PC Advisor

How to: Build your own Windows app with App Studio
are two types available: App or Content. The first is used to create
web apps, which are a redirect to an existing web page or site.
Alternatively, Content apps are actual mobile apps, that draw data
from various sources and display it in a manner that you specify.
Within Content there are two three options to choose between:
Empty App, My Favourite Band and My App. Empty is just as
it says, a blank shell into which you add sections and sources,
then determine the general look and feel of the app. If this
sounds a little too much like hard work then the two others are
Predefined templates that still give you control over the content,
but use previously generated apps as a starting point. Select one
of these to begin.
Using the Editing Menu
You’ll first be asked to name your app, and then you’ll
be taken to the editing menu. This is the main engine
house of the App Studio. On the right is a preview of
the app as it will appear on a mobile device, to see
a desktop version just click on the full screen option
below the panel. Any change you make to the app won’t
automatically appear in the preview, instead you’ll need
to click the Refresh button for them to be presented.
The bulk of the screen is taken up by the blue
boxes that represent the content that will appear in
your app. Each one can be edited by clicking on the
Pen icon in the bottom-left corner of each box. To add
a new section, double-click on the relevant grey box
below, then add the required information to connect it
to the source of your data. For example, you can add
a Podcast or Blog feed by selecting the RSS box then
entering the URL and clicking Confirm.
Some of the details can look a little scary at first,
as adding a Facebook or Twitter feed both require
Creating a new API. Thankfully this isn’t complicated,
and clicking on the How to Create section that appears
next to the request for an API brings up detailed and
understandable instructions.
For the most part, Microsoft has done a good job of
making the process as easy as possible, but the very
nature of creating an app means that you’ll need to
read the instructions to really understand what’s going
on. On the Editing Menu, you’ll see a list of options
across the top of the page – My Project, How To, Start
New, and so on. It’s worth clicking on How To, as it takes
you step by step through the whole process.
Finishing up
Once you’re happy with the app, and have checked to
see that each section works in the way you intended, all
that’s left to do is click the Finish button on the Editing
Menu. This takes you to the Generation page where you
can decide on how you want to download the app.
There are three choices; Installable Package, which
allows you to directly install the app on any Windows
device; Publish Package, that gives you everything you
need to submit it to the Windows Store; and Source
Code package, for the more code-savvy users that
want to edit the app in Visual Studio.
That’s it. Your Windows app is now complete and
you are an app developer. J
February 2016 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to 115