My First Windows Phone App

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gundar

488 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#150812 4-Aug-2014 10:27

Hi

I have a Windows Phone and an addiction to Trading Cards. After trying several apps to track my habit, I have decided that what I want is simple and not catered for and 'how hard can it be...?'

My Windows phone is a Lumia 800 with Windows 7.8. I found a few MSDN pages on the likes of 'how to make your first app' with simple tutorial and list of instructions. Seems simple so far?

I then installed the SDK, but put found that some menu options in VS2013 were not there and that templates for phone development didn't seem to exist. After a day of screwing around and several gigs of downloading various sdks and versions of sdks, I've some to the conslusion I have to have Windows 8.1 to support VS2013 with the phone dev kits and templates.

No problem, I have a capable PC and my old Windows 7 is having trouble, so it is okay for me to upgrade and I have the software licensing, too.

Wow. Two days later, 3 or 4 GB of downloads and now I am trying to use Windows 8.1. I have not even complete step one of the tutorial, yet.

Is it this hard? Can somebody recommend a one page tutorial that has working links to software that exists, please? I want to create a simple score counter for a game that I play often on Windows Phone 7.8. Mostly for no reason other than I want to try. In time, I will add features and grow it.

Thanks

Gund

Jeff Bridges

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1101520 4-Aug-2014 10:47

As far as I know VS2013 will only target WP8 and newer. To target WP7.8 I believe you'll need the following installed:

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

Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 Update:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29233

Windows Phone SDK update for Windows Phone 7.8:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36474

This will install VS2010, however from memory you can install VS2012 which will still support WP7 development.

gundar

488 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 80

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#1101526 4-Aug-2014 10:59

Jeff Bridges: As far as I know VS2013 will only target WP8 and newer. To target WP7.8 I believe you'll need the following installed:

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

Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 Update:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29233

Windows Phone SDK update for Windows Phone 7.8:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36474

This will install VS2010, however from memory you can install VS2012 which will still support WP7 development.

Hi, I followed this article that says what you have surmised above and although written for WP8, has references and links in the refered links to WP7.8 scenarios. However, When I start a New Project, I have no Windows Phone Templates at all (not even WP8), even if I choose to use a template from 'online'. I do have VS2010 and SDK 7.1 and 7.1.1 (and even a 7.8 update).

Thanks

Jeff Bridges

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1101532 4-Aug-2014 11:04

Which version of Visual Studio are you looking for the templates in?

gundar

488 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#1101547 4-Aug-2014 11:10

Jeff Bridges: Which version of Visual Studio are you looking for the templates in?

I tried 2010, 2012 and 2013. I then found an article that said to use 2013 update 1 or 2 but that's when I found a link pushing me to install Windows 8.1.

I may have missed a step, so I'll try again tonight and start with VS2010.

compost

295 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 37

#1101991 4-Aug-2014 19:18

If you only want to quickly knock out an app of prototype quality then some options are

Touchdevelop https://www.touchdevelop.com/

Project Siena http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/projectsiena/default.aspx

Windows App Studio http://appstudio.windows.com/

I think only touchdevelop has variables you can increment in the way you're describing however

A time-poor geek is hardly a geek at all