Recommended resources
- Windows Phone Dev Center
- Windows Phone Dev Center for news, tools, code examples, documentation etc.
- MSDN reference documentation for Windows Phone
- This is documentation for the Windows Phone 8 and 7 development.
- Metro UI design language, for designers (basic)
Nokia Lumia Developer's Library
This library is intended for developers creating applications for Nokia Lumia devices. The library provides detailed guides on the use of Map, Camera, NFC, and Nokia Music APIs with code snippets and references to the complete example applications. It also explains how to co-develop for Windows Phone 7 and 8, and provides an overview and guides on Nokia Developer services, such as Remote Device Access for Nokia Lumia. The latest library updates include various improvements to the Nokia Music API documentation and two new example applications - Nokia Music API Test App and Bands Around. See the Change history for more details on the latest updates.
Designing for Windows Phone
This Design and User Experience Library section provides design guidelines and other design related information for Windows Phone (WP).
What's new in Windows Phone 8
Windows Phone 8, a significant milestone in the evolution of Microsoft's operating system for mobile phones, means expanded hardware access, support for high-end gaming, better OS integration, and many new APIs for developers. This extensive article introduces you to the most significant API additions and changes. An example application is used to show the code you need to write to make use of these new features.
Media in Silverlight for Windows Phone
This topic describes differences in support for media in Silverlight for the desktop and Silverlight for Windows Phone. Silverlight media support on Windows Phone is based on the native media stack used on Windows Phone. Supported frame rates are typically lower than those available on desktop computers.
Features Differences Between Silverlight and Silverlight for Windows Phone
This document provides detailed information on the differences between Silverlight for Windows Phone OS 7.1 and Silverlight. Silverlight for Windows Phone OS 7.1 is based on Silverlight 4 and many of the features in Silverlight are also in Silverlight for Windows Phone. However, some features are not supported or do not make sense in Windows Phone applications. This topic describes some of the features differences between Silverlight and Silverlight for Windows Phone.
Microsoft Design Toolbox
This document provides links to courses and tutorials in creating Silverlight applications using Expression Studio, and to apply user interface design principles.
A Case Study for Building Advanced Windows Phone Applications
This guide describes a scenario concerning a fictitious company named Tailspin that has decided to embrace Windows Phone as a client device for their existing cloud-based application.
How-To Index for Windows Phone
This document shows you how to complete various tasks by presenting a series of procedures, a code example, or both. These how-to documents are a good place for you to start if you are trying to perform a specific task, and just want to get your work done.
User Experience Design Guidelines for Windows Phone
This guide helps you create Windows Phone apps that follows best practices for user experience design. The advice presented was collected from the experts who created Windows Phone and from people who were the designers of many of its first applications.
User Experience Design Guidelines for Windows Phone
This document provides you with a link to Microsoft user experience resources. The guide helps you create a Windows® Phone application that follows best practices for user experience design. Advice presented was collected from the experts who created Windows Phone and from people who were the designers of many of its first applications.
What's New in the Windows Phone SDK
This Microsoft document contains information describing what’s new in the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 and the associated documentation.
Windows Phone Marketplace FAQ and certification
Windows Phone Marketplace is where you can sell or give away your creation to the global audience of Windows Phone owners. This document answers frequently asked questions about Marketplace and provides details of the certification requirments for app before they can be made available to phone owners.
Porting to Qt (online)
This library explains how to to port iOS, Android, and Windows Phone applications to Qt. It briefly introduces the most useful Qt technologies for mobile applications, the needed development tools, and showcases some porting examples. It also compares Qt with the iOS, Android, and Windows Phone platforms both from the programming and the design perspective. The updated version includes information on how to choose the right framework, Windows Phone to Qt Quick Component mappings, and more practical porting examples.
Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone
This document links to the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone. It is designed to make it easier for you to build mobile applications that leverage cloud services running in Windows Azure. The toolkit includes Visual Studio project templates for Windows Phone and Windows Azure, class libraries optimized for use on the phone, sample applications, and documentation. All this content is designed to be easily reused, simplifying your experience and optimizing your time when building your own phone applications leveraging cloud services.
Silverlight Toolkit for Windows Phone
Straight from Microsoft, both the Silverlight Toolkit and Silverlight for Windows Phone Toolkit provide the developer community with new components, functionality, and an efficient way to help shape product development. Toolkit releases include open source code, samples and docs, plus design-time support for the Windows Phone platform as well as the Silverlight browser plug-in.
Porting to Qt (downloadable)
This library explains how to to port iOS, Android, and Windows Phone applications to Qt. It briefly introduces the most useful Qt technologies for mobile applications, the needed development tools, and showcases some porting examples. It also compares Qt with the iOS, Android, and Windows Phone platforms both from the programming and the design perspective. The standalone package includes an Eclipse-based viewer that provides you with a search function. Extract the zip file to any folder on your computer, and click eclipse.exe to access the library.
Developing a Windows Phone Application from Start to Finish
This documentation and accompanying sample application will get you started building a complete application that targets Windows Phone OS 7.1. You will learn the basics of Silverlight and Windows Phone development by creating a simple fuel-tracking application for your car.
Watch the Windows Phone Sessions from MIX11
This document provides links to 24 of the Windows Phone sessions, presented at MIX11 conference in Las Vegas, by various Microsoft speakers. Whether you're building your first Windows Phone app or your 50th, the information in these sessions can be invaluable.
'Extra Credit' Course on Windows Phone (app design with Blend)
This document provides you with links to tutorials that allow you to pick a starting point and build your knowledge and abilities as you go. Design Scenarios, Design Principles, and Extra Credits combine to round out your skills and understanding.
.NET Framework Class Library for Silverlight
This document provide a link to the .NET Framework class library, which consists of classes, interfaces, and value types that are included with the .NET Framework for Silverlight. The class library provides a reusable set of classes, components, controls, and user interface elements that can be incorporated into Silverlight-based applications.
Class Library Support for Windows Phone
Silverlight for Windows Phone OS 7.1 is based on Silverlight 4. Some Silverlight features and corresponding APIs are not supported in Silverlight for Windows Phone. For a summary of the supported features, see Features Differences Between Silverlight and Silverlight for Windows Phone. This topic describes some of the differences in class library support between the different versions of Silverlight and how to use the library reference to determine whether a property, method, or event is supported on Windows Phone.
Implementation Differences Between Silverlight and Silverlight for Windows Phone
This topic describes feature implementation differences between Silverlight on Windows Phone and Silverlight 4 on other platforms. This topic also describes some differences between Silverlight on Windows Phone OS 7.0 and Windows Phone OS 7.1.
Tutorials on Windows Phone design and Blend
This document links to tutorials that provide you with practical techniques, tips, and tricks. Explore different tutorials to get hands on with Silverlight and Expression Blend across a wide array of topics in a short time.
Windows Phone SDK 7.1 Training Course
This document links to the new version of Windows Phone (codenamed “Mango”) offers a lot of new capabilities for developers to create even better, more immersive user experiences on the Windows Phone. This course will give you hands-on experience with important developer features in Mango.
Windows Phone codenamed "Mango" Training Course
This document links to Windows Phone SDK 7.1 Training Course. The new version of Windows Phone (codenamed “Mango”) offers a lot of new capabilities for developers to create even better, more immersive user experiences on the Windows Phone. This course will give you hands-on experience with important developer features in Mango.
Windows Phone 7 Development for Absolute Beginners
This document provides links to a video series that will help aspiring Windows Phone 7 developers get started. It starts off with the basics and work its way up so in a few hours, you will know enough to build simple WP7 applications, such as a GPS aware note taking application. We'll walk you through getting the tools, knowing what an if statement is, to using the GPS built into the phone and much more.
Channel 9: Jump Start Training
Windows Phone MVPs Rob Miles and Andy Wigley train developers to build amazing applications and games for Windows Phone 7. Andy and Rob provide a good bit of humor along with their incredible depth of knowledge. There are 19 self-paced sessions in total, each about 50 minutes. Think of this as a semester's worth of class time to help you in your quest to become an awesome Windows Phone 7 developer.
