Silverlight design tools have important differences compared to those used to create Ajax and JavaScript functionality. Robert Lair takes you on a tour of all the tools, including Microsoft Expression Design, which plays an important part in creating Silverlight assets; Microsoft Expression Blend, which is used to build user interaction for Silverlight elements; and Microsoft Visual Studio, which manages the interaction between designers and developers, providing the coding environment for "nuts and bolts" wiring. Once you've mastered the basics, you'll move on to gaining a more in-depth knowledge of some of the groundbreaking new features of the Silverlight technology. The growing popularity of Web 2.0 applications is increasing user expectations for high-quality web site design, presentation, and functionality. It was into this climate that Microsoft released Silverlight 3, the third iteration of its cross-browser web presentation technology and the second to ride on top of the .NET platform. Beginning Sliverlight 3 brings you to the cutting-edge of Web 2.0 application design and includes plenty of practical guidance to get you started straightaway.

“The book you are holding contains the keys to writing great Silverlight 3 applications. Use them well!” –From the Foreword by Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president, Microsoft Developer Division Microsoft Silverlight is a leading cross-platform, Rich Internet Application (RIA) technology that allows you to create more compelling and interactive Web experiences than are possible with simple HTML browser pages. Silverlight 3 includes significant improvements over previous versions, including “out-of-browser” operation, H.264 video, 3D graphics, and real-time effects. Essential Silverlight 3 is the definitive reference and insider’s guide. It not only covers all the key features of the Silverlight 3 runtime and how to use them but, in Under the Hood sections, explains why each feature was developed and how each one works. These “insider” explanations often lead to concise, practical performance tips that can help you speed up your own Silverlight applications. Author Ashraf Michail is uniquely qualified to explain Silverlight 3. He is a Microsoft Silverlight architect who has guided Silverlight from its beginnings through the current version. In this book, he shows how to Integrate the principles and components of a Silverlight application, including XAP, XAML, and .NET code Use Silverlight vector graphics, bitmap images, and animation Display predictable and readable text across platforms and animate text elements Obtain mouse and keyboard input, including mouse wheel events Implement smooth animations to improve your user interface and make your application more pleasing to the user Use the Canvas, StackPanel, Grid, and Border elements to lay out your application and define custom layout elements Play high-quality, live, and on-demand video and audio Customize the built-in and toolkit controls and develop new custom Silverlight controls Connect to and synchronize with data using Silverlight Data Binding Use built-in real-time effects and define custom HLSL pixel shaders Enable GPU-accelerated rendering If you are a developer who is getting started with Silverlight or an expert Silverlight developer who is interested in understanding the inner workings of the Silverlight runtime, this book is for you.

There has been a huge surge in interest in ‘Web 2.0’ technologies over the last couple of years. Microsoft’s contribution to this area has been the ASP.NET AJAX and Silverlight technologies, coupled to a supporting framework of ancillary tools. This book aims to be a no nonsense introduction to these technologies for the rapidly growing number of people who are realizing that they need Microsoft-based ‘Web 2.0’ skills on their CV. It gives people a grounding in the core concepts of the technologies and shows how they can be used together to produce the results that people need. The author has unparalleled experience of introducing people to these technologies.

A practical guide to creating real-time responsive online 3D games in Silverlight 3 using C♯, XBAP WPF, XAML, Balder, and Farseer Physics Engine.

Business intelligence (BI) software is the code and tools that allow you to view different components of a business using a single visual platform, making comprehending mountains of data easier. Applications that include reports, analytics, statistics, and historical and predictive modeling are all examples of BI applications. Currently, we are in the second generation of BI software, called BI 2.0. This generation is focused on writing BI software that is predictive, adaptive, simple, and interactive. As computers and software have evolved, more data can be presented to end users with increasingly visually rich techniques. Rich Internet application (RIA) technologies such as Microsoft Silverlight can be used to transform traditional user interfaces filled with boring data into fully interactive analytical applications to deliver insight from large data sets quickly. Furthermore, RIAs include 3D spatial design capabilities that allow for interesting layouts of aggregated data beyond a simple list or grid. BI 2.0 implemented via RIA technology can truly bring out the power of BI and deliver it to an average user via the Web. Next-Generation Business Intelligence Software with Rich Internet Applications provides developers, designers, and architects a solid foundation of BI design and architecture concepts with Microsoft Silverlight. This book covers key BI design concepts and how they can be applied without requiring an existing BI infrastructure. The author, Bart Czernicki, will show you how to build small BI applications by example that are interactive, highly visual, statistical, predictive, and most importantly, intuitive to the user. BI isn't just for the executive branch of a Fortune 500 company; it is for the masses. Let Next-Generation Business Intelligence Software with Rich Internet Applications show you how to unlock the rich intelligence you already have.

Foundation Expression Blend 4 with Silverlight takes you through your first steps in creating rich Internet applications (RIAs) using the latest release of Microsoft’s technology. You’ll explore features such as custom user controls that you can reuse throughout your projects and the media element that allows you to easily add sound and video to your applications. Silverlight 4 enables you to rapidly develop compelling, cross-platform RIAs using the extensive .NET 4 libraries, the powerful, design friendly Blend 4 integrated development environment (IDE), and an enhanced workflow that allows designers and developers to work on the same set of files at the same time. At the end, you’ll put everything you have learned together to create a sample Silverlight 4 website. Whether you’re an experienced .NET or web developer, or you’re just starting out, this book will provide you with all you need to create RIAs with Expression Blend 4. Develop stunning RIAs in a short time using Blend 4 and Silverlight 4. Learn basic object-oriented programming principles. Get familiar with the Blend 4 development environment.

This valuable reference—in full color—explains the major new release of Silverlight 3 which is dramatically improved over previous versions and makes the development of powerful Rich Interactive Applications (RIAs) achievable for everyone. Packed with examples and written by a highly-seasoned team of developers and designers, this book guides you through the languages, tools, and techniques that are used to build applications on the Silverlight 3 platform (Build 40522). Each chapter provides a mini-tutorial on the respective topic, and the examples serve to both educate and inspire you. The information in this book is structured to help prepare you for the real-world challenges you may face when building applications on the Silverlight platform. By the end of the book, you’ll have gained a thorough understanding of how Silverlight applications are architected, developed, and designed. This book covers: · XAML basics · Silverlight 3 Tools for Visual Studio 2008, Expression Blend 3 and Silverlight Runtime and SDK Transforming text with render transforms · Using graphics, visuals and adding media for a richer user experience · Building application, making it come alive and responding to user activity · Setting up a control project and using a custom control in an application