Microsoft All-In-One Code Framework Sample Browser v4 Released – A New Way to Enjoy 700 Microsoft Code Samples

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Today, we reached a new milestone of Microsoft All-In-One Code Framework.  It gives me great pleasure to announce our newest Microsoft All-In-One Code Framework Sample Browser - v4 available to the globe.  With this release, we embrace the hope of giving global developers a completely new and amazing experience to enjoy over 700 Microsoft code samples.

Compared with the previous version, this new version of Sample Browser is completely redesigned from tip to toe.  We heard lots of users’ voices about how we can do better.  So in Sample Browser v4, its user interface, sample search and download experience have numerous changes.  I hope that you will love our effort here.

Install:   https://aka.ms/samplebrowser
If you have already installed our last version of Sample Browser, you simply need to restart the application. You will get the auto-update.

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The main user interface of the Sample Browser is composed of three columns. 

The left column is the search condition bar.  You can easily enter the query keywords and filter the result by Visual Studio versions, programming languages, and technologies.  The search history is recorded so you can resort to your past search with a single simple click.  

In the middle, the sample browser lists the sample search result.  We added the display of the customer ratings and the number of raters.  We also integrated social media so that you can quickly share certain samples in your network – you are highly encouraged to do it!  You can selectively download the samples, or download all samples after the search is completed.

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All downloading samples are queued.  You can find their download status by clicking the “DOWNLOADING” button.

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If an update is available for the sample, your will be reminded to get the sample update.  The sample download and cancel are very flexible.  Enjoy the flexibility! :-) 

The right column of Sample Browser displays the most detailed information of the selected code sample.   You can learn all properties of the sample before you decide to download it, read the sample documentation, and in the near future, we will add the “social” feature that allows you to learn what people are saying about the sample in the social network.

Besides the above features, we added another heatedly requested one: NEWEST samples.  If you click NEWEST, the search result displays samples released in the past two months.  Clicking it again will cancel the NEWEST filter.

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The Sample Request Service page introduces how you can request a code sample directly from Microsoft All-In-One Code Framework if you cannot find the wanted sample in Sample Browser.   The service is free of charge!

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Last but not least, here is the settings page, where you can configure the sample download location and the network proxy.

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We love to hear you feedback. Your feedback is our source of passion. Please try the Sample Browser and tell us how you think about it. Our email address is onecode@microsoft.com

 

What’re Coming Soon?

We never stop improving the Sample Browser!  Here are the features that are coming soon this year.

  1. Visual Studio Integration
    We will upgrade the old version of Sample Browser Visual Studio extension to the new, so you can enjoy the same experience from within Visual Studio!
  2. Expanding to all MSDN Samples Gallery samples
    Today, the Microsoft All-In-One Code Framework Sample Browser searches for only Microsoft All-In-One Code Framework code samples.  We will start to expand the scope to all samples in MSDN Samples Gallery.
  3. Add the "social" feature in the details panel to allow you to see the discussion of a sample in the social network
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  4. Add the "FAVORITES" feature to allow you to tag certain samples as your favorites.
  5. Add the "MINE" to allow you to add your PRIVATE samples to Sample Browser.
  6. Add the offline search function – index the downloaded samples and allow you to search samples offline.
  7. Integrate the MSDN Samples Gallery Sample Request Forum with the Sample Browser

 

Special Thanks

First of all, special thanks to all customers who provided feedback to onecode@microsoft.com.  Your feedback helped us understand where we can do better than the last version, and we will do better and better thanks to your suggestions!

This new version of Sample Browser is written by our developer Leco Lin who put lots of effort on it.  Our tester Qi Fu tested the application and strangled the bugs.  Jialiang Ge designed the features and functions of the Sample Browser.  The UI is worked out by Lissa Dai and Jialiang together.  Special thanks to Anand Malli who reviewed the source code of Sample Browser and shared lots of suggestions.  Special thanks to Ming Zhu and Bob Bao who gave seamless technical support of WPF to Leco and smoothened the development.  Special thanks to the Garage – a Microsoft internal community of over twenty-three hundred employees who like building innovative things in their free time.  These people gave us many ideas about the Sample Browser.  Special thanks to Mei Liang and Dan Ruder for their supports and suggestions.  They will next introduce the sample browser to other teams in Microsoft and collect feedback.  Last but not least, I want to particularly thank Steven Wilssens and his MSDN Samples Gallery team.  This team created the amazing MSDN Samples Gallery – the host of all samples.  We have a beautiful partnership, and we together make the idea of Sample Browser come true.