Cobb_Alan_IntroductionToSilverlight_CD v09 SD West 2008 2008 Mar 07

							Introduction to Silverlight
                Alan Cobb
     Independent .NET Consultant
     Alan Cobb & Associates, Inc.
            Sacramento, CA
      alan -at- alancobb -dot- com

        Friday, March 7, 2008
        10:15 am – 11:45 am
          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
     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.
        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
      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
SL for Mobile: Schedule
SL for Mobile: Weatherbug Demo
     Inside Silverlight 2

Silverlight 2:
  GUI “eye-candy”:
     XAML, Layout, Styling, Animation


  .NET “plumbing”:
     CLR, Base Class Libraries
Comparing client platforms
Desktop:    Web:

  WPF        Silverlight   Flash /
                           Flex




 WinForms     HTML / CSS /
 Win32        JavaScript / AJAX
 Win16
    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
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
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
What Can Silverlight Do?

    Feature Details
     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
        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
          Non-GUI Features
• More than just “eye-candy”
  – OpenFileDialog
  – Threads
  – Direct cross-domain access rather than
    proxied by your server.
     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
SL2 Features: Control Source Code
          SL2 Features: Data
• Data:
  – 2-way data binding
  – More LINQ support:
    • LINQ to XML
    • LINQ to Objects
 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?)
       SL2 Features: Other

• Isolated Storage:
  – Secure
  – Size? (100KB, expandable to X?)


• Security
  – See Perry Birch’s talk from 1:30-3:00
      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
                Resources

• Recorded videos:
  – Sessions from MIX08, MIX07
• Forums:
  – silverlight.net / forums
• Books:
  – Adam Nathan’s WPF book
  – Silverlight 2 books in the pipeline
Resource: MIX session videos
Features in Action:

      Demos
Demos: Showcase
Demo: Deep Zoom
Demo: Home Shopping Network
Demo: Indian Fashion Show
Demo: SL1.1 Chess App
Demo: Silverlight Airlines
Demo: MS Download Center
Demo: 3rd Party Control Vendor
        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)
 Silverlight
Development
Walk-through
          Silverlight Tools

• Expression Blend:
  – For graphic designers
  – GUI builder


• Visual Studio 2008:
  – For programmers
  – Includes a more limited GUI builder
ScottGu – SL2 Intro Tutorials
ScottGu’s SL2 Digg Client