Full color: Learn how to build great Windows Store apps! Figures and code appear as they do in Visual Studio. Windows 8.1 enables you to build stunning applications that integrate with each other, Web services, and Windows itself. You can sell them in the Windows Store, with more options than ever before, for tablets such as Surface, laptops, and traditional desktop PCs! World-renowned Microsoft programming guru Adam Nathan shows you exactly how to write first-class apps for this significant update to Windows. Don’t let the minor name change fool you--Windows 8.1 contains an incredible amount of new developer opportunities compared to Windows 8. Clear, accessible, and intensely practical, this guide teaches through concise code examples, in full color to match their appearance in Visual Studio--the same approach that made Nathan’s WPF Unleashed so popular. Writing with unprecedented depth and insight, Nathan guides you through creating advanced user interfaces with XAML and exploiting key Windows 8.1 features. Whether you’re already comfortable with Microsoft programming or relatively new to it, Windows 8.1 Apps with XAML and C# Unleashed will take you to the cutting edge of Windows 8.1 development. Detailed information on how to... Use XAML to represent state-of-the-art user interfaces, even across multiple windows Handle touch, mouse, keyboard, and pen input, including handwriting recognition Use new Windows 8.1 controls for creating hubs, flyouts, better app bars, performing in-app searches, rendering PDFs, and much more Encode, decode, and transcode multimedia content and speech-enable your app Leverage rich XAML vector graphics and animation Interact with built-in functionality such as the Camera app, file picker, the lock screen, new contacts and appointments integration, and more Exploit the Windows 8.1 charms bar Integrate DirectX graphics seamlessly Work with the rich set of available sensors: accelerometer, compass, light sensor, location (with geofencing support), proximity, and more Control devices such as fingerprint readers, image and bar code scanners, magnetic stripe readers, and custom Bluetooth, USB, HID, or Wi-Fi Direct devices

Table of Contents:
Introduction  1 Part I: Getting Started Chapter 1: Hello, Real World!  9 Creating, Deploying, and Profiling an App  9 Understanding the App Package  12 Updating XAML and C# Code  22 Making the App World-Ready  30 Making the App Accessible  36 Submitting to the Windows Store  40 Summary  42 Chapter 2: Mastering XAML  43 Elements and Attributes  44 Namespaces  45 Property Elements  47 Type Converters  48 Markup Extensions  49 Children of Object Elements  51 Mixing XAML with Procedural Code  56 XAML Keywords  59 Summary  61 Part II: Building an App Chapter 3: Sizing, Positioning, and Transforming Elements  63 Controlling Size  64 Controlling Position  68 Applying 2D Transforms  71 Applying 3D Transforms  79 Summary  82 Chapter 4: Layout  83 Discovering Your Window Size and Location  84 Panels  89 Handling Content Overflow  105 Summary  116 Chapter 5: Interactivity  117 Dependency Properties  117 Routed Events  124 Commands  129 Summary  131 Chapter 6: Handling Input: Touch, Mouse, Pen, and Keyboard  133 Touch Input  134 Mouse Input  156 Pen Input  159 Keyboard Input  168 Summary  174 Part III: Working with the App Model Chapter 7: App Lifecycle  175 Killing  177 Suspending  178 Resuming  181 Terminating  181 Launching  182 Activating  185 Managing Session State with SuspensionManager  187 Programmatically Launching Apps  190 Summary  193 Chapter 8: Threading, Windows, and Pages  195 Understanding the Threading Model for Windows Store Apps  195 Displaying Multiple Windows  200 Navigating Between Pages  204 Summary  211 Chapter 9: The Many Ways to Earn Money  213 Adding Advertisements to Your App  214 Supporting a Free Trial  220 Supporting In-App Purchases  224 Validating Windows Store Receipts  232 Testing Windows Store Features  235 Summary  240 Part IV: Understanding Controls Chapter 10: Content Controls  241 Button  244 AppBarButton  247 HyperlinkButton  254 RepeatButton  256 ToggleButton  256 AppBarToggleButton  256 CheckBox  257 RadioButton  258 ToolTip  259 App Bars  262 Summary  269 Chapter 11: Items Controls  271 Items in the Control  272 Items Panels  274 ComboBox  277 ListBox  279 ListView  281 GridView  285 FlipView  287 SemanticZoom  289 MenuFlyout  292 Summary  293 Chapter 12: Text  295 TextBlock  295 RichTextBlock  308 TextBox  313 RichEditBox  321 PasswordBox  324 Summary  326 Chapter 13: Images  327 The Image Element  328 Multiple Files for Multiple Environments  337 Decoding Images  342 Encoding Images  351 Rendering PDF Content as an Image  359 Summary  365 Chapter 14: Audio, Video, and Speech  367 Playback  368 Capture  380 Transcoding  392 Speech Synthesis  397 Summary  399 Chapter 15: Other Controls  401 Range Controls  401 SearchBox  404 Popup Controls  411 Hub  421 Date and Time Controls  426 ProgressRing  429 ToggleSwitch  429 WebView  430 Summary  436 Part V: Leveraging the Richness of XAML Chapter 16: Vector Graphics  437 Shapes  438 Geometries  444 Brushes  452 Summary  466 Chapter 17: Animation  469 Theme Transitions  470 Theme Animations  481 Custom Animations  486 Custom Keyframe Animations  500 Easing Functions  505 Manual Animations  509 Summary  511 Chapter 18: Styles, Templates, and Visual States  513 Styles  514 Templates  524 Visual States  533 Summary  543 Chapter 19: Data Binding  545 Introducing Binding  545 Controlling Rendering  554 Customizing the View of a Collection  562 High-Performance Rendering with ListView and GridView  566 Summary  569 Part VI: Exploiting Windows 8.1 Chapter 20: Working with Data  571 An Overview of Files and Folders  571 App Data  573 User Data  579 Networking  584 Summary  595 Chapter 21: Supporting Charms  597 The Search Charm  597 The Share Charm  603 The Devices Charm  611 The Settings Charm  620 Summary  625 Chapter 22: Leveraging Contracts  627 Account Picture Provider  629 AutoPlay Content and AutoPlay Device  631 File Type Associations  634 Protocol  636 File Open Picker  637 File Save Picker  641 Contact Picker  642 The New Contact Contract  644 The New Appointments Provider Contract  648 Background Tasks  650 Summary  659 Chapter 23: Reading from Sensors  661 Accelerometer  661 Gyrometer  665 Inclinometer  665 Compass  665 Light Sensor  665 Orientation  666 Location  666 Proximity  674 Summary  677 Chapter 24: Controlling Devices  679 Fingerprint Readers  679 Image Scanners  680 Barcode Scanners  684 Magnetic Stripe Readers  687 Custom Bluetooth Devices  689 Custom Bluetooth Smart Devices  692 Custom USB Devices  695 Custom HID Devices  698 Custom Wi-Fi Direct Devices  700 Summary  702 Chapter 25: Thinking Outside the App: Live Tiles, Notifications, and the Lock Screen  703 Live Tiles  703 Badges  718 Secondary Tiles  720 Toast Notifications  722 Setting Up Push Notifications  728 The Lock Screen  736 Summary  738 Part VII: Advanced Features Chapter 26: Integrating DirectX  739 Integrating as an Image Source  740 Integrating the Swap Chain  747 Summary  752 Chapter 27: Custom Controls and Components  755 Creating a User Control  756 Creating a More Complex Control  759 Creating a Templated Control  771 Creating a Windows Runtime Component  776 Summary  779 Chapter 28: Layout with Custom Panels  781 Communication Between Parents and Children  782 Creating a SimpleCanvas  785 Creating a SimpleStackPanel  789 Creating a UniformGrid  792 Summary  798 Index  799