courses I tutorials

Explore different tutorials to get hands on with Silverlight and Expression Blend across a wide array of topics in a short time.

school.tutorials

Adding Sections to your Panorama Control

Based upon the sketches that we have seen, this panorama has four sections in it. Each of these sections is considered a PanoramaItem. PanoramaItems can be used individually, as in this lesson, or spanned across two or more PanoramaItems. In this section, you will add a PanoramaItem using Assets, and then by copying and pasting.

  1. Click on Assets at the bottom of the Tools panel. This time select the PanoramaItem control. Press OK.
  2. Select the Panorama control in the Objects and Timeline panel, and then double-click on the PanoramaItem control icon that is now at the bottom of the Tools panel. The PanoramaItem is now added to the Panorama.
  3. Using the Selection tool at the top of the Tools panel, select one of the PanoramaItems in the Objects and Timeline and press Ctrl+C.
  4. Select the Panorama control, and press Ctrl+V to paste another PanoramaItem into the Panorama control. You now have four sections in your Panorama.

Tips for using Panoramic Sections:

  • Try to use a maximum of four sections
  • Consider the content and the interaction with the user, due to the fact that users will navigate horizontally, it is best to use vertical scrolling with these thoughts in mind:
  • Keep the vertical scroll to the confines of one screen.
  • Keep the section that will scroll less than the width of the screen.
  • Design the layout so that a hint of the next section is visible.
  • Consider hiding sections using Visibility settings until the section has content, or put a message telling the user what to do (i.e. add a favorite) to populate that section.