Selecting the Project Type

The language selection for us is easy. Because we are starting with an existing XAML-based C# WPF application, we should select a XAML-based C# WinRT project. Click File, New Project, Visual C# (as the language), and then under the Windows Store template, select the Blank App template. We’ll call this XamlImageViewer (see Figure 23.12). Click OK to create the project structure.

FIGURE 23.12 Creating the new project.

As mentioned previously, the only way to install Windows Store applications is via the Windows Store itself. Each application published to the Windows Store is actually validated, verified, and then certified by Microsoft before it is made available. This has some ramifications. One is that you need a developer license to even deploy things to your own Windows 8 device as part of the normal code and debug process.

During the new project operation, if you don’t have an existing and valid developer license, you are prompted to get one (see Figure 23.13). The process itself is automated; you merely need to click through a series of dialogs before your project will be created. These culminate in a notification dialog (see Figure 23.14) that indicates if your request for a license was successful or not and what the expiration date is for that license.

FIGURE 23.13 Obtaining a developer license.

FIGURE 23.14 Developer licenses have an expiration date.

With the license out of the way and the project structure in place, let’s worry about the design and layout.