UX guidelines for Metro style app development

Posted on October 21, 2011 by BillyChow

The Win­dows Devel­oper Pre­view intro­duces a new devel­op­ment plat­form for cre­at­ing Metro style apps. What is a Metro style app you say?

Not super new but maybe you have missed it...

Silverlight 5 – Microsoft will provide assisted and unassisted no charge support for customers using versions of Silverlight 5. Paid support options are available to customers requiring support with issues beyond install and upgrade issues. Microsoft will continue to ship updates to the Silverlight 5 runtime or Silverlight 5 SDK, including updates for security vulnerabilities as determined by the MSRC. Developers using the Silverlight 5 development tools and developing applications for Silverlight 5 can use paid assisted-support options to receive development support.

Silverlight 5 will support the browser versions listed on this page through 10/12/2021, or though the support lifecycle of the underlying browsers, whichever is shorter. As browsers evolve, the support page will be updated to reflect levels of compatibility with newer browser versions.

Get Silverlight 5

Silverlight is a powerful development tool for creating engaging, interactive user experiences for Web and mobile applications. Silverlight is a free plug-in, powered by the .NET framework and compatible with multiple browsers, devices and operating systems, bringing a new level of interactivity wherever the Web works.

With the announcements on Windows Store we wanted to share new work we were doing to help developers on Windows, Windows Phone and other platforms use SkyDrive in their applications. A few months ago as part of the preview of Windows Live for Windows 8, we announced the availability of the developer preview, the next version of the Live Connect APIs and the newly created Live SDK. A major change to the API was to address feedback we’d gotten from developers about access to SkyDrive. The primary change for SkyDrive was providing the ability for applications to fully access, upload and share documents, photos and videos from a user’s cloud storage in SkyDrive.

1. Metro style apps provide value to the customer

1.1 Your app must offer customers unique, creative value or utility

1.2 Your app must be fully functional when the customer receives it from the Windows Store

The Windows Store offers only fully functional apps to provide customers with the best experience. Anything that might cause our testers to think that your app is not completely finished will cause your app to fail certification.

1.3 Your app’s trial functionality must reasonably resemble its full functionality

A trial can, however, limit access to some of the app’s features, or limit the period of time that the app functions.

1.4 Each app must display only one tile after it is installed

The image on an app’s tile must be reasonably related to the content of the app.

2. Metro style apps can display ads but are more than just ads or websites

2.1 Your app must not display only ads

If your app includes or displays ads, it must provide additional functionality beyond the ads.

2.2 Ads in your apps must comply with our content policies

Our content policies are described in Section 5. Metro style apps are appropriate for a global audience.

2.3 Your app must not use tiles or notifications for ads

2.4 Your app must do more than open a website or mimic the behavior of a website

Your app must provide a reasonable snap state; it shouldn't be cut off when snapped. Your app must also support touch, keyboard, and mouse input.

Tip  If you only want to provide a link to a website, you don’t need an app because you can pin a link to the Start screen.

2.5 Ads must not execute program code that did not come from the ad provider

3. Metro style apps behave predictably

3.1 Your app must use only APIs for Metro style apps

The APIs for Metro style apps are described in the Metro style apps API reference. Your app must also not link to, depend on, or otherwise make use of APIs or Windows OS services outside those described in the Metro style apps API reference.

3.2 Your app must not stop responding, end unexpectedly, or contain programming errors

Tip  Review the Quality data from your Dashboard to become aware of any problems your app might have so that you can correct them quickly.

3.3 Your app must provide the same user experience on all processor types

If your app has a different user interface or functionality when it runs on different processor types, you must submit a separate app for each processor type and describe the differences in the Description of each app.

3.4 Updates must not decrease your app’s functionality in a way that would be unexpected to a reasonable customer

3.5 Your app must fully support touch interactions

Your customers must be able to access all of your app's functionality using only touch interactions and gestures.

3.6 Your app must use the mechanisms provided by the system for those features that have them

3.7 Your app must not use an interaction gesture in a way that is different from how Windows uses the gesture

4. Metro style apps put the customer in control

4.1 Your app must obtain opt-in or equivalent consent to publish personal information

Your app can publish a customer’s personal information to a service or other person only after obtaining opt-in consent.

Opt-in consent means the customer gives their express permission for the requested activity, after you have:

a) Described to the customer how the information will be used or shared; and

b) Provided the customer a mechanism through which they can later rescind this permission and opt-out.

If your app publishes a person’s personal information, but that person is not a customer, you must obtain express written consent to publish that personal information, and you must permit the person whose information is shared to withdraw that consent at any time.

Personal information includes all information or data that is associated with an identifiable person. Examples of personal information include: contacts, photos, phone number, SMS or other text communication, images of the computer’s desktop or screen shots, browsing history, and other internet settings.

If your app collects personal information, you must have a Privacy Policy and add a link to it in the Description page to let your customers know how you will safeguard their personal information.

4.2 Your app must respect system settings for notifications and remain functional when they are disabled

This includes the presentation of ads and notifications to the customer, which must also be consistent with the customer’s preferences, whether the notifications are provided by the Windows Push Notification Service or any other service. If a customer disables the notification function, either on an app-specific or a system-wide basis, your app must remain functional.

4.3 Your app must not jeopardize or compromise the security or functionality of the Windows system

The Windows system includes the computer running Windows, any software running on that computer, and any computers or software communicating with that computer. The app must not include, link to, distribute through the Windows Push Notification Service, or otherwise provide an entry point for viruses, malware, or any other malicious software, to access the customer’s Windows system.

4.4 Your app must not be designed or marketed to perform, instruct, or encourage tasks that could cause physical harm to a customer or any other person

We would consider an app that allows for control of a device without human manipulation, or that is for use in emergency or lifesaving situations to violate this requirement.

4.5 Your app must protect customers from unintentional large data transfers over metered networks

When operating over a metered network, your app must offer the customer the option of permitting these transfers without limit or limit audio and video transfers to the following data rates:

• Video streams, which include download-only and two-way video-chat, must use an adaptive bit-rate technology and limit the transfer rate to no more than 256 Kbps.

• Audio streams, which include voice over IP (VOIP), must limit the data rate to no more than 64KBps.

When the customer’s computer is connected to a metered network, your app must obtain permission from the customer or wait until it has access to an unrestricted network before it performs any synchronization, upload, or download that requires a total transfer larger than Windows.Networking.Connectivity.DataPlanStatus.MaxTransferSizeInMegabytes.

When the customer’s computer is operating outside of its home network or connected to a metered network while over the data limit, your app must obtain permission from the customer before it performs any data transfer that is larger than 1 megabyte.

4.6 Your app must comply with Windows Push Notification Service (WNS) requirements if it uses WNS notifications

If your app uses the Windows Push Notification Service (WNS) to transmit push notifications, it must do so as described in this requirement.

a) You may only use WNS for apps distributed through the Windows Store. Notifications provided through WNS are considered app content and are subject to all Windows Store app policies, including the certification requirements.

b) Your app must be associated with only one Package Security Identifier.

c) You may not obscure or try to disguise the source of any WNS message or Package Security Identifier, or other unique referral identifier.

d) Your app must obtain opt-in consent before you can use the WNS to provide notifications.

e) You may not include in a notification any information a customer would reasonably consider to be confidential or sensitive.

f) Your app must not use excessive network capacity or WNS bandwidth, or otherwise unduly burden the Windows system with WNS notifications. For example, using WNS to stream content or transfer files would violate this requirement.

g) You can't use the WNS by way of any automated process or service.

h) You can't use a notification to force an app to run in the background.

5. Metro style apps are appropriate for a global audience

This section describes types of content that are not permitted in the Metro style apps that are made available in the Windows Store.

Content means the images, sounds, and text contained in the app, as well as the tiles, notifications, error messages or ads exposed through your app, and anything that’s delivered from a server or that the app connects to. Because Windows and the apps in the Windows Store are used around the world, these requirements will be interpreted and applied in the context of regional and cultural norms.

5.1 Your app must not contain adult content

Apps with a rating over PEGI 16, ESRB MATURE, or that contain content that would warrant such a rating, are not allowed.

5.2 Your app must not contain content that advocates discrimination, hatred, or violence based on membership in a particular racial, ethnic, national, linguistic, religious, or other social group, or based on a person’s gender, age, or sexual orientation

5.3 Your app must not contain content or functionality that encourages, facilitates or glamorizes illegal activity

5.4 Your app must not contain or display content that a reasonable person would consider to be obscene

5.5 Your app must not contain content that is defamatory, libelous or slanderous, or threatening

5.6 Your app must not contain content that encourages, facilitates or glamorizes excessive or irresponsible use of alcohol or tobacco products, drugs or weapons

5.7 Your app must not contain content that encourages, facilitates or glamorizes extreme or gratuitous violence, human rights violations, or the creation or use of weapons against a person or animal in the real world

5.8 Your app must not contain excessive or gratuitous profanity

6. Metro style apps are easily identified and understood

6.1 Your app must have a unique name

Your app’s name is what we use to list your app in the Windows Store. You must give your app a name that is unique throughout the Windows Store catalog. You can give your app a name in another language; however, additional names must also be unique throughout the Store.

Tip   The best way to comply with this requirement is to use the Submit an app option in your Dashboard and reserve a name in the Name screen before you start developing your app.

6.2 Your app must have a Windows age rating, and you must submit third-party ratings for your app if you have them

You must assign a Windows Store age rating that most accurately matches your app. The Age rating page contains more detailed descriptions of the content that is suitable for each Windows Store age rating.

If a rating under any particular rating system is required by law in any country, you must include the rating documentation for that rating system along with your app.

If your app is rated by an optional ratings board that is identified in Rating boards for Windows apps, you must also submit that ratings certificate for the app and provide the appropriate content descriptors.

If your app has any existing third-party rating, the Windows Store age rating for the app must be determined from the following table. If your app has rating board ratings that correspond to different Windows Store age ratings, you must assign the Windows Store age rating that corresponds to the older audience.

Apps with a rating over PEGI 16, ESRB MATURE, or a corresponding rating under other ratings systems, are not allowed.

Windows Store Age Rating	PEGI	PEGI-PT	ESRB	CERO	GRB	USK
3+ Suitable for all ages	PEGI 3	PEGI 4	EARLY CHILDHOOD	A (all ages)	A (all ages)	USK ab 0
7+ Suitable for ages 7 and older	PEGI 7	PEGI 6	EVERYONE			USK ab 6
12+ Suitable for ages 12 and older	PEGI 12	PEGI 12	EVERYONE 10+	B (12+)	12+	USK ab 12
16+ Suitable for ages 16 and older	PEGI 16	PEGI 16	TEEN MATURE	C (15+) D (17+)	15+	USK ab 16
Adult content Note  Adult content is not allowed in the Store.	PEGI 18	PEGI 18	ADULT	Z (18+)	18+	USK ab 18

 

6.3 You must provide technical support info for your app

We don’t provide customer or technical support for your app. You must provide that support and specify easily discoverable and accurate technical support info for your app in the Support contact info field of the Description.

If your app requires authentication, such as a user or account name and password, you must provide a retrieval mechanism for account information—for example, through a secondary email account or phone support—and respond to customers within 24 hours.

6.4 You must list your app in at least one of the Windows Store's geographic markets

Select the countries/regions in which you want to list your app on the Selling details page from the Submit a new app option in your Dashboard. This is separate from and unrelated to the languages that your app supports. We will detect the languages that your app supports by reading the Package/Resources element of the app manifest when you upload the app’s package(s).

6.5 You must describe your app in at least one of the languages that the Windows Store supports

You must provide a complete description of your app for your customers in each language that you declare in your app's package. The languages that Windows supports are listed in Countries and regions.

The elements of your app's description, such as screenshots, text, and promotional images must describe your app and not contain additional advertising.

Tip   After you upload your app’s packages, we will list the languages that we detect in the Submit an app overview.

6.6 The capabilities you declare must relate to the core functions and value proposition of the app

6.7 If you submit an updated release, you must describe any changes in capabilities since the last release

If you change any features or the content of the app manifest’s Package/Capabilities element, you must describe those changes in the Description of update field of the Description.

6.8 You must provide at least one screenshot of your app

You must provide at least one, but no more than eight, screenshots of your app for each language your app supports. Each screenshot image must:

• Be .png files, 1366x768 pixels in size.

• Be appropriate for people as young as 12 years of age.

• Have a caption in the language of the description.

Graphically-enhanced screenshots are not allowed, unless they are clearly marked as having been enhanced.

6.9 Your app’s packages must have a correct app manifest

In each of your app’s packages, the app manifest elements must contain the correct values as described in the Package metadata requirements.

6.10 Your app’s packages must be correctly formatted

Your app’s packages must comply with the Package format requirements.

6.11 The app's category and subcategory must correspond to the character or purpose of the app

Conclusion

As these requirements evolve, we’ll note the changes in the revision history below. Stable requirements are critical to your doing your best work, so we aim to ensure the changes we do make are sustainable and continue to protect and enhance your apps.

Thank you again for joining us in this commitment to delivering fantastic experiences.

Revision history

Date	Version	Revision description	Link to document
Dec. 6, 2011	1.0	Initial draft of document for Store Preview.	http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=228257

 

[This documentation is preliminary and is subject to change.]

Millions of people around the world use Windows every day. With Windows 8, you can access those customers by listing your apps in the Windows Store. The Windows Store makes it easy to build, submit, and sell your apps.

You can design, develop, and build your Metro style apps so they're ready when the Windows Store opens for submissions. In the meantime, you can share your Metro style apps with other developers for testing and review. That way, when the Windows Store opens for submissions, you'll be ready to make money with Windows 8.

The Windows Store offers you:

App visibility

The Windows Store lets your apps take center stage. The listing pages present your app to a global audience using pictures, text, and links to additional content so that they can easily find what they want.

• About the app listing page
• Describing your app

Catalog reach

Your apps will be available to customers around the world. You write your app once, set the price in your local currency, and the Windows Store can make it available in the worldwide marketplace in 100+ languages. We handle currency conversions and local tax laws to make it easier to sell your apps anywhere.

Learn more about the countries and regions the Windows Store will support.

Transparent terms and agreements

The Windows Store process throughout the life cycle of your app is transparent. You use the same certification tool that we use when we certify your app. The terms and conditions of the Windows Store are clear and concise and you can read the actual agreements before you register as a Windows Store developer.

• App Developer Agreement

  Describes the business relationship between you and Microsoft.

  This document contains the Standard App Licensing Terms, which describe the terms of use to which your customers agree when they get your apps.

• Certification requirements for Windows apps

  Describes the technical and content requirements that an app must follow to be listed in the Windows Store.

• Windows Store Terms of Use

  The terms of use to which your customers agree when they use the Windows Store.

  This document also contains a copy of the Standard App Licensing Terms.

Flexible price tiers and pricing models

The Windows Store provides a flexible model for pricing your apps, and rewards popular apps with a better percentage of the net receipts. Price tiers simplify sales in foreign currencies.

Learn more about how to price apps in the Windows Store, and how the money you make is paid to you, in Making money with your apps.

Multiple app delivery options

The Windows Store lets you choose the business model that makes the most sense for you. When the Windows Store opens for submissions, you can make money with your apps through in-app purchases, trial versions, in-app advertising, and third-party transaction services.

Learn about the different ways that your customers can acquire your app in picking how you offer your app.

 

 

Build date: 12/6/2011

Overview

Provides information about the Windows® ACK and its use in the various app certification programs for Windows operating systems. It provides guidelines for developers for using the kit and the associated certification processes. It assumes that the reader is familiar with the Windows 7 Software Logo Kit (WSLK) and program.

 

System requirements

Supported Operating Systems:

Windows 7

Windows Developer Preview

Marketing Guidance and Assets

• Windows Phone Marketing Guidelines and Assets for Application Developers (ZIP, 40.7 MB)
  Windows Phone Marketing Guidelines and Assets are designed to help you quickly start promoting your Windows Phone app on your website and in all of your marketing communications.
• READ the Windows Phone Marketing Guidelines for Windows Phone Marketplace Application Developers before using any Windows Phone assets that Microsoft provides to you. Assets may only be used pursuant to the guidelines contained in this document.
• Included here you'll find:
  • Windows Phone Marketing Guidelines for Windows Phone Application Developers – READ this first
  • Windows Phone Start Screen
  • Windows Phone Chassis
  • Microsoft Download Button for Windows Phone (5 languages)

In September, we announced the Windows Store as part of Windows 8 and the distribution point for Metro style apps. And today, at our Store Preview event in San Francisco, we described the app policies and business terms for the Store, both of which are now published to our Dev Center.We also announced our First Apps contest for developers, and confirmed that we’re also inviting a select set of developers to submit Metro style apps for inclusion in the Beta version of the Store.

The Windows Store on Windows 8 brings unprecedented opportunities for developers and software companies. Don't miss this chance and the one of being within the first ones in the Store.

Windows Azure HPC Scheduler SDK

Working in conjunction with the Windows Azure SDK for .NET, the Windows Azure HPC Scheduler SDK contains modules and features that developers can use to create compute-intensive, parallel applications that can scale in Windows Azure. The Windows Azure HPC Scheduler SDK enables developers to define a Windows Azure deployment that includes: 

• Job scheduling and resource management
• Web-based job submission
• Parallel runtimes with support for MPI applications and WCF services
• Persistent state management of job queue and resource configuration

To download and access more information on the Windows Azure HPC Scheduler SDK, visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/hh545593.aspx.

Today’s updates arm developers with the latest tools for Visual Studio and open new doors for authoring HPC workloads in Windows Azure.  This is part of our ongoing commitment to deliver world-class services in a simple and flexible way to customers.

For more information on all updates visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/hh552718.aspx. 

The Windows Azure SDK for .NET includes the following new features:

• Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio 2010
  • Streamlined publishing: This makes connecting your environment to Windows Azure much easier by providing a publish settings file for your account.  This allows you to configure all aspects of deployments, such as Remote Desktop (RDP), without ever leaving Visual Studio.  Simply use the Visual Studio publishing wizard to download the publish settings and import them into Visual Studio.  By default, publish will make use of in-place deployment upgrades for significantly faster application updates.
  • Multiple profiles: Your publish settings, build config, and cloud config choices will be stored in one or more publish profile MSBuild files. This makes it easy for you and your team to quickly change all of your environment settings. 
  • Team Build: The Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio 2010 now offer MSBuild command-line support to package your application and pass in properties.  Additionally, they can be installed on a lighter-weight build machine without the requirement of Visual Studio being installed.
  • In-Place Updates: Visual Studio now allows you to make improved in-place updates to deployed services in Windows Azure. For more details visit http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsazure/archive/2011/10/19/announcing-improved-in-place-updates.aspx
  • Enhanced Publishing Wizard: Overhaul of publishing experience to sign-in, configure the deployment, and review the summary of changes
  • Automatic Credential Management Configuration: No longer need to manually create or manage a cert
  • Multiple Subscription Deployment Management: Makes it easier to use multiple Windows Azure subscriptions by selecting the subscription you want to use when publishing within Visual Studio.
  • Hosted Service Creation: Create new hosted services within Visual Studio, without having to visit the Windows Azure Portal.
  • Storage Accounts: Create and configure appropriate storage accounts within Visual Studio (no longer need to do this manually)
  • Remote Desktop Workflow: Enable by clicking a checkbox and providing a username/password – no need to create or upload a cert
  • Deployment Configurations: Manage multiple deployment environment configurations
  • Azure Activity Log: More information about the publish and virtual machine initialization status

For more information on Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio 2010, see What’s New in the Windows Azure Tools.

• Windows Azure Libraries for .NET 1.6
  • Service Bus & Caching: Service Bus and caching client libraries from the previous Windows Azure AppFabric SDK have now been updated and incorporated into the Windows Azure Libraries for .NET to simplify the development experience.
  • Queues:
    • Support for UpdateMessage method (for updating queue message contents and invisibility timeout)
    • New overload for AddMessage that provides the ability to make a message invisible until a future time
    • The size limit of a message is raised from 8KB to 64KB
    • Get/Set Service Settings for setting the analytics service settings

• Windows Azure Emulator
  • Performance improvements to compute & storage emulators.

Click here to download the Windows Azure SDK via the Web Platform Installer.

Best Practices for Handling Transient Conditions in SQL Azure Client Applications

The following post is intended to offer you a set of best practices centered around the development of reliable SQL Azure client applications. The primary focus of this paper is positioned towards handling transient conditions, namely, those intermittent faults, errors and exceptions that need to be accounted for when developing reliable applications for high-density multi-tenant environments such as SQL Azure.

SQL Azure Connection Management

SQL Azure provides a large-scale multi-tenant database service on shared resources. In order to provide a good experience to all SQL Azure customers, your connection to the service may be closed due to several conditions. This article introduces SQL Azure and its network topology. Then, it lists the reasons for connection-losses or throttling cases and provides guidelines and best coding practices on how to manage the connection life cycle in SQL Azure.

Getting a Start on Windows Azure Pricing

The Windows Azure Platform Pricing Calculator is designed to help application developers get a rough initial estimate of their Windows Azure usage costs. But where to start? What sort of numbers do you plug in? We've taken a crack at some use cases within this series of whitepapers so you can get a basic idea.

Download Windows Azure SDK

All-In-One Installation - (Updated September 2011)

Download and install everything with one simple installer. Includes:

• Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio*
• Windows Azure SDK
• Visual Web Developer 2010, if you do not have Visual Studio 2010
• ASP.Net MVC3
• Windows Azure AppFabric SDK
• Required IIS feature settings
• Required hot fixes

If you have missed this last week...

Downloading it now... It looks super cool!

Installing a Fresh Windows OS to a New Bootable VHD with no Host OS for Boot to VHD

Posted onMay 07, 2011byjohn

*****

I love the performance gains I get by using bootable VHDs. I’ve always enjoyed using VHDs but I generally had a host OS first, then installed a bunch of VHDs that I made bootable. Recently I’ve changed all of this on my laptop after a coworker took the time to show me a way with more flexibility (thanks Paul Stubbs!). The idea is simple: take a clean drive with no host OS and add or remove bootable VHDs as needed.

Really cool stuff!

Titan is quite amazing...