14 DAY TRIAL // Following the release of the gold build of Windows 7 via MSDN and TechNet, Microsoft has now made available for download Windows 7 Code Pack 1.0. Version 1.0 of the Windows API Code Pack for Microsoft .NET Framework is designed to integrate with the RTM release of Windows Vista's successor. Subscribers of both MSDN and TechNet can already download and install the final version of Windows 7 since the end of the past week. Now developers looking to start building applications for Windows 7 RTM can also grab Windows API Code Pack for Microsoft .NET Framework, but without the restrictions set in place by the MSDN or TechNet subscriptions.
“The Windows API Code Pack for Microsoft .NET Framework provides support for various features of Windows 7 and previous releases of that operating system. The Code Pack has reached version 1.0 and has been published on Code Gallery,” revealed Charlie Calvert, Microsoft C# community program manager.
According to Microsoft, Windows 7 RTM Code Pack 1.0 “provides a source code library that can be used to access some new Windows 7 features (and some existing features of older versions of Windows operating system) from managed code. These Windows features are not available to developers today in the .NET Framework.”
Developers already familiar with the Code Pack will be able to leverage new additions to the version 1.0 release tailored to Windows 7 RTM. Essentially, with v1.0 of the Code Pack, Microsoft introduced Shell Search API support; Drag and Drop functionality for Shell objects; support for Direct3D and Direct2D interoperability; support for Typography and Font enumeration DirectWrite APIs. On top of the new features, the Redmond company has also brought to the table bug fixes, performance enhancements, new samples as well as improved reference documentation for the application programming interface.
Developers will need NET Framework version 3.5 SP1 and Windows 7 RTM in order to take advantage of the Windows API Code Pack for Microsoft .NET Framework.
Calvert also enumerated some of the features supported by this release:
“- Windows 7 Taskbar Jump Lists, Icon Overlay, Progress Bar, Tabbed Thumbnails, and Thumbnail Toolbars - Windows 7 Libraries, Known Folders, non-file system containers - Windows Shell Search API support, a hierarchy of Shell Namespace entities, and Drag and Drop functionality for Shell Objects - Explorer Browser Control - Shell property system - Windows Vista and Windows 7 Common File Dialogs, including custom controls - Windows Vista and Windows 7 Task Dialogs - Direct3D 11.0, Direct3D 10.1/10.0, DXGI 1.0/1.1, Direct2D 1.0, DirectWrite, Windows Imaging Component (WIC) APIs. (DirectWrite and WIC have partial support) - Sensor Platform APIs - Extended Linguistic Services APIs - Power Management APIs - Application Restart and Recovery APIs - Network List Manager APIs = Command Link control and System defined Shell icons.”