New features in Silverlight 4 Beta: Out Of Browser Applications (Sandboxed)

Out of browser applications are cool, aren’t they? In the near future I’ll write two posts about it. Today I’ll present enhancements of sandboxed applications.

Sandboxed out of browser additions:

• Web Browser/HTML hosting
  • WebBrowser control
  • HtmlBrush
• Window settings
  • Runtime changes to Height/Width
  • Specify startup location (in manifest)
  • Runtime control over WindowState (Normal, Minimized, Maximized)
  • Supports “TopMost” Apps (toolbar apps)
  • Enable App “Activate” (Normal window state - bringing to front, Minimized - flashing the taskbar)
• Toast notifications (NotificationWindow)
• DRM media playback
• Add/Remove Program Integration

WebBrowser control is cool, but it doesn’t support opacity, rotation, effects and overlaid content (Silverlight content on HTML).

HtmlBrush requires manual refreshing (Refresh method).

NotificationWindow also has some limitations:

• Size up to 400 x 100
• Popup duration to 30 seconds
• Cannot set opacity and rounded corners
• Cannot launch popup windows
• Location is fixing per operating system (Windows - lower right, OS X - upper right)

You can make much more. Look at cool HTML Puzzle example from PDC ! 

Useful links

• http://microsoftpdc.com/Sessions/P09-11
• http://scorbs.com/2009/11/19/pdc-session-silverlight-4-beta-overview/
• http://microsoftpdc.com/Sessions/CL20
• http://blogs.msdn.com/jstegman/archive/2009/11/19/browserflow-sample-from-pdc-2009.aspx
• http://blogs.msdn.com/jstegman/archive/2009/11/19/trustedapp-sample-from-pdc-2009.aspx
• http://microsoftpdc.com/Sessions/KEY02
• http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2009/12/16/silverlight-4-demos-from-my-pdc-keynote-now-available.aspx
• http://johnpapa.net/silverlight/silverlight-4-html-puzzle-how-does-it-work/
• http://silverlight.net/learn/videos/all/hosting-html-content/
• http://silverlight.net/learn/videos/all/notification-api/
• http://www.85turns.com/2009/11/18/notificationwindow-silverlight-4/
• http://timheuer.com/blog/archive/2009/11/22/silverlight-4-notification-window-queue-sample.aspx
• http://channel9.msdn.com/learn/courses/Silverlight4/Overview/Overview/
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd550721(VS.96).aspx
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.controls.webbrowser(VS.96).aspx
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.notificationwindow(VS.96).aspx
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.window(VS.96).aspx