"Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (Second Preview)" 537 page PDF now available (and still free)

Microsoft Press - Free ebook: Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (Second Preview)

We’re happy to release the Second Preview of our free ebook Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, by Kraig Brockschmidt, today. Here’s a description of the ebook from Kraig:

Kraig here. Hello again! Now that the RTM build of Windows 8 is out and available to developers, along with upgraded tools, I’m delighted to offer the next preview release of my book, Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Since the first release in June, we’ve added eight more chapters, bringing the total to 12 out of a planned 17. The new chapters cover collection controls (everything you wanted to know about ListView!), layout (especially view states), commanding UI (app bars, message dialogs, and their friends), the all-important topic of managing state, a close look at input and sensors (a form of input, really), media, animations, and contracts (share, search, the file pickers, and contacts). The earlier preview chapters (1-4) have also been updated and refined.

Writing a book like this has always been a journey of exploration for myself, and I’m truly grateful that I also have the opportunity to share the results with you. The process has involved many discussions with the Windows engineering team who created the platform, often taking me into far-off corners of the galaxy, so to speak. I’ve also been doing my best to follow app-building discussions both within Microsoft, on the MSDN forums, and StackOverflow so that I can try to anticipate and answer questions that will likely arise in your own mind. And with this over-abundance of information and experience, my goal has been to pull together a narrative story from start to finish, blazing a single trail through what can seem at times like a thick jungle. I would love to hear from you how successful I’ve been at this endeavor.

..."

From the "Who this book is for";

This book is about writing WinRT apps using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. Our primary focus will be on applying these web technologies within the Windows 8 platform, where there are unique considerations, and not on exploring the details of those web technologies themselves. For the most part, then, I'm assuming that you're already at least somewhat conversant with these standards. We will cover some of the more salient areas like the CSS grid, which is central to app layout, but otherwise I trust that you're capable of finding appropriate references for everything else.

I'm also assuming that your interest in Windows 8 has at least two basic motivations. One, you probably want to come up to speed as quickly as you can, perhaps to carve out a foothold in the Windows Store sooner rather than later. Toward that end, I've front-loaded the early chapters with the most important aspects of app development along with "Quickstart" sections to give you immediate experience with the tools, the API, and core platform features. On the other hand, you probably also want to make the best app you can, one that performs really well and that takes advantage of the full extent of the platform. Toward this end, I've also endeavored to make this book comprehensive, helping you at least be aware of what's possible and where optimizations can be made.

Many insights have come from working directly with real-world developers on their real-world apps. As part of the Windows Ecosystem team, myself and my teammates have been on the front lines bringing those first apps to the Windows Store. This has involved writing bits of code for those apps and investigating bugs, along with conducting design, code, and performance reviews with members of the core Windows engineering teams. As such, one of my goals with this book is to make that deep understanding available to many more developers, including you!

Wow, 537 pages and still just the "second preview". Not bad for free!

 

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