Lucky Dice

Learn creating a Lucky Dice game using Windows App SDK with this Tutorial

Lucky Dice shows how you can create a simple random number game and display this using a control from NuGet using the Windows App SDK.

Step 1

Follow Setup and Start on how to get Setup and Install what you need for Visual Studio 2022 and Windows App SDK.

In Windows 11 choose Start and then find or search for Visual Studio 2022 and then select it.

Once Visual Studio 2022 has started select Create a new project.

Then choose the Blank App, Packages (WinUI in Desktop) and then select Next.

After that in Configure your new project type in the Project name as LuckyDice, then select a Location and then select Create to start a new Solution.

Step 2

Then in Visual Studio within Solution Explorer for the Solution, right click on the Project shown below the Solution and then select Manage NuGet Packages...

Manage NuGet Packages

Step 3

Then in the NuGet Package Manager from the Browse tab search for Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk and then select Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk by Comentsys as indicated and select Install

NuGet Package Manager Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk

This will add the package for Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk to your Project. If you get the Preview Changes screen saying Visual Studio is about to make changes to this solution. Click OK to proceed with the changes listed below. You can read the message and then select OK to Install the package, then you can close the tab for Nuget: LuckyDice by selecting the x next to it.

Step 4

Then in Visual Studio within Solution Explorer for the Solution, right click on the Project shown below the Solution and then select Add then New Item…

Add New Item

Step 5

Then in Add New Item from the C# Items list, select Code and then select Code File from the list next to this, then type in the name of Library.cs and then Click on Add.

Add New Code File

Step 6

You will now be in the View for the Code of Library.cs, within this type the following Code:


using Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk;
using Microsoft.UI;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Input;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Media;
using System;
using Windows.UI;

public class Library
{
    private readonly Random _random = new((int)DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks);

    public Dice Get(Color foreground, Color background)
    {
        Dice dice = new()
        {
            Margin = new Thickness(25),
            CornerRadius = new CornerRadius(10),
            Foreground = new SolidColorBrush(foreground),
            Background = new SolidColorBrush(background)
        };
        dice.Tapped += (object sender, TappedRoutedEventArgs e) =>
            ((Dice)sender).Value = _random.Next(1, 7);
        return dice;
    }

    public void New(StackPanel panel)
    {
        panel.Children.Clear();
        panel.Children.Add(Get(Colors.Red, Colors.WhiteSmoke));
        panel.Children.Add(Get(Colors.Blue, Colors.WhiteSmoke));
    }
}

The Class that has been defined in Library.cs has a using for the package of Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk amongst others needed. Then there is Random which will be used to select randomised numbers from. There is a Method of Get which is used to create a Dice which is a control in Comentsys.Toolkit.WindowsAppSdk and it has two Parameters for the foreground which will control the colour of the Pips and background for the Dice. An Event handler is attached to the Tapped event for the Dice using Arrow Syntax with => which is a useful shorthand. This will set the Property for the Value of the Dice from 1 to below 7. This is then used in the Method of New which takes a StackPanel as a Parameter which it then Clears and adds two Dice with some colours provided for the foreground and background.

Step 7

Within Solution Explorer for the Solution double-click on MainWindow.xaml to see the XAML for the Main Window.

Step 8

In the XAML for MainWindow.xaml there will be some XAML for a StackPanel, this should be Removed:


<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" 
HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center">
    <Button x:Name="myButton" Click="myButton_Click">Click Me</Button>
</StackPanel>

Step 9

While still in the XAML for MainWindow.xaml above </Window>, type in the following XAML:


<Grid>
    <Viewbox>
        <StackPanel Margin="50" Name="Display" Orientation="Horizontal" 
        HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center" Loaded="New"/>
    </Viewbox>
    <CommandBar VerticalAlignment="Bottom">
        <AppBarButton Icon="Page2" Label="New" Click="New"/>
    </CommandBar>
</Grid>

This XAML contains a Grid with a Viewbox which will Scale a StackPanel. It has a Loaded event handler for New which is also shared by the AppBarButton.

Step 10

Within Solution Explorer for the Solution select the arrow next to MainWindow.xaml then double-click on MainWindow.xaml.cs to see the Code for the Main Window.

Step 11

In the Code for MainWindow.xaml.cs there be a Method of myButton_Click(...) this should be Removed by removing the following:


private void myButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    myButton.Content = "Clicked";
}

Step 12

Once myButton_Click(...) has been removed, within the Constructor of public MainWindow() { ... } and below the line of this.InitializeComponent(); type in the following Code:


private readonly Library _library = new();

private void New(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) =>
    _library.New(Display);

Here an Instance of Library is created then below this is the Method of New that will be used with Event Handler from the XAML, this Method uses Arrow Syntax with the => for an expression body which is useful when a Method only has one line.

Step 13

That completes the Windows App SDK application. In Visual Studio 2022 from the Toolbar select LuckyDice (Package) to Start the application.

Step 14

Once running you should see the Dice elements.

Lucky Dice Running

Step 15

You can Click on either Dice to "roll" them and see what outcome you get or select New to reset

Lucky Dice Output

Step 16

To Exit the Windows App SDK application, select the Close button from the top right of the application as that concludes this Tutorial for Windows App SDK from tutorialr.com!

Lucky Dice PDF