This book has one primary goal: to get you working in Expression Blend 4 effectively using the features and functionality of the tool. This book is not about XAML, not about code nor explicit work flows. It is about simply dragging, dropping, drawing, and defining the experience and vision for a user interface and rich interactive experience. You will learn how to work with the core features of Blend, edit Styles and Templates, and more importantly, understand what they all mean. You will also work in detail with Parts, States, and Behaviors to understand how collectively they can provide your solutions advanced functionality without the need for code or hand-cranked XAML. Animations and Storyboards will allow you to bring life to your vision, as will working with data efficiently and learning how to create and manage Resources. In short, this book will give you the answers to many questions asked in forums by new and experienced users alike. Microsoft Expression Blend 4 Unleashed is a stunning, full-color resource with hundreds of screenshots and informative figure references. It has also been authored sequentially, to enable you to build your knowledge step-by-step and gain confidence through repartition and fearlessness in discovery. Detailed information on how to… Create, edit, and work effectively with Styles and Templates Master Parts, States, and Behaviors to enable XAML and code free functionality Use Blend’s Animation and Storyboard workflows to bring life to your solutions Create and manage Resource Dictionaries, Skins, and Themes Create sample and live data Implement effective XML, CLR Data binding, and Control Template binding using Expression Blends advanced data support tools Use Blend as part of your designer/developer workflow to create rapid prototypes with SketchFlow Use design resources to start creating solutions for Windows Phone 7 Work with WPF, Silverlight, and Silverlight for Windows Phone 7 platforms

Printed entirely in color, with helpful figures and syntax coloring to make code samples appear as they do in Visual Studio and Expression Blend! Using Silverlight 4, you can build richer and more powerful applications than ever before, and deploy them seamlessly in browsers, on desktop computers, and even on Windows Phone 7. In Silverlight 4 Unleashed, Microsoft Silverlight MVP Laurent Bugnion covers everything you need to do all this, and much more. The only full-color, example-rich guide to Silverlight 4 for experienced Microsoft developers, Silverlight 4 Unleashed illuminates the entire development process: from installing Silverlight tools to building great user experiences, managing data to optimizing application performance. You’ll master core Silverlight features such as controls and properties; communicating with web services; efficiently creating data-oriented line-of-business applications; working with external frameworks, and more. Bugnion concludes by showing how to use advanced features such as 3D-like effects and multitouch to deliver an even smoother, richer experience. Install and use Silverlight Tools for Visual Studio Extend Silverlight applications with user and custom controls Group, sort, filter, page, bind, and validate data Take full advantage of the Model-View-ViewModel Pattern in Silverlight Access Web resources and services Control the application’s appearance with resources, styles, templates, and Expression Blend Sketch user experience and build iterative prototypes by easily getting feedback from end users Create data-oriented applications more easily with the WCF RIA Services framework Adapt Silverlight desktop applications for Windows Phone 7 Integrate effects and media into your applications Use Unity, MEF, and the MVVM Light Toolkit to write more maintainable, extensible software Optimize performance by reducing download size and memory footprint, and increasing execution speed

"Microsoft Visual Studio LightSwitch represents a breakthrough in business application development for Windows clients, the Web, and the cloud. Using this new tool, you can build powerful data-centric applications with far less code than ever before. Microsoft Visual Studio LightSwitch Unleashed is the first comprehensive, start-to-finish guide to this powerful new tool. ... You learn how to use LightSwitch to buld modern, scalable, customized line-of-business applications that automatically leverage technologies such as Silverlight, WCF, and SQL Server Express ..."--Back cover.

The smart way to learn Microsoft Expression Blend 4—one step at a time! Experience learning made easy—and quickly teach yourself how to design rich user interfaces (UI) for Microsoft Silverlight-based applications using Expression Blend 4. With Step by Step, you set the pace—building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Master the Expression Blend 4 core tools and features Use SketchFlow to design a UI prototype Create reusable skins for Silverlight 4 controls Implement interactive elements without writing code Add XAML and C# basics to your design skill set Design custom UI art with tools in Expression Design 4 Your Step by Step digital content includes: All the book’s practice files—ready to download and put to work. Fully searchable online edition of this book—with unlimited access on the Web.

The #1 WPF Book--Now Updated for WPF 4! Full Color: Code samples appear as they do in Visual Studio! Thorough, authoritative coverage, practical examples, clear writing, and full-color presentation make this one of the most widely acclaimed programming books of the last decade. Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is the recommended technology for creating Windows user interfaces, giving you the power to create richer and more compelling applications than you dreamed possible. Whether you want to develop traditional user interfaces or integrate 3D graphics, audio/video, animation, dynamic skinning, multi-touch, rich document support, speech recognition, or more, WPF enables you to do so in a seamless, resolution-independent manner. WPF 4 Unleashed is the authoritative book that covers it all, in a practical and approachable fashion, authored by WPF guru and Microsoft developer Adam Nathan. Covers everything you need to know about Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) Examines the WPF feature areas in incredible depth: controls, layout, resources, data binding, styling, graphics, animation, and more Highlights the latest features, such as multi-touch, text rendering improvements, XAML language enhancements, new controls, the Visual State Manager, easing functions, and much more Delves into topics that aren’t covered by most books: 3D, speech, audio/video, documents, effects Shows how to create popular UI elements, such as Galleries, ScreenTips, and more Demonstrates how to create sophisticated UI mechanisms, such as Visual Studio-like collapsible/dockable panes Explains how to create first-class custom controls for WPF Demonstrates how to create hybrid WPF software that leverages Windows Forms, DirectX, ActiveX, or other non-WPF technologies Explains how to exploit new Windows 7 features, such as Jump Lists and taskbar customizations

This is the complete guide to programming the entire breakthrough Windows Mobile 8 platform. It focuses on helping readers get started fast, and delivers highly competitive applications