Unni's Blog
Design, Expression Blend, Silverlight, WPF, Windows Phone
Hosting a Silverlight application in a custom website
To create a Silverlight application and host it in a custom website, you could use the following...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 09/23/2010
Project and Item template support in Expression Blend
Expression Blend 4 has support for authoring custom project and item templates, similar to Visual...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 09/17/2010
ToolboxExampleAttribute - a new extension point in Blend 4 (and a few other extensibility related changes)
For Blend 4, we have added a new extension point to our Asset library - ToolboxExampleAttribute....
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/16/2010
Expression Blend 4 - XAML generation tweaks
With Blend 4, we have made a number of significant changes to how we generate XAML, primarily with...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/16/2010
Introducing sample data for Developers
Blend 3 brings to the table really sophisticated support for sample data, enabiling better...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 07/12/2009
Blend 3 Databinding
Here is a collection of a few of the blog posts I came across around the new databinding features in...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 06/18/2009
TabletPC and the Blend menus
If you do run into a situation where the Blend flyout menus appear on the left instead of the right...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 06/08/2009
Connect and Blend 3
While Blend 3 has a number of stellar features that I am sure everyone reading this blog has heard...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/25/2009
The Blend 3 Asset Library
For Blend 3, we have completely re-designed the Asset Library. Here are some of the highlights: a)...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/22/2009
Marching towards the Blend 3 Beta
The last few weeks (or months) have been really hectic! We finally finished all the features that we...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/22/2009
Blend, WPF and resource references
A number of people have sought more clarity around how Blend and resources references work inside...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/31/2009
AlternateContentProperty attribute
A new extension point we have added to Blend 3 (based on very popular demand) can be seen put to...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/28/2009
A sample that shows the new Blend design surface extensibility
Based on popular demand, here is a quick sample (WPF only though it would be very easy to port this...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/27/2009
Writing a design time experience for a Silverlight control
Writing a design time experience for a Silverlight control can be a bit intimidating (the experience...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/22/2009
DataGrid support in Blend 3
Blend 3 adds really cool support for the DataGrid control (for both Silverlight 3 and WPF Toolkit)....
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/19/2009
Introducing sample data support in Blend 3
To help you walk thru some of support we have added for sample data inside Blend 3, I wrote a...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/18/2009
Expression Blend 3 Preview is available!
I am sure you must have heard - Expression Blend 3 Preview is here! And I am back after a 2 year...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/17/2009
Blend 3 Extensibility
Based on popular customer feedback, we have added a number of new extensibility points in Blend 3...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/17/2009
Team Foundation Server support in Blend 3
Expression Blend 3 Preview adds support for integration with Team Foundation Server, one of our top...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/17/2009
Text effects (think Kerning) and animations
With Expression Blend RC1 (if you have not gotten that yet, you should – there are some very cool...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/18/2007
What is new in Expression Blend Beta1?
We listened to your feedback and worked a large number of new features to help you become more...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 12/04/2006
Microsoft Expression Blend Beta1 is here!
It took a while, but we finally managed to get it done. Previously code-named "Sparkle", then named...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 12/04/2006
Source code for the Gadgets and Messenger projects
Finally, I got some time to zip and upload some files! XPGadgetsXMessenger
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 09/02/2006
How would the Vista gadgets look like on XP?
The other weekend, I got some spare time to see how I could go in re-creating the sidebar experience...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 06/02/2006
Expression Interactive Designer May CTP is available
We just published a new build of Expression Interactive Designer targeting Beta2 of WinFX and...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/23/2006
What did I use Interactive Designer most recently for?
This: We recently finished up another product development milestone, and at the end of it had a...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 05/08/2006
Resizable panels
Somebody asked me how one could extend the "Panel-like system" such that Panels could be re-sized....
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 04/27/2006
Expression Interactive Designer training videos
We just made available some training videos for Expression Interactive Designer. Be sure to check...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/30/2006
March CTP of Expression Interactive Designer is now available
Our March CTP that targets the February CTP of WinFX run-time components is now available. Visit...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/11/2006
...And another one - a Stocks widget
Here is another attempt at a widget that I put togther in couple of hours last night - this lets you...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 03/01/2006
A simple widget done using Interactive Designer
I have been busy lately with feature work and working on the impending release of our March CTP that...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 02/27/2006
Imagine Cup for wannabe Designers
I just got an invitation to participate in the Imagine Cup. This is a Microsoft-sponsored...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 02/04/2006
Working around Interactive Designer launch issues
Some customers have reported issues in launching Expression Interactive Designer where it crashes on...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 02/01/2006
"Panel-like" system
Someone asked me how to implement a “panel-like” system using Expression / WPF. This led me to do a...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/31/2006
Designing FreeCell using the Expression/VS toolsets
Many people asked me share an article describing my experiences in trying to create an Application...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/30/2006
XBox 360 Rocks!
Though I am still disappointed that I could not get my own 360 (each time one was in town, I was...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/25/2006
FreeCell done using Expression tools
During one of our past bug-bashes, I worked on the very popular (but simple) FreeCell game. One of...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/24/2006
Try Expression Interactive Designer today!
Our first public CTP is now available: please visit https://www.microsoft.com/expression. -Unni
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/24/2006
Throbbing Items Control
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) provides a bunch of controls that are “data aware” – you can...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/23/2006
The common welcome post
Hi - welcome to my blog! Let me begin my first post by introducing myself. I am a Program Manager on...
Author: Unni Ravindranathan - MSFT Date: 01/20/2006