Windows UWP app for Windows 8 and 10 both - windows

I am new to Windows app development and going to develop the first Windows app. Our client wants an UWP app that supports both Windows 8 and 10. I am planning to use a Windows 8.1 machine with Visual studio 2015 for development.
When I create a project for that should I create it as a Windows 8 Universal app or a Windows Universal app? From what I have read if I create a Windows Universal app I think it'll work only on Windows 10 only. So I guess I should create it as a Windows 8 app. Will that work in Windows 10 without any changes? Will that be available for both Windows 8 and 10 appstores?
Please share your knowledge and experience about this. Thanks.

If you want a single project, you have to use a Windows 8.1 project template. See screenshot below. It's a little confusing as this template is also called "Universal Windows" but mind the version number 8.1. It's in the template subfolder Windows 8. It will run on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 but not on Windows 8. You can make it available to both platforms via Windows appstore.

Related

Will windows 8.1 app package from xamarin work for windows 10 tab?

I have created an app package for Windows 8.1 for a Hello world app using XAMARIN to test whether it works for windows 10 Surface Pro or not. And it Doesn't.
I am using a Windows 8.1 OS with Visual studio 15 and one of my friend is using Windows 13. In both our cases, it doesn't work. We have the latest version of xamarin.
Since Windows apps have a forward compatibility, Why doesn't this package work for Windows 10.
Do I have to specifically have a Windows 10 OS to develop windows 10 app in xamarin?
I have had a look in the Xamarin docs but cannot find my answer. Please help with a brief explanation.
Yes.you need windows 10 to develop windows 10 app in xamarin.and you must add UWP project not Window8.1 . UWP app will support in window 10 as well as others universal platform like windows 10 tablet also.

SDK Parse.com for Windows 10?

I would like to build an application for universal application Windows 10 with Parse.com. But I only see SDK Parse.com for Windows and Windows phone v1.6. Please help me choose which SDK to build universal application Windows 10. Thanks so much.
Windows 10 (on desktop and phones) uses WinRT, just like Windows 8 did. So if you install the v1.6 of the SDK for Windows, it should work since it's targeting Windows 8.
Overall, I recommend you to add the Parse SDK to your application directly from Visual Studio by using NuGet. This way, you'll be absolutely sure to use a compatible version.

Whether VS2015 can build project target for Windows Phone 10 and Windows Phone 8.1

Question
Whether Visual Studio 2015 support building targets both for windows phone 8.1 and windows phone 10?
Description
I have a project which needs support both Windows Phone 10 and Windows phone 8.1,
I initially created a windows universal project (library) for Windows Phone 10, after finishing my program, I need build for Windows Phone 8.1, but I found the project cannot be built for Windows Phone 8.1 via project Property -> General -> Target Platform as it is disabled.
More details,
I have installed windows sdk10, and sdk8.1.
The project is built with VC++/Windows/Universal/Runtime Component Template
You probably selected wrong project type in Visual Studio Wizard - Windows Universal Platform introduced in Windows 10 is not backward compatible, so you won't be able to retarget it to Win8.1
In order to support both Windows 8.1 and Win10 Universal you need to create a project for Universal Windows 8.1:
With it you will be able to support both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 Universal
If you need to support Windows 10 and Windows Phone 8.1 as well you can create a project for each and then share code via a PCL or Shared Project. The majority of your code should be able to be shared in order to limit code redundancy. Certainly, there will be some pieces that won't carry over, and these pieces would go in their specific project folders instead of shared.

Can i make a project in VS2013 that targets both Windows 10 Mobile and Windows Phone 8.1, and does Windows 10 Mobile find Windows 8.1 Apps in store?

I have made an app that targets Windows 8.1, and on my phone i am running Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview. Now while debugging with the emulator and the device i had no problems with the app, but i believe since the app is not showing up on Windows Store (App is in the store, published earlier today) while browsing with my phone it could have something to do with my version of Windows on the phone.
As the title says, can i make a project in VS2013 that targets both Windows 10 Mobile and Windows Phone 8.1 (or even 8?), and does Windows 10 Mobile find Windows 8.1 Apps in store?
You don't need to do anything special. An app targeting 8.1 would show up in the new store, and anyone would be able to download it.
It's possible that your app just hasn't been published yet. The publishing process takes quite a while, from hours to a day or two. Check out your store dashboard to verify your app's progress.
Windows Phone 8.1 Apps will show up in the Windows 10 Store automatically.
It takes 1-2 day to be searchable on store. If it doesn't, contact Windows Store support, through dev portal, and report the issue. https://dev.windows.com/en-us/community/windows-app-support
If you want to make use of the Universal Windows Platform which is new to Windows 10 (including Mobile), then that particular app wouldn't run on Windows Phone 8.1. If you're not dependent on Windows 10 specific APIs or functionalities, then you could consider targeting Windows Phone 8.1 as Universal App.
You can also create a solution with a shared project in Visual Studio 2015 (free in the community edition, in case you're up for switching over) - in that case you can have a Windows 10 (Mobile) specific binary as well as a Windows Phone 8.1 version that share some code - this would be the best of both worlds in term of target system optimisation, maintainability and avoiding code duplication.
There is a nice step-by-step guide: http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/7ca517/shared-project-an-impressive-features-of-visual-studio-201/

Will apps developed for WP 7.1 work on WP8?

I have already developed an app targeting Windows Phone 8, but it doesn't work on Windows Phone 7.5. To get it working on both platforms, I have decided to target Windows Phone OS 7.1 via Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 instead.
Will my app works on both WP 7.5 and WP 8 if I target WP OS 7.1 in VS 2012?
Windows Phone applications are forward compatible. This means that applications built for Windows Phone 7.x should work on Windows Phone 8. However, this is not a guarantee. Some applications may not work properly and you should definitely test your application on Windows Phone 8 devices.
You can also maintain two versions of your application: one for Windows Phone 7 and one for Windows Phone 8. You publish both versions as one application so that users of each device can get the best application for their device.
You can upgrade Windows Phone 7 project to Windows Phone 8 project, but you cannot downgrade. The best thing to do is to create a new Windows Phone 7 project and move all files from the WP8 project to the new one.
yes your app will work on both paltforms..
if you develop an app for wp8 then it wont be able to run on wp7.x but vice versa will work fine but it wont be able to use the new features introduced in wp8
WP 7.1 (sdk) == WP 7.5 (consumer designation) and yes, WP 7.x apps work on WP 8 devices.
Just for clatification, WP8 and Windows 8 are two different things. If you have a Windows 8 app it will not run on WP 8 or WP 7.x.
Yes u can develop app that will target both platforms refer following link for detail...
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsphone/develop/jj206997%28v=vs.105%29.aspx

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