Tuesday, October 4, 2011

C9::GoingNative 2: the Windows Runtime Library (WRL)

C9::GoingNative 2: the Windows Runtime Library (WRL)

C9::GoingNative 2: the Windows Runtime Library (WRL)

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 09:03 AM PDT

Click to watch the episode in Channel 9We're back with the third installment of C9::GoingNative.

At the recent //BUILD conference, we introduced a series of technologies targeting the upcoming version of the Windows platform. One of those consists in some extensions to the C++ language, intended to help developers bridge their C++ logic to the Windows Runtime (WinRT) environment.

C++/CX (the name of these extensions) is a lightweight syntax for COM creation, being COM the framework that allows components written in different languages to interoperate in Windows. In practice, it allows the user interface to be designed with ad hoc tools like MS Expression (XAML) or any HTML5 editor, while adding application behavior in C++.

The reception of C++/CX is mixed so far. It's being appreciated for those developers who considered COM a complex technology despite its usefulness. It's not much liked by developers who dealt with COM or the Active Template Library (ATL), an abstraction layer to make COM creation easier.

These last ones asked about an approach that doesn't involve non-standard language extensions but an API that encapsulated COM complexities. Such API is called Windows Runtime Library (WRL) and follows the principles of ATL, re-implementing those for the Windows Runtime though.

In this episode, we interviewed Sridhar Madhugiri, one of the authors of the WRL, who answered for us questions like When would you use WRL? Why would you use WRL? How do you use WRL?

Prior to that Tarek Madkour, a leader on the VC++ team, shares some wise perspectives on modern C++ for Windows 8 (Metro style apps). Enjoy this episode!!

Book review: Beginning Windows Phone 7 Development

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 04:36 AM PDT

Don't miss... The article series 'Windows Phone 7 Data Access Strategies' WP7 article series by Andrea Boschin The ebook 'Getting Ready for the Windows Phone Exam 70-599': ($4.99) All SilverlightShow Ebooks This review is for the book 'Beginning Windows...( read more )...(read more)

First Metro App

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 11:29 PM PDT

This app isn't much to brag about but it sets the stage and underpinnings for apps to follow by getting some of the 'plumbing' in hand. Along the way I used Scott Hanselman's awesome VHD instructions and then explained some of the controls using the mouse...( read more )...(read more)

Silverlight 5 in Action Book Excerpt: Using the Accelerometer from Silverlight 5 via Native Extensions

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 09:56 PM PDT

What follows is a small pre-editing excerpt from chapter 33 of Silverlight 5 in Action (without footnotes, annotations and other publishing stuff). The chapter as a whole goes into greater detail on using COM Automation, the Native Extensions for Silverlight...( read more )...(read more)

Silverlight 5 in Action Book Excerpt: Using the Accelerometer from Silverlight 5 via Native Extensions

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 09:56 PM PDT

What follows is a small pre-editing excerpt from chapter 33 of Silverlight 5 in Action (without footnotes, annotations and other publishing stuff). The chapter as a whole goes into greater detail on using COM Automation, the Native Extensions for Silverlight...( read more )...(read more)

Choices I hate to make: Constructor exceptions vs. Initialize patterns

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:58 PM PDT

I'm writing a little sample for Silverlight 5 in Action. Part of it involves a class which integrates with a 3d accelerometer sensor on Windows. In order to use the accelerometer, I have to check to see if elevated permissions is enabled before I go about...( read more )...(read more)
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