8 Must-have tools for Windows Phone developers
Here's something developers both new and experienced can all enjoy together. Doug Rathbone, writer of Diary of a Ninja has posted a very useful list of tools Windows Phone developers can use to make life that little bit simpler.
I'll let the full list do most of the talking as Doug has done an excellent job of summarising each of these tools and exactly why you should consider using them, but suffice to say there are several here that I hadn't heard of before. I'm particularly keen to try out SilverLight Spy, a Firebug-like tool for tweaking and adjusting your app's GUI on the fly.
Have you used these tools? Are there any you swear by that don't appear on this list? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Diary of a Ninja; via @WPUG
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rudyhuyn says:
Ohh !! Isolated Storage Explorer is the in the list :D
I will release a new version soon
rudigrobler says:
Silverlight Spy rocks... use it all the time :)
Rudi Grobler
Lancelot Software says:
ReSharper 6 has cut my development time by 30%.
Muneeb_he's rocking says:
I am student now (18 years old) but i am interested to develop games & software in future for wp........so do i need to know if any education is required for it.....??
Pllzzzzz reply.. :- )
Sorry for bad english
JayTBennett says:
Muneeb, Yes I would say some education in programming & developing would be a good idea, if you're attending a university or college now with a Computer Science programme or similar that's an excellent starting point (I started at University and was taught in Java, the skills I learned are directly transferrable to Windows Phone).
Alternatively if you wanted to dive straight in there are some excellent books around for Windows Phone Silverlight development (for apps), it boils down to knowing how to develop in C# and XAML (the latter of which is similar to HTML and used to describe the user interface of an app). An understanding of Object Oriented design (OO) would be a good idea as well, but not required.
For games you need to understand XNA, something I don't proclaim to have any knowledge on so I'll simply suggest you look around the internet/bookstores for information there.
Good luck!
sharpdesigner says:
No. There is no special education requirements. All you need to know is Silverlight[for Apps] and XNA Game Studio[for games]. You can find ample resources on Microsoft's windows phone development site about these stuff. Practically speaking, if you know C#[[or VB.Net] with Silverlight[or its big bro WPF], you will be all set and just have to know about which libraries are not available in WP7 and how to program for device hardware features[Camera, Accelerometer etc]
dougrathbone says:
Thanks so much for the write up - i'm glad you liked the post.
I really like all the new developer news you're putting on the site recently.
You've definitely got another subscriber!
Muneeb_he's rocking says:
hey frndz thnx for replying me, i am currently doing my computer engineering (2nd year) i will learn java next year, i have learnt vb this year.......after that i will try to make the best what i can..
JayTBennett says:
If you've tried out VB you should be able to try your hand at Windows Phone development, go for it :)
Muneeb_he's rocking says:
thnx.....but i'am concentrating on my studies now......maybe after my studies
tallgeese says:
You don't need a college degree to learn to program. Get a good book, free developer tools are widely available, and have the desire to problem solve. Remember, math is important, even the elementary stuff.
