Getting Started with Windows Phone 8

Getting Started with Windows Phone 8

This guide describes how to set up your development environment for Cordova and run a sample application. Note that Cordova used to be called PhoneGap, so some of the sites still use the old PhoneGap name.

Note: Applications built with Apache Cordova for Windows Phone 8 will only run on Windows Phone 8 devices. If you are looking to target both 7.5 AND 8 devices, then you should be using Apache Cordova for Windows Phone 7, which does not have all the new shiny features included in IE10, but implements the same APIs.

1. System Requirements

Note: Running the SDK in Virtual Machine might present some challenges. You can read this blog post that gives insight on the solutions to develop for Windows Phone on a Mac.

2. Install SDK + Cordova

2.1. Building the template

Note: this step may not be required. If the lib\windows-phone directory already contains a file CordovaStarter-x.x.x.zip then you may skip this step.

In order to simplify the development process, Cordova comes with a Visual Studio template that allows creating a Cordova application rapidly. This template can be modified if needed and the below steps indicate how to proceed if you want to modify and re-generate the template.

2.2 About the different templates

Apache Cordova for Windows Phone 8 supports 2 different types of templates.

The 'Full' template includes a pre-built dll containing all the framework code for Apache Cordova. This template will create a project that is easy to update, as you can simply replace the JavaScript and .dll in your project and rebuild when a new version comes out. The downside of this approach is that because the dll contains ALL of the Cordova API, it requires all available permissions even if the APIs are not called. When you submit an app to the App store, Microsoft will run a static analyzer against your application, and detect that you require all available permissions, and place a disclaimer on you app that is presented to the user when they choose to install your app. Users may be discouraged if they see a required permission that does not make sense ( ie, why does this drawing program need access to my media library and contacts ).

The 'Stand-Alone' template includes ALL the source code for Apache Cordova. This project is easier to fine-tune to use just the features you need, thereby working around the permissions issues of the 'Full' template, however this type of project will be more difficult to update, as you will need to update individual files within your project and manage any dependancies yourself. In order to exclude an API you are not using, you can simply right-click-select the Command class file in Visual Studio and choose 'do not include in project'.

3. Setup New Project

4. Review the project structure

5. Build and Deploy to Emulator

6. Build your project for the device

In order to test your application on a device, the device must be registered. Click here to read documentation on deploying and testing on your Windows Phone 8.

Done!

Further Reading

For more details on the specific differences between IE10 and WebKit browsers, and how to support both MS has a helpful guide here