How to work on windows 8.1 universal app with javascript

Question

I've worked on windows 8 app with javascript platform in MSVS Express 2012. But I want to work on windows 8 universal, that is why I've installed the MSVS Express 2013. When I create a new project there I got three different Modules (Windows, Windows.phone and Windows.shared) so I could not get the way to start from. Should I write the code within those three modules? Can you guys let me know how to start the windows app universal project?

Answer 1

Universal apps have three projects. There are two projects we call "head" projects. Those are the Windows and the Windows Phone projects. They are the only two of the three that can "build" and create a Store package.

Between them is the Shared project. A Shared project cannot be built or cannot reference other projects or anything else. That is because the Shared project is a kind of container for files that are shared between the two head projects.

There is a special MSBuild target for this type of Shared project so that when the head projects are prepared, the files from the Shared project are brought into the head project(s). But Visual Studio treats them as part of the heads during design-time.

I hope that helps. You should visit http://buildwindows.com for more information on this. It was a major topic of this year's //Build conference. There's a lot more that I didn't cover. But the core idea is two standard Phone and Windows projects with a shared project between them.

Best of luck.