Introduction to Silverlight

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Introduction to Silverlight

• Alan Cobb
• Independent .NET Consultant
• Alan Cobb Associates, Inc.
• Sacramento, CA
• alan -at- alancobb -dot- com
• Friday, March 7, 2008
• 1015 am 1145 am

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About Alan Cobb

• Independent consultant since mid-80s on Microsoft
  platforms
• .NET, C, C, WinForms, WPF
• One of directors of the SacDotNet User Group
• http//www.alancobb.com

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Presentation Overview

• What is Silverlight?
• How does it relate to other client-side
  technologies? How important is it?
• What can it do?
• Feature details and demos
• Silverlight app development walk-walkthrough.
• Expression Blend. Visual Studio 2008.

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What is Silverlight?

• Like Flash
• Browser plug-in cross-browser, cross-platform
• Animated ads, video, applications (like Flex)
• Benefits
• Write-once-run-everywhere,
• Adds functionality not in HTML / AJAX

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Versions of Silverlight

• v 1.0
• RTM in Sept. 2007
• Code behind JavaScript only
• v 1.1 / 2
• .NET based
• SL 1.1 Alpha introduced in Spring 2007.
• SL 2 Beta 1 released at MIX08 in March 2008
• RTM maybe Q3-2008? For Olympics?
• Code behind - .NET languages C, etc.
• Partial .NET class library

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SL for Mobile Schedule
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SL for Mobile Weatherbug Demo
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Inside Silverlight 2
Silverlight 2
GUI eye-candy
XAML, Layout, Styling, Animation
.NET plumbing
CLR, Base Class Libraries
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Comparing client platforms
Desktop
Web
Silverlight
Flash / Flex
WPF
WinForms Win32Win16
HTML / CSS / JavaScript / AJAX
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Competing technologies

• Web-based
• Adobe Flash / Flex
• Ajax HTML CSS JavaScript
• Desktop based smart clients
• WPF on high end
• 3D, Hardware acceleration
• WinForms (Mature, proven)
• Desktop-web hybrid (?)
• Adobe AIR

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Silverlight and WPF Differences

• WPF
• Windows only
• Requires 50 / 200 MB .NET 3.x runtime
• Steeper learning curve
• Silverlight
• Cross OS, cross browser
• Small download (approx. 4 to 5 MB)
• Reduced feature set
• Sandboxed Secure but limiting

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How important is Silverlight?

• This is a big deal
• Once-every-20-years event
• Existing client-side web technology has reached
  the peak of its life-cycle
• Fresh start of a new client GUI technology
• Web is where the action is
• The network is the computer

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What Can Silverlight Do?Feature Details
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SL2 Feature Summary

• GUI system features
• XAML, etc.
• Controls
• What controls come in the box?
• Data
• Features related to database-type apps
• Communications
• Web services

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GUI System Features

• WPF subset
• Vector based vs. pixel based
• Scalable Looks good at multiple resolutions
• Dynamic layouts
• XAML Similar to HTML
• Declarative
• Designers and programmers work in parallel
• Rich customization is easier
• Lookless controls
• Styles and templating

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Non-GUI Features

• More than just eye-candy
• OpenFileDialog
• Threads
• Direct cross-domain access rather than proxied by
  your server.

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SL2 Features Controls

• Controls
• Extensible control base classes
• Common controls
• Textbox, Checkbox, Radiobutton, etc
• TabControl, Slider, ScrollViewer, ProgressBar,
  etc
• Layout controls
• Grid, StackPanel
• Data controls
• DataGrid, etc

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SL2 Features Control Source Code
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SL2 Features Data

• Data
• 2-way data binding
• More LINQ support
• LINQ to XML
• LINQ to Objects

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SL2 Features Communications

• Communications
• REST, POX, RSS, and WS- communication
• Cross domain network access (coming)
• Sockets (no cross-domain yet)
• WCF? (How much client side?)

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SL2 Features Other

• Isolated Storage
• Secure
• Size? (100KB, expandable to X?)
• Security
• See Perry Birchs talk from 130-300

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Feature Unknowns (?)

• Local client integration?
• Read and write local files?
• Read local mic and webcam? (Not in Beta 1)
• Depth of class libraries?
• Pay-for-play

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Resources

• Recorded videos
• Sessions from MIX08, MIX07
• Forums
• silverlight.net / forums
• Books
• Adam Nathans WPF book
• Silverlight 2 books in the pipeline

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Resource MIX session videos
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Features in ActionDemos
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Demos Showcase
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Demo Deep Zoom
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Demo Home Shopping Network
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Demo Indian Fashion Show
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Demo SL1.1 Chess App
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Demo Silverlight Airlines
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Demo MS Download Center
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Demo 3rd Party Control Vendor
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Other possible demos

• tafiti
• Search front-end from MS in SL
• Popfly
• Mashup builder from MS in SL
• Silverlight.net / Showcase
• Seattle PI Reader (WPF currently)
• Shows possible future for SL (Rich text)

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SilverlightDevelopmentWalk-through
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Silverlight Tools

• Expression Blend
• For graphic designers
• GUI builder
• Visual Studio 2008
• For programmers
• Includes a more limited GUI builder

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ScottGu SL2 Intro Tutorials
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ScottGus SL2 Digg Client