On with my point, this post is intended to be a laminated quick reference for Sketchy styles in SketchFlow.

For more info check out:

Alan Lee’s SketchFlow Demo Video from Silverlight 3/Blend 3 Launch Event

Christian Schormann’s Expression Blend 3 with SketchFlow Available for Download & SketchFlow Concepts: An Overview ()

Out of the box, styling a Tooltip in Blend is a manual process.  The below screenshots/descriptions show how to do this.

1. First, add a Tooltip; do this in the Xaml view to look like the below Xaml.
2. Next, click, in Xaml, on the <ToolTip tag.  This will change the breadcrumb at the top of the Artboard to show [ToolTip].  Click on the breadcrumb and select Edit Template > Edit a Copy.

   

3. After creating the Template, there is a chance your Artboard will look like the below image.  You’ll notice that you’re in the context of editing the ToolTip template without visuals.  If you experience this, go to step 4 to see how you can edit the visuals.

   

4. To edit the ToolTip, click the Resources tab, locate the ToolTip style, right click and select Edit.  The Artboard will show the visuals for the ToolTip.  You can now edit the ToolTip like any other control.

   

YouTube is moving toward the h.264 encoding for their videos.  (My guess is to prepare for HTML 5.  It’s crazy to think that YouTube could/might move away from Flash.)  Silverlight 3 is a benefactor because it can support h.264.  If anyone is looking for a great mashup, make a Silverlight video player that integrates with the YouTube API.

To be explicit, this post is not about using the YouTube API; it is a proof of concept.  I used the YouTube HD Ultimate Greasemonkey script to get the url of an HD video from YouTube, then used it as the source for the MediaElement. 

The below screen shot shows the Silverlight poc on the left (notice the Silverlight menu) and the actual YouTube video on the right.

The code & example

Code - http://85turns.com/silverlight/zips/YouTubeHDTest.zip

Example - http://85turns.com/silverlight/YouTubeHDTest.html

Recently I had a need to create a Checked Command for a ToggleButton.  There are many sources on how to create a Command, the best one probably being Erik Mork’s video, but there wasn’t a place to grab the a Command from.  The intention of this post is to share the Checked and UnChecked Prism Commands for you to use it in your project.  (Moving forward, it might make sense to create a repository of these Commands.)

Finally, before diving in, if you just want the code and to see an example, follow these links:

• Code
• Example

Commands

Creating the Commands is straight forward.  Derive from CommandBehaviorBase and specify the type.  Then, in the constructor, register the event.  Below are both the Checked and UnChecked commands.

Extensions for Xaml

After creating the Commands you need to create Static methods to reference in Xaml.  The Static methods are named Checked and UnChecked.  They include a definition for:

• SelectedCommandBehaviorProperty
• CommandProperty
• SetCommand
• GetCommand
• OnSetCommandCallback
• GetOrCreateBehavior

In an effort to be brief I have chosen to truncate the two static methods.  To take a closer look at the code, click on the image or download the code.

Checked.cs

UnChecked.cs
 

Hooking everything up

After the Commands are created, bind them to the ToggleButton in Xaml.  In this sample application there are three main files:

• MainPage.xaml – the presentation. This contains the binding to the Commands.
• MainPage.xaml.cs – the primary function of the code-behind is to new up the MainPageModel and set the DataContext.
• MainPageModel.cs – this is the model for the MainPage. It defines the commands the Xaml binds to as well as a property for the TextBox to bind to.

Below are images of the classes mentioned above:

MainPage.xaml

Note in this Xaml, line 20 binds to the CheckedState property in the MainPageModel.  The commands are bound on line 22 and 23.  Take notice of the namespace command.  Instead of referencing Microsoft.Practices.Composite.Presentation.Commands it references ProjectName.CustomCommands.

MainPage.xaml.cs

This is the code-behind for the above UserControl.  On the Loaded, a new instance of MainPageModel is initialized and then set as the DataContext to the UserControl.  The heavy lifting is done in the MainPageModel.

MainPageModel.cs

As noted above, the MainPageModel does the heavy lifting.  The following describe what happens in this file:

• Two DelegateCommands are defined for Checked and UnChecked. (line 36 and 41)
• A Property called CheckedState is defined and fires the PropertyChanged event when updated. (lines 13 – 22)
• Two methods are defined to handle the actions on the Commands. (lines 47 – 59)

The final product

Code | Example

Now that I’m all done ranting to the converted, let’s talk about Silverlight.  From my past experience there are two ways to handle versioning:

1. Create an abstracted file that contains your version number, or
2. Use the Assembly version.

Both have their pros and cons.  Option 1 gives you greater control of the version number, however the manual process is tedious.  Option 2 enables you to use the Assemblies version, however it provides less control over the version number.  Lately I’ve been going with option 2 because it takes one more step out of my deployment process.

To get the version from the Assembly

Doing this is fairly easy once you have the correct block of code.  The below block of code shows how to get the version from the Assembly in the MainPage_Loaded method.  Do not forget to include the System.Reflection reference.

Given the above block of code, the next question is, where is this assembly version defined?  In short, the AssemblyInfo.cs file, which is located in the Properties folder.

At the bottom of the AssemblyInfo.cs file, you’ll see the version info.  The directions are in the comments on how to change this.  I’ve customized my version to be 0.611.*.

Needless to say, there are a number of Atlanta Silverlight events that are budding, and as a result there needs to be a home to keep track of everything.  Events, information, and recaps will be placed on the newly registered domains (they’ll point to each other, but for some reason or another, I enjoy registering multiple domains).

For more information, the slideshow and links presented, check out Glen’s post.   Now I leave you with a couple pictures from the night

Swag at the front and my friend Jeff Paries MIX session as a must see.

Picture from the bathroom stall, lol.

Dennis presenting

To paint the picture, I am introducing Silverlight to creatives, Flash devs, and people in the business.  Each group needs a different story.  At first I went about it the same way: naturally I would load Visual Studio, create a new project, knock out some Xaml, and then run the app.  This is not a good idea.  Instead, I found myself increasingly opening Blend and showing people around.  This lead to more interest and more questions.

Side note: Visual Studio is an amazing development tool, however I strongly believe Blend will become the tool of choice for developing Silverlight applications.  I don’t see this happening in for Blend 3 or 4, but Blend is making a compelling case to be THE tool for Silverlight dev.

All this background leads me to this conclusion: If you want to quickly pick up Silverlight, start with Blend (there is a 30-day free trial).  Additionally, here are the first 3 topics you should focus on once in Blend:

1. Understanding the Layout Panels
2. Animations
3. States and Templating

(I realize this is a simplification.  Topics like databinding, integrating sample data, and wiring up events are important.  However, these three topics are a perfect starting point.)

Understanding the Layout Panels

There are three main Layout panels in Silverlight 3: the Grid, Canvas, and StackPanel.  The Silverlight Toolkit offers more layout types such as DockPanel, WrapPanel, and ViewBox.  Here’s a brief look at the three main panels:

Canvas – the most basic panel.  Elements are placed at explicit coordinates.

Grid – the most flexible of the three.  Elements can be arranged in rows and columns.  Additionally children can grow dynamically within the Grid.

StackPanel – arrangement of children elements are handled automatically.  The StackPanel is a great option when you have a list of items.

For a more in depth look at the Layout Panels check out Scott Guthries post.

Layout Panels in Blend

Once you know and get comfortable with how each panel works, you’ll be able to make the best decision for your application.  The tendency for Flash developers might be to go straight to the Canvas, then handle updating the layout from code.  I urge you to take some time to play around with the other panels

In Blend, you can draw panels on the Artboard by selecting a panel from the Toolbox.

Animations

Getting comfortable with animating elements in Blend takes a little getting use to.  The first time you try to add an animation it takes a minute to locate the add animation button.  It’s the plus sign at the top of the Objects and Timeline panel:

After you’ve created the Storyboard, the Artboard gets a red outline.  This lets you know you are recording.  Any property changed while recording will be added to the animation.  It took me some time getting use to this.

A tip to working with animations is to change Workspace to an Animation friendly view.  Do this by selecting Window > Workspaces > Animation.  You’ll notice, the Timeline stretches out at the bottom.

States & Templating

Finally, in my opinion, the most important thing to understand Sttes and Templating.  The reason I think it’s so important is because of Silverlight’s rich control set.  Understanding Templating and States enables you to use existing controls and completely change the visuals while still maintaining it’s base States and functionality.

This topic is very deep and much better served in it’s own post.  For the time being here are a couple links about States and Templating.

What are States - http://kokchiann.wordpress.com/2008/06/05/visual-state-manager-new-feature-of-expression-blend/

Templating a ToggleButton to look like a playhead for a video player - http://www.85turns.com/2008/09/05/making-a-play-pause-button-in-silverlight/

Here’s the abstract for my session.  If you have any suggestions I certainly want to hear them.

Advanced Media techniques in Silverlight 3
Corey Schuman - ( Area: SilverLight / WPF Level: 200)

This session dives deep into media (Video, Audio, Images, and DeepZoom) in Silverlight 3. Choosing the correct video encoding, effectively using Adaptive Streaming, working with the Bitmap API, Pixel shaders, and tuning performance for media are topics covered in this session.

The biggest win out of this process was centralized data.  Going through so many installations it was essential to not rely on data being stored locally.  The below list of software saved the day for me:

1

Live Mesh (link) - The number 1 must have program is Live Mesh (or an app/service similar to it).  Mesh has been totally non-intrusive and reliable.  The biggest compliment I can give Live Mesh is "the app acts like it isn’t even there".  After loading Mesh on my system, I can grab some coffee, and come back to a system that was exactly like it was before.

2

Evernote (link) - Much like Live Mesh, Evernote non-intrusively backs up everything you give it.  People have been preaching Evernote for a long time, but  it is only recently that I have showed it love.  And, unlike many applications, Evernote has showed me love back.  (Now, in my spare time I need to program Mason’s Evernote idea and retire early).

3

Windows Live Writer (link) - Hands down the best blogging software.  I truly wish they made a Mac version.  If you do install Live Writer, take note, you will be prompted to install a number of other Microsoft Live pieces of software.  I get why they do it, but when I install a piece of software, I only what I ask for.

4

Virtual Clone Drive (link) - another must have.  I have a number of ISO’s that I needed installed.  Virtual Clone enables you to mount the ISOs like a CD/DVD ROM.  Other than the the required reboot, Virtual Clone has saved me countless hours burning CD/DVD’s.

5

Tortoise SVN (link) - The best SVN client for Windows.  I also like VisualSVN for Visual Studio.  There is a little disconnect between Tortoise and VisualSVN.  Tortoise wants to check in the whole directory and VisualSVN want to check only the necessary project files.  There are kinks between the two, but all in all Tortoise is a must.

6

Pidgin (link) - The only IM client you’ll need.  I’m sick and tired of AIM, MSN, Yahoo Messenger loading their ads and welcome screens.  Pidgin gives it to you straight.

7

Development tools – The standard development tools for Silverlight development

• Visual Studio
• Expression Blend
• Dark theme for Visual Studio
• ReSharper – a must have productivity tool for Visual Studio
• MoXAML – I use this to clean up my XAML

8

Mac software – I work on a beautiful 17inch MBP.  There are always two apps that must be installed on a Mac (besides above apps) InstantShot and MainMenu.  InstantShot is a free screen grab utility and MainMenu is an automated maintenance application.

Loser

Jungle Disk – I signed up for Jungle Disk expecting to use it as my main backup utility.  I wasn’t fond of the setup and I never got it to install on the Mac properly.  After backing up my data, which was terribly slow, I never reinstalled the application.  Now i have my one or two backups sitting in the