Want a NOOK? Explore Now
Teach yourself how to build rich Internet applications with Silverlight 4--one step at a time. With this practical, learn-by-doing tutorial, you'll learn how to create interactive user interfaces for the Web and the newest version of Windows Phone by mastering the essential tools and techniques for Silverlight.
Your online learning resources include:
The print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via O'Reilly Media's Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit O'Reilly's web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to booktech@oreilly.com.
Lord_Acavier
Posted July 8, 2011
This book was amazing! Most of the book deals with how your application will display to the user through entertainment and graphical controls. There are also sections on how to integrate Silverlight into your presentation layer, whether that be browser based or through a desktop application. I particularly liked the Windows Phone section as I am beginning to dabble in the phone development.
A picture IS worth a thousand words! You can describe input scope all you want to, but it wasn't until I saw pictures of the various keyboard layouts that I really began to appreciate what all the input scope could do for my application.
If you're like me and need a little help adding that extra look and feel to your user interface, let this book be a step in the right direction. And keep in mind, Neil Armstrong's "one small step for man" began with smaller steps that turned into something great.
Dexterously
Posted October 11, 2010
With this book alone you can create and deploy a mid size application that would work for several scenarios. It covers the basics, history and great explanations. Upon completion of this book and understanding it you can consider yourself with some silverlight knowledge ready for the professional Silverlight. It includes several chapters on Windows Phone 7 Development which it gets you started on mobile apps in the first few pages of the topic. I think it was a great book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 10, 2010
Laurence Moroney's latest offering into the world of Microsoft Silverlight 4 gives a taste of developing with the product. If you are looking for Windows phone development, you get a meer three chapters offering at best an introduction, and if you're not looking for Windows phone development, you get short-changed three chapters.
Having said that, Moroney gives a good introduction to many of the features and controls found within Silverlight. So if you are looking to get started using this technology, Moroney is a good source to start with.
There is nothing too advanced to offer, and no hint of putting together a complete project, but once again, if a step-by-step approach to basic programming is what you are after, this book will do it for you.
I would higly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about Silverlight 4. This book is intended for begineers and not for advanced programmers.
The book starts off with where to download the free tools needed to start programming Silverlight. Then is starts with Simple controls like Button, Radio box, checkbox, Combobox, Listbox, TextBox, Image controls.
Later it covers the layout controls like Grid, Canvas and topics like styling and templates.
It also go about creating a Domain Service and using RIA services to connect a Silverlight client to it.
Advanced topics like DataZoom which was introduced in Silverlight 4 is also covered. Also the book describes about the MediaElement control for media programming.
Tranformation and animation adds interactivity to an application and this is covered as well. Silverlight 3 introduced the Out of Browser application and is covered. Specifically network detection, COM interoperability, isolated storage, Notification toasts were covered nicely.
Integration with Browser chapter covers accesing between Silverlight and HTML both ways, integrating with Javascript etc.
Last 3 chapters are devoted for Windows 7 Phone development as Silverlight now runs on WIndows 7 Phone which is getting launched in October 2011.
Overall I will recommend this book for begineers who don't know anything about Silverlight. Did I mention about the free e book you get in the accompanied CD ? Yes, you get it free.
Overview
Teach yourself how to build rich Internet applications with Silverlight 4--one step at a time. With this practical, learn-by-doing tutorial, you'll learn how to create interactive user interfaces for the Web and the newest version of Windows Phone by mastering the essential tools and techniques for Silverlight.