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Introduction To Silverlight

This document provides an introduction to Silverlight, including: 1) Silverlight is a browser plugin similar to Flash that allows building rich interactive applications using .NET languages like C# that run across browsers and platforms. 2) Silverlight compares favorably to other client technologies like Flash due to its use of .NET and ability to write applications once that run everywhere. 3) Version

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Rajalaxmi Devagirkar Kangokar
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117 views25 pages

Introduction To Silverlight

This document provides an introduction to Silverlight, including: 1) Silverlight is a browser plugin similar to Flash that allows building rich interactive applications using .NET languages like C# that run across browsers and platforms. 2) Silverlight compares favorably to other client technologies like Flash due to its use of .NET and ability to write applications once that run everywhere. 3) Version

Uploaded by

Rajalaxmi Devagirkar Kangokar
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Silverlight

About Alan Cobb


Independent consultant since mid-80s on
Microsoft platforms
C#, WinForms, WPF, .NET
One of directors of the SacDotNet U.G.
http://www.alancobb.com
Presentation Overview

What is Silverlight?
How does it relate to other client-side
technologies?
How important is it?

Silverlight app development walk-through


What is Silverlight?
One word definition: Flash
 Browser plug-in: cross-browser, cross-platform
 Use case today: Animated ads, Video
 Use case tomorrow: Applications (Flex)
 Benefits: Adds functionality + write-once-run-everywhere

Why Silverlight not Flash?

More words: Flash + .NET

More words: WPF-subset + .NET-subset


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
Comparing client platforms
Desktop: Web:
Win16 HTML / CSS /
Win32 JavaScript / AJAX
WinForms

WPF Silverlight Flash /


Flex
Competing technologies
Desktop based “smart clients”
 WPF on high end
3D, Hardware acceleration
 WinForms: (Mature, proven)
Web-based:
 ASP.NET - HTML + CSS
 ASP.NET - HTML + CSS + AJAX
 Adobe Flash / Flex
Desktop-web hybrid (?):
 Adobe AIR
Demo – Yahoo Finance Charts *
Demo – Picnik.com Photo Editor *
Feature Details
WPF / Silverlight – Positives:
Vector based vs. pixel based
 Scalable – Looks good at multiple resolutions
XAML – Similar to HTML
 Declarative
 Designers and programmers work in parallel
Rich customization is possible in a well-
designed way
WPF - Negatives
Windows only
Requires 50 / 200 MB .NET 3.x runtime
Steep learning curve
Versions of Silverlight
1.0
 RTM in Sept. 2007
 Code behind – JavaScript only
1.1 / 2.0
 Alpha introduced in Spring 2007.
 Beta at MIX08 in March 2008.
 RTM maybe Q3-2008.
 Code behind - .NET languages C#, etc.
 Partial .NET class library
Silverlight - Positives
Lightweight at 4-6 MB, quick download
.NET based
 Write in C# or VB.NET
 Use familiar class libraries
Rich state-of-the-art GUI
 Vector based
 All types of content handled uniformly
Secure - sandboxed
Silverlight - Negatives
Not quite here yet
 “Pig in a poke”
Sandboxing limits functionality
Conflicting products within Microsoft?
Demo: Silverlight Airlines *
Demo: MS Download Center *
Demo: 3rd Party Control Vendor *
Silverlight 2.0 Features:

Won’t know details until March 2008

Controls:
Data:
Communications:
Silverlight 2.0 Features:
Controls:
 Extensible control base classes
 Common controls:
Textbox, Checkbox, Radiobutton, etc
TabControl, Slider, ScrollViewer, ProgressBar, etc
 Layout controls:
Grid, StackPanel
 Data controls:
DataGrid, etc
Silverlight 2.0 Features:
Data:
 2-way data binding
 More LINQ support: LINQ to XML
Silverlight 2.0 Features:

Communications:
 REST, POX, RSS, and WS-* communication
 Cross domain network access
 Sockets
Feature Unknowns (?)
Local client integration?
 Read and write local files?
 Read local mic and webcam?
WCF?
Depth of class libraries?
 Pay-for-play
Silverlight
Development
Walk-through
Silverlight Tools
Expression Blend:
 GUI builder
 Graphic designers

Visual Studio 2008:


 Includes a more limited GUI builder
 Programmers

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