Pro Silverlight for the Enterprise

Microsoft Silverlight 2 is a new development platform designed to make the development of rich Internet applications (RIAs) far easier than has previously been possible. Pro Silverlight for the Enterprise addresses the question of how you can bring Silverlight 2 to your company to provide rich Internet experiences that will interface cleanly with your existing application architecture.

The book begins with a clear discussion of why Silverlight is such a good choice for developing RIAs and the implications that this has for your development decisions. The options available will be demonstrated by constructing a simple web–based training portal for a fictional enterprise, which will be extended and altered to demonstrate the techniques and methods that you have available to you. This includes accessing data using WCF and LINQ, and considering how best to deploy your finished Silverlight application when it is complete. The book also discusses the future of Silverlight for mobile and how to plan for its release.

This book is unique in that it focuses on how Silverlight can be applied in today’s business environment rather than simply delving into the product’s syntax and grammar in isolation. Silverlight is discussed in context with consideration given to security, scalability, and deployment. As such this book makes an excellent addition to any Silverlight library and extends your knowledge into practical areas that are rarely discussed.

What you’ll learn

• Advanced design concepts to develop loosely coupled web–based applications using Silverlight 2
• The role of Silverlight library assembly
• How to use dynamic Silverlight user controls to build your user interface at runtime
• How to externalize your data source definitions
• LINQ integration
• WCF/Web services integration
• Secured same–domain/cross–domain deployment
• The ABCs of developing mobile applications using Silverlight, including coverage of the common pitfalls and traps you may encounter
• Practical advice on how to adopt the Silverlight development platform in you’re your organization

This book is for enterprise architects, IT executives and IT professionals, the developer community, technical and project managers, and anyone who wants to start using Silverlight 2 in a corporate environment.

Microsoft Silverlight 2 is a new development platform designed to make the development of Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) far easier than has previously been possible. Pro Silverlight for the Enterprise addresses the question of how you can bring Silverlight 2 to your company to provide rich Internet experiences that will interface cleanly with your existing application architecture.

The book begins with a clear discussion of why Silverlight is such a good choice for developing RIAs and the implications that this has for your development decisions. The options available will be demonstrated by constructing a simple web–based training portal for a fictional enterprise, which will be extended and altered to demonstrate the techniques and methods that you have available to you. This includes accessing data using WCF and LINQ, and considering how best to deploy your finished Silverlight application when it is complete. The book also discusses the future of Silverlight for Mobile and how to plan for its release.

This book is unique in that it focuses on how Silverlight can be applied in today’s business environment rather than simply delving into the product’s syntax and grammar in isolation. Silverlight is discussed in context with consideration given to security, scalability, and deployment. As such this book makes an excellent addition to any Silverlight library and extends your knowledge into practical areas that are rarely discussed.

What you’ll learn

• Advanced design concepts to develop loosely coupled web–based applications using Silverlight 2
• The role of Silverlight library assembly
• How to use dynamic Silverlight user controls to build your user interface at runtime
• How to externalize your data source definitions
• LINQ integration
• WCF/Web services integration
• Secured same–domain/cross–domain deployment
• The ABCs of developing mobile applications using Silverlight, including coverage of the common pitfalls and traps you may encounter
• Practical advice on how to adopt the Silverlight development platform in you’re your organization

Who is this book for?

This book is for enterprise architects, IT executives and IT professionals, the developer community, technical and project managers, and anyone who wants to start using Silverlight 2 in a corporate environment.

About the Apress Pro Series

The Apress Pro series books are practical, professional tutorials to keep you on and moving up the professional ladder.

You have gotten the job, now you need to hone your skills in these tough competitive times. The Apress Pro series expands your skills and expertise in exactly the areas you need. Master the content of a Pro book, and you will always be able to get the job done in a professional development project. Written by experts in their field, Pro series books from Apress give you the hard–won solutions to problems you will face in your professional programming career.

Ashish Ghoda is a customer–focused and business values–driven IT executive with over 11 years of leadership, technical and financial management, and enterprise application architect experience. Currently he is associate director at a Big Four accounting firm.