This valuable reference-in full color-explains the major new release of Silverlight 3 which is dramatically improved over previous versions and makes the development of powerful Rich Interactive Applications (RIAs) achievable for everyone. Packed with examples and written by a highly-seasoned team of developers and designers, this book guides you through the languages, tools, and techniques that are used to build applications on the Silverlight 3 platform (Build 40522). Each chapter provides a mini-tutorial on the respective topic, and the examples serve to both educate and inspire you. The information in this book is structured to help prepare you for the real-world challenges you may face when building applications on the Silverlight platform. By the end of the book, you'll have gained a thorough understanding of how Silverlight applications are architected, developed, and designed. This book covers: * XAML basics * Silverlight 3 Tools for Visual Studio 2008, Expression Blend 3 and Silverlight Runtime and SDK Transforming text with render transforms * Using graphics, visuals and adding media for a richer user experience * Building application, making it come alive and responding to user activity * Setting up a control project and using a custom control in an application

Table of Contents

Introduction. Part 1: Getting Started. Chapter 1: Introduction to Silverlight. Chapter 2: XAML Basics. Chapter 3: Silverlight Architectural Tour. Chapter 4: Silverlight Developer Toolbox. Part 2: Using Silverlight 3 Essentials. Chapter 5: Controls. Chapter 6: Silverlight Text. Chapter 7: Layout. Chapter 8: Styling Your App and Dealing with Resources. Chapter 9: Using Graphics and Visuals. Chapter 10: Making It Richer with Media. Chapter 11: Using the Services. Part 3: Building Applications. Chapter 12: Silverlight, the Browser, and the Server. Chapter 13: First Things First: Handling Cross-Cutting Concerns. Chapter 14: Dealing with Data. Chapter 15: Designing and Styling the User Interface. Chapter 16: Making the Application Come Alive. Chapter 17: Creating Custom Controls. Appendices. Appendix A: Silverlight Base Class Libraries Reference. Appendix B: System.Windows Reference. Appendix C: System.Windows.Media Reference. Appendix D: System.Windows.Shapes Reference. Appendix E: Additional Resources. Index.