Having used a windows phone, most of the times, a user’s
needs to perform some common tasks while using some applications, this had been
made possible by the presence of Launchers and Choosers in the
Windows Phone.
The Launcher and Chooser APIs invoke distinct built-in
applications that replace the currently running application. When implemented
correctly, the Launchers and Choosers framework can provide the end user with a
seamless experience in which it is not apparent that the user is switching
between applications.
All Tasks that are available in Windows Phone 8 can be found
in the Microsoft.Phone.Tasks namespace thus its rommended to include this
namespace when using any of the Task classes.
A.
Launchers
In simple words, a launcher simply takes the
user to another part of the phone experience to accomplish some goal (for
example, launch a web page, make a phone call, and so on). Launcher is
an API that launches one of the built-in applications, such as the Contacts
application or the web browser, through which the user completes a task.
When the new application appears, the user can choose to complete
or cancel the task. When the user closes the new application, the calling
application is usually reactivated.
Windows Phone 8 added support for the following new
launchers:
a. SaveAppointmentTask – This launcher is used to
display a new appointment in the user’s calendar to enable users to add
appointments to their calendar from a Windows Phone 8 application.
b. MapDownloaderTask – This launcher is used to
allow users to launch the Maps settings application to enable users to download
map data for offline use.
c. MapsTask – This launcher is used to allow a
user to display a map with the user’s current location as the center.
d. MapsDirectionsTask – This launcher is used to
display driving directions.
e. ShareMediaTask – This launcher is used to allow
users to share media on social networks.
Besides these new launchers, the previous generation
launchers are also supported on Windows Phone 8.
·
EmailComposerTask: launches
the Email application and displays a new email message
·
MarketplaceDetailTask: launches
the Windows Phone Marketplace client application which then shows the details
page for a product specified by the unique identifier you provide.
·
MarketplaceHubTask: launches
the Windows Phone Marketplace client application.
·
MarketplaceReviewTask: launches
the Windows Phone Marketplace client application which then displays the review
page for your application.
·
MarketplaceSearchTask: launches
the Windows Phone Marketplace client application which then shows the search
results based on search terms you provide.
·
MediaPlayerLauncher: launches
the Media Player application and plays the media file you specify.
·
PhoneCallTask: launches
the Phone application and displays the specified phone number and display name.
·
SearchTask: launches
the Search application and performs search query you provide.
·
SmsComposerTask: launches
the Messaging application which displays a new SMS message.
·
WebBrowserTask: launches
the Web browser and displays the URL you provide.
For one to come up with an application that users the
launchers, one needs to:-
i.
Create an instance of the task type for the Launcher.
ii.
Set any required and optional properties of the task
object. These determine the behavior of the task application when it is
invoked.
iii.
Call the Show method of the task object.
B.
Choosers
A chooser takes
the user to a facility on the phone but returns to the app with some
information (for instance, choose an email address, take a picture, and so on).
A Chooser is an API that launches one of the built-in applications,
such as the Contacts application or the camera, through which the user
completes a task.
When the user
starts the new application, it appears on the screen and the user can choose to
complete or cancel the task. When the user closes the new application, the
calling application is usually reactivated and supplied with data and
status.
List of Choosers on Appendix B.
When build
an application that user’s chooser task, you are supposed to:-
i.
Create an instance of the task type for the Chooser.
ii.
Identify the callback method to run after the user
completes the task.
iii.
Set any required and optional properties of the task
object.
iv.
Call the Show method of the task object.
v.
Implement the completed event handler to capture data
and status after the user completes the task.
Developing the App:
To build a sample application that supports some of these
tasks, let’s use our basic knowledge in page navigation and creating event
using buttons.
Steps:
Create a new Windows Phone 8 Application and name it ‘PartFive’. On the Display Layout, add
two buttons and name them, ‘LauncherButton’
and ‘ChooserButton’ respectively
and create an event for each, also change the content for each button to be ‘launcher’ and ‘Chooser’ respectively.
On the solution bar, press ‘Ctrl+shift+A’ to create a
new portrait page, name the Page as ‘LanuchersPage’
and also create another Windows Phone Application Portrait Page and name it ‘ChoosersPage’.
Step 1.
Creating a new Project
Step 2.
Choosing Windows Phone Application
Step 3:
Adding buttons and their event
Step 4:
Adding the events for launchers ad choosers on the mainpage.xaml.cs
Nb: For adding
media, Right click on the project in the solution Window and add a new Folder
and name it ‘media’.
For the
Launcher media, Drag and drop your music and remember to keep in mind the
extension name!!!!
Keep in
mind, the email launcher requires you to have set a Microsoft account from
which it selects any of the account you have, to test the launcher you need to
use a device.
For the Chooser, drag and drop an image control from the toolbox on the Left panel on your sdk.
Pdf
For the Chooser, drag and drop an image control from the toolbox on the Left panel on your sdk.
