Slide Deck of my presentation at the SoCal Code Camp June 23rd 2012 in San Diego WinRT Fundamentals by Kevin Stumpf Check out the corresponding blog post: http://blogs.interknowlogy.com/2012/06/25/socal-code-camp-winrt-fundamentals/ This presentation was highly code and talk laden, so the deck itself might not be too useful if you haven't attended my session. However, attendees asked me to publish the slides... so there they are :-)

1. Kevin Stumpf
Sr Software Engineer
kstumpf@interknowlogy.com

2. 1. Short introduction to Windows 8
2. Windows Runtime (WinRT)
3. Ways to develop Metro style apps for Windows 8
4. Language Projection
5. .NET’s role in the WinRT world
6. XAML Differences to WPF
7. Limitations

3. Important facts about Windows 8

4. 1. Hybrid OS
2. Contracts
3. Security System

5. App
exposes
publishes Capabilities restricts
Marketplace
Broker
Network (Client/Server) Shared Directories Hardware
• Documents • Webcam
• Videos • Microphone
• Pictures • Proximity
• Music • GPS

6. 1. Knowledge applies to Desktop, Tablet & WP8
2. The future is handheld
1. Consumer Market
2. Corporate Market (Hotel Check-Ins, Nurses, etc.)
3. Develop commercial Apps for the Marketplace
4. Strong Marketing from Microsoft as their Metro
Ecosystem is vital

7. What the WinRT is about and
how it is integrated in the Win32
world

8. 1. Windows 8 Architecture
2. WinRT vs. Win32
3. WinRT API

9. Diagram from
http://bit.ly/GWmiLO

10. Diagram from
http://bit.ly/GWmiLO

11. asynchronous object oriented
private
based on
extended COM Hierarchical
self-explanatory namespaces

12. Ways to develop Metro style apps
for Windows 8

13. 1. Dependency Diagram
2. Metro style GUI development
1. XAML
2. “HTML5”/CSS
3. Business Logic development
1. JavaScript
2. C# / VB
3. C++

14. CX WRL

15. How C#, JavaScript and C++ can
access the very same WinRT API

16. 1. WinRT API Metadata
2. Projection explanation
3. Projection areas

17.  WinRT API is described by .winmd Files
 Only Metadata, no implementation
 Foundation for the Language Projection
 Format follows ECMA-335 standard (Common Language Infrastructure)
 Independent from .NET, although it shares the same file format
 Files can be disassembled using IL
 Location: C:WindowsSystem32WinMetadata

18. WinRT API
(Metadata)
Type
Projections Naming
Projections Pattern
Projections

19. .NET’s role in the WinRT world

20. 1. Integration in WinRT
2. Metro style subset
3. Visual Studio Project types

21.  C#/VB is NOT compiled against WinRT, it is still compiled to the same MSIL and then JIT-
compiled at runtime by the CLR
 Executing CLR is the same for Desktop and Metro style based apps
 Desktop and Metro style both use .NET 4.5
 Metro style uses a constrained .NET subset which is just another .NET Profile (similar to
Silverlight, WP7)
 Metro style apps in addition reference the WinRT by referencing Windows.winmd
 CLR communicates with WinRT
A .NET developer's view of Windows 8 app
development

22.  Subset restricts functionality at development time that would be forbidden by the application
container at runtime
 Certain functionality was moved to the WinRT API (File access, network) to avoid redundancy
 Certain functionality was completely removed
◦ Dangerous/ Obsolete / Legacy APIs
◦ Badly designed APIs
◦ Not applicable anymore (Console, ASP.NET)
 Refactorings

23.  No exceptions with a full stack trace anymore! Instead, HRESULTS and wild guessing
 Debugging is limited: No reflection of the framework’s implementation is possible anymore

24. Major changes between WPF
XAML and WinRT XAML

26.  No MultiBindings
 No RadialGradient Brushes
 No PixelShader effects for UIElements
 No RelativeSource->FindAncestor Bindings
 No Implicit DataTemplates
 No Triggers, just VSM
 No Markup Extensions

27. WinRT Limitations and how you
can overcome some of them

28.  WinRT API only addresses the most common use
cases
 A subset of COM and Win32 functionality is
available to address other scenarios such as
◦ Accessing raw data from the webcam
◦ DirectX
◦ Diagnostics
◦ …

29.  .NET World: Pinvoke
 C++: Import the Win32 library and invoke the
imported method
 JavaScript: No winmd metadata available => Not
callable from JavaScript.
Workaround: Build a C++ or .NET WinRT
component that wraps the C++/COM functionality
of interest

30. Kevin Stumpf – kstumpf@interknowlogy.com