Pete Vickers

Windows Phone User Group North West - Next meeting 29th May 2012 at MadLab Manchester

Pete Vickers — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:55:00 GMT

We have finally arranged the next meeting of the Windows Phone User Group North West.

It will again be at MadLab on the 29th May 2010 at 18:30 and you can register for it here.

We will be having 2 speakers - Chris Hardy will be talking about 'Cross Platform Mobile Application Development With C# and .Net' and our own Andy Wigley will be talking about 'MVVM and Unit Testing on Windows Phone'

Usual start at 18:30 and we will go on until 21:30 - probably across the road for 'refreshments'.

Nokia/Microsoft Windows Phone Camp - 31st March 2012

Pete Vickers — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:42:00 GMT

Just a quick note of thanks to everyone who came to the Windows Phone camp at LBi last Saturday - we had a great time and hope you did too.

Many thanks to John Cooper from Nokia for all his help, Riaz for his usual excellent help, and Lizzie and her team for all the great organisation.

Thanks to Scott, Dave and Matt for coming along just to help spread their knowledge on Windows Phone - thanks guys.

I have update the 'links' blog to include a couple of new links we discussed, including a link to the excellent presentation from Dave Crawford.

Registration is open for the next camps at LBi on the 12th May, and the Liverpool Arena on the 19th May. Stay tuned for news of any further camps.

Thanks

Pete & Andy

Free Windows Phone 7 training from Nokia/Microsoft/APPA Mundi

Pete Vickers — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:33:00 GMT

After the success, and over-subscription to the London Windows Phone 7 camps organised by Microsoft, Nokia have come to the aid of developers, and added more camps in conjunction with Microsoft, again taking place in London at LBi.

The first of these will be held on the 31st of March 2012, with myself and Andy Wigley in attendance from APPA Mundi. You can register now - but be quick - these events have filled up quickly in the past.

LBi is a great venue for these events, having a great 'workshop' area, as well as a great presentation area next to it. You can always play table tennis if you get fed up of listening to us.

Hope to see you on the 31st

Thanks

Pete

Review of Windows Phone 7.5 Data Cookbook

Pete Vickers — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:10:00 GMT

I was recently sent an 'ebook' of the Windows Phone 7.5 Data Cookbook by Ramsh Thalli.

It seems a good time to look at a book on data access for Windows Phone, as Mango introduced local database support using SQL Ce. The book covers:-

Data binding, including element binding, DataContext, data templates, converters.
Isolated storage
Using XML files
Consuming OData, and performing CRUD against OData sources
Using on-device databases, including Perst, SQLite and SQL Server Compact with LINQ to SQL
Consuming REST feeds, and creating a REST service
WCF Data Services
MVVM

Starting with 'Data binding', the book leads you through the various methods of data access available to the Windows Phone developer. Having been involved in the Windows Phone camps over the last few months, I know what a hot topic data access is. The Windows Phone Databound Application is a great way to learn about data binding, but the Data binding chapter of the book explain in very simple terms the art of data binding. You start with simple data binding of text blocks to your text boxes, progress through converters, and end with how to bind data classes to your forms. Each step contains example code, and it all builds together to create a data bound project.

The chapter on Isolated Storage takes you through file manipulation and application settings. This is available here as a downloadable sample chapter. If you follow the samples, you can use our GUI Isolated Storage Explorer to check your output.

XML access was until Mango probably the main data access method used. XML access is covered in depth, including remote XML file access, and builds on the lessons learnt in Data binding and Isolated Storage to bring them all into one project.

Chapter 4 covers Odata, and shows you how to build a data driven project, using Odata from Netflix. Following the pattern already set, the project starts simply, and gradually builds up to use all the features of Odata.

Chapter 5 takes you through database access on the device, starting with SQLite, moving through SQL Ce, and covering Perst from McObject, first ported by our very own Andy Wigley. Personally, I would have preferred more about SQL Ce, but that is more my interest. For those of you using SQL Ce, SQL Server Compact Toolbox from fellow MVP ErikEJ is a 'must have'.

The final 3 chapters get heavy, covering in great detail, REST, WCF and MVVM. Following the pattern already established, all 3 chapters contain detailed explanations, and sample code, beginning with simple examples, gradually getting more complex.

I think this is a book for 'dipping' into, and is a great help when you are looking to solve a particular problem. There are over 30 'recipes' for working with data. This book covers a wide subject, data access, but covers it in depth. As shown by questions on the forums and events, data access on Windows Phone is a hot topic, and this books really helps in explaining the options available to you, and sample projects to guide you. For anyone wanting to know the detail behind the acronyms, this is a great choice.

Links and Resources from Windows Phone Camps

Pete Vickers — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 17:00:00 GMT

We have been running, and are continue to run Windows Phone Camps in the UK.

During the presentations, we include many links to articles, resources etc. - so we decided to put them all in one place

The slides and Hand On Lab files are availble on our server - appmundi.com with a user of wp7camps and the same password

If we mentioned any and didn't put them in the list, please let us know

Thanks

Pete

Windows Phone 7.1 SDK
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=27570

App Hub
http://create.msdn.com

Windows Silverlight Toolkit
http://silverlight.codeplex.com/

Silverlight for Windows Phone Toolkit in depth
http://windowsphonegeek.com/upload/ebooks/Windows%20Phone%20Toolkit%20Aug%202011%20in%20depth-v1.pdf

Coding4Fun
http://coding4fun.codeplex.com/

Jump Start Training
http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Mango-Jump-Start-01-Building-Windows-Phone-Apps-with-Visual-Studio-2010

Windows Phone 7 Resource Locator
http://forums.create.msdn.com/forums/t/93178.aspx

Application certification guidelines
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh184843(v=VS.92).aspx

Marketing resources
http ://create.msdn.com/en-us/education/basics/marketing

Application Submission Walkthrough
http://create.msdn.com/en-US/home/about/app_submission_walkthrough

Screenshot Tool
http://www.innovativetechguy.com/?p=13&nbsp#awp::?p=13

XNA-UK XAP test service
http://xna-uk.net/groups/xnaukxap/default.aspx

Windows Phone 7 Screen Shot Tool
http://www.innovativetechguy.com/?p=164#awp::?p=164

Mike Ormond’s Templates for Paint.net
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mikeormond/archive/2011/03/21/windows-phone-7-iconography.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mikeormond+%28Mike+Ormond%27s+Blog%29

GUI Interface for Capability Detection
http://appamundi.com/software/CapDetect.1.0.zip

GUI Interface for Isolated Storage Explorer Tool
http://appamundi.com/software/GUI_Iset.1.1.zip

Creating a Windows Phone 7 Trial Application: Implementation and Best Practices
http://www.windowsphonegeek.com/articles/Creating-a-Windows-Phone-7-Trial-Application-Implementation-and-Best-Practices

Beginning C# - Robe Miles C Sharp Yellow Book
http://www.robmiles.com/c-yellow-book/ or http://www.robmiles.com/c-yellow-book/Rob%20Miles%20CSharp%20Yellow%20Book%202010.pdf

Rob Miles - Writing Silverlight and XNA apps for Windows Phone
http://www.robmiles.com/c-yellow-book/Rob%20Miles%20Windows%20Phone%20Blue%20Book.pdf

APPA Mundi Blogs
http://mobileworld.appamundi.com/blogs/

Windows Phone SDK 7.1 RC
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9772716

Obfuscation and Analytics
http://www.preemptive.com/windowsphone7.html

Windows Phone Developer Support
http://create.msdn.com/en-us/home/feedback

Windows Phone User Group
www.wpug.net

Community Windows 7 Development book
http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/building-windows-phone-apps-a-developer%e2%80%99s-guide/17266976

Jeff Blankenberg - 31 days of Mango
http://www.jeffblankenburg.com/2011/10/31/31-days-of-mango/

Jeff Wilcox - Unit Testing
http://www.jeff.wilcox.name/2010/05/sl3-utf-bits/

Jeff Wilcox - Metro Grid Helper
http://www.wpcentral.com/metrogridhelper-visual-aid-designers-and-developers

SQL Compact Toolbox including GUI Interface for SQLMetal
http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/0e313dfd-be80-4afb-b5e9-6e74d369f7a1/

Mike Ormonds Blog
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mikeormond/

Windows Phone Developer Blog
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/wpdev/

Ad Monetization - Best Practices
http://advertising.microsoft.com/wwdocs/user/en-us/forpublishers/Ad-in-Apps-Monetization%20Best%20Practices_3-1-2011.pdf

XNA - UK XAP Test service
http://xna-uk.net/groups/xnaukxap/default.aspx

Windows Azure Toolkit For Windows Phone
http://watwp.codeplex.com/

Windows Phone Metro Design - Channel 9 from Techdays of Dave Crawfords excellent presentation
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechDays/Techdays-2012-the-Netherlands/2289

Slides and HOLS
ftp://apamundi.com

user and password wp7camps

To receive a developer phone you will need to be provide:

App Hub Publisher Name
Live ID
Screenshots of a new app that you will publish in the next 30 days.
Full Name
Address
Telephone Number

Requests can be sent to UKWPrequests@microsoft.com

Only one handset per developer

Inaugural meeting of Windows Phone User Group (North West)

Pete Vickers — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 06:40:00 GMT

On Tuesday the 13th of September, we finally held the first meeting (hopefully of many) of the WPUG in Manchester. Matt Lacey has been running the WPUG in London for over a year, and a northern meeting has been mooted for a while.

This finally came about due to the efforts of Rick Garner, Chris Hardy and a bit of input from myself.

The meeting was held at the Manchester Digital Laboratory (MadLab), a centrally located, but well hidden venue in Manchester's 'northern quarter'. Once you worked out that MadLab was the abbreviation for Manchester Digital Laboratory, the task was a little easier, although with the closed shutters, and just a faded sign over the intercom, it was still a challenge. MadLab is ideally placed though, and the room was just right for our needs. We were well looked after - so thanks again to MadLab.

We started around 6:30 with a smaller audience than the registrations indicated, so thanks to everyone who made the effort. We had attendees who had traveled on the day from Birmingham, Sheffield and Liverpool to name but 3, and Ben who is based in Durham but was working in Manchester.

After the introductions, and we found out why everyone was there, I did a presentation on Marketplace submission - tips and tricks. This simulated a wide ranging discussion from development to submission, with everyone contributing. Special thanks to Simon Jackson for highlighting the testing service provided by the the XNA-UK XAP test service. They support testing of all apps / games in either Silverlight or XNA on the service and provide a wealth of testing capabilities from marketplace testing to UI/UX guidance and support. All for free.

We had a short discussion about what we wanted to see in the future (Expression Blend, Mono, data binding), and who we could 'press gang' into speaking at the meetings.

Thanks to Paul Lo from Microsoft, we raffled off some swag, including a very nice Windows Phone laptop bag, and then retired across the road to a very nice bar for some socialising and geek talk.

We are HOPING to run the next meeting on Tuesday 8th November at the same place - so stay tuned for more details.

Again, thanks to Rick, Chris and Matt - and here are some photograhs from the event.

Want to develop for Windows Phone? Sign up for a free Windows Phone Camp

Pete Vickers — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 09:43:00 GMT

After the resounding success of the Windows Phone 7 workshops earlier this year, Microsoft has asked us to reprise our act, and is running several more camps. The first two dates have been announced, 17^th September in London at LBi and the 24^th September in Manchester at The Studio.

LBi is a great venue for an event like this, and although I haven’t been to the Studio in Manchester, if it is anything like The Studio in Birmingham, it too will be great venue.

The events will follow the same successful formula as the earlier events, with peer to peer workshops running all day, and breakout sessions on specific Windows Phone topics. At least two of us from APPA Mundi will be at each event, along with some folks from Microsoft, and we will be available for photographs and autographs throughout the day :)

The Windows Phone Camps are free events which will show you how to learn and build Windows Phone apps. You can work on your own projects with assistance from the APPA Mundi guys , network with others and also have the option of attending short tutorial sessions on Windows Phone related topics.

If you are new to Windows Phone, this is the ideal event for you as you will have the opportunity to understand the general approach and capabilities of Windows Phone development.

The breakout sessions will be more structured, and will be run in a separate area, so you will be able to carry on working undisturbed if you don’t fancy the breakout sessions.

Registration to the events is open now, and you can register for the London event here, and the Manchester event here.

The schedule is less gruelling than the 12 hour sessions of earlier in the year, and the agenda is:-

We will be available all day to answer questions, and work with you on a one-to-one basis to help with your application development.

There will be prizes to give away, and the camps are fully catered. You can get more details on the MSDN blog.

Remember – places are limited so sign up now.

FREE GUI interface for the Isolated Storage Explorer Tool - GUI Iset

Pete Vickers — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 07:39:00 GMT

A great, and much needed facility for Windows Phone 7 developers arrived with the 7.1 SDK – the ‘Isolated Storage Explorer Tool’. As its name suggests, it allows you to explore isolated storage on the phone itself, copy files from isolated storage to your PC, and copy files to isolated storage from your PC.
This will greatly help developers – I had an XML problem, where I had to add a ‘frig’ to my program to allow me to look at the XML. If this tool had been available, my task would have been a lot easier.

The Isolated Storage Explorer Tool can be found in your program files folder, at “Microsoft SDKs\Windows Phone\v7.1\Tools\IsolatedStorageExplorerTool” and uses a command line interface. The documentation for the tool can be found here.

You can only explore isolated storage from your own applications, as you need to provide the GUID from the application.

In the same way we developed a GUI interface for the Capability Detection Tool, APPA Mundi have developed and released a FREE GUI interface to the Isolated Storage Explorer Tool – imaginatively called GUI Iset.

When you fire up the program, you see the initial screen as shown below.

You need to enter a GUID for your application. You can use the ‘Find’ button to browse to your project folder, and GUI Iset will scan your ‘WMAppManifest.xml’ file and extract the GUID for your application. If you have sub-folders in your isolated storage, you need to enter them, otherwise just leave the text box blank to look at the root folder.

Click on ‘Go’, and GUI Iset will show all your files, and file sizes in isolated storage. The example below shows the ‘settings’ file from our APPA FlightInfo program.

GUI Iset also supports taking snapshots, and restoring snapshots. ‘Take snapshot’ will copy the files from isolated storage to your PC, and ‘Restore snapshot’ will copy files from your PC to isolated storage. To copy files from isolated storage, click on the ‘Take snapshot’ option. This will bring up a text box to select your destination folder, and a check box. If you want to explore the destination folder when you have copied the files, check the ‘Show uploaded files when complete’. You also need to enter a valid path on your PC (this will be remembered, as will your choice of device or emulator, the isolated storage path, and the path to your app if you use the ‘Find’ button).

You can now look at and/or modify your files on the laptop. If you then select ‘Restore Snapshot’ and click on ‘Go’, the files from your PC are copied back to isolated storage on your device (or emulator).

If you want your FREE copy of GUI Iset, it can be downloaded here

If you have any problems, or suggestions, please email us at support@appamundi.com

We have also made a couple of small updates to GUI CapDetect, although this is no longer needed in Mango.

App Hub updating your application - The [NeutralResourceLanguage] attribute is missing on the entry assembly. (2003)

Pete Vickers — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:19:00 GMT

The App Hub has just undergone a (much needed) facelift. Reporting is much better (there IS some reporting), metadata is retained and loads of other enhancements - check it out.

However, I came to update one of our apps recently, and had a problem. I went through the procedure of uploading the updated XAP file, and after pressing 'Next' I got the error:-

The [NeutralResourceLanguage] attribute is missing on the entry assembly. (2003)

I searched for the error message, saw loads of entries, and then read this from Microsoft:-

"There is currently an issue with the upgraded App Hub that is affecting app submissions. The error codes states: "The [NeutralResourceLanguage] attribute is missing on the entry assembly.(2003)" We apologize for the inconvenience. The fix for this issue is to follow the guidance provided on MSDN to add the NeturalResourceLanguage attribute and upload the updated XAP. We sincerely thank you for your patience. "

A bit more research led me to the MSDN Article How to: Build a Localized Application for Windows Phone. Basically, you need to add a resource file to your application, and then set a default language in the assembly properties

Windows Phone 7 Development - The parameter is incorrect

Pete Vickers — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 09:18:00 GMT

We use automated error reporting in our applications, and we were getting a few reports where the error was "The parameter is incorrect". We finally tracked it down to the back key being pressed very quickly when the page was being changed.

We decided that telling our users not to press the back key so quickly when pages were changing was not an option, so we had to find a way around it.

First of all, we tried overriding the Back key handling and putting a try…catch around the call to NavigationService.GoBack() but that didn’t do it. So, it was time for a re-think. The solution we came up, even we think is kludgey, but it does seem to get around the problem. Notice I say get around the problem, not solve it. A solution would be welcome.

If the page is fully loaded, then there is no problem, so we needed a way to prevent the the back key being pressed before the page was fully loaded. The 'kludgey' bit is to use timers to ensure the page is loaded. Until the page is fully loaded, effectively we ignore the back key.

First of all declare a couple of timers, and set them up at when the page loads.

DispatcherTimer tmrBackKey = new DispatcherTimer();
DispatcherTimer tmrFullyLoaded = new DispatcherTimer();
private static Boolean needBackKeyTimer = true;

...

tmrBackKey.Interval = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 1);
tmrBackKey.Tick += (sender, e) =>
{
do_back_processing();
};

tmrFullyLoaded.Interval = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 3);
tmrFullyLoaded.Tick += (sender, e) =>
{
do_backkey_timer();
};

Then, at the end of the OnNavigatedTo event, start the 'fully loaded' timer. We set this to 3 seconds, to allow the page to fully load - this is possibly excessive and could be tuned to your own application.

tmrFullyLoaded.Start();

When the 'fully loaded' timer fires, we stop the timer and set the 'needBackKeyTimer' flag to false.

private void do_backkey_timer()
{
tmrFullyLoaded.Stop();
needBackKeyTimer = false;
}

We then need to handle the back key being pressed. If our 'needBackKeyTimer' is still set to true, our page is still not fully loaded, so we 'ignore' the key press, but if the flag is set to false, and we are fully loaded, we process the back key.

protected override void OnBackKeyPress(System.ComponentModel.CancelEventArgs e)
{
base.OnBackKeyPress(e);

              if (NavigationService.CanGoBack)
              {
                  e.Cancel = true;
                  if (needBackKeyTimer)
                  {
                      tmrBackKey.Start();
                  }
                  else
                  {
                      NavigationService.GoBack();
                  }
              }
          }

When the back key is pressed, if we are still not fully loaded, we start our 'back key' timer, and when that fires, we try to go back to our calling screen. If we are fully loaded, we then try to go back to our calling screen.

private void do_back_processing()
{
    tmrBackKey.Stop();
    try
    {
        NavigationService.GoBack();
    }
    catch
   {

}
}

This seems to handle the problem effectively, although we don't feel this is a 'pretty' solution.

Windows Phone 7 Development - Property editing not available

Pete Vickers — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:44:00 GMT

I have increasingly been seeing the message 'Property editing not available' when on the xaml design page of a VS2010 Windows Phone 7 application.

Some judicious searching threw up various suggestions, including several opinions that the problem was fixed. Possibly, but not for me, using VS2010 with the latest service packs, and the current phone development beta. Of all the various suggestions, the one that consistently seems to work for me is editing the xaml, and the properties window magically appears.

Pick any control on the page, and add a new property. Simply go to the end of the line, hit the space bar, and choose a property.

Then, simply delete the property you have just entered, in this case 'CacheMode' and the properties window should appear.

Hopefully, this will help people with the same problems.

If anyone knows of a PERMANENT solution problem, please let me know.

Can a development junkie manage a week away with just a Windows Phone 7 and no laptop?

Pete Vickers — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 06:32:00 GMT

Having in past blog entries, extolled the virtues of mobile broadband and a mobile 3g router I thought I would share my experiences of last week. Mobile broadband is all very well, when everything is working as it should, but what happens when you have problems? We had a week in Menorca last week, and as usual, I went to top up my Vodafone dongle for a weeks unlimited access. It usually takes about an hour to permeate the system, so I wasn't too perturbed when I checked it out later and it wasn't working, but it didn't start working until the following morning.

It worked for a couple of hours, and then packed in - no connection. I spoke to the lovely lady in the Vodafone shop, and she said she would check out my number. Still no joy a few hours later. Phoned back, to be told there were problems with the network. I put this down to the usual bullshit. Was talking to a friend later, in his restaurant, when he was told the credit card validation system wasn't working. You guessed it - they use a mobile device for CC validation, and it couldn't get a network connection. Hmmm - possibly not bullshit then.

As ours is a pretty small business, emails can be vital to us. Not replying to a customer query, or not replying to a potential customer could really hurt us. Would Windows Phone 7 cut it as my only means of comms for a week? I had tried this in the past with various releases of Windows Mobile, and in that case, the answer was always a resounding NO!

I don't switch on Data Roaming whilst abroad due to not having the wealth of a Bill Gates to pay the ridiculous prices still being charged for data roaming. So I was dependent on wireless hot spots. There are 2 free wireless hot spots within a couple of hundred yards of where we were, so to check my mail, I just loitered outside for a couple of minutes to pick up my mail. I could then reply to it at my 'leisure'.

An increasing number of bars and restaurants, certainly in Menorca are providing free WiFi, and as we tend to spend some of our time in bars and restaurants, this proved to be convenient for both checking and sending mail. Admittedly, it does seem a bit ignorant to be sat tapping away on a phone whilst sat with your lovely wife in a bar, but needs must. (It is certainly less ignorant than the couple who sat next to us in a restaurant, ordered their meals, and then both got out paperbacks to read, and completely ignored each other!)

So, I spent a week effectively without Internet access and just my Windows Phone 7. I found it far less of a chore than I originally thought it would be. Outlook on the phone is a great implementation, and I had no problems keeping up to date. I love the way WP7 remembers the hot spots you have connected to in the past, so when you go back to a bar, you automatically pick up your mail. The browser wasn't a problem either - I could check my bank (try doing that on Windows Mobile), keep up to date on any football transfer news etc.

Much as I didn't appreciate it at the time, a week without a permanent umbilical connection probably did me good - stopped me checking something, then getting involved, and then wondering where the last two hours had gone. I was quite happy that I could keep up to date without data roaming, and using hot spots. Also gave me an excuse to spend more time in bars to have a cooler in the heat.

I would have no hesitation in going away for a few days withouth my precious laptop, and just relying on my phone - I certainly wouldn't have said that about previous incarnations.

101 Windows Phone 7 Apps - Adam Nathan

Pete Vickers — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:52:00 GMT

Although I have been developing Windows Phone 7 apps for over 12 months now, I saw 101 Windows Phone 7 Apps by Adam Nathan and it looked interesting.

I put in a 'request' for the book for Father's Day. It was delivered earlier this week, and I was allowed to read it before the 'big day'. It truly is a massive tome, weighing in at over 2 Kilos - not something you would take on a plane journey for light reading, as it would probably exceed your allowance on Ryanair.

This is Volume 1, and covers apps 1 to 50 - Volume 2 is due out later this year. Each chapter of the book covers building one application, and gradually the applications get more complex, and more useful. The book takes the unusual approach of printing all the code for each application, using the colours you would normally see in Visual Studio. (You can also download the code if you buy the book). At the end, there is a XAML reference, a 'theme resources' reference and a 'geometry' reference.

The sample apps cover transforms and animations, local data, pivot panorama and graphs, audio and video, microphone, touch, multi touch and the accelerometer.

Although I am a quick reader, the 1100+ pages will take some reading, although from first impressions, it will be well worth reading. I would recommend this book for anyone looking at starting development on Windows Phone 7, as well as more experienced developers looking at things they have done before, or just as a reminder. The book is as up to date as you would expect, and covers the Silverlight Toolkit. The book contains many usability and design recommendations which are helpful for anyone starting on the Windows Phone 7 development journey.

My first impression is that this is an excellent book for beginners and more experienced developers alike.

First Windows Phone 7 Workshop - Birmingham March 26th 2011

Pete Vickers — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:48:00 GMT

Last Saturday, we held the first of our free Windows Phone 7 Workshops - hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did. Special thanks to Mike Ormond for coming along and pitching in, plus talking about Marketplace submission.

The venue was the excellent 'The Studio' in Birmingham - heartily recommended to anyone looking to run an event in Birmingham. Great location, facilities and food, and friendly efficient staff.

The workshop was a 12 hour event, the idea being that people worked in groups, to get applications ready to submit to Marketplace. Developers could bounce ideas off their peers, and ask APPA Mundi or Microsoft people for help and advice on the more thorny issues. The format worked very well, with several developers finishing up in a position where they were ready to submit their applications to Marketplace.

There were loads of prizes, although that wasn't the main reason people came. We gave a way an Xbox Kinect system in a raffle, and several smaller prizes such as books, tee-shirts and phone cases. Every attendee also got a free licence for $299 of controls from Mindscape.

More importantly, on the day, Lee Spring won a Samsung Omnia for the app we judged to have made the most progress. Additionally, we will be giving away several other FREE developer phones to the guys who made great progress with their apps, when they are published to the Marketplace.

Come along to one (or all) of our other workshops (• London - 2nd April 2011 • Manchester - 9th April 2011 • London - 16th April 2011) and win big too. We will again be raffling off an Xbox Kinect system, and giving a free phone on the day to one lucky (hard working) developer who makes the most progress toward Marketplace. In addition, thanks to the generosity of our friends from Microsoft, we will have even more FREE Developer phones to give away - just impress us with your (original) app, and submit it to Marketplace to get a developer phone - all you pay is the carriage charges. Sounds too good to be true - but it isn't.

The events run from 9am until PM - but you needn't stay all day. Several hardy souls in Birmingham did, and several people who originally said they were only here until lunchtime finished up staying a lot later than they thought they would.

We took a few photographs of the event - and promise to take more at the forthcoming events. Hope to see some of you on Saturday. If you are coming along, please remember to bring your laptops. We will have several developer phones you will be able to use to test your apps on, if you don't have a developer phone.

Early in the day - Full of enthusiasm.

Coming up on 10 hours - still going strong

Coming to the end of the workshop - still a few hardy souls working.

Windows Phone 7 - No Fragment support right now

Pete Vickers — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:01:00 GMT

We were getting reports of this occurring in one of our apps, but it was proving difficult to track down, despite our app emailing a stack trace and other details when we got an error.

Peter did some judicious searching, and found that other people had seen this if the page you were navigating away from was using DispatcherTimer.

This did indeed appear to be the case. To fix this, it was included in tombstoning in the 'OnNavigatedFrom' event. The 'IsEnabled' property of the Timer was saved away.

State[modMain.tombstonetmrRefresh] = tmrRefresh.IsEnabled;
tmrRefresh.Stop();

Then, in the 'OnNavigatedTo' event, check the 'state' of the timer, and re-start it if it was running when we 'tombstoned'.

if (State.ContainsKey(modMain.tombstonetmrRefresh))
   {
       if (Convert.ToBoolean(State[modMain.tombstonetmrRefresh]))
           {
               tmrRefresh.Start();
           }
       State.Remove(modMain.tombstonetmrRefresh);
    }

This should prevent the 'No Fragment support right now' message from appearing