We'd like to create many MonoGames inside one Visual Studio 2012 Solution. The main screen has to be a Windows Store Application. From the main menu, we'd be able to navigate to specified minigame and when it finishes, navigate back to main menu. Is it possible to create that? Is this project correct in Microsoft Windows Store?
You can create multiple Windows Store apps (or projects) from one Visual Studio solution. Each project will have its own package file. However, they are separate apps and not related to each other. One alternative is to create one solution (or one Windows Store app) with multiple games. For example, you create one or a set of xaml pages for each game, and then navigate between these xaml pages. I know this approach works but just haven't tested it with MonoGame. For more info on packaging, check out Packaging your Windows Store app using Visual Studio 2012.
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I am currently working on a Windows desktop application using VB.net where I would like to have a file and folder browsing interface directly integrated, i.e. the user does not have to open a file browser dialog to select files.
My file browser should resemble the original Windows file explorer at least in that it uses the same icons for the most common locations. For example, I would like to include the "Favorites" folder with the appropriate icon (please note that this is NOT the IE favorites folder, but the folder which comes up when you type shell:links into the address bar of the file explorer).
My problem is fetching the icon. So far, I have written a wrapper class for some functions of the Windows API, notably SHGetKnownFolderPath and SHGetFileInfo. My approach is the following:
1) Use SHGetKnownFolderPath to get the full path to the respective location (which depends on the Windows version and localization). This part works like expected. For example, on my system (W7 Pro x64), SHGetKnownFolderPath returns "C:\Users\Administrator\Links" when queried with the respective rfid.
2) Use SHGetFileInfo to fetch the icon which Windows considers the default icon for the path obtained in 1). This part technically works as well, but the wrong icon is returned - wrong in the sense that it is another icon than Windows file explorer uses for the same location.
I have tried that with four different locations (MyLibraries, MyFavorites (Links), MyComputer, MyNetwork). The icon for MyLibraries was the expected one, the other three were completely different from the icons Windows file explorer uses.
So I have got some questions:
1) Is there any way to detect which icons are used by the standard Windows file explorer for certain folders, e.g. "Favorites" (C:\Users\Administrator\Links on my machine)? I would be interested in a general solution (i.e. a solution which works for all locations described here).
2) If there is no such way, I will find out the number (index) of all icons of interest in shell32.dll (actually, there are only a few at the moment). Can I be sure that those indexes won't change in the future?
3) According to this document, I have to call CoInitialize before using SHGetFileInfo. I believe that the .NET framework automatically does this for the main thread before starting it and thus have not done it on my own yet (the development of the application has just started, and there is only one thread at the moment).
I think that the missing call to CoInitialize can't be the cause for the "wrong" icons. If I'm wrong here, please let me know.
A potential solution could be using a .NET language or the native Windows API / SDK. As long as there is some way (even an extremely complicated one) to use the solution from within VB.net, I will be happy with it.
Explorer uses 2 ways to detect icon of any object, file or folder.
1) call IShellFolder.GetUIObjectOf(IExtractIconA/W) and work with IExtractIcon.
2) query IShellFolder.QueryInterface(IShellIcon) and call IShellIcon.GetIconOf.
You can do the same.
In multiple Windows Store App tutorials i have come across, where Visual Studio 2012 is used, the user is told to delete MainPage.xaml and replace it with a new item called Basic Page.
Since Windows Store Apps is not available in the version I'm using (Visual Studio 2015 Ultimate), when creating a new project, I went with Windows Universal Blank App. The problem is I can't find the Basic Page item in the version I'm using.
Is there an equivalent item I can use instead?
Edit: YouTube tutorial link
I know absolutely nothing about Windows Store Apps and Universal Apps, but was told by my CS teacher that I should use Windows Universal App, when creating the project. The tutorial was his recommendation, and he expects that I finish it during the weekend, so I can't ask him about it. I'm guessing there must be some difference between WSA and WUA. I can't see any item that looks like Basic Page, and I don't really know why the guy is replacing the MainPage.xaml with a Basic Page, so i'm clueless about what to do now.
You should use Blank Page option instead.
Difference between Basic Page and Blank Page
Basic Page- This on addition also adds some boilerplate code related to navigation inside your app along with back button and Appname header in XAML code.
Blank Page- Only adds a default page with basic navigation.
Make sure you have installed app development SDK's, since under C# you are supposed to get Universal option which I am not seeing in your current screenshot.
If you install Windows 8.1 SDK then you might get Basic Page template option. But for windows 10 SDK you can use Template10 add it as nuget package which already contains these navigation related boilerplate codes.
I have to do a Windows Store application in XAML and C#, and the "Grid app" template is almost exactly what I need...
The problem is that this template displays same items, divided in groups.
For my app, I would like to do exactly the same thing but for different type of items instead and have a different details page for each type of item...
This is my first app and I don't manage to do it... How can I do it easily ?
The new "Hub" control of Windows 8.1 would be really perfect, But I can't work with Visual studio 2013 and Windows 8.1... :
http://mikaelkoskinen.net/winrt-xaml-hub-control-getting-started-tutorial-semanticzoom/
Thanks
I finally found the solution.
I had to use a TemplateSelector :
http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Migrating-apps-from-Windows-Phone-to-Windows-8/Custom-Styling-in-Windows-Store-Apps
I am trying to create wireframes for Win 8 and i am using Blend so as to make wireframes as close to actual app as possible.
IS there any short quickstart guide which i can read to start designing the UI in Blend?
I did google online but most of them very vague in description on how to design UI.
Normally you would use something as sketchflow to create your wireframes, but that's not available for Windows Store.
Only for WPF, Silverlight and Windows Phone (phone req. download from codeplex).
To create wireframes you would need to use something else like Microsoft Powerpoint. Please note though, to do this you one of the following versions of Visual Studio to create wireframes in Powerpoint:
Visual Studio Ultimate
Visual Studio Premium
Visual Studio Test Professional.
If you want to use PowerPoint for wireframing; check this Microsoft guide out
Hint: if using Powerpoint: If you search the Visual Studio Gallery for “storyboard”, you’ll find that the lots of shapes there. The link to the gallery and search is here.
You can still use Blend to create some mock ups. You just need to drag the controls onto the screen and start laying out your app. However this isn't wireframing, this is actually building a prototype of the app rather than doing your wireframes, which is a different thing.
You can still create your content in only using Blend and the Properties Panel on the right side of the screen.
There's a ton to material available here on the general design portal for Windows Store apps: http://design.windows.com
If you want wireframes looking as close as possible to the real deal, without actually building it, I recommend doing the wireframes in either Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop.
There a lot of assets available for designing screens here
Is there a way for one Cocoa application to attach drawer-like windows to another application? We might for example want a terminal drawer that followed around a particular Finder window.
There is a program called DTerm that opens little transparent windows over Finder windows, but one might prefer persistence.
You may want to checkout SIMBL. It allows you to write nifty bundles that are loaded into the application your targeting. If you go along with it I'd reccomend using class dump to gather more information on the application your working with (although Im not sure it would work with Finder)