MetroSE

This is the unofficial Stack Exchange App for Windows 8 Metro. With this app, you'll be able to browse question and answers from all Stack Exchange sites. You'll also be able to add comments and any other capabilities outlined through the SE API 2+

Some Technical Specification

As per comments below, I'll update this section with any technical specifications. Feel free to request any more details as I move along.

  • Will be using C# with XAML
  • ODdata
  • JSON.Net
  • JSON Class Generator
  • Will be interfacing with StackAPI v2.0+
  • Support both Landscape and Portrait Views

Windows 8 Features:

  • Notifications
  • Shared data across devices
  • Live Tile Updates (Messages, Top Questions Subscribed too, etc,.)
  • Searching directly from Metro Interface
  • Snap Feature

Current Status: Initial Build of Phase 1

Note: I plan on going through multiple phases to get this up and running. I will update the current status as time goes on. Here is the plan:

Phase 1:

Supported Sites:

  • Stack Overflow

Features:

  • Browse questions directly from the application based on:
    • Newest
    • Featured
  • Search questions using the Windows Search contract:
    • Ability to search within the app OR
    • Ability to search directly from the Metro Interface
  • View the following from within the application:
    • Questions
    • Answers

Phase 2:

Supported Sites (trilogy):

  • Stack Overflow
  • Super User
  • Server Fault

Features:

  • Browse questions directly from the application based on:
    • Newest
    • Featured
    • No-Answers
    • Un-Answered
  • Search questions using the Windows Search contract:
    • Ability to search within the app OR
    • Ability to search directly from the Metro Interface
  • View the following from within the application:
    • Questions
    • Answers
    • Tags
    • Comments

Phase 3:

Supported Sites (trilogy):

  • Stack Overflow
  • Super User
  • Server Fault

Features:

  • Browse questions directly from the application based on:
    • Newest
    • Featured
    • No-Answers
    • Un-Answered
  • Search questions using the Windows Search contract:
    • Ability to search within the app OR
    • Ability to search directly from the Metro Interface
  • View the following from within the application:
    • Questions
    • Answers
    • Tags
    • Comments
  • User Profile:
    • User can now log into the trilogy sites (if accounts created)
    • User Name Display
    • Reputation Display
    • View any notifications

Phase 4:

Supported Sites (trilogy + Meta):

  • Stack Overflow + Meta
  • Super User + Meta
  • Server Fault + Meta

Features:

  • Browse questions directly from the application based on:
    • Newest
    • Featured
    • No-Answers
    • Un-Answered
  • Search questions using the Windows Search contract:
    • Ability to search within the app OR
    • Ability to search directly from the Metro Interface
  • View the following from within the application:
    • Questions
    • Answers
    • Tags
    • Comments
  • User Profile:
    • User can now log into the trilogy sites (if accounts created)**
    • User Name Display
    • Reputation Display
    • View any notifications
    • Gravatar
  • Notifications:
    • Application now utilizes built-in Windows 8 notifications for any new notifications from the SE site

Phase 5:

Supported Sites (all sites):

  • All supported API sites are now available

Features:

  • Browse questions directly from the application based on:
    • Newest
    • Featured
    • No-Answers
    • Un-Answered
  • Search questions using the Windows Search contract:
    • Ability to search within the app OR
    • Ability to search directly from the Metro Interface
  • View the following from within the application:
    • Questions
    • Answers
    • Tags
    • Comments
  • User Profile:
    • User can now log into the trilogy sites (if accounts created)**
    • User Name Display
    • Reputation Display
    • View any notifications
    • Gravatar
  • Notifications:
    • Application now utilizes built-in Windows 8 notifications for any new notifications from the SE site

Screenshots

Comments

Abhinandy Oct 27 at 18:01
hey great thing bringing on StackOverflow at Win8 readily accessible..
1
Jaydles ♦ Oct 8 at 17:01
@kronos, while we're excited that your app is a stack exchange client, the logo you're using is a violation of our trademark. I know you were concerned about this, and reached out to us. Unfortunately, you need a logo that does not appear to be a derivative of our "bubble" trademark. We're genuine supporters of your efforts, but have to consistently require that our logo and derivations of it are never used where they could possibly cause a third-party product to appear (even to some) to have been made by us.
KronoS Oct 8 at 18:23
@Jaydiles I plan on rectifying this ASAP. Just haven't had the time or creative power to come up with an alternative logo.
KronoS Oct 10 at 14:08
I've updated the logo so that it no longer is a violation of the stack bubble.
2
George Edison Oct 5 at 5:43
First of all... I love the icon. Secondly, and chance of supporting the API 2.1 write methods (for posting comments)?
KronoS Oct 5 at 6:17
This is the eventual plan. I know the description is long, but if you look at the phases in more detail you'll be able to see my plan on implementing the different capabilities. Also, I love the icon as well but I may have to change due to the trademark on it.
2
subkamran Oct 3 at 17:46
Hey! I already started this! :) I actually already have the main screen done and coded with HTML/WinJS, that lets you choose the site to browse. I have a private GitHub repository, I don't know if you'd be interested in tag-teaming this together or whether we should just have a friendly competition. I mostly started it to get familiar with building apps and releasing it was just a nice-to-have.
KronoS Oct 3 at 17:50
I'm not sure if we can tag team this or not, but I'm not sure how useful the collaboration would be as I'm not very familiar with HTML/WinJS. I'm developing in XAML/C#. Also just as a FYI there's another submission that is doing this as well, but feel free to submit if you desire and best of luck.
subkamran Oct 3 at 17:58
Oh, the other thing I was going to mention: why restrict yourself only to SO? The SE API v2 lets you get a list of sites and all further API calls can be specific to that site; there shouldn't be anything stopping you from write an SE app that lets you browse any SE site, which is what my plan was. All the API calls are the same for each site. I could see customizing functionality using OData on a per-site basis, which might be what you were planning to do.
subkamran Oct 3 at 18:01
The more the merrier, right? At the least, there's gonna be some StackOverflow Windows 8 apps, which makes me happy.
KronoS Oct 3 at 18:36
@subkamram If you look at my phases I'm going to add more sites as I move along. I'm just going to be doing this in incremental stages, instead of all at once, but eventually I'll have all sites added.
subkamran Oct 3 at 18:38
@KronosS, awesome! Can't wait to see it in action.
Mamta Dalal Oct 3 at 4:20
Any technical specifications laid out yet? Are you going to be using XAML or HTML5? Are you going to use any frameworks? What about OData (guess, that might be a given). Please share any info about these that might help reviewers.
3
Robert MacLean Oct 2 at 7:03
Are you not worried about the rumours that Microsoft is blocking the usage of the name metro in apps?
Sigh Oct 2 at 7:34
istartedsomething.com/20120816/…
KronoS Oct 2 at 15:19
I hadn't even thought of this. However, if I read @Sigh's referenced article I should be ok as long as nobody claims a trademark on it.
KronoS Oct 4 at 22:37
In regards to this, I've reserved the name online and it didn't raise any flags so...
user1731468 Oct 9 at 16:11
normal you may not use this, because "metro" is a trademark in germany (for a store).
KronoS Oct 9 at 19:42
@user1731468 as I've been doing research it appears that there isn't anything stopping it. I see no warnings on the developer site: msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh694077.aspx and I have reserved the name without any problems.
user1731468 Oct 10 at 19:33
you as developer must know if i may use the name or not. example here i can reserved the name "iGoogle" but realy this violated here Google trademark. Any reason why use the word "metro" inside? (you can do nothing but you can have problems later... and it will not be cheap)
KronoS Oct 10 at 19:53
> Don’t use names trademarked by others Make sure to select a name for your app that belongs to you. If you use a name that doesn’t belong to you, the owner of that name could have your app removed from the store. If that happens, you would need to change the name of your app and all instances of the name throughout your app and its content before you can submit your app for certification again.
KronoS Oct 10 at 19:53
It appears the worst they can do is take down my app until I change the name.
vignesh4303 Oct 1 at 5:48
phases were great but it can be improved with one small additional feature user review in se sites
KronoS Oct 1 at 16:32
Just for clarification, when you say user review, do you mean a review of the app and it's functionality? Or testing to make sure the app does what it says it does?
Sathya Oct 5 at 6:55
wonder if he means the /review queue - which isn't available via API, faik
vignesh4303 Oct 26 at 6:04
@Kronos mate i mentioned /review queue as sathya said above