Udooz!

Inside AppManifest.xaml
The file contains the following:

<Deployment xmlns="

http://schemas.microsoft.com/client/2007/deployment"

xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"

EntryPointAssembly="HelloSilverlightApp"

EntryPointType="HelloSilverlightApp.App"

RuntimeVersion="2.0.31005.0">

  <Deployment.Parts>

    <AssemblyPart x:Name="HelloSilverlightApp"

Source="HelloSilverlightApp.dll" />

  </Deployment.Parts>

</Deployment>

The manifest specifies the entry point assembly which should be loaded by the Silverlight host and within the assembly it requires a type derived from System.Windows.Application for start executing the application.

Here, the assembly is “HelloSilverlightApp.dll” and type is “App” in the namespace HelloSilverlightApp.

Warning: System.Windows.dll is part of Silverlight and not the one we used for WinForm development.

I read in some web sites those explained that XAP also contains a set of required Silverlight assemblies which are needed by this application. But I tried with lot of examples, the XAP contains application's assembly and this manifest. Need to check.

Inside HelloSilverlightApp.dll Assembly

It contains two parts:

1. The typical .NET type declaration of specific Siverlight application's App and one or more Page. In this example,

   1. HelloSilverlightApp.App

   2. HelloSilverlightApp.Page

2. Resource: HelloSilverlightApp.g.resources. It contains the declarative artifacts of this application:

   1. page.xaml

   2. app.xaml

I would like to share some of my basic understanding of Silverlight internals in this series.

XAP File

When you build a Silverlight 2.0 application, the final outcome would be:

1. ApplicationName.dll
2. AppManifest.xaml
3. ApplicationName.xap

When a request is made for a page which contains a Silverlight, the server sends the page with the Silverlight part as "xap" file to the client. The XAP is a normal archive file you use archive manager like 7-Zip to extract the content. It contains RequestSilverlightApp.dll and AppManifest.xaml. The silverlight CLR at the client side consumes these. This should be specified in either ASPX or HTML file which is the actual client requested page.

You use OBJECT tag along with DIV and IFRAME to load Silverlight host and specify the target XAP needs to be loaded.

<object data="data:application/x-silverlight,"

type="application/x-silverlight-2" width="100%" height="100%">



<param name="source" value="HelloSilverApp.xap"/>

In your ASPX, you can use ASP.NET server side control to specify Silverlight host and specify the target XAP. In the above declaration, the XAP file has been specified in the "source" parameter.

<asp:Silverlight ID="Xaml1" runat="server"

Source="~/ClientBin/HelloSilverApp.xap" MinimumVersion="2.0.31005.0"

Width="100%" Height="100%" />

In the above declaratin, the XAP file has been specified in the "Source" attribute.