Visual Studio LightSwitch (Beta 1) Overview
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Visual Studio LightSwitch allows developers to quickly create professional, data-centric business applications. It provides pre-configured screen templates and pre-written code to build the basic application functionality faster. LightSwitch applications can access existing data sources like SQL Server and SharePoint. The applications are made up of projects containing data entities, screens, queries, and other resources. Developers can customize and extend LightSwitch applications through code. LightSwitch applications can be deployed to the desktop, browser, or cloud.
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Visual Studio LightSwitch (Beta 1) Overview
- 1. Turn It On! Visual Studio LightSwitch Steve Lange Sr. Developer Technology Specialist Microsoft | Developer & Platform Evangelism stevenl@microsoft.com | blogs.msdn.com/slange | gotteamsystem.com
- 2. Who The #&@^ Are You? • Steve Lange • Sr. Developer Technology Specialist • Microsoft | Developer & Platform Evangelism • Field Specialist for Microsoft Development Tools • Visual Studio Ultimate • Team Foundation Server • Test Professional • Lab Management
- 3. Agenda • What is Visual Studio LightSwitch? • But I’m a REAL Developer! • Anatomy of a LightSwitch Project • Creating an Application • Extending the Application • Deploying the Application
- 4. Awesome Disclaimer • LightSwitch is in Beta 1 • For IIS deployment, currently only supports IIS 7 • Currently no “go live” license available • More functionality, templates available at RTM.
- 5. What is LightSwitch? • Quickly create professional-quality, data-centric business applications • Build custom applications • Pre-configured screen templates • Pre-written code & reusable components • Deploy to desktop, browser, or cloud • Easily access existing systems and data • Build for today, prepare for tomorrow
- 6. What is LightSwitch? • Quickly create professional-quality, data-centric business applications • Easily access existing systems and data • Export data to Excel • Access data sources • SQL Server • SQL Azure • WCF RIA Services • SharePoint • Access • Create your own entities • Build for today, prepare for tomorrow
- 7. What is LightSwitch? • Quickly create professional-quality, data-centric business applications • Easily access existing systems and data • Build for today, prepare for tomorrow • Full Extensible templates & components • Build practical & scalable applications • Host in Azure for future scalability
- 8. But I’m a REAL Developer! • Relax.. Take a breath • Build out basic LOB apps faster • Redundant stuff is done for you • Navigation • Validation • Relationships • These apps still need your skills • Customizations • Permissions • Events • Computed fields
- 9. ANATOMY OF A LIGHTSWITCHPROJECT Visual Studio LightSwitch
- 10. Anatomy of a LightSwitch Project • Project • Data & Entities • Screens • Queries • Security • Debugging & Extensions • Deployment
- 11. Projects • Silverlight • Just look under the covers
- 12. Projects • They’re exactly what you think they are! • Store and organize pieces of your application • Contains data entities, screens, queries and resources required to build the application. • Logical application view by default
- 13. Data & Entities • Data Entity - basic model for data • Tables • Connect to existing data • Create new data • Create entities directly in LightSwitch • Entity Designer
- 14. Lots of Places to Write Code Tables/Entities Queries Screens
- 15. Screens • What the user sees • Specify which data to display • Specify layout • New Entity • Search Data • Entity Details • Editable Grid • List and Details
- 16. Screens • Customize screen at either design or run-time • Navigation & Menus • Create & reorder menus • Manage navigation groups
- 17. Queries • Work with a subset of data • Filter, group, sort, add parameters
- 18. Queries - Extending • Query Designer is limited • Can’t reference related entities that have a multiplicity of many • Doesn’t support operations such as Count(), Aggregate(), or Sum()
- 19. Security • Supports Windows or Forms authentication • Controls access to screens, queries, entities
- 20. Debugging & Extensions • Debugging • As usual • Break, pause, continue • Extensions • Themes, controls, etc. • Via VS Extensions Manager
- 21. Deployment • Deploy based on application type • Desktop client, 2-tier • App on desktop, direct data access • Desktop client, 3-tier • App on desktop, data access via IIS • Browser client, 3-tier • App in browser, data access via IIS
- 22. FLIP THE SWITCH Building your first LightSwitch Application
- 23. Let’s Build Something: Scenario • Simple User Group Manager Application • Members list resides in SQL Server • Need to track members & their activities • Screens • Member List • Search
- 24. Thanks! “Better to be a geek than an idiot." "There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those that understand trinary, those that don't, and those that confuse it with binary.”
- 25. Try it! • Download the Beta • Get the training kit • Read the tutorials • Build something