Development Tools for the Windows Media Center SDK
This topic summarizes the development environment that is recommended for developing Windows Media Center applications, as well as some useful tools. For more information about using Windows Media Center Presentation Layer and Windows Media Center Markup Language (MCML), see Working with Media Center Markup Language.
Development Environment
The following is a typical setup for developing, testing, and deploying Windows Media Center applications:
It is possible to develop and compile a Windows Media Center application using only a text editor (such as Notepad) and a compiler installed by the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (such as csc.exe). However, because these tools do not provide features such as IntelliSense, they are not recommended. You can also use third-party development tools, but keep in mind that support for these tools is provided only by the vendor.
Note When using Visual Studio 2005 to develop MCML documents, be aware that the IntelliSense feature does not provide all possible options in the completion list. Rather, it provides syntax options based on best practices and commonly used scenarios. Therefore, you can use elements and attributes that are not listed and Visual Studio will display wavy underlines, but the MCML code may still be valid.
You can also use Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition or Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition, although it does not include the packaging and deployment tools that are included with Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition. However, Visual C# 2005 Express Edition or Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition can be an alternative for developers who focus on managed code or MCML coding tasks.
Development Tools
The Windows Media Center SDK installs development tools that you can use to develop applications and services for Windows Media Center. In a default installation, the tools are located in the folder at the following path: %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SDKs\Windows Media Center\v5.0\Tools.
The following tools are included in this release:
See Also