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For those of you who are app developers on the Windows 8 platform, Microsoft has changed a few things based on user feedback in terms of XAML app development. In an official blog post today, Microsoft outlines the XAML changes from Windows 8 to the upcoming Windows 8.1.
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Windows Store app developers, like yours truly, have been using Visual Studio 2012 to design apps for Windows 8. However, with the recent release of Windows 8.1 Preview and Visual Studio 2013 Preview, app developers will have noticed a bit of a change in terms of app development. Apps built for Windows 8 will need to be migrated to work “properly” on Windows 8.1. Most of the time, the app will work fine. However, Windows 8.1 introduces a few new features so it is imperative that app developers learn what they are so the app can work flawlessly on Windows 8.1.
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“In Visual Studio 2013 Preview, the default XAML templates have been redesigned to take advantage of new features introduced in Windows 8.1 Preview. As part of the redesign, we focused on two major areas: incorporating your feedback and simplifying the templates to make it easier for apps to consume them,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.
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We’re going to dive into some technical terms here. If you are an app developer for the Windows Store platform, you will know what we’re talking about. Apps no longer use LayoutAwarePage in Windows 8.1 as well as the typical Snap template. Instead, apps can utilize Window.SizeChanged events and react appropriately to the size of the Snapped app.
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Migrating your app to Windows 8.1 isn’t difficult at all, according to the company. “Many developers have already created apps using the Windows 8 templates and want to be able to migrate them to target Windows 8.1 Preview without having to start from scratch with a new template. As it turns out, there is very little that you have to do to upgrade the template code in your app,” Microsoft explains.
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Head over to the source link to see all the changes in XAML. A must read for Windows Store app developers!
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