ComponentOne Announces a Single Control Set for Building Universal Apps that Share Code and XAML

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ComponentOne a division of GrapeCity, the largest component solution provider in the Microsoft Visual Studio Partner Ecosystem has released an update to its control suite, Studio for WinRT XAML. The 2014 v2.5 release of Studio for WinRT XAML provides developers the opportunity to build Universal Windows apps with a single set of controls.

At the Microsoft BUILD conference held in San Francisco earlier in the year, Microsoft announced Universal Windows apps which allows users to develop once for all Windows devices. "Using the Universal Windows App template in Visual Studio, developers can easily share code and XAML across their Windows Store and Windows Phone apps," said Greg Lutz, product manager at ComponentOne.  "Our development teams saw this is an opportunity to expand our suite of 40+ UI controls for Windows 8.1 and support Windows Phone 8.1 apps as well," said Lutz.

"Our controls were already near 100% identical before Universal apps were a thing. It was just a matter of merging the namespaces, " said Lutz. The Windows Phone controls inside Studio for WinRT XAML now have the same namespace, API and style as their Windows counterparts so developers can share complete code and XAML to build Universal Windows Apps.  The controls included in the studio range from UI controls for data visualization, document viewing, text editing, and many others.

A key component to any Windows app is charts. With 30+ chart types Studio for WinRT XAML offers flexible data binding, run-time interaction, rich styling capabilities, and many extensibility points. "C1Chart is the most advanced charting control on the market," said Lutz. "And if users are looking for a simpler and lighter charting control, we have C1Sparkline for them."

Another highlight of Studio for WinRT XAML is the legendary C1FlexGrid control. With the C1FlexGrid control users can get tabular data editing for the Windows Store. Display data records across columns and down rows with this simple, yet powerful grid control C1CollectionView.

For developers to get started with these and other controls inside Studio for WInRT XAML, they must first download and install the 2014 v2.5 update of Studio for WinRT XAML. This update, and all future ones, includes the 8.1 extensions for both Windows and Windows Phone.

For instruction on how to use the controls in Visual Studio, ComponentOne has posted this short video:  http://www.componentone.com/SuperProducts/StudioWinRTXAML/

Availability
The company offers no-charge, 30-day trial of Studio for WinRT XAML and it may be downloaded at http://www.componentone.com/Downloads/. Online visitors may also access tutorials, forums, documentation, and videos as part of the ComponentOne experience.

Resources                                                                                                                                                                                Blog Post from Product Manager Greg Lutz:  http://our.componentone.com/2014/08/11/building-universal-windows-apps-with-componentone/

About GrapeCity
Founded in 1980, GrapeCity is an award-winning Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, a premier Visual Studio Industry Partner, and one of the world's largest providers of developer components. The company has more than 850 employees and hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide. For close to 30 years, GrapeCity has provided enterprises around the world with state-of-the-art developer tools and components, software services, and solutions. For more company information, visit the ComponentOne division website at http://www.componentone.com. Follow on Twitter @componentone or "Like" on Facebook www.facebook.com/componentone.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE ComponentOne