Accessing Windows 8 libraries in VS2012 on Windows 7

Question

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.

Answer 1

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.

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