Windows 8 User Experience Anatomy – Part 1

In this series of posts, I would like to go deeper in the main concepts of Windows 8 User Experience, which is one of the most important revolutionary changes in Windows 8. The new look and design of Windows 8 that gives more emphasis on clarity, cleanliness, reduction, and simple but beautiful visuals.

Therefore, if you are going to develop Windows 8 Apps, I think you have to know more about the look and the model of Windows 8 User Experience.

There are 5 principles of Windows 8 design, What I’ll talk about is how a developer can assess these principles and apply them to the decision making while building Windows Store Applications from the visual layout to the interaction design and the overall application flow.

Adding About and Privacy Policy tabs to Windows Store App Settings

Hi!

 

 

 

Consider these empty lines as an introduction to my first ever blog post as I’m not good in introductions.

Well, Now we want to add “About” tab and another one for the Privacy policy to the Windows Store Apps. There’re two reasons for this:

1. Windows App Store won’t accept the App without referencing the Privacy policy. For more information about App Submission Checklist, check this out: 
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh694076.aspx

 

2. About tab is one of the most important things in any App or product.

 

So let’s start:

1. From the NuGet Package Manager (Install it if you weren’t) search online packages for “Callisto”, and install these suite.

2. Create a new User Control and name it “AboutUserControl” ==> Project> Add new item> User Control> AboutUserControl.xaml

3. Open App.xaml.cs and add these lines of codes inside the “sealed partial class”

private Color _background = Color.FromArgb(255, 0, 77, 96);

void OnCommandsRequested(SettingsPane sender, SettingsPaneCommandsRequestedEventArgs args)

{

// Add an About command

var about = new SettingsCommand(“about”, “About”, (handler) =>

{

var settings = new SettingsFlyout();

settings.Content = new AboutUserControl();

settings.HeaderBrush = new SolidColorBrush(_background);

settings.Background = new SolidColorBrush(_background);

settings.HeaderText = “About”;

settings.IsOpen = true;

});

args.Request.ApplicationCommands.Add(about);

//Add an Privacy Policy command

var privacy = new SettingsCommand(“privacypolicy”, “Privacy Policy”, OpenPrivacyPolicy);

args.Request.ApplicationCommands.Add(privacy);

}

private async void OpenPrivacyPolicy(IUICommand command)

{

Uri uri = new Uri(“http://Add A Link for your Privacy policy”);

await Launcher.LaunchUriAsync(uri);

}

4. Add this Line of code to the “OnLaunched” Event in the same file:

SettingsPane.GetForCurrentView().CommandsRequested += OnCommandsRequested;

5. Customize the “AboutUserControl.xaml” design the same way you design any xaml control.

And here’s the Conclusion of the Blog Post.

 

 

Thank you!

Abdullah Al Nady