Introduction - StarterKits for Silverlight and the Expression Tools

Lately I’ve seen some tweets passing by with links to various StarterKits. I’ve decided to "Bing” around a little and find out what these people were talking about. There are quite a few StarterKits available on various topics. I’ve listed a few below, old and new ones, that I find relevant to my fields of interest: Silverlight and the Expression Blend, Design and Web.

Building a Zune Website with Expression Blend 3 StarterKit

In this lab, you will learn how to use Expression Blend and Visual Studio to build a Zune mini-website

This hands-on-lab explains how to build a Silverlight application to view a Zune in various colors. The labs shows a couple of Silverlight concepts like data binding, Perspective 3D and Out of Browser. It contains four exercises:

Control styling and templating
Save files to disc
Perspective 3D
Out of browser

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Creating a ColorSwatch With Expression Blend 3 Starter Kit

Learn how to create a fun and colorful color swatch control using Expression Blend 3 custom layout controls. In this Starter Kit you will find assets, labs and a video collection.

This StarterKit explains how to build a Color Swatch control in detail. The kit contains 10 modules each with a Word document walking you through every step, a video and Visual Studio solution containing the code:

Using Blends Sample Data Feature and Importing XML Data into Expression Blend
Creating the Style for the SwatchListBox
Binding the Values to the XML Data Object
Importing a Custom Panel into the Project and using it for the List Box
Creating the Details Balloon
Binding Data to the Details Balloon
Adding the Details Balloon VisualStateGroup
Adding Events
Adding and Using the ListBoxSentToTop.cs Behavior
Testing and Modifying the Color Swatch Application

Live Demo
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Expression Web 3 Super Preview Starter Kit

Use this Expression Web 3 Super Preview Starter Kit to become familiar with Super Preview.

This StarterKit talks you through a lot of features of Super Preview, which is part of Expression Web 3. The Kit contains four modules, each made out of a video, a Word document and the assets needed. The modules are titled:

An Introduction to SuperPreview
Defining Baseline Browsers and Comparing Image Mockups
Identifying the Source of Layout Problems
Working with the DOM View

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Microsoft® Expression® Design Portfolio Starter Kit

Get hands-on support in standards-compliant Web design.

This StarterKit contains the code for an ASP.NET site for a design portfolio and a document on how to customize it.

This StarterKit is an older one, but still useful. It’s not as comprehensive as the newer ones. I think it’s a nice foundation to build a new site on.

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Silverlight Support Web 3 StarterKit

The download site for this StarterKit contains little information about the Kit. The contents however are surprisingly extensive. It explains stuff about Silverlight, Expression Web and SuperPreview, among other things. The Kit contains six modules each with a video, a Word document and example code.

Introduction to Inserting Silverlight Content with Expression Web 3
Inserting Silverlight Content into a Web Page Using Expression Web 3
Using Dynamic Web Templates in Expression Web 3
Inserting Silverlight Video into a Web Page Using Expression Web 3
Adding Deep Zoom Content to a Web Page Using Expression Web 3
Using Expression Web’s Publishing Feature to Deploy Your Web Site

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Prototyping with Sketchflow in Expression Blend 3 Starter Kit

New in expression Blend 3 is SketchFlow. This extensive StarterKit explains a how to build a prototype of a Snowboard shop in Silverlight. The kit contains all videos, guides and example code you need. The kit is divided into 12 modules:

Introducing SketchFlow
Adding Navigation Screens in SketchFlow
Building a Basic Layout in SketchFlow
Adding SketchStyle Controls to Enhance a SketchFlow Layout
Working with Components
Adding Navigation to Buttons in SketchFlow
Working with States in SketchFlow
Working with SketchFlow Animation
Working with Behaviors
Using Sample Data in SketchFlow
Using SketchFlow and SketchFlow Player to Track Feedback
Exporting Your SketchFlow Project

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Standards Based Websites with Expression Web 3 Starter Kit

Learn how to create standards based websites with Expression Web 3 using this Starter Kit that includes assets, labs and videos.

This StarterKit explains what standards can be used in Expression Web 3 and why you can benefit from them. The guide explains uses of CSS and HTML best practices. Again, the kit contains code, videos and Word documents spread over 10 modules:

Understanding the Benefits of Standards-Based Design with Expression Web
Best Practices for Markup and Using Multiple Style Sheets
Using CSS Properties to Create a Unique Heading in Expression Web
Creating a Site Navigation Bar in CSS Using Expression Web
Creating a Site Navigation Bar in CSS Using Expression Web (Part 2)
Working with Images Using CSS
Create a Two Column Layout with Expression Web (Part 1: CSS Floats)
Create a Two Column Layout with Expression Web (Part 2: CSS Floats)
Modifying CSS Layouts with Margins and Padding
Testing Your Site with Snapshot and SuperPreview

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Venture Into Gaming Expression Blend 3 Starter Kit

Explore gaming using Microsoft Expression Blend 3 Starter Kit

This last StarterKit is my personal favorite. What's more fun than building a real game? This one explains everything. From importing assets in Expression Blend to Testing it in SuperPreview. All using Silverlight. This StarterKit is a great place to start if you’re new to Silverlight and the Expression toolset. But even if you’re a more experienced Silverlight developer, I recommend reading through this one. As a lot of other StarterKits, this one contains videos, guides and videos in 10 parts:

Organizing and Importing Assets into Expression Blend
Creating the Game Interface Using Expression Blend 3
Understanding Layout Containers
Creating a UserControl
Adding and Applying Behaviors
Adding Walls and Creating Animations
Animating Controls with the Visual State Manager
Working with Text and Embedding Fonts in Expression Blend
Adding Audio Resources to a Silverlight Game
Publishing and Testing your Silverlight Game

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StarterKits for Silverlight and Expression