Workflow when creating a Windows Phone App, Expression Blend and Visual Studio

Question

I'm busy with a Windows Phone 7 application using Visual Studio 2010 only. I've read that one can also use Expression Blend to develop the app. But there a few things that I'd like to clear up regarding how one works with both these applications when developing an app.

Firstly I know how it works in Visual Studio, you can create the UI with xaml code, and then add interactivity with your C# code. So what exactly is Expression blend for? Is it more geared toward designing the interface and not so much interactivity? Can you do interactivity in Expression blend at all?

From what I can gather (again I'm not sure about this), one works with both these applications. Expression Blend for the UI, and Visual Studio for the back-end/interactivity. Is this correct?

Assuming that the above is correct. How do you go about this? Can you work on the same solution in both programs? What would your typical workflow be like when working on both these programs?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Your assumptions are correct; Visual Studio is used primarily to write the code that makes the programs work, while Blend is used to design the UI. Blend primarily works by dragging UI elements into their desired position, though you can also directly manipulate the XAML if you wish, or both, even.

You can edit the code-behind in Blend, but you'll be missing a lot of functionality Visual Studio offers in that department.

You can have the same solution open in both Blend and Visual Studio and switch between them as needed, but changes to either won't be picked up by the other until you save the modified files.

Personally, I use Visual Studio for the coding, and Blend for the design. Both open at the same time, with the same solution loaded.