Lync 2013 SDK for Windows 8 Metro Apps.

Question

Is there any SDK for developing Metro apps using Lync 2013?

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-Varshant

Answer 1

I've been playing around with this. My perspective is that there's two UI environments on Windows 8 - there's the new'Metro' environment which AFAIK we now call the Windows 8 Start screen; and there's the 'traditional' Windows desktop. Running Windows 8 you can switch back and forth between the two.

Some new applications are listed on the Windows 8 start screen, and when you start them, they run in the Windows 8 Start screen (formerly the 'Metro' environment). Other older applications, like Calculator and Visual Studio, you can list them using tiles on the Windows 8 Start screen. When you launch them they run on the traditional Windows desktop.

I hope to soon publish videos that shows how to create Lync WPF and Silverlight control applications that run in Windows 8, using the Lync 2013 Preview SDK. With a WPF app I believe you will be able to start it from the Windows 8 Start screen, and it will run on the desktop. With a Lync Silverlight application, I believe you'll be able to start it in IE, and it will run on the desktop. I don't know yet what the story is with Windows 8 and the Lync 2010 SDK. I encourage you to give it a try.

I know of no way to create a Lync 'Metro' application. Yet.

Answer 2

Thanks John.

But surprising here is, how Microsoft able to launch a 'Lync Metro App', when the Windows 8 Start Screen, is not being able to support yet.

Any clue, how this Lync Metro App (LyncMX) client app has been designed?

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-Varshant

Answer 3

Hi,

I know few things about the Lync Metro App provided by microsoft.

It ia a XAML c# based app and it is developed using UCC API.

But they have not provided that API for us for development purposes as it is a COM based API

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Mayank

Answer 4

It is actually not developed using the UCC API. Native Windows 8 "Metro" apps require a version of the .NET framework targeted specifically for Win 8. The UCC API is not compiled with that framework.

The Windows 8 "Desktop" app which you refer to as a "Metro" app, was built using a newer internal assembly that is compiled with the Desktop framework.

 

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John Austin Senior Programming Writer Microsoft