Getting Started - Metro Revealed: Building Windows 8 Apps with HTML5 and JavaScript - page 3

Chapter 3: Application Controls
Certain user interface controls are common to all Metro apps, regardless of which language
is used to create them. In this chapter, I show you how to create and configure AppBars and
Flyouts, which are the two most important of these common controls; together they form the
backbone of your interaction with the user. I also show you how to break up your Metro content
and code into pieces to make your app easy to manage and how to bring those pieces together
at runtime.
Chapter 4: Layouts and Tiles
The functionality of a Metro application extends to the Windows 8 Start menu, which offers a
number of ways to present the user with additional information. In this chapter, I show you how
to create and update dynamic Start tiles and how to apply badges to those tiles.
I also show you how to deal with the Metro snapped and lled layouts, which allow a
Windows 8 user to use two Metro apps side by side. You can adapt to these layouts using CSS or
JavaScript, and I show you both approaches.
Chapter 5: Life-cycle Events
Windows applies a very specific life-cycle model to Metro apps. In this chapter, I explain how
the model works, show you how to receive and respond to critical life-cycle events, and describe
how to manage the transitions between suspended and running applications. I demonstrate
how to create and manage asynchronous tasks and how to bring them under control when your
application is suspended. Finally, I show you how to support Metro contracts , which allow your
application to seamlessly integrate into the wider Windows 8 experience.
Tell Me More About the Example Metro Application
he example application for this topic is a simple grocery list manager called MetroGrocer . As
an application in its own right, MetroGrocer is pretty dull, but it is a perfect platform to dem-
onstrate the most important Metro features. You can see how the app looks by the end of this
topic in Figure 1-1 .
his is a topic about programming and not design. MetroGrocer is not a pretty applica-
tion, and I don't even implement all of its features. It is a vehicle for demonstrating coding
techniques, pure and simple. You have picked up the wrong topic if you want to learn about
design. If you want to do some heavy-duty Metro programming, then you are in the right
place.
Is here a Lot of Code in his Topic?
Yes. In fact, there is so much code that I couldn't it it all in without some editing. So, when I
introduce a new topic or make a lot of changes, I'll show you a complete HTML or JavaScript
file. When I make small changes or want to emphasize a few critical lines of code or markup, I'll
show you a code fragment, like the one in Listing 1-1, which is taken from Chapter 5 .