Beginning Windows 8 Application Development

Chapter 8

Working with XAML Controls

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS CHAPTER:

• Understanding and creating animations and transitions in Windows 8 style applications
• Understanding and applying transformations
• Understanding how to change the visual look of controls
• Getting acquainted with Microsoft Expression Blend
• Getting acquainted with the powerful Windows 8 style-specific complex controls

WROX.COM CODE DOWNLOADS FOR THIS CHAPTER

You can find the wrox.com code downloads for this chapter on the Download Code tab at www.wrox.com/remtitle.cgi?isbn=012680. The code is in the Chapter8.zip download and individually named, as described in the corresponding exercises.

In this chapter, you learn some more exciting features of Windows 8 style applications that enable you to create more stunning user experiences. This chapter begins with a look at how to create animations using the Animation Library, and how to create custom animations. You also learn about important concepts such as transformations, visual customization, and a tool called Microsoft Expression Blend. By the end of this chapter, you’ll have learned how to create a custom visual experience for your user interface (UI), and will be familiar with how to present complex controls in Windows 8 style applications.

Using Animations in Your Application

Animations can make your UI come alive. With carefully designed animations, you can make your application look fast, fluid, and responsive. Additionally, animations can help the user learn ...