Extending the Reach of your Applications

Jeremy (Jeremy@mindscape.co.nz) & JD (jd@mindscape.co.nz)

Remoteness…

• 1990 – MSDOS 6.22
• 2000 – MS IE 4.0
• 2007 – Windows Sideshow; Mobile Apps; XBOX; Smart Phones; MS Exchange Server

What has enabled this?

• Prevalence of Internet
• Broadband is driving richer experience
• Users expect to be connected
• XML standard protocols for exchange of data (RSS, SOAP)

How do you get started?

• Publish RSS – allow your content to be syndicated
• Expose Web Services
• Open (ASP.NET 2.0 or WCF)
• Secure (WCF)
• Expose an OpenSearch provider – Let users search directly from their browser

Easy Reach for your applications – Demo

• RssToolkit.GenericRssChannel
• OpenSearch
• Create a Provider.xml which tells OpenSearch where to find the search page.
• Add a link of application type = OpenSearch/xml

Surfaces

• Internet – Data (RSS) and Services
• Platform Services
• Windows Vista
• Mobile
• Media Centre
• Application Surfaces
• Microsoft Office 2007
• SharePoint

Windows Vista Desktop

• Existing Opportunities – desktop client (Windows Forms)
• New Opportunities
• Rich Client (WPF)
• Mini app (Sidebar Gadget)

Windows Presentation Foundation

• Unified approach to UI, Documents and Media
• Integrated, vector-based composition engine
• Declarative model (XAML)
• Brings designers and developers together
• Flexible Deployment

Demo

• Add a reference to Microsoft Feeds, version 1.0 (COM object)

Vista Sidebar Gadgets

• Easy to use “mini applications”
• Designed to be informative or functional
• Designed to have low intrusion
• Allows reach for existing applications or services
• Manifest (XML) to interface (html) to CSS, images, JavaScript to ActiveX and/or XML HTTP request

SharePoint Web Parts

• Created for SharePoint 2003 (what about Digital Dashboard?)
• Empower users
• Great for content delivery

ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts

• Web Parts outside SharePoint
• Even better for content delivery!

Building Web Parts on WSS v3

• Import System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts
• Add the Web Part Manager
• Customise Page Button
• Add Web Part Zones (x2)
• Add Catalog View
• Add reference to our Web Part
• DisplayMode = WebPart.ViewDisplayMode

Call to Action

• Publish an RSS Feed
• Publish an OpenSearch provider http://tinyurl.clm/zda68
• Download and install WSS 3.0 – build a Web Part
• Build a Sidebar Gadget