Nokia WRT Plug-in for Visual Studio: Features

The Nokia WRT Plug-in for Visual Studio provides a set of tools for the creation, testing, debugging, validation, packaging, and deployment of Web Runtime (WRT) widgets in Microsoft Visual Studio.

What are the new features in the Nokia WRT Plug-in 2.0 for Visual Studio?

Web Runtime 1.1 API support
The plug-in now includes full support for the Web Runtime 1.1 API, which includes S60 Platform Services 1.0 API. In addition to code completion of WRT 1.1 APIs while editing JavaScript™ code, WRT 1.1 APIs are now simulated when previewing a widget.

Fully integrated validation
Widget validation is now integrated fully with Visual Studio’s live error checking. As issues with widget files and code are detected warnings are displayed in the Visual Studio Error List window.

Integrated widget preview browser
The plug-in provides an integrated widget preview browser, implemented using the Gecko rendering engine. This feature enables widgets to be previewed directly from within Visual Studio, without having to rely on an external browser.

Home–screen-widget preview
The widget preview provides for viewing home-screen widgets. Home-screen widgets enable web developers to offer consumers an always visible, up to date snapshot of the essential information from their website or web service.

Touch-based interaction
Widget preview includes the ability to interact with a widget’s controls using the mouse pointer to simulate touchscreen interaction on S60 5th Edition devices.

Event simulation
The preview browser provides the ability to send events to the widget being previewed for charger, SMS and MMS messaging, and memory-card events.

Console support
The widget preview now includes a JavaScript console, enabling debug and other messages to be viewed in the preview browser.

Improved documentation links
The plug-n provides links to the Web Developer’s Library, Flash Lite Developer’s Guide, WRTKit Developer’s Guide, a user guide, and release notes, through the Visual Studio help menu.

What are the other key features of the Nokia WRT Plug-in for Visual Studio?

Support for Microsoft Visual Studio
The Nokia WRT Plug-in for Visual Studio add support for WRT widget development to Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard or Professional running under Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista.

WRT widget import The plug-in can import existing WRT widget projects and packaged widgets (*.wgz files) into Visual Studio. This enables developers to leverage the Visual Studio development environment to accelerate their WRT widget development. The import automatically adds features to the new WRT widget project that enables it to take advantage of the testing and debugging features provided by the plug-in, as well as the features of WRTKit. This feature also enables collaboration between Visual Studio users and other team members using Aptana Studio or Dreamweaver.

New WRT widget wizard
New WRT widget projects can be created quickly and efficiently using a wizard. Four templates offer an empty widget, an empty widget with WRTKit, a Flickr feed example, and an RSS-feed example.

WRTKit library
This library provides developers with a set of UI resource graphics and JavaScript™ code for essential WRT widget functions. These building blocks accelerate the development of functional and attractive WRT widgets. Full documentation for WRTKit is added to Visual Studio by the plug-in.

Web Runtime 1.1 API The plug-in includes support for the Web Runtime 1.1 API, which includes S60 Platform Services 1.0 API. The API is fully integrated with the Visual Studio Intellisense code-completion features, with the addition of pop-up descriptions for suggested WRT 1.1 API statements. Simulation of WRT 1.1 API functionality in the preview means comprehensive testing and debugging can be undertaken on a PC.

Widget debugging
Widgets can be debugged using the integral debugging features of Visual Studio. However, Firefox, with the Firebug extension installed, is recommended for debugging.

Integrated WRT widget packaging
The plug-in provides an integrated packager that creates the *.wgz file necessary for deployment to a device. Specific files, such as documentation or graphic design files, can be set to be excluded from the package to optimise a widget’s size.

Integrated deployment
A packaged WRT widget can be deployed from Visual Studio to a device, using a Bluetooth connection; folder; or to an S60 emulator.

What example applications are included in the Nokia WRT Plug-in for Visual Studio?

The Nokia WRT Plug-in for Visual Studio provides an option to create new Flickr or RSS-feed widget projects. These new projects offer fully functional widgets and can be used as the basis for creating new widgets.

In addition, example widgets are included in the SDKs for S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 and S60 5th Edition. Examples are also published in the Web Runtime Code Examples section of the Forum Nokia website.

What documentation is delivered in the Nokia WRT Plug-in for Visual Studio?

Links to the Web Developer’s Library, Flash Lite Developer’s Guide, WRTKit Developer’s Guide, a user guide, and release notes are made available through the Visual Studio help menu.

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