Windows 8 XAML controls package now with Windows 8.1 support

I’m sure that our customers already know that Windows 8.1 is due to be released on October 17. However, after a rocky start where that release date applied to everyone (apart from manufacturers), Microsoft eventually relented and allowed MSDN and TechNet subscribers early access to the RTM bits. And, of course it was at this point that our XAML team could get hold of the install and do some preparation towards supporting the new features in Windows 8.1 for Metro apps.

The DevExpress Windows 8 XAML controls have now been overhauled to fully support Windows 8.1 and take full advantage of new operating system features including the following:

• New application resizing mechanism.
• Faster XAML loading thanks to pre-compilation to a binary format.
• On-demand style loading.

However the team did not stop there. In addition to supporting these new OS enhancements, they wanted to add some new controls and features and package the whole lot as version 13.2, a good couple of months before the release of the rest of 13.2. So they added:

• A new PDF Viewer Control with full support for touch gestures, printing and multiple page view styles. The control renders directly to a DirectX drawing surface minimizing resources and maximizing performance.
• Microsoft Excel style Data Filtering UI and horizontal virtualization support in Grid Control.
• New Tile Control type that support newer sizing options and animations to match those introduced in Windows 8.1 RTM.

Yes, this new version is available now so you can start building Windows Store applications for the new platform right away. You can download this latest version directly from here.

Please note that this build requires Windows 8.1 RTM and Visual Studio 2013. You cannot develop Windows 8.1 Metro apps in Windows 8 or with an earlier version of Visual Studio.

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