1. Mobile App Development for Multiple Platforms with Visual C++, 2016
Marc Grégoire
Software Architect
November 24th 2016
Develop for Windows, Android, and iOS

2. Marc Grégoire Software architect for Nikon Metrology
Microsoft MVP since 2007
Microsoft Extended Experts Team member
Author of Professional C++, 3rd Edition
Co-author of C++ Standard Library Quick Reference

3. Agenda Recap What’s new since last year? Cross-Platform UI Resources
December 2015 Meeting
C++ Common Denominator
Visual Studio 2015 RTM
What’s new since last year?
Android
Demo – Buiding with Gradle
iOS
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Game Engines
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android development in VS
Cross-Platform UI
Demo – Android, iOS, and Universal Windows UI
Resources
People that were at my December session last year might remember my presentation about cross-platform mobile app development.
This year’s presentation is not a repeat of last year’s session, but builds on top of it.
However, for people that missed last year’s presentation, I’ll start with a brief overview of what was covered last year.
Next we’ll go deeper in on what’s new since last year and on how to handle cross-plat UI.
Lot’s of demos. In fact I don’t have that many slides.

4. Agenda Recap What’s new since last year? Cross-Platform UI Resources
December 2015 Meeting
C++ Common Denominator
Visual Studio 2015 RTM
What’s new since last year?
Android
Demo – Buiding with Gradle
iOS
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Game Engines
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android development in VS
Cross-Platform UI
Demo – Android, iOS, and Universal Windows UI
Resources

5. Recap – December 2015 Meeting}
Cross-platform mobile app development with Visual C++
More platforms = bigger marketshare = more money
Game developers on avg target more platforms (custom fullscreen UI)
I also explained the Silo Approach (use dominant dev-tools for the platform):
Windows: C#, C++/CX
Android: Java
iOS: ObjC, Swift
But: minimal code reuse, higher dev cost, one platform becomes the dominant platform
Also mentioned was the cross-platform approach using a framework (Phonegap, Xamarin, ....) But: no fast iteration (wait for support for new SDK for example), run-time perf

6. Agenda Recap What’s new since last year? Cross-Platform UI Resources
December 2015 Meeting
C++ Common Denominator
Visual Studio 2015 RTM
What’s new since last year?
Android
Demo – Buiding with Gradle
iOS
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Game Engines
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android development in VS
Cross-Platform UI
Demo – Android, iOS, and Universal Windows UI
Resources

7. Recap – C++ Common Denominator
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Recap – C++ Common Denominator
Benefits
Full native experience
Total access to the device as provided by the SDK
Code Reuse (own + 3rd party)
Performance
Battery life
Security
Windows
iOS
Android
C#, CX
ObjC, Swift
Java
C++
C++
C++
So Why does 75% use C++?
C++ is supported on all platforms -> common denominator
Reuse: There is a lot of C++ code out there, game engines like Unreal or EA’s frostbite are primarily written in C++, and in addition to this C++ provides me the opportunity to share this cross-platform code easily across platforms.
Performance: Native code runs directly on the hardware, and not in a VM such as the case in .Net and Java, as a result C/C++ code runs faster.
Battery life: runs faster, needs less time, longer battery life
Security: It is harder to de-obfuscate C/C++ code.
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

8. Recap – C++ Common Denominator
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Recap – C++ Common Denominator
.appx
.apk
.ipa
Shared C++ backend is compiled as:
XAML
XML
.appx
.apk
.ipa
C#, C++/Cx
Java
Dex / ART
ObjC Swift
Dynamic Link Library (.dll) Static Library (.lib)
Dynamic shared library (.so)
Static library (.a)
Cocoa Touch C#
C++/Cx
Java
Pinvoke C++ Wrapper
Java/C++ JNI Wrappers
ObjC Wrapper
Moments
Shared C++ Backend
DropBox
So how does the architecture of a C++ cross-platform mobile app look like for apps like Office, Skype and BingMaps.
Well its typical to write your UI layer for your app in C#/XAML on Windows, XML/Java on Android and ObjC (UI Kit) for iOS and then write your entire business logic in cross-platform C++. Pinvoke connects that bridge when using C#/xaml on windows, JNI connects that bridge when using Java XML and its fairly easy to call C/C++ code from the ObjC layer.
A lot of internal Microsoft Applications (Office, Skype, BingMaps) are built in this manner. Office for example, has almost 90% of code written in cross-platform C++.
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

9. Agenda Recap What’s new since last year? Cross-Platform UI Resources
December 2015 Meeting
C++ Common Denominator
Visual Studio 2015 RTM
What’s new since last year?
Android
Demo – Buiding with Gradle
iOS
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Game Engines
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android development in VS
Cross-Platform UI
Demo – Android, iOS, and Universal Windows UI
Resources

10. Recap – Visual Studio 2015 RTM
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Recap – Visual Studio 2015 RTM
Easy installation, Single installer
One C++ IDE for your cross-platform needs (Windows, Android, iOS, and Linux)
Share and reuse cross-platform code
State of the Art code-editing features
Powerful debugging experience
Fast emulation
Easy jump start thanks to cross-platform templates
Visual C++
Code-editing features across all platforms:
Refactoring
Intellisense
Fast emulation: Hyper-V based devices emulator
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

11. Agenda Recap What’s new since last year? Cross-Platform UI Resources
December 2015 Meeting
C++ Common Denominator
Visual Studio 2015 RTM
What’s new since last year?
Android
Demo – Buiding with Gradle
iOS
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Game Engines
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android development in VS
Cross-Platform UI
Demo – Android and Universal Windows UI
Resources

12. New with Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
New with Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
Android
Support for
latest Android NDK (R11C)
64-bit Android NDK’s
upgrading current projects to target latest NDK
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

13. New with Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
New with Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
Android
Support for Gradle build system
Build Android artifacts
AAR: Android library project
APK: Android application package
Reference other Android libraries
Gradle is the default Android build system.
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

14. Java Language Service For Android
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Java Language Service For Android
Supports following features for Java sources in Android projects:
Syntax and semantic colorization
Semantic highlighting
Error/warning squiggles
Auto-complete
Parameter help
Quick info tooltips
Go-to definition
- Available on Visual Studio Gallery
- Will be demoed later
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

15. Java Language Service For Android
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Java Language Service For Android
Debugging of Java supported
set debugger to “Java only”!
Will be demoed later.
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

16. Eclipse Android Project Import
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Eclipse Android Project Import
Imports existing Eclipse projects into VS
File > New > Import Android Projects From Eclipse…
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

17. Demo…
Building with Gradle

18. Demo – Gradle Support in VS 2015 U3
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Demo – Gradle Support in VS 2015 U3
Description
Build your Android application with the Gradle build system and easily reference other Android libraries Feature Capabilities
State of the art coding experience with Java and C++
Powerful debugging for your Java and C++ code
Gradle Build System
Referencing Android libraries (.aar, .jar) easily in your Android Code
Incorporating Maven dependencies
Jump start development with templates and samples
Resources
VC++ Blog, “Build your Android applications in Visual Studio using Gradle” ( gradle/ )
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

19. Agenda Recap What’s new since last year? Cross-Platform UI Resources
December 2015 Meeting
C++ Common Denominator
Visual Studio 2015 RTM
What’s new since last year?
Android
Demo – Buiding with Gradle
iOS
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Game Engines
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android development in VS
Cross-Platform UI
Demo – Android, iOS, and Universal Windows UI
Resources

20. New with Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
New with Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
iOS - Seamlessly develop iOS applications in VS and Xcode
Co-development with Xcode for iOS projects
Wizard to import XCode projects into VS
Open in Xcode (+pull back), for non C++ workflows
Making UI changes
Changing storyboards
Signing your iOS application for the store …
Support for frameworks and dynamic libraries
Improved edit-build-debug cycle
Dynamic device population
Dynamic device population: easier to refresh debug target list when (dis)connecting devices
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

21. Demo…
Co-development with Xcode

22. Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Description
Seamlessly develop your iOS application in Visual Studio and Xcode Feature Capabilities
Import your existing iOS application from Xcode to Visual Studio
Open in Xcode (for non C++ workflows)
Making UI changes
Changing storyboards
Signing your iOS application for the store …
Support for dynamic population of debug targets
Support for frameworks and dynamic libraries
Resources
MSDN – “Import an Xcode project” ( )
MSDN – “Sync Changes Between Xcode and Visual Studio” ( )
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

23. Agenda Recap What’s new since last year? Cross-Platform UI Resources
December 2015 Meeting
C++ Common Denominator
Visual Studio 2015 RTM
What’s new since last year?
Android
Demo – Buiding with Gradle
iOS
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Game Engines
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android development in VS
Cross-Platform UI
Demo – Android, iOS, and Universal Windows UI
Resources

24. New with Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
New with Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
Support for popular game engines, e.g. Cocos2d-x
Jump start project available
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

25. Demo…
Cocos2d-x Android development in VS

26. Demo – Cocos2d-x Android dev in VS
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android dev in VS
Description
Use Visual Studio Cocos2d-x starter project to jump-start your android development. Feature Capabilities
Productive coding experience for your Java and C++ code
Building your Cocos2d-x android engine using Ant Build system
Powerful debugging experience for your Java and C++ Android code
Resources
VC++ Blog, “Cocos2d-x Visual Studio Android Project” ( studio-android-project/ )
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

27. Demo – Cocos2d-x Android dev in VS
Setup a new Cocos2d-x project following the standard pattern
Download from
Unzip it
Make sure Python is installed
From command line navigate to unzipped folder, then run: python setup.py to setup the environment followed by (might need to restart console) cocos new MyNewGame -l cpp -d projects to create a new C++ game project
Download Android targeting VS project from and unzip side-by-side with other generated project types (currently available for v3.12)
Build and run

28. Agenda Recap What’s new since last year? Cross-Platform UI Resources
December 2015 Meeting
C++ Common Denominator
Visual Studio 2015 RTM
What’s new since last year?
Android
Demo – Buiding with Gradle
iOS
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Game Engines
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android development in VS
Cross-Platform UI
Demo – Android, iOS, and Universal Windows UI
Resources

29. Cross-Platform UI Games Apps
Usually have custom UI looking the same on all platforms
Pure OpenGL
Game engines like Cocos2D-X, Unreal Engine, …
Apps
Sometimes have custom UI  Same as games
Mostly want to use native platform UI
C++ backend + Xamarin UI layer (C#)
C++ backend + thin platform-specific UI layer
Android: Java + XML + JNI
iOS: Cocoa Touch + ObjC wrappers
Windows: XAML (C# or C++/Cx) + Pinvoke or C++ wrappers

30. Demo…
Android, iOS, and Universal Windows UI

31. Demo – Android, iOS, and UW UI
Build 2015
10/26/2017 5:34 AM
Demo – Android, iOS, and UW UI
Description
C++ code with thin platform-specific UI. Feature Capabilities
Shared C++ code
Android-specific UI
iOS-specific UI
Windows Universal App-specific UI
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

32. Agenda Recap What’s new since last year? Cross-Platform UI Resources
December 2015 Meeting
C++ Common Denominator
Visual Studio 2015 RTM
What’s new since last year?
Android
Demo – Buiding with Gradle
iOS
Demo – Co-development with Xcode
Game Engines
Demo – Cocos2d-x Android development in VS
Cross-Platform UI
Demo – Android, iOS, and Universal Windows UI
Resources

33. Resources Visual C++ Cross-Platform Mobile Documentation
Visual C++ Blog
blogs.msdn.com/b/vcblog/ Me
Ankit Asthana – program manager cross-plat mobile dev story

34. Questions ?

35. Widescreen Test Pattern (16:9)
Aspect Ratio Test
(Should appear circular)
4x3
16x9