This tutorial is going to show you how to develop Modern UI applications (also called Metro-style applications). You will see the different steps such as creation and configuration of the project, the development using Visual Studio 2012 and its deployment on the Windows Store.
Modern UI applications can be developed using multiples languages. So if you are experienced in web development (HTML5/CSS3), .NET application development (XAML/C#, VB, or C++) or DirectX application development (C++), you already have the necessary skills to develop your first application.
There are multiple display modes for Modern UI applications. You should know that by default they are border-less and full-screen (but you may change that).
Modern UI applications may currently only run on the Windows 8 and Windows 2012 operation systems. But they are running on all devices that are compatible with those operation systems (Desktop PCs, Laptops, Tablets, etc…).
Prerequisites for Modern UI applications
To be able to develop you first Modern UI application you have to have some prerequisites in place. Here are the technical requirements :
- Windows 8 (Professional or Enterprise) / Windows Server 2012
- Visual Studio 2012 (Professional or Ultimate)
- Developer License (see below)
That is all ! After installation of those products you are now able to create your first Modern UI application project.
Project Creation
Start Visual Studio 2012, make sure that .NET Framework 4.5 is selected and click on “New Project” (you may also do this from the menu by clicking on “File” / “New” / “Project”). Create a new project of type “Blank App (XAML)”, which you may find under the “Windows Store” section.
If this is the first time you have ever created a Modern UI application, you will not have a valid developer license for Windows 8. But this is really no problem, since you may ask for one for free.
You now have to connect yourself with a valid Windows Live account, then the system will present you with the following dialog. Just click on “I Agree” and the developer license will be downloaded to your system.
If you already had a license but it is not valid anymore (licenses are currently only valid during 1 month), then you have to renew it. For being able to develop Modern UI applications you have to have a valid developer license all the time.
The skeleton of your new application gets now generated. In the next parts of the series we will continue with the actual development of the application and see how to debug and in the end deploy it.
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