Windows Phone: Universal app template with about page, settings, first-run tutorial [Jul. 27th, 2014|07:20 pm] Greg

It's tough to start with a blank app - I always want an About page and some other things. Since Universal apps are all the rage for Windows and Windows Phone, I made a universal app template to help get you started!



This template provides:

- About pages that are shared between Windows and Windows Phone, including links to other apps, to contact the author, to review the app, etc.

- Settings that are persisted and the user can set (in an about page)

- A first-run tutorial



Downloads:

- WinUniversalTemplate.zip - universal app template



Instructions:

Create the directory <My Documents>\Visual Studio 2013\Templates\ProjectTemplates\Visual C# and download the template to that directory. Next time you start Visual Studio 2013, you should have a "Hub About App (Universal Apps)" entry under Templates/Visual C#.



Notes:

- The template is based on the Universal Hub template - right now that seemed like the best choice since the Universal empty template doesn't have support for navigation, etc.

- I constructed the various About pages so they could be shared between Windows and Windows Phone. That was a bit more awkward than I had expected - if it becomes a burden for you, feel free to split them up. (if you have any questions, feel free to contact me!)

- There are instructions in the README.txt file on how to customize or disable the first-run tutorial.



Screenshots:

- UserSettings class and settings page



- About page with contact info and review button



- Page for linking to other apps



- First-run tutorial







Problems? Feedback? More things you'd like to see in the template? Let me know at @gregstoll or greg@gregstoll.com!



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See all my Windows Phone development posts.



I'm planning on writing more posts about Windows Phone development - what would you like to hear about? Reply here, on twitter at @gregstoll, or by email at greg@gregstoll.com.