C H A P T E R  4

Layouts and Tiles

In this chapter, I describe two of the features that allow a Metro app to fit into the wider user experience presented by Windows 8. The first of these features is the way that Metro apps can be snapped and filled so that two apps can be viewed side by side. I show you how to adapt when your app is placed into one of these layouts and how to change the layout when your interactions don't fit inside the layout constraints.

The second feature is the Metro tile model. Tiles are at the heart of the Windows 8 replacement for the Start menu. At their simplest, they are static buttons that can be used to launch your app, but with a little work they can present the user with an invaluable snapshot of the state of your application, allowing the user to get an overview without having to run the application itself. In this chapter, I show you how to create live tiles by applying updates and by using a related feature, badges. Table 4-1 provides the summary for this chapter.