Wow! eBook – Blog

Book Description

A hands-on guide to Microsoft’s latest rich application development technology: Silverlight 4Silverlight 4 is the newest version of the rich Internet application toolkit that provides support for .NET capabilities over the Internet. With this latest release of Silverlight, Microsoft has revolutionized the way that Web applications can be created. This book uses the popular Problem – Design – Solution strategy to demonstrate how to harness the power and abilities of Silverlight 4 to add value to the overall user experience of a Web site.

Using a Web site created by the author as a reference point, you’ll go through the steps of creating a live, fully functional application for the Web using Silverlight 4 and the Silverlight Control Toolkit. Along the way, the book addresses important design considerations, such as the use of Web Services and the SQL Server database.

• Uses the popular Problem – Design – Solution format show you how to harness the power of the latest version of Silverlight, Microsoft’s rich Internet application toolkit
• Puts the author’s own Web site to task as you learn to create rich user interfaces that integrate video, HTML, and social networking components
• Explains system linking and data flow, end user interface, system architecture based on Silverlight 4 and .NET 4, and more
• Includes coverage on integrating social networking and Facebook Download Now »

Book Description

Microsoft Silverlight is a programmable web browser plug-in that enables features including animation, vector graphics, and audio-video playback–features that characterize Rich Internet Applications. Silverlight makes possible the development of RIA applications in familiar .NET languages such as C# and VB.NET.

Silverlight is a great (and growing) Line of Business platform and is increasingly being used to build business applications. Silverlight 3 made a big step in LOB; Silverlight 4 builds upon this further. This book will enable .NET developers to feel the pulse of business application development with Silverlight quickly.

This book is not a general Silverlight 3/4 overview book. It is uniquely aimed at developers who require an introduction to building business applications with Silverlight. This book will focus on building a suite of real-world, useful business applications in a practical hands-on approach. This book is for .Net developers, providing the answers to many questions that are encountered when creating business applications in Silverlight, ultimately enabling rapid development with ease!

This book teaches you how to build business applications with Silverlight 3 and 4. Building a suite of applications, it begins by introducing you to the basic tools and skills needed to get started in Silverlight development. It then dives deeply into the world of business application development, covering all the required concepts needed to build sophisticated business applications and provide a rich user experience. Chapters include: building a public website, adding rich media to the website, incorporating RIA into your website, and among others. Download Now »

Book Description

Silverlight 3 is a user-friendly tool from Microsoft that allows developers to easily add life to web applications with dynamic user features, colorful transitions, and eye-catching animations.

We think it should be just as much fun to learn Silverlight as it is to use it. And we know that fun learning gets better results. Hello! Silverlight 3 is a fast-paced, entertaining introduction to Silverlight. In this book, User Friendly cartoon characters offer commentary and snide side comments, as the book moves quickly from Hello World into practical techniques. Each one is illustrated with a hands-on example. Along the way, readers will learn to build a simple Silverlight-based game complete with sound effects.

What’s Inside

• Use XAML to define the basic elements of a web application
• Create engaging animations to catch and hold a user’s attention
• Handle and manage user input
• Access and display data
• Interact with the file system
• And more Download Now »

Book Description

Build effective user interfaces with Windows Presentation Foundation

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is included with the Windows operating system and provides a programming model for building applications that provide a clear separation between the UI and business logic. Written by a leading expert on Microsoft graphics programming, this richly illustrated book provides an introduction to WPF development and explains fundamental WPF concepts.

Packed with helpful examples, this reference progresses through a range of topics that gradually increase in their complexity. You’ll quickly start building applications while you learn how to use both Expression Blend and Visual Studio to build UIs. In addition, the book addresses the needs of programmer who write the code behind the UI and shows you how operations can be performed using both XAML and C#.

Topics Covered:
Overview of WPF
WPF in Visual Studio
Expression Blend
Common Properties
Content Controls Download Now »

Book Description

Learn to use Devexpress ASP.NET controls, and get $250 worth of controls included with the book

Devexpress is a leading supplier of ASP.NET controls – the addins used in ASP.NET sites. Not only does this book show you how to make the most of them with Silverlight and Ajax, reporting, calendars, editors, and charts, but you also get actual controls worth $250 on the CD-ROM included with the book.

Regardless of your level of ASP.NET expertise, this complete reference will show you how to implement many award-winning and useful controls into your ASP.NET applications. Controls save time and effort as well as adding functionality, and this book helps you take full advantage of what they offer.

* Devexpress is a leading vendor for ASP.NET controls that developers can use to add features, accomplish difficult tasks, and save development and testing time
* This book addresses the all-important use of controls for Silverlight and Ajax, as well as classic essentials like reporting, editors, calendars, and charts
* Covered controls include reports and charts, HTML editors, menus and treeviews, gridview, and many more
* Explains when and where to use controls and how to add functionality without additional development
* CD-ROM includes $250 worth of Devexpress controls ready for you to use right away Download Now »

Book Description

This valuable reference—in full color—explains the major new release of Silverlight 3 which is dramatically improved over previous versions and makes the development of powerful Rich Interactive Applications (RIAs) achievable for everyone. Packed with examples and written by a highly-seasoned team of developers and designers, this book guides you through the languages, tools, and techniques that are used to build applications on the Silverlight 3 platform (Build 40522). Each chapter provides a mini-tutorial on the respective topic, and the examples serve to both educate and inspire you. The information in this book is structured to help prepare you for the real-world challenges you may face when building applications on the Silverlight platform. By the end of the book, you’ll have gained a thorough understanding of how Silverlight applications are architected, developed, and designed.

This book covers:
* XAML basics
* Silverlight 3 Tools for Visual Studio 2008, Expression Blend 3 and Silverlight Runtime and SDK
* Transforming text with render transforms
* Using graphics, visuals and adding media for a richer user experience
* Building application, making it come alive and responding to user activity
* Setting up a control project and using a custom control in an application
Download Now »