Many of you running WordPress powered blog might be interested in creating an app to reach more audiences. Now getting an app done is not only a costly affair but there is not much of documentation available either which can help you get started with an app which can integrate your website and Windows Phone app, specially the commenting system.
I had been hunting around for such kind of tutorial to get started, and after a lot of searches done on Google, I finally found Windows-Phone-Starter-Kit-for-WordPress which is really a gem and can get your an app done without even writing a code on your own. This starter kit is from ChrisKoenig, and I really wish was listed under one of the resources in App Hub.
What this Starter Kit has to Offer ?
The kit has two parts. One is the WordPress plugin, and other is the C# code which can be compiled and an app can be developed for your blog after changing a couple of lines in the configuration file.
WordPress Plugin : This is responsible to generate feeds from your blog which the app can read. It generates feeds for :
- Category
- Recent Posts
- Comment Feed
App Code
- It lists down all the recent posts from your blog feed which users can read it right on the app or open a link in the browser.
- Built in Panorama view, the users can view comment, add comment using the email id. The comment will get into moderation or can get approved directly, depending on your WordPress Settings.
- It lets users make a search for the posts on the blog.
- Browser Via Category.
- Gravatar Integration.
What I really loved about this app is that it does not require any connection with your database but only uses the post urls to submit the comment.
If you have Visual Studio 2010 and a WordPress blog to test, you can start checking it out instantly.Its already configured with a sample blog to help you test out the basic functionality. I tried it on one of our blogs, and it was working absolutely fine.
Summary :
The app itself is pretty basic. The formatting is something I really did not like about as it was missing the line brakes etc. The comments also display the email id of all users who have made a comment on a post.
However, it’s a great template for anybody wondering on How to start with WordPress and Windows Phone.