Avalon (RSS)

Avalon

Expression Add-in

I know that there is an Add-in contest going on for visual studio, however where I would really like to see one is in the Expression Suite.  I’d like to see a storyboard add-in for both Expression Graphic designer and Expression Interactive Designer.  The storyboard feature could be used to storyboard out the interaction of your applications.  Mock-ups could be created in EGD and then sent to EID for further work.  You would need a view that would show interaction paths (in both products) and allow you to also show an atomic state view (think button behavior onmouseover, etc).  To further the value of this feature you could integrate with Cider and VSTS (what I like to call Visual Studio Team Slayer).  Just think, adding UX into the Software design process.  Huh?  I’m talking about slide 155 from Simon Guest’s TechEd 2006 presentation.  And these storyboard layouts could later be used for documentation, training and requirements (and goals). 

Think of this as a way to paper prototype.  I know that people use everything from Photoshop to PowerPoint to Visio, why not use the Expression tools and create artifacts that you can keep and use? 

Until then you could do this now (somewhat) by creating a new XAML window for each state (or page) and paste them up on a whiteboard.  Have fun.

Tags: WPF | XAML | net3

New CTP for June

Looks like it's time for a fresh batch of WPF (.Net 3.0) goodness.  Tim Sneath points us to the .NET Framework 3.0 - June 2006 CTP.  Check out Soma's blog for details about the name change and of course, be sure to read about compatibility with Vista Beta 2.  I'm not going to install this weekend due to some cool WPF stuff that coming up in the Atlanta area. 

On a side note: I have a suggestion for Microsoft, which could actually be used by other folks, provide a tag or tags for your technology or product, especially when you have names like "Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer". 

Tags:WPF | .Net3

WPF and Command Centers

WPF and Command Centers?   Yes, WPF and Command Centers.  What a great match.  I got this idea when recently touring CheckFree and seeing their command center.  (They had this really cool glass that you could change from opaque to clear with a remote.  I don't know if that's the product that they used, but it's the same concept.)  I've seen a couple of command centers and they all look like really big versions of what we see on small monitors.  So you can image the text and image quality is pretty rough.  With zooming and the new text technology you could create some really killer apps out there for these big screens.  Plus, there is always a ton of data visualizations could take advantage of the power of data templates in WPF.  And you can use the Nick Thuesen's RangeConverters post to learn how to hide bits when you're looking at your command center app's on a smaller screen.

Tags: WPF | XAML

New CTP's for Expression tools

Ahh, you always know when all the WPF blogs have been quiet for a while that something is in the works.  Looks like my hunch was correct.  Today there's a new CTP for Expression Interactive Designer (aka Sparkle) and Expression Graphic Designer (aka Acrylic).  I'm downloading now and I'll post my findings later.  Btw, if you haven't tried EGD, you should.  Just check out these videos first and have fun.

Tags: XAML | WPF | Expression Interactive Designer | Expression Graphic Designer


Update: Make sure you uninstall Expression Interactive Designer, Expression Graphic Designer (and the XAML exporter install) then before you install the WinFX Beta 2, you should run the "Pre-released WinFX Runtime Components Uninstall Tool".

UMPC's and WPF

When I was out at Mix06 I got to play with all the UMPC's that Microsoft had demoed.  My favorites are the Founder and the ASUS.  The ASUS had slick styling and was nice and thin with a built-in camera, but the Founder had a better form factor and I have to say was my favorite.  The controls felt good in your hands and you didn't have to reposition your fingers to do things.  This is a win in my book.  The others had an eraser nub that wasn't easy to control with you thumb. 

Playing with them was very cool and the size was right.  The only clunky thing about them was the touch screen.  You had to use your finger nail on them to tap the screen.  This made the "DialKeys" very hard to use.  Luckily the rep at the table stated that this would be addressed closer to production and you would be able to use the pad of your finger instead of your fingernail.  The only other grip about them is the screen resolution, I wish it could be higher for a more paper like experience.

However, the coolest thing is that WPF will run on these.  Due to the size, vector based content (WPF/XAML apps) are a great fit for these devices.  And the addition of pen input will go nicely with the InkCanvas element.  It looks like between WPF is going to be everywhere!

Tags: XAML | WPF | UMPC | mix06

WPF Coffee Talk (at a brewery)

I'd like to introduce a way for people to talk about and learn about improving User Experience (UX).  We'll be using Expression Interactive Designer (Sparkle), Visual Studio 2005(Cider) and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF, aka Avalon).  The idea is to have a small group of people discussing technology, tools, challenges and process over coffee.  I want to keep the group small so that we all can talk to each other instead of having someone talk 'at' you for an hour.  The reason for this is unless you're Don Box or Pamela Anderson people usually aren't going to pay attention to you for that long.  
 
We'll be discussing some high level introductory points initially and then as these go on well get more technical complete with ongoing projects.  I've got a project in which I show how I used the various tools.  And here's some of the questions that we'll discuss at the first Coffee Talk.
 
What's the payoff of UX?

How do I use these tools?
Which tool and when do I use it?
What's WPF?  Why should I care?  Why should my boss care?
How does UX fit in my development methodology?

Who should come?  Anyone that's interested, from a student to a CIO. 
Where is it going to be?  At the 5 Seasons Brewery
When?  7:00pm on 20 Feb 2006

See you there.


Sean

 

Tags: Expression | UX | XAML

Sparkle is out!

Now you can download Sparkle (aka Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer) January 2006 CTP!   Here's the link for the msi to install Sparkle.  Make sure that you have .NET 2.0 and the January WinFX CTP installed.  You may want to read my steps for installing the January CTP (if you already have the December CTP installed).  Wow, Sparkle and Cider out in January, it going to be a busy month.  Mano says he will be posting a ton of info on his blog, so if you're interested subscribe

And on a separate note please, please, please, please, please, please don't call Sparkle the "Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer".  I don't know who names Microsoft products, because it's damn sure not the same person or group that creates the code names. 

How to install the January CTP

Go to Tim Sneath's Blog to get the links to pull down the January CTP bits.

1. Run uninstall tool - vs_uninst_winfx.exe
2. Run the Winfx setup - winfxsetup.exe
3. Uninstall the Dec SDK
4. Uninstall the Micorosoft Command Shell
5. Install the SDK using a tool like  vcdControlTool.exe (just select your .img file)
6. Reboot - this helped me for some reason.  You could skip it.
7. Run vsextwfx.msi

8. Read the WinFXReadme.htm where you'll find lovely tidbits like this one below.


IntelliSense in XAML (inside the XML editor):

The Windows Presentation Foundation and XAML schemas provided with the WinFX SDK are not flawless. Today, many things can compile that the schema may not approve of. We also have things that the schema will approve that will not compile.

The schema will complain about attribute values that are not properly cased. Although type converters are generally not case sensitive, XML schema has limitations. We've chosen to put the matching case with the object model in the schema.
DockPanel.Dock="fill"
will compile, but the schema would prefer this form:
DockPanel.Dock="Fill"
ColumnDefinitions and RowDefinitions as direct children inside a Grid will compile and execute fine, but we'd prefer if you use the following syntax today:
<Grid>
    <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
        <ColumnDefinition ... />
        ...
    </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
    <Grid.RowDefinitions>
        <RowDefinition ... />
        ...
    </Grid.RowDefinitions>
    ...
</Grid>
Unfortunately, the schema in this release will complain about both ways. In the future, it will not complain if you use the preferred syntax.
Some elements will complain with the "content model is empty" warning. Many times, however, the compiler will be able to handle it.
If you build a custom element (often a custom control), IntelliSense in the XML editor will not work unless you hand build a .xsd for that control and put that .xsd in %programfiles%\microsoft visual studio 8\xml\schemas\


Happy XAMLing,

Sean

January CTP available

There's a new CTP of WinFX bits available, however there's nothing new for WPF (Avalon).  But if you are working in WCF (Indigo) or WF (WWF) have at it. 

It would have been nice to have a little more functionality in Cider, but considering everything, I'm sure that we'll see some more interesting bits in a couple of months.   And speaking of interesting, how long till we start to hear about WPF/E?  I'd love to see Live gadgets using WPF or WPF/E.

UPDATE! - There are updated Cider bits!  From the mouth of Tim Sneath

Secondly, it's worth pointing out that this release doesn't actually contain any changes to the WPF component. We've been working on a separate branch and for various reasons that have to do with integration with Windows Vista, we're not easily able to expose those changes in this release. There's a lot of platform work that we'll make available soon - hold tight! On the other hand, there have been improvements to the SDK and of course the "Cider" integrated tools in Visual Studio are a great improvement on the basic facilities that were available in previous releases. The good news is of course that any code you've written or downloaded for the December CTP will run quite happily on the January CTP!