Slide Game

Learn creating a Slide Game using Windows App SDK with this Tutorial

Slide Game shows how to create a game based on those sliding puzzle games where the objective is to place all the numbers in descending numerical order by Clicking on a Square to move it into the empty position using a toolkit 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 SlideGame, 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: SlideGame 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.Controls;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Input;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Media;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

namespace SlideGame;

public class Item : Piece
{
    public Item(int row, int column, int index) =>
        (Row, Column, Value) = (row, column, $"{index}");

    public int Row { get; set; }
    public int Column { get; set; }
}

public class Library
{
    private const string title = "Slide Game";
    private const int canvas_size = 400;
    private const int size = 4;

    private readonly Random _random = new((int)DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks);
    private readonly int[,] _board = new int[size, size];

    private Dialog _dialog;
    private Canvas _canvas;

    private int _moves;
    private List<int> _values;

    // Choose, IsValid & IsComplete

    // Update & Move

    // Play & Setup

    // Layout & New

}

The Class defined so far Library.cs has using for package of Comentsys.Assets.FluentEmoji and others. It also has a namespace as it will contain multiple Classes although usually those are defined in separate files. Library.cs contains a Class for Item and for Library which has Constants to represent things needed in the game and there are Variables to keep track of values used in the game.

Step 7

While still in the Class for Library.cs after the Comment of // Choose, IsValid & IsComplete type in the following Methods:


private List<int> Choose(int minimum, int maximum, int total) =>
    Enumerable.Range(minimum, maximum)
        .OrderBy(r => _random.Next(minimum, maximum))
            .Take(total).ToList();

private bool IsValid(int row, int column) =>
    row >= 0 && column >= 0 && row <= 3 &&
    column <= 3 && _board[row, column] == 0;

private bool IsComplete()
{
    int previous = _board[0, 0];
    for (int row = 0; row < size; row++)
    {
        for (int column = 0; column < size; column++)
        {
            if (_board[row, column] < previous)
                return false;
            previous = _board[row, column];
        }
    }
    return true;
}

Choose is used to produce a list of unique randomised numbers, IsValid will check if a position is acceptable and IsComplete will be used to check if the game has finished correctly.

Step 8

While still in the Class for Library.cs after the Comment of // Update & Move type in the following Methods:


private void Update()
{
    _canvas.Children.Clear();
    for (int row = 0; row < size; row++)
    {
        for (int column = 0; column < size; column++)
        {
            if (_board[row, column] > 0)
            {
                var index = _board[row, column];
                var piece = new Item(row, column, index)
                {
                    Foreground = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.White),
                    Fill = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.Black),
                    Height = _canvas.Height / size,
                    Width = _canvas.Width / size,
                    IsSquare = true
                };
                piece.PointerReleased += (object sender,
                    PointerRoutedEventArgs e) =>
                    Play(sender as Item);
                Canvas.SetTop(piece, row * (_canvas.Width / size));
                Canvas.SetLeft(piece, column * (_canvas.Width / size));
                _canvas.Children.Add(piece);
            }
        }
    }
}

private void Move(Item item, int row, int column)
{
    _moves++;
    _board[row, column] = _board[item.Row, item.Column];
    _board[item.Row, item.Column] = 0;
    item.Row = row;
    item.Column = column;
    Update();
    if (IsComplete())
        _dialog.Show($"Correct in {_moves} Moves");
}

Update is used to update the Canvas with the current position of the items and will use a Method of Play that will be defined in the next Step and Move is used to set the location of an Item and will use Update and will check if the game is finished using IsComplete.

Step 9

While still in the Class for Library.cs after the Comment of // Play & Setup type in the following Methods:


private void Play(Item item)
{
    if (IsValid(item.Row - 1, item.Column))
        Move(item, item.Row - 1, item.Column);
    else if (IsValid(item.Row, item.Column + 1))
        Move(item, item.Row, item.Column + 1);
    else if (IsValid(item.Row + 1, item.Column))
        Move(item, item.Row + 1, item.Column);
    else if (IsValid(item.Row, item.Column - 1))
        Move(item, item.Row, item.Column - 1);
}


public void Setup()
{
    int index = 1;
    _values = Choose(1, _board.Length - 1, _board.Length - 1);
    _values.Insert(0, 0);
    for (int row = 0; row < size; row++)
    {
        for (int column = 0; column < size; column++)
        {
            _board[row, column] = _values[index++];
            if (index == size * size)
                index = 0;
        }
    }
}

Play is used to position an Item and will use IsValid to check if the position is valid then use Move to place the Item in the position and Setup is used to initialise the game using Choose.

Step 10

While still in the Class for Library.cs after the Comment of // Layout & New type in the following Methods:


public void Layout(Grid grid)
{
    grid.Children.Clear();
    _canvas = new Canvas()
    {
        Height = canvas_size,
        Width = canvas_size
    };
    grid.Children.Add(_canvas);
}

public void New(Grid grid)
{
    _dialog = new Dialog(grid.XamlRoot, title);
    Layout(grid);
    Setup();
    Update();
}

Layout will create the layout for the game with a Canvas and New will setup and start a new game.

Step 11

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

Step 12

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 13

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


<Grid>
    <Viewbox>
        <Grid Margin="50" Name="Display" 
        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 Grid. It has a Loaded event handler for New which is also shared by the AppBarButton.

Step 14

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 15

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 16

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 17

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

Step 18

Once running you win by putting all the numbers in Order from 1 to 15 from left to right by selecting the Square next to the the empty slot to move it into that slot and then continue until all the Squares are in the correct Order to complete the game, or you can select New to start a new game.

Slide Game Running and Output

Step 19

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!

Slide Game PDF