{"id":17594,"date":"2013-07-08T21:01:55","date_gmt":"2013-07-08T13:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=17594"},"modified":"2023-04-06T21:59:04","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T13:59:04","slug":"windows-8-app-development-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/windows-8-app-development-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Develop Your Windows 8 App – Resources, Tools and Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Windows 8 app market is booming, according to MetroScore Scanner<\/strong>, there are now more than 100,000 apps in the Windows 8 app store, twice the number of apps that were available just a mere three months prior. A great catalyst to the fast growth was probably due to the reward system<\/a> launched by Microsoft to entice developers to submit good apps<\/strong> to the Windows Store.<\/p>\n

While far from the 700,000 apps in the Play Store and 850,000 iOS apps in the App store, 100,000 apps in the Windows Store means your<\/em> Win 8 app stands a great chance of standing out. There\u2019s never been a better time to create a Windows 8 app. Plus, it\u2019s also a lot easier to do than you think, and you don\u2019t even have to know how to code.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recommended Reading:<\/strong> 50 Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Know<\/a><\/p>\n

To Build A Windows 8 App<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re a Windows developer then you\u2019ll already have everything you need to create a Windows app, which means there\u2019s no steep learning curve, and there\u2019s no need to spend a fortune on new coding tools.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not then you\u2019ll need a copy of Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows 8<\/strong> it\u2019s free and available to download from Microsoft. And a of course you\u2019ll need a copy of Windows 8.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re a Mac user<\/strong> then you\u2019ll be pleased to hear that you can build Windows 8 apps on Mac. Microsoft is so keen for everyone to produce Windows apps that they\u2019ve created a helpful page<\/a> to show users how to build Windows 8 apps using a Mac.<\/p>\n

Coding Skills Required?<\/h2>\n

If you want to write your own code, then you\u2019ll need knowledge of either a web development language like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, or a conventional programming language, such as C++, C# or Visual Basic (VB.NET) and XAML.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unfamiliar with any of those languages then there\u2019s a free ebook Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript<\/strong> from Microsoft Press, that covers everything you need to know to build a Windows 8 app. There are also a handful of sample apps and chunks of code that you can download and cut and paste to make things easier.<\/p>\n

Building \u2018Touch First\u2019<\/h2>\n

While the coding is similar the interface is something new altogether. The Windows Modern user interface (UI) was designed for touch screens, and works in a different way than the standard Windows UI that we\u2019ve grown used to.<\/p>\n

Microsoft wants app designers to design for \u2018touch first\u2019. Developers will need to think in a more graphical way and consider things, such as the increasing the spacing between links on the app<\/strong> (fingers are \u2018larger\u2019 than a mouse pointer making links that are too close together difficult to click on).<\/p>\n

The upshot of this \u2018touch first\u2019 design requirement is that you will probably need to spend a bit longer on the design than you would on a normal desktop application.<\/p>\n

Additionally if you\u2019re going to produce an app for Windows Phone 8 devices you will also need to consider what the app will look like on different devices and in different orientations<\/strong> e.g. a small portrait-format screen rather than the normal landscape screen you get on a PC.<\/p>\n

Mastering Windows 8 Design<\/h2>\n

If this sounds tricky then there are a few very useful web pages and books available that can help you get to grips with the Modern design. The Planning Windows Store apps<\/strong> pages<\/a> on MSDN are a good starting point and will guide you through all the things you\u2019ll need to consider before designing your app.<\/p>\n

Additionally the Design Guidance for Windows Store apps<\/strong> pages<\/a> give some user experience guidelines as well as information on things like:<\/p>\n