Silverlight: Useful links

Below are some of the resources I refer to in my Silverlight classes.

These include:

• Official Sites
• Tutorial Sites
• Best places to ask questions (forums)
• What’s new in Silverlight 3
• What’s new in Silverlight 4
• Downloads
• Other useful links

 

Official Sites:

 

They both claim to be “the official site”!

• The Official Site of Silverlight
  http://www.microsoft.com/SILVERLIGHT/
  
• The Official Microsoft Silverlight Site
  http://silverlight.net/

Sites for Expression Blend:

• Expression Community site
  http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

MSDN Library for Silverlight

• Home page for both 3 and 4
  “http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee656762(VS.95).aspx
  
• XAML “concepts”
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc189054(VS.96).aspx
  
• XAML object (tags) documentation (hidden in the JavaScript API section!)
  Ver 3: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb980170(VS.95).aspx
  Ver 4: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb980170(VS.96).aspx

 

Tutorial Sites:

 

• Some really great video walkthroughs here:
  http://silverlight.net/learn/videos/silverlight-videos/
  
• Very good Blend videos here:
  http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/cc136522.aspx
  
  A few samples:
• Creating a Calculator
  http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/dd334537.aspx
• Creating a Control Template in Expression Blend (Video)
  http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/cc263912.aspx
• Customizing Silverlight Video Players using Expression Blend
  http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/dd565843.aspx
• Optimizing Video for Silverlight Playback using Expression Encoder
  http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/dd565844.aspx
• Using Runtime Storyboarding in Expression Blend
  http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/dd334536.aspx

 

Best places to ask questions:

MSDN forums:

• Silverlight (formerly WPF/E) General Discussion
  http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/silverlightgeneral/threads
  
• Silverlight (formerly WPF/E) Designer Issues
  http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/silverlightdesigner/threads

Silverlight.net Forums:
(As of 12/5/09: 178,572 threads and 222,975 posts, contributed by 67,146 members from around the world!)

• http://forums.silverlight.net/default.aspx
• Installation and Setup
• Getting Started
• Hosting and Streaming
• New Features in Silverlight 3
• Silverlight 4 Beta
• Designing with Silverlight
• Video and Media
• Expression Studio
• Programming with JavaScript
• Programming with .NET – General
• Silverlight Controls and Silverlight Toolkit
• Visual Studio & Silverlight Development Tools
• Report a Silverlight Bug
• Accessing Web Services with Silverlight
• Game Development
• WCF RIA Services

 

What’s new in Silverlight 3:

• What's New in Silverlight 3
  http://silverlight.net/getstarted/silverlight3/
  
• What's New in Silverlight 3
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772166(VS.95).aspx
  
• New Features in Expression Blend 3
  http://silverlight.net/getstarted/silverlight3/
  
• What's New in Silverlight 3
  http://www.silverlightshow.net/items/What-s-New-in-Silverlight-3.aspx
  
• Video from MIX09
  http://videos.visitmix.com/MIX09/T14F

 

What’s new in Silverlight 4:

• What's New in Silverlight 4 Beta Documentation
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772166(VS.96).aspx
   
• Ensuring That Your Silverlight 3 Applications Work with Silverlight 4 Bet
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645049(VS.96).aspx
  
• Silverlight 4 - Breaking Changes since Silverlight 3 (things that break your Silverlight 3 app)
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645049(VS.96).aspx

 

Downloads:

• CodePlex – 834 projects as of today!
  http://www.codeplex.com/site/search?ProjectSearchText=silverlight
  
• An “everything you need” list:
  http://silverlight.net/getstarted/
  
• Silverlight 2 SDK
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=8D933343-038F-499C-986C-C3C7E87A60B3&displaylang=en
  
• Silverlight 3 SDK
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1ea49236-0de7-41b1-81c8-a126ff39975b&displaylang=en
  
• Silverlight 4 SDK??? See the beta info for now:
  http://silverlight.net/getstarted/silverlight-4-beta/
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc838158(VS.96).aspx
  

Other useful links…

 

What percent of users actually have Silverlight installed?

• http://www.riastats.com

Datasets and Data Tables with Silverlight:

As a .Net developer we know DataSets and DataTables, and we often deliver these via web services, but Silverlight does not directly support Datasets or Datatables. There are a few workarounds using LINQ, custom libraries and even a custom grid control…

• Displaying SQL Database Data in a DataGrid using LINQ and WCF
  http://www.silverlight.net/learn/tutorials/sqldatagrid-cs/
  
• A dataset for Silverlight project
  http://silverlightdataset.net/silverlightdataset/Default.aspx
  
• Silverlight Bindable DataGrid with DataSources (like DataSet and DataTable)
  http://slbindabledatagrid.codeplex.com/
  

Pushing data to Silverlight from a server

• Using Sockets
  http://weblogs.asp.net/dwahlin/archive/2008/04/10/pushing-data-to-a-silverlight-client-with-sockets-part-i.aspx

http://weblogs.asp.net/dwahlin/archive/2008/04/13/pushing-data-to-a-silverlight-client-with-sockets-part-ii.aspx

Dealing with Cross-Domain issues

• Official article:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645032(VS.95).aspx
  
• Notes from Yahoo
  http://developer.yahoo.com/dotnet/silverlight/2.0/securitypolicy.html
  
• Reading data and RSS with Silverlight and no cross-domain policy
  http://timheuer.com/blog/archive/2008/06/03/use-silverlight-with-any-feed-without-cross-domain-files.aspx

About loading images (and URLs)

• Different ways for loading images and files in Silverlight 2 applications
  http://blogs.msdn.com/katriend/archive/2008/04/27/different-ways-for-loading-images-and-files-in-silverlight-2-applications.aspx 

Silverlight to JavaScript, JavaScript to Silverlight:

• A few notes on HTML / JavaScript access from Silverlight
   http://techtrainingnotes.blogspot.com/2009/05/silverlight-few-notes-on-html.html

 Silverlight and SharePoint

• Using Silverlight in SharePoint 2007
  http://blogs.technet.com/vedant/archive/2009/08/07/using-silverlight-in-sharepoint-2007.aspx
  
• Integrating Silverlight 3 in SharePoint 2007
  http://karinebosch.wordpress.com/2009/07/17/integrating-silverlight-3-in-sharepoint-2007/

Exam Discounts

This is a note for people who have attended my classes. (Everyone else go see their own MCT!)

If you are thinking about Microsoft certification, check with me before signing up for an exam. I can usually get you a discount on both the exam and on practice exams.

Currently:

• 10% off of the exam
• 40% on any MeasureUp 60 Day Online Practice Test

Not all exams qualify, but most MCP exams do. MeasureUp does not have a practice test of every Microsoft exam.

If you would like a discount voucher, email me at the email address I gave you during class or just call MAX Technical Training.

 

Know any college or tech school students? They can 55% off of exams here:
http://www.prometric.com/microsoft/student

.

SharePoint: How Microsoft did it…

 

It’s always interesting to see how SharePoint sites have been built. This is especially interesting if you would like to see how to integrate Silverlight with SharePoint.

 

From the Microsoft SharePoint Team Blog: “How We Did It: SharePoint.Microsoft.com”

http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2009/06/18/how-we-did-it-sharepoint-microsoft-com.aspx

Silverlight: A few notes on HTML / JavaScript access from Silverlight

 

You can call into a Silverlight control from JavaScript in the HTML page and access Silverlight managed code properties and methods. The process is relatively straight forward really lets you use a Silverlight object as a true control, and not just a fancy animated advertisement (Sorry Flash designers…)

I will follow shortly with notes on the other half of the picture, accessing HTML objects and JavaScript functions from Silverlight code.

 

 

Accessing data / method in Silverlight from JavaScript

Step 1:  Add a reference

Add a reference to System.Windows.Browser, and add a using or Imports to your code file.

        using System.Windows.Browser;

 

Step2: Mark the item or class to be scriptable

The item can be either a property or a method. The attribute is [ScriptableMember] (<ScriptableMember> in VB.Net). Some examples show [ScriptableMemberAttribute], but the short form is preferred.

A sample property:

        private int x=9;

        [ScriptableMember]
        public int MyProperty { get { return x; } set { x = value; } }

 

The entire class can be marked as Scriptable using [ScriptableType], but note that all public members are then available for access from JavaScript.

See notes at the end of this article for more info on the use of the attributes.

 

Example:

or the entire class (warning: all publics are exposed)
[ScriptableType]
public class Calculator2
{
    public int Add(int a, int b)
       { return a + b; }

    public int Subtract(int a, int b)
    { return a – b; }
}

 

Step 3: Register the class as scriptable

Register the class as scriptable either in the app.xaml.cs, but more likely in yourpage.xaml.cs file.

Example if registered from Page.xaml

        private void UserControl_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            HtmlPage.RegisterScriptableObject("Page", this);

        }

Example to register another class:

         private void UserControl_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {

            HtmlPage.RegisterScriptableObject("MyPage",  new Class1());

        }

 

Step 4: Make the call from the HTML page:

This example makes the call from a button, but could also be done from the <BODY> onload event or the Siverlight control’s load event.

    <script>
    function GetSomeData() {
        sl = document.getElementById("Xaml1");
        alert(sl.Content.Page.MyProperty);
     }
    </script>
    <button onclick="GetSomeData()" >Get Data</button>

or as a single line:
        <button onclick="sl = document.getElementById('Xaml1');alert(sl.Content.Page.MyProperty);" >Get Data 2</button>

or even...
        <button value="Get Data" onclick="alert(document.getElementById('Xaml1').Content.Page.MyProperty);" >Get Data 2</button>

 

Some observations and discoveries…

• Both attributes are not needed!
  Some sources say that both the class must be marked as [ScriptableType] and the property or method must be marked as [ScriptableMember]. I found that just marking the class as [ScriptableType] made all public members script accessible. I also found that marking a property or method as [ScriptableMember] was all that was needed to expose the one member. It was not necessary to mark up the class at all.
  
  And I would say that Microsoft agrees with me!  ;-)
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.browser.scriptabletypeattribute(VS.95).aspx

“ScriptableTypeAttribute Class - Indicates that all public properties, methods, and events on a managed type are available to JavaScript code when they are registered by using the RegisterCreateableType method.”

“If you want to expose only a subset of properties, methods, and events as scriptable endpoints, do not use a ScriptableTypeAttribute object. Instead, attribute the subset of properties, methods, and events with a ScriptableMemberAttribute object.”

If you do choose to use [ScriptableType] and want to hide one of the public members mark it with:

   [ScriptableMember(EnableCreateableTypes = false)]

Note: the preferred notation for the attributes excludes the word “Attribute”, so use [ScriptableType] and [ScriptableMember].

 

• "HtmlAccess=Enabled" is not needed for calls INTO Silverlight, only to enable calls out.
    <asp:Silverlight ID="Xaml1" HtmlAccess=Enabled ...

 

Useful web resources:

• Using Silverlight As a Replacement for Javascript Libraries
  http://blogs.sftsrc.com/shaun/archive/2009/02/23.aspx 
  (but does say that you need to use both attributes)
  
• Silverlight and JavaScript Interop Basics 
  http://pietschsoft.com/post/2008/06/19/Silverlight-and-JavaScript-Interop-Basics.aspx
  
• Using JavaScript to detect that the user is closing the browser and to call a Silverlight routine to let Silverlight do some cleanup before closing.
  http://www.jimzimmerman.com/blog/CategoryView,category,Silverlight.aspx
  
• Using JavaScript to respond to an event raised in a Silverlight control (and the reverse)
  http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/alex_golesh/archive/2008/07/28/quick-silverlight-tip-silverlight-events-in-javascript-and-javascript-events-in-silverlight.aspx
  
• MSDN page for ScriptableType
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.browser.scriptabletypeattribute(VS.95).aspx
  
• MSDN page for ScriptableMember
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.browser.scriptablememberattribute(VS.95).aspx
  
• MSDN page for RegisterScriptableObject
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.browser.htmlpage.registerscriptableobject(VS.95).aspx