Unni's Blog

Design, Expression Blend, Silverlight, WPF, Windows Phone

Hosting a Silverlight application in a custom website

To create a Silverlight application and host it in a custom website, you could use the following...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 09/23/2010

Project and Item template support in Expression Blend

Expression Blend 4 has support for authoring custom project and item templates, similar to Visual...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 09/17/2010

For Blend 4, we have added a new extension point to our Asset library - ToolboxExampleAttribute....

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/16/2010

Expression Blend 4 - XAML generation tweaks

With Blend 4, we have made a number of significant changes to how we generate XAML, primarily with...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/16/2010

Introducing sample data for Developers

Blend 3 brings to the table really sophisticated support for sample data, enabiling better...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 07/12/2009

Blend 3 Databinding

Here is a collection of a few of the blog posts I came across around the new databinding features in...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 06/18/2009

TabletPC and the Blend menus

If you do run into a situation where the Blend flyout menus appear on the left instead of the right...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 06/08/2009

Connect and Blend 3

While Blend 3 has a number of stellar features that I am sure everyone reading this blog has heard...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/25/2009

The Blend 3 Asset Library

For Blend 3, we have completely re-designed the Asset Library. Here are some of the highlights: a)...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/22/2009

Marching towards the Blend 3 Beta

The last few weeks (or months) have been really hectic! We finally finished all the features that we...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/22/2009

Blend, WPF and resource references

A number of people have sought more clarity around how Blend and resources references work inside...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/31/2009

AlternateContentProperty attribute

A new extension point we have added to Blend 3 (based on very popular demand) can be seen put to...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/28/2009

A sample that shows the new Blend design surface extensibility

Based on popular demand, here is a quick sample (WPF only though it would be very easy to port this...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/27/2009

Writing a design time experience for a Silverlight control

Writing a design time experience for a Silverlight control can be a bit intimidating (the experience...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/22/2009

DataGrid support in Blend 3

Blend 3 adds really cool support for the DataGrid control (for both Silverlight 3 and WPF Toolkit)....

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/19/2009

Introducing sample data support in Blend 3

To help you walk thru some of support we have added for sample data inside Blend 3, I wrote a...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/18/2009

Expression Blend 3 Preview is available!

I am sure you must have heard - Expression Blend 3 Preview is here! And I am back after a 2 year...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/17/2009

Blend 3 Extensibility

Based on popular customer feedback, we have added a number of new extensibility points in Blend 3...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/17/2009

Team Foundation Server support in Blend 3

Expression Blend 3 Preview adds support for integration with Team Foundation Server, one of our top...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/17/2009

Text effects (think Kerning) and animations

With Expression Blend RC1 (if you have not gotten that yet, you should – there are some very cool...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/18/2007

What is new in Expression Blend Beta1?

We listened to your feedback and worked a large number of new features to help you become more...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 12/04/2006

Microsoft Expression Blend Beta1 is here!

It took a while, but we finally managed to get it done. Previously code-named "Sparkle", then named...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 12/04/2006

Source code for the Gadgets and Messenger projects

Finally, I got some time to zip and upload some files! XPGadgetsXMessenger

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 09/02/2006

How would the Vista gadgets look like on XP?

The other weekend, I got some spare time to see how I could go in re-creating the sidebar experience...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 06/02/2006

Expression Interactive Designer May CTP is available

We just published a new build of Expression Interactive Designer targeting Beta2 of WinFX and...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/23/2006

What did I use Interactive Designer most recently for?

This: We recently finished up another product development milestone, and at the end of it had a...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/08/2006

Resizable panels

Somebody asked me how one could extend the "Panel-like system" such that Panels could be re-sized....

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 04/27/2006

Expression Interactive Designer training videos

We just made available some training videos for Expression Interactive Designer. Be sure to check...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/30/2006

March CTP of Expression Interactive Designer is now available

Our March CTP that targets the February CTP of WinFX run-time components is now available. Visit...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/11/2006

...And another one - a Stocks widget

Here is another attempt at a widget that I put togther in couple of hours last night - this lets you...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/01/2006

A simple widget done using Interactive Designer

I have been busy lately with feature work and working on the impending release of our March CTP that...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 02/27/2006

Imagine Cup for wannabe Designers

I just got an invitation to participate in the Imagine Cup. This is a Microsoft-sponsored...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 02/04/2006

Working around Interactive Designer launch issues

Some customers have reported issues in launching Expression Interactive Designer where it crashes on...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 02/01/2006

"Panel-like" system

Someone asked me how to implement a “panel-like” system using Expression / WPF. This led me to do a...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/31/2006

Designing FreeCell using the Expression/VS toolsets

Many people asked me share an article describing my experiences in trying to create an Application...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/30/2006

XBox 360 Rocks!

Though I am still disappointed that I could not get my own 360 (each time one was in town, I was...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/25/2006

FreeCell done using Expression tools

During one of our past bug-bashes, I worked on the very popular (but simple) FreeCell game. One of...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/24/2006

Try Expression Interactive Designer today!

Our first public CTP is now available: please visit https://www.microsoft.com/expression. -Unni

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/24/2006

Throbbing Items Control

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) provides a bunch of controls that are “data aware” – you can...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/23/2006

The common welcome post

Hi - welcome to my blog! Let me begin my first post by introducing myself. I am a Program Manager on...

Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/20/2006