Programming Windows Store Apps with C#

If you’re a .NET developer looking to build tablet apps, this practical book takes you step-by-step through the process of developing apps for the Windows Store. You’ll learn how to use Microsoft’s Modern UI design language with Windows 8.1 and WinRT 8.1.1 by building a line-of-business mobile app with C# through the course of the book.

To develop the app, you’ll work with the same system details and design specs that apply to retail apps, such as persistence, backend service, and Windows 8 features for sharing and search. You’ll learn how to develop the code, incorporate third-party open source products, and package your app for the Windows Store.

• Build a UI with XAML and the Model/View/View-Model pattern
• Understand asynchrony—and rediscover threads and parallelism
• Store data and system settings locally with SQLite
• Use app bars for commands and the settings charm for Help options
• Present notifications as tile updates, badges, or toast popups
• Help users visualize locations and tag activities to a map
• Enable apps to share data and run side-by-side in the UI
• Implement functionality for running tasks in the background

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Making the Transition from .NET (Part 1)
Chapter 2. Making the Transition from .NET (Part 2)
Chapter 3. Local Persistent Data
Chapter 4. The App Bar
Chapter 5. Notifications
Chapter 6. Working with Files
Chapter 7. Sharing
Chapter 8. Searching
Chapter 9. Settings
Chapter 10. Location
Chapter 11. Using the Camera
Chapter 12. Responsive Design
Chapter 13. Resources and Localization
Chapter 14. Background Tasks and App Lifetime
Chapter 15. Sideloading and Distribution

Appendix A. Cryptography and Hashing
Appendix B. Unit Testing Basics for Windows Store Apps