the certification team. Today let's talk about the Windows Phone Marketplace Test Kit, which provides a suite of automated, monitored, and manual tests to help prepare your application to be accepted in the Marketplace the first time you submit them. The test kit enables you to identify and fix issues prior to Marketplace submission, which saves time in the submission process. Learn how to run the Test Kit on your application by clicking here:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh394032(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 28 - Creating screenshots for Windows Phone Marketplace submission
- ...Day 28 and just about to the finish line of 30 to Launch! By now you’ve probably started thinking about publishing your application and finally getting it into the hands of end users. Who can blame you – you’ve been hard at work for close to a month. First things first, today let's talk about creating screenshots of your application to be shown in the details page of the Windows Phone Marketplace catalog so that potential end users can preview your app. As there are several certification requirements related to application screenshots, be sure to review all of the information here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg442300(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 27 - Performance tuning your apps
- ...It’s Day 27 and we’re very getting close to the end. It’s time to talk about performance testing your application. If you want to create a successful Windows Phone application that users will enjoy, you will need to spend time on performance. Even if you have a great idea for an application, if the application is slow, unresponsive, or periodically crashes, users will stop using it. What’s one to do? Simple – use the Windows Phone Performance Analysis tool, a profiling tool to evaluate and improve the performance of your applications. First you will capture and analyze performance data of your app. Click here for the steps http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh202935(v=vs.92).aspx . Armed with that data, you’re able to identify and fix issues. Click here to understand common performance issues and how to address them: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh202932(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 26 - Deploying and testing your app on a Windows Phone device
- ...Day 26 of 30 to Launch! Today let's cover deploying and testing your app on your Windows Phone device. You can use both the Windows Phone Emulator and a physical Windows Phone device to develop and test your applications. Although the Windows Phone Emulator addresses many development scenarios, it is important to have the ability to test your application on a physical device as well. To deploy an application to a physical Windows Phone device for development and testing work, there are some steps you must take first – for example preparing your phone for development work, sometimes referred to as “developer unlocking” your phone. To understand and walk through the process to ready your device and test your app click here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg588378(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 25 - Adding ads to your application
- ...It’s Day 25 of 30 to Launch! Are you ready to add ads to your app? Say that three times fast! One way to monetize your Windows Phone apps and games is by including ads from Microsoft Advertising. The Microsoft Advertising SDK for Windows Phone enables you to create applications that:1.)Easily integrate text and banner ads into your applications and games; 2.) Provide a monetization solution that maximizes in-app advertising revenues by unlocking the power of multiple sales channels competing in real time to purchase your ad inventory; 3.)Provide various ad targeting capabilities to deliver the most relevant ads to your users; and 4.) Seamlessly handle impression reporting. Learn how to implement Mobile Advertising in your app by clicking here:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh286399(v=VS.92).aspx
Day 24 - Creating Trial Applications for Windows Phone
- ...This is it – the final seven days of 30 to Launch. Amazing to think how far you’ve come with your application over the past few weeks. Today let’s talk about how you can implement a trial mode for your application. Trial mode gives you the option of allowing users to try your application before buying it. Experience shows that users enjoy trying new products and are much more likely to buy an application if they have been able to try it. The Windows Phone Application Platform makes it easy for you to provide trial and full versions of your apps within a single XAP package. Users wishing to buy an app they are trying can seamlessly access the Marketplace from within the trial app. There are no restrictions around how you design the trial experience. You can determine the extent of functionality that you want to expose, whether the trial mode is of a limited duration, or how you want to encourage your user to buy your application. You can also determine whether an application’s data and state are maintained if a user chooses to purchase a trial application. Learn more here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff967558(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 23 - Localizing your application
- ...Day 23 of 30 to Launch - you're getting close! Let's talk about localizing your application.. By following a few simple steps, you can design and develop applications that can be easily localized, or adapted to, a specific local market. This process mostly involves the text strings in your application and the Application Bar, if the Application Bar menu items contain text. Additionally, you can choose to localize your application title. Learn how to separate localizable resources from code by creating language-specific resource files that Visual Studio then uses to create assemblies that allow your application to support many languages by clicking here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff637520(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 22 - Download the Windows Azure Toolkit to add support for push notifications
- ...Day 21 Tip: The Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone makes it easy to add support for push notifications from Windows Azure so you can start sending messages today. Download the toolkit and check out the docs for libraries you need and also a web interface that you can use to push your messages.
Day 21 - Accessing the camera image stream
- ...It’s Day 21 – you’re fast nearing the home stretch of 30 to Launch. Today’s topic focuses on Windows Phone camera application development and specifically on how to programmatically access the device camera. You can create a camera application using the camera API for capturing pictures. To walk through how this is done to include how to display the camera viewfinder, programmatically trigger the shutter, and save a captured image to the media library and isolated storage, click here:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh202956(v=vs.92).aspx Once you understand how to create the base camera application, you will be on your way to incorporate features such as implementing flash and focus, changing capture resolution, and using the phone hardware shutter button.
Day 20 - Integrating with the FM Radio
- ...Welcome to Day 20 of the 30 to Launch challenge! Let’s continue our conversation around media for Windows Phones by discussing how you can set up and tune the FM Radio for Windows Phone. Learn how to work with the FMRadio API and how to access FMRadio class properties and enumerations to perform functions such as creating an instance of the radio, turning the radio on and off, and tuning the radio by clicking here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff769541(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 19 - Accessing the Microphone in a Silverlight application
- ...For Day 19 of your 30 to Launch adventure, let’s think through how you would access the Microphone in your Silverlight application (assuming you’ve chosen to build a Silverlight app). As you’re aware, Windows Phone provides a robust media platform that allows application developers to stream video and audio, control the FM tuner, and integrate with the Music + Videos Hub (reference our post from two days ago). This article will help you understand how to get audio input from the Windows Phone microphone in a Silverlight application by using the Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Audio.Microphone class:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg442302(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 18 - Extending the search experience with App Connect
- ...12 more days to go in 30 to Launch! Today let’s talk about extending the search experience on Windows Phone by enabling App Connect in your application. To learn about how to create an App Connect-enabled application and test it with various quick cards: product cards, place cards, and movie cards, click here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh286420(v=vs.92).aspx The application feature in this topic also extracts parameters from the App Connect deep link URI and displays them on an application page.
Day 17 - Integrating with the Music and Videos Hub for Windows Phone
- ...It’s Day 17 of 30 to Launch. Let’s keep up the momentum! Let’s talk about integrating your app with the Music and Videos hub. The Music + Videos Hub is a focal point for all music, video, and podcast activity on a Windows Phone. Applications in the Music + Videos Hub provide an integrated music and video experience on the phone as its primary function. These applications integrate with the Music + Videos Hub using the MediaHistory and MediaHistoryItem classes to help ensure a consistent end-user experience for media playback. Learn how to integrate your app by clicking here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff769558(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 16 - Extending the Pictures Hub and picture viewer experience
- ...16 Days into 30 to Launch! Today let's cover extending the Pictures Hub and picture viewer experience in your app using App Connect. Your application can extend Windows Phone in three ways: 1.) Pictures Hub: Let users launch your photo application from the apps pivot page in the Pictures Hub; 2.) Picture Viewer: Let users launch your photo application from the apps link in the picture viewer. From the deep link URI, obtain a token that corresponds to the picture that your application was launched from; and 3.) Share Picker: Let users launch your application from the share link in the picture viewer and share their photos to a web service. From the deep link URI, obtain a file ID that corresponds to the picture that your application was launched from. For information around how to implement these elements, here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh202966(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 15 - Using Launchers and Choosers with your app
- ...Week three of 30 to Launch kicks off today. Today’s topic is all about using Launchers and Choosers in your app. Launchers and Choosers enable users to perform common tasks and provide an overall consistent user experience. At the same time, by using Launchers and Choosers you can distinguish your applications by providing additional functionality. Examples of Launcher tasks include composing an email, sharing a link on a social network, and opening the browser to a specific website, with additional information here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff769550(v=vs.92).aspx. Examples of Chooser tasks include selecting a contact’s email address, selecting a photo from the phone, and saving a new ringtone, with more information here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff769543(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 14 - Downloading data with WebClient on Windows Phone
- ...Just about the halfway mark of 30 to Launch! Wasn’t sure you’d make it this far? You have! The Windows Phone Application Platform provides many features for building compelling web-integrated applications. Let's explore how to download and grab data with WebClient via learning to create a basic RSS reader. The guidance and code examples in this topic are based on a code sample called RSS Reader Sample, which can be downloaded from the Code Samples for Windows Phone page: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff431744(v=vs.92).aspx . To follow along and learn how to build a basic RSS Reader for Windows Phone, click here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh487167(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 13 - Using the Isolated Storage Explorer Tool
- ...It’s lucky Day 13 of 30 to Launch. Today you will learn how to use the isolated storage explorer tool. Isolated Storage Explorer (ISETool.exe) is a command-line tool that was installed with the Windows Phone SDK. You use Isolated Storage Explorer to list, copy, and replace files and directories in isolated storage. This enables you to verify that files are being saved in the correct location with the correct data. Very important to know! For more information about how to use isolated storage with Windows Phone applications click here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh286408(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 12 - Storing files and folders with Windows Phone
- ...It’s Day 12 of 30 to Launch! Today let's cover storing files and folders with Windows Phone. Specifically, let’s look at how to perform the following isolated storage tasks in your application: Obtain a virtual store for an application; Create a parent folder; Create and add text to an isolated storage file; and, Read the text placed in the storage file. The objective is to create a single-page application in which you can enter a string of text, write it to a file, and then read the contents of the text file. Read more about it and see some examples here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff626519(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 11 - Using Photos with your Windows Phone app
- ...Day 11 here of 30 to Launch. It’s time to talk about using photos with your Windows Phone app. Great images get a lot of attention and the ability by end users to take and select photos can contribute to app usage – especially if end users can’t wait to launch your app! Implementing the camera capture task enables users to take a photo from your application using the built-in camera application. To learn how to use the camera capture task, click here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh394006(v=vs.92).aspx. You can also implement the Photo Chooser task to enable users to select an existing photo from the phone. Read more here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh394019(v=vs.92).aspx. Say cheese and get click’n!
Day 10 - Working with Tiles in Windows Phone
- ...Day 10 of 30 to Launch: you’re a third of the way there! Today let's think about how to create, delete, and update tiles for Windows Phone. Backing up just a bit, a Tile is a link to an application displayed in Start. There are two types: Application Tiles and secondary Tiles. The Application Tile is created when a user pins an application to the home screen. Tapping the Application Tile navigates to the application’s opening page. A secondary Tile is created programmatically by an application based on interaction from the user. Typical uses for a secondary Tile include a weather application that pins a Tile to Start for each city that the user wants a weather report for, or a news application that pins a Tile to Start for each type of news that the user would like to see. Note that you can have secondary Tiles for an application on Start without having an Application Tile. Here's a great sample demonstrating how to update an Application Tile as well as how to create, delete, and update secondary tiles: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh202979(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 9 - Performing Page Navigation on Windows Phone
- ...21 more days to go -- let's do this! Time to talk about page navigations which enable navigation back and forth between different screens of content in your application. Pages hold discrete sections of content in your application. The Windows Phone Application Platform provides frame and page classes to facilitate navigation to separate sections of content. You can create as many different pages as needed to present the content in your application and then navigate to those pages from the frame. You can learn how to perform page navigation on Windows Phone here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff626521(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 8 - Applying Theme Resources for Windows Phone
- ...All right, day two of week two of 30 to Launch. Your app undoubtedly is well on its way! Today let's talk about how to apply theme resources to your Windows Phone application. A theme is a set of resources used to personalize the visual elements on a Windows Phone device. You can create applications that preserve the look and feel of the native device user interface (UI) from a stylistic standpoint (e.g., background colors and accent colors). Theme resources ensure that controls and UI elements appear consistently across Windows Phone devices to make for a great user experience. You can learn more here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff769545(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 7 - Changing the on-screen keyboard input scope in Windows Phone
- ...It’s Week two of 30 to Launch and the excitement continues. Today the spotlight is on changing the on-screen keyboard input scope in Windows Phone. When you use controls such as text boxes in your Windows Phone application, the user enters data by using the on-screen keyboard. Depending on the type of data the user is entering, the input scope of default keyboard may not be the best choice. You can make it much faster and easier for users to enter data in your Windows Phone applications by changing the on-screen keyboard to one of many built-in options. Learn more here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg521152(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 6 - Adding an application bar to your application
- ...It's Sunday and the close of the first week of 30 to Launch. It’s been an exciting week! Time to think about adding an application bar to your Windows Phone application. The Application Bar is a row of icon buttons along the bottom of the phone’s screen that provide users with quick access to an application’s most common tasks. You can find a lot of great information on the following sites. To create an Application Bar in XAML , click here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh394040(v=vs.92).aspx and to create an Application Bar in code, click here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff431786 (v=vs.92).aspx . You can find more information specifically on changing Icon Buttons and Menu Items dynamically here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff431786(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 5 - Adding panorama and pivot controls to your application
- ...5 days down, 25 more to go. There are lots of ways to connect with the 30 to Launch community – you’re not alone in your journey. For more information on the community, from the Home page, click on "Visit the Community". Down to business. Today’s featured topic is about adding Panorama and Pivot control to your application. Panoramic experiences are a part of the native Windows Phone look and feel. Unlike standard applications that are designed to fit within the confines of the phone screen, panoramic applications offer a unique way to view controls, data, and services by using a long horizontal canvas that extends beyond the confines of the screen. Meanwhile the Windows Phone Pivot control provides a quick way to manage views or pages. It can be used for filtering large datasets, viewing multiple data sets, or switching application views. Learn to implement Panorama here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en- us/library/ff941109(v=vs.92).aspx and to add Pivot Controls here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff941103(v=vs.92).aspx
Your app sure must be shaping up nicely now with those adds!
Day 4 - Creating a splash screen for your Windows Phone application
- ...Welcome to day four of the 30 to Launch challenge. For any application that takes more than a couple of seconds to load, it is recommended to include a splash screen to give the user immediate feedback that the application is launching. Who doesn’t want reassurance that their app is loading, right? When an application is launched, the splash screen is immediately displayed and will remain displayed until the navigation to the first page is complete. Read more about how to create a splash screen for your Windows Phone application here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff769511(v=vs.92).aspx Come back tomorrow for another tip of the day!
Day 3 - Building your first Silverlight Application for Windows Phone
- ...It's day three of 30 to Launch. Many of you are building your first application for Windows Phone. Now is the time to determine whether you’ll be creating a Silverlight application or an XNA Framework application. Most applications are created using Silverlight with a number of games created using XNA Framework. Think about the type of application you are creating, the type of end user you are targeting, and what your app will do. With that in mind, for information on creating your first Silverlight application you can dive deeper here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff402526(v=vs.92).aspx and if it’s a XNA Framework application you’re creating, click here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff472340(v=vs.92).aspx
Day 2 - Creating your first Windows Phone user interface
- ...For day two of your 30 to Launch adventure it's time to think about creating a great Windows Phone user interface (UI) for your cool new app. XAML is the declarative language used in Silverlight to create your UI - e.g., controls, shapes, text, and other content presented on the screen. For more on creating a cool user interface for your application click here: http://create.msdn.com/en-US/education/quickstarts/Creating_the_Windows_Phone_User_Interface_(XAML)
Day 1 - Metro Design Principles: Designing your Windows Phone app
- ...The 30 day countdown starts today! You have probably been thinking long and hard about the Windows Phone application you will develop by the end of the 30 days. Be sure you've downloaded the Windows Phone SDK. If you have not got around to it, click on the Get Ready page where you can find the link to the SDK. Ready to get started? First things first - let’s think about the design of your application. After you’ve had a chance to watch to the Development Showcase Video which sets the theme for this week, extend your understanding of Metro-based Windows Phone Design Principles with this MSDN documentation: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh202915(v=VS.92).aspx
