Is it possible to create standalone, desktop Silverlight 4 apps similar to what you can do in Adobe AIR?
A:
Yes, Windows Forms (or WPF if you want). Unless I'm missing something, the .NET framework, and one of those GUI libraries, is the most common fit for your requirements. Silverlight itself is primarily intended for web applications, not complete, stand-alone desktop apps.
Matthew Flaschen
2010-07-06 01:32:34
A:
Silverlight has an Out of Browser feature, where the user can right-click an app and choose to install it on their desktop. Other than that You can use WPF for desktop apps, which is pretty similar to Silverlight (or should I sat Silverlight is similar to WPF). Theres a few differences but most of the skills are transferrable.
At my work we are making 2 versions of our app, Silverlight 4 and WPF and I find the biggest differences are in theming but Blend makes it easy to cope with. Most of the code is shared through linking.
Darko Z
2010-07-06 01:36:33
I think calling "Out of Browser" standalone is stretching it. It's running under `sllauncher.exe`.
Matthew Flaschen
2010-07-06 01:42:00
well, you're right but it gives the appearance to the user of being a standalone
Darko Z
2010-07-06 03:39:10
+3
A:
You can use the Out of Browser mode, which is pretty close AFAIK. Basically, it allows users to install your Silverlight application to their Desktop or start menu, and they can launch it from the installation point thereafter. With Silverlight 4, you get additional features like HTML hosting, COM interop, and a little bit more filesystem access.
Jimmy
2010-07-06 01:36:54