CODEWITHSUNDEEP
windows-7windows-8visual-studio-2012
JJalenak
JJalenak

Reputation: 123

Accessing Windows 8 libraries in VS2012 on Windows 7

Running VS2012 Pro on Windows 7 Pro, I need to develop a desktop application for a Windows 8 environment (this is NOT a metro-style interface). What I can't figure out is how to reference the Windows 8-specific libraries (for instance, Windows.Media.Capture). I've downloaded and installed the Windows 8 SDK, but when I try to add a reference to a Windows 8 library, nothing is available in either the Framework or Extensions list.

Any ideas? or am I stuck with having to move to Windows 8 on my development system?

Thanks.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 798

Answers (1)

Jared Bienz - MSFT
Jared Bienz - MSFT

Reputation: 3550

You can develop a .NET 3.x or 4.x app on Windows 7 and run it on Windows 8 in desktop mode just fine. You can also create a C++ app that targets Win32 and run it on the Windows 8 desktop just fine. However, you cannot reference any assemblies on Windows 7 that have runtime dependencies on WinRT APIs. Windows.Media.Capture and the classes contained within (such as CameraCaptureUI) are WinRT APIs and cannot be used on Windows 7. Even if you had Windows 8, very very few WinRT APIs can be called from desktop applications. The Windows.Media.Capture APIs can only be used from a Windows Store (formerly Metro) app.

Dev support, design support and more awesome goodness on the way: http://bit.ly/winappsupport

Upvotes: 2

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