WDW v1.0 - The End

Hello World

And so we came to the End!

The Web Dev Workshop v1.0 ended today. It was one hell of an experience. As I said in my last post, the students over there were awesome.

Coming to the point, I am writing this post to intimate everyone that the group that I talked about is up and running on Facebook. Here it is: Facebook Web Development Group

Further, I m writing the whereabouts of the site that I require.Here it goes:

1. The basic design template of my site should remain the same as we developed in the lab. This complete template is there in the CD as the Open End Project.
2. The different menu options would be:

• Home
• Windows Phone App Development
• Android App Development
• Linux Community
• Web Development
• ASP.NET
• Open Source Technologies
• Algorithms
• Image Processing

3. Keep the content of the right hand side as some/any dummy text.
4. The Home menu should contain some good/interactive carousel. The images can be of your choice.
5. Footer should be implemented.
6. Just the front-end web design is required. No backend functionality is required.
7. You can play around with the content/template/design as you wish. It should look good.

So, try implementing it. This is a real time project. As everyone agreed, 2 week(14 days) would suffice for this thing to be completed. Send in your zip files to:

• valonia mail: sagaranand@valonia.co.in

And by the way, one of the feedbacks of the workshop was: "It was awesome. You looks like superman".

Well, thank you to whoever wrote this feedback. I am expecting a message from this person..;)

So, I will end this here today. I am expecting a lot of mails in my inbox in the coming 14 days. See you all.

Regards,

Sagar Anand.

Web Dev Workshop 1.0

Hello World...

Today we concluded the first day of my first ever workshop on Web Design/Development outside the BITS-Campus.

It was an amazing experience. I was seriously blown away by the zeal the students had over there. I wish I really could provide a whole lot of resources to each of them. 

And especially after the super-boring first theory session, I was surprised by the turn-up. I had expected that more than 20% would drop it. The number increased somehow. I am really happy how things turned out today, and I wish I am able to deliver the to their expectations tomorrow too.

And ofcourse, a special mention of the Campus Ambassador Mr. Vivek. He is the one who really has worked hard behind this workshop. He just called me and told me that he is going to get the CDs for the students tomorrow. I don't know how far he would have to go. Hats off to you  Vivek  and all your team members.

For the people attending this workshop and everyone out their, this is the Open End Project that I am sharing with you. Try going through the mark-up and the CSS StyleSheet. I hope you understand it well.

Open End Project

P.S.: Drop in a mail at sagar.anand@live.in if you have any problems viewing the above document.

Thanks,

Sagar Anand.

Opening the "Windows" : First Step!

And so, it has been quite sometime since I started learning and developing Windows Phone 7,8 applications. I have had queries wherein people ask me if they can learn the same, given that they have little or no programming experience. So, this post of mine is for people who want to start developing Windows Phone 7,8/Windows 8 Store apps, but are clueless as where to start from.

Firstly, to get a complete list of all the video tutorials that are helpful, check out this file: App Dev Resources

A brief overview:

1. Firstly, Windows Phone 7,8 app development is super-easy to start with. Unlike Android, there are only 3 resolution screens available in market(Making it real easy for Windows Phone developers to port their apps across all the devices).

2. The front-end markup(this is not the actual code) is written in XAML, that manages the layout of several controls on your Windows Phone app screen. 

3. The back-end code(this is the actual coding part) is done in C#. This is one of the Object Oriented Programming languages given by Microsoft itself. The syntax of this language is very much similar to Java and adds a lot of powerful features. Learning C# is not at all difficult if you already have some experience in Java(or any other OOP language) or C or C++.

4. And last but not the least, a great deal of Patience is required. Brushing up concepts(if you already know some) or learning new concepts require high levels of patience. So, be patient and calm while you go through learning the new things. 

What all do we need?:

       Windows phone 7,8/windows store app development require specific platforms, IDE and tools for their development. So, here is the list of all that you need in order to get started.

     
     Windows Phone 8:

·         Windows 8 Operating System(Pro or Enterprise Edition, 64-Bit, Hyper-V Enabled)

·         Visual Studio 2012

·         Windows Phone 8 sdk for visual studio 2012

       Windows Phone 7:

·         Windows 7,8 Operating System(32-Bit, 64-Bit, Any edition)

·         Visual Studio 2010(or higher)

·         Windows Phone 7 sdk for visual studio 2010

        Windows Store Apps:

·         Windows 8 Operating System(Pro or Enterprise Edition, 64-Bit, Hyper-V Enabled)

·         Visual Studio 2012

  Where do we start?:

                Taking the first step is always crucial. We need to be certain that we are going in the correct direction.

                For people who are doing this for the first time, start with watching some tutorial videos (I will be providing some useful links). These introductory videos give you a brief idea of the IDE (Visual studio 20xx) and gets you familiar with the environment with which you’ll be working. The links to the videos that I provide next are one of the best videos that are available today, and are given by Microsoft itself. Hats off to the editors who made these awesome videos.

   Windows Phone 7: here

·         [Day 1] These video series by Bob Tabor start with an introduction to the IDE, followed by a quick revision for C# as a whole. This series is ideal for people having knowledge of some OOP language code and thinking of building upon it.

·         [Day 2] This series also includes briefly the abstract concepts of Namespaces, classes and objects etc. as seen from the C# point of view. A good introduction to XAML markup and manipulating Silverlight controls is also given.

·         [Day 3] Coming to the back-end C# coding, the level here is fairly intermediate and good exposure to programming techniques(for Windows Phone app development, in particular) is provided. Isolated Storage, ListBox, Tomstoning and Task Switching are some good ones.

·         [Day 4] This series also applies the concepts learnt to actual app-making. Finally, a note taking app is made.

    Windows Phone 8: here

·         This series includes video tutorials wherein the instructor develops two complete apps for Windows Phone 8. This is a very good jumpstart for people who have a fairly good knowledge of simple to semi-complex coding. The videos go gradually and you can skim over the part you feel you know.

·         These videos also cover the basics of IDE and simple exposure to XAML markup, complemented with Silverlight input controls. The videos are step by step and very informative.

·         One of the best things in these videos is the DataBound techniques and the MVVM model of app making. If you have a fair idea of coding and OOP principles, you can easily understand these videos.

    A beginning to C#: here

·         In case you feel that the videos above are somewhat of high level, feel free to go through these videos for an introduction to C#.

·         These videos are a very basic start in C# for any beginner, especially for the people lacking knowledge/experience in Object Oriented Programming techniques.

·         After you have some experience/exposure in this, try going through the aforesaid videos. I think those videos should be easy after you are done with this.

    Windows 8 Store:

                Windows 8 Store apps provide more flexibility in terms of the platform that one can use. Windows 8 Store apps, in particular can be made either using C#/XAML(same as Windows Phone) or if you are familiar with web, you can use JavaScript and HTML5 for the same. The tutorials videos for both the platforms are given, check out for yourself.

·         Using C#/XAML: here

·         Going on the same lines as above, these videos give a brief introduction of the environment and the context and then carry forward to explain some programming concepts that are involved in Windows Store app development.

·         Having a fair background of C# and OOP principles should make the understanding easier.

·         Using JavaScript/ HTML5: here

·         This series is a little more advanced than the others, mainly because the execution environment differs in this case.

·         Carry forwarding this video series requires a good knowledge of JavaScript of the web and other fundamentals that are specific to Windows Store app development (Another series for JavaScript fundamentals is also given down).

   HTML5 / CSS3 fundamentals: here

                This series is for fundamental concepts in HTML5/CSS3 that can be used in Windows 8 app development. This series for absolute beginners and so, if you know these platforms, you can skim over a part of it. Nevertheless, these tutorials are really good and provides a complete basic idea behind using these platforms ( even for applying these to any general case).

   JavaScript Fundamentals: here

                  This series is for the JavaScript fundamentals, which can then be applied to windows 8(Store) app development. Having a fairly good knowledge of JavaScript can help in understanding these concepts really easy. Having a strong foundation in JavaScript fundamentals can greatly simplify Windows 8 app making, including the benefits of a richer GUI that HTML5/CSS3 and JavaScript offer as a whole.

  IMPORTANT & Interesting: App Studio

·         The videos given above cover almost all the starting points of Windows Phone 7, 8 App development. Once you have a basic knowledge/exposure to the techniques involved in app making through this platform, you can always look forward to learn more. I will be posting about some more advanced video series in a following post.

·         Microsoft provides an online tool for creating very simple/static and interactive apps, without any kind of coding required. This is one of the best tools as yet,named APP STUDIO.

  APP STUDIO for Windows Phone App development:

·         You need to follow this procedure to get started with App Studio for Windows Phone 8 app development.

·         Get a Windows Live ID for yourself. This is the same as a Microsoft account. You can have any other email account by any other provider, but getting a Live ID is useful later. So, signup on http://login.live.com

·         From your Live ID (or any other email address), write a mail to studio@microsoft.com with the subject: Request for Invitation Code and empty body.

·         In some 5-10 minutes, you will get a code for getting started with App Studio. Click on Start Building on the App Studio page and sign-in there with your Live ID and the code that you just received.

·         You are ready to make a Windows Phone 8 app online with App Studio, that too without any coding at all.

·         I will make a separate post explaining what App Studio is, and how can it be used to your advantage. Till then, start exploring and start playing around with App Studio by yourself. It’s quite simple and amazing at the same time.

    So, here it is! These are some of the best tutorials that I have found on web. These tutorials do teach a lot, however they are long and sometimes boring. Take your time, be patient and keep going through these videos. I will be back with more material and yes, App Studio ofcourse.

     

     Do checkout the Microsoft Windows 8 AppFest happening during the national annual technical festival of BITS-Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, ATMOS

    See you,

    Sagar Anand.

Hello 2 World!

Hello World!

Finally, I am here!  Sitting and writing a blog. God knows when this urge to "type something meaningful" came to my mind, but surely this is interesting.

About me: The name is Sagar Anand. I am currently pursuing my B.E.(Hons) in Computer Science at BITS-Pilani, Hyderabad Campus.

Through this blog of mine, I shall be telling you about how to "Start-Up". Not relating to the entrepreneurial start-up, this start-up would be related to something more subtle. I shall be starting with the guides - as to how to start going deep into Computer Science as a whole.

Apart from including the guides of study in the core fields of Computer Science, I shall also be posting about STARTing to learn something from scratch, say Windows Phone 8/Windows Store App Development. A high percentage of the posts will be regarding "JumpStart" required for starting any meaningful work that can be pursued with the knowledge of basics existing in Computer Science.

I hope the upcoming posts are interesting and useful to people looking for a HEADSTART guide in Computer Science. Keep Following for more!

See you,

Sagar Anand.