Windows Phone 7 for iPhone Developers

by Kevin Hoffman

Overview

Bring Your iPhone Apps and Skills to Windows Phone 7—or Build Apps for Both Mobile Platforms at Once

 

If you’ve been developing for the crowded iPhone marketplace, this book will help you leverage your iOS skills on a fast-growing new platform: Windows Phone 7 (WP7). If you’re a .NET programmer, it will help you build advanced WP7 mobile solutions that reflect valuable lessons learned by iPhone developers. If you’re a mobile development manager, it offers indispensable insights for planning cross-platform projects.

 

Kevin Hoffman guides you through the entire WP7 SDK, showing how it resembles Apple’s iOS SDK, where it differs, and how to build production-quality WP7 apps that sell. Step by step, you’ll master each technology you’ll need, including C#, Silverlight and XAML. Every new concept is introduced along with all the tools and background needed to apply it.

 

Hoffman’s practical insights extend into every facet of WP7 development: building user interfaces; hardware and device services; WP7’s unique Application Tiles; Push Notifications; the Phone Execution Model, local storage, smart clients, MVVM design, security, social gaming, testing, debugging, deployment, and more. A pleasure to read and packed with realistic examples, this is the most useful Windows Phone 7 development book you can find.

 

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Compare Apple’s Objective-C and Microsoft’s C#: “second cousins twice removed”

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Apply C# object techniques—including encapsulation, inheritance, contracts, and interfaces

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Build rich, compelling user interfaces based on Silverlight, XAML, and events

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Move from Apple’s Xcode to Visual Studio 2010 and from Interface Builder to Expression Blend

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Leverage hardware and device services, including the accelerometer, GPS, photos, contacts, e-mail, and SMS

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Create dynamic application Tiles to appear on the Start screen

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ “Push” raw data notifications to running apps

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Understand and use the Windows Phone 7 phone execution model

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Efficiently store and retrieve data on WP7 phones

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Build “smart clients” that sync locally stored data with web services

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Manage growing app complexity through “separation of concerns” and MVVM (Model-View-View Model)

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Use TDD and automated testing to accelerate and streamline development

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Create casual, connected games and social apps

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Secure apps without incurring unacceptable tradeoffs

·¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Successfully deploy apps to the Marketplace

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780132657754
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	08/08/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Kevin Hoffman (Windsor, CT) is an enterprise programmer who has extensive experience with both Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile and Apple’s iPhone platforms. Currently chief systems architect for Oakleaf Waste Management, he specializes in mobile and cloud development. He writes The .NET Addict’s Blog, served as editor-in-chief of iPhone Developer’s Journal, presented twice at Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference, and has authored and co-authored several books, including WPF Control Development Unleashed: Building Advanced User Experiences and ASP.NET 4 Unleashed.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction     1

Who Are You and Why Should I Care?     1

Why Should I Read This Book?     2

What’s in This Book?     3

Chapter 2: C# and Objective-C: Second Cousins Twice Removed     9

The Origin of Objective-C     9

The Origin of C#     10

Language Basics     11

  Core Syntax     11

  Method Calls and Message Passing     14

Memory Management     15

  Reference Counting and Object Ownership     15

  Garbage Collection     16

  Cleaning Up After Yourself–Object Finalization     18

Chapter 3: Object-Oriented Programming     21

Why OOP?     21

Building a Class     22

Encapsulating Data     23

Adding Behavior     26

Inheritance     28

Programming with Contracts     32

Namespaces Versus Naming Conventions     35

Extending Other People’s Classes     35

Chapter 4: Event-Driven Programming     39

What Is Event-Driven Programming?     39

Using the Delegate Pattern in Objective-C     40

Using Events in C#     42

Global Events and NSNotifications     46

Chapter 5: Rendering and View System Basics     51

Review of the UIKit View System     51

  Displaying Graphics and Rendering in iOS     52

Introduction to XAML and Silverlight     53

Introduction to Silverlight Layout and Rendering     55

The Two-Pass Mantra: Measure and Arrange     55

Chapter 6: From Xcode to Visual Studio     59

Xcode and iOS Application Development     59

Getting Started with Visual Studio 2010     62

Introduction to Visual Studio 2010     63

Chapter 7: Introducing Expression Blend     69

Overview of Apple’s Interface Builder     69

Introduction to Expression Blend     72

  Blend Tutorial–Working with Visual States     76

Chapter 8: Using Basic UI Elements     83

Using the Basic Controls     83

  Using Text Blocks     84

  Accepting User Input with TextBoxes     86 

  Working with Buttons     88

  Accepting Other Forms of User Input     91

  Displaying Images     93

  Using a Basic List Box     94

  Performing Basic Animations     97

Introduction to Layout in Silverlight     100

  Painting on Canvas     100

  Working with the StackPanel     101

  Using the Grid Control     101

Chapter 9: Using Advanced UI Elements     105

Migrating from Navigation Bars     105

  Using the Silverlight Navigation System     107

  Spicing Up Navigation Events with Animation     111

Migrating from Tab Bar Applications     115

  Using the Pivot Control     115

  Using a Panorama Application     118

  Using the Application Bar     120

Chapter 10: Using Hardware and Device Services     125

Review of Device Capabilities     125

Using Launchers     127

  Using the Save Phone Number Task     128

  Using the Save Email Address Task     129

  Using the Search Task     130

  Launching a Web Browser    131

  Launching the Media Player    131

  Launching the Phone Application     132

  Sending a Text Message     132

  Composing an Email Message     133

Using Choosers     133

  Using the Phone Number Chooser Task     134

  Using the Email Address Chooser Task     134

  Choosing or Capturing Photos on the Device     135

Using Hardware Services and Sensors     136

  Controlling Vibration     136

  Accessing a Radio Tuner      137

  Using the Accelerometer     138

  Using the GPS     141

Chapter 11: Introduction to Application Tiles     145

What Is a Tile?     145

Creating Your First Tile     147

Working with Tile Schedules     148

Using Remote Background Images     151

Chapter 12: Using Push Notifications     153

Review of Apple Push Notification Services (APNS)     153

WP7 Push Notifications Overview     155

Using Toast Notifications     156

Using Raw Notifications     162

Using Tile Notifications     165

Chapter 13: The Phone Execution Model     169

Multitasking on iOS 4     169

Introducing the Phone Execution Model     171

  Application Life Cycle Walkthrough     171

Managing Application and Page State     175

Chapter 14: Local Storage on the Phone     181

Core Data on the iPhone     181

Reading and Writing Local Data with WP7     184

  Isolated Storage 101     185

  Building a Storage-Backed Databound Application     186

Chapter 15: Building Smart Clients     197

Consuming RESTful Services     197

  Why LINQ to XML Is Your New Best Friend     198

Consuming WCF Services     204

Chapter 16: Separating Your Concerns     207

A Brief History of MVC     208

Introduction to MVVM     211

Working with MVVM Light for WP7     212

  Building a View Model     213

  Yes, But Will It Blend?     218 

  Working with Commands      220

  Sending Messages with MVVM Light     223

  Look Ma, No Code-Behind!     225

  Using Service Providers     227

  The AutoMapper     230

Chapter 17: Unit Testing and TDD     233

What Is Test-Driven Development?     233

  Red, Green, Refactor     234

  Mocks and Stubs     235

Unit Testing iOS Applications     237

  Logic Testing     238

  Application Testing     239

Unit Testing Windows Phone 7 Applications     239

  Working with nUnit      240

  Working with the Silverlight Unit Test Framework     241

  Mocking and Stubbing     246

  Arrange, Act, Assert     248

  Refactor. Again.     250

Chapter 18: Building Connected Social Games     253

Features of Connected Mobile Gaming Platforms     254

  Lobbies and Matchmakers     254

  Leaderboards and Achievements     255

  Turn-Based Game Play     256

  Real-Time Multiplayer Gaming     257

Overview of Apple’s Game Center and GameKit API     257

  Achievements     257

  Leaderboards     258

  Networking API     258

  In-Game Voice Chat     259

Connected Gaming Options for WP7     259

  Lobbies and Matchmakers     259

  Leaderboards and Achievements     261

  Turn-Based Game Play     263

  Real-Time Multiplayer Gaming     264

Chapter 19: Securing WP7 Applications     267

What Is a Secure Application?     267

  A Fool and His Money     268

WP7 Secure by Default     269

Protecting Data     270

Protecting Intellectual Property     275

Chapter 20: Debugging and Troubleshooting     279

Debugging and Tuning iOS Applications     279

Debugging 101     280

Debugging Windows Phone 7 Applications     281

  Using Breakpoints     281

  Logging and the Debug Class     284

Using Static Analysis     285

Chapter 21: Deploying Applications to the Marketplace     289

Introducing Zombie Apocalypse Trainer     289

Registering and Deploying to Test Devices     292

Prepping Your Application for Submission     294

Submitting an App to the Marketplace     296

Earning Money with the Mobile Advertising SDK     300

Index     301