Overview of Silverlight 1.0

Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering rich applications over the web that incorporate video, animation, interactivity, and stunning user interfaces. Silverlight 1.0 applications look and behave the same on Microsoft Windows-based computers as they do on Apple Macintosh computers, in most browsers, and without any additional installation requirements.

Silverlight 1.0 provides a consistent presentation model by using XAML. In Microsoft Expression Blend 2, you can quickly design stunning user interfaces for your Silverlight 1.0 applications and test the results.

Silverlight support in Expression Blend 2

Expression Blend 2 supports Silverlight 1.0 projects.

Note

3D objects, styles, templates, resources, and data handling are not yet supported in Silverlight 1.0 projects. Additionally, triggers are not yet supported. Instead, all user interactivity is implemented in JavaScript event handler methods in the code-behind files. For more information, see the Events section that follows.

Workspace

The Expression Blend 2 workspace differs slightly when you modify Silverlight 1.0 projects. For example, the controls that are not supported do not appear in the Toolbox or the Asset Library. Data binding, resources, and triggers are not supported, so those panels do not appear.

Controls

You add elements to a XAML document in a Silverlight 1.0 project just as you do when you add elements to a XAML document in a Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) project. The only difference is that you are limited to the following list of controls that are supported by Silverlight 1.0:

• Canvas 

• Ellipse 

• Image 

• MediaElement 

• Rectangle 

• TextBlock 

• Path elements that can be drawn on the artboard by using the Line , Pen , and Pencil  tools

For more information, see Add elements to a XAML document in a Silverlight project.

Some elements require JavaScript code to implement their full functionality in the code-behind files of your Silverlight application, such as adding events to respond to button clicks. For an example, see Create a button that controls a storyboard in a Silverlight application.

Media

Media files are supported in Silverlight projects. However, controlling media playback requires JavaScript event handler methods. For an example, see Add a media file to a Silverlight 1.0 project. Silverlight supports Windows Media Audio and Video (WMA, WMV7–9) and VC-1, in addition to MP3 audio.

Animation

Animation is fully supported in Silverlight projects. For an example, see Create a button that controls a storyboard in a Silverlight application.

Events

Events are supported in Silverlight projects. For a list of supported events, see Events Reference (Silverlight 1.0) on MSDN. For information about how to hook up events to specific objects in your application, see Create a button that controls a storyboard in a Silverlight application and Create a hyperlink in a Silverlight application.

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Cross-product support

You can work with Silverlight projects in the following other products:

• Import Silverlight 1.0 projects and encoding templates from Microsoft Expression Encoder 2. For more information, see Modify a Silverlight template for Expression Encoder 2 in Expression Blend and Import a Silverlight 1.0 site from Expression Encoder 2.

• Import art assets from Microsoft Expression Design 2 as XAML content. For more information, see Import assets from Expression Design 2.

• Publish Silverlight 1.0 applications by adding them to a Microsoft Expression Web 2 project and then using the tools that come with Expression Web 2 to publish the project. For more information, see the "Publishing websites overview" in the Expression Web 2 User Guide (F1).

• Debug your JavaScript code-behind files by opening your Silverlight 1.0 in Microsoft Visual Studio 2008.

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The files in a Silverlight 1 project

A Silverlight 1.0 project is a collection of website files that use some of the features of XAML and JavaScript to create rich interactive applications and media experiences for the web. Silverlight 1.0 projects that are created in Expression Blend 2 include the following files:

• A starting XAML file (Page.xaml)

• A default HTML file that loads the starting XAML file when opened in a browser

• A JavaScript code-behind file for your starting XAML file

• A supporting JavaScript file, named Silverlight.js, that instantiates Silverlight 1.0 objects.

You can visually design the XAML files, in Expression Blend 2, and you can modify the JavaScript files in the JavaScript editor in Expression Blend 2. (It is recommended that you do not modify the Silverlight.js helper file.) For more information about Silverlight, see the Silverlight website.

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Sample Silverlight 1 projects

Expression Blend 2 includes sample Silverlight projects that you can open by clicking Welcome Screen on the Help menu, and then clicking one of the following samples from the Samples tab:

• BlendPlayer

• ButtonGallery

• MagnifyingGlass

The MagnifyingGlass sample Silverlight 1 application

You can find other samples online at the Microsoft Silverlight Gallery.

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Learning resources

You can learn more about how to create Silverlight applications at the following websites:

• Silverlight learning center

• Silverlight

• Silverlight scripting and mouse events

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