Microsoft offers more details on how to convert web apps to Windows 10 apps

With the launch of Windows 10 now less than a month away, Microsoft is offering more information on how developers who create apps for other platforms can convert them to work natively on the company's new OS. One of those efforts has the code name 'Project Westminster" and is Microsoft's way of giving developers of web-based apps a channel to convert content to Windows 10.

In a highly technical blog post, Microsoft talks about how those developers can turn those web apps into ones that work inside Windows 10:

"Project Westminster embraces 'the way of the web' by giving you the opportunity to publish an app while continuing to use your tools, developing your code and deploying to the host you desire. Just enter your app's start page URL and define the app's scope of URLs in the app manifest to create a Universal Windows Platform app. Continue with platform integration by pushing code to your servers, feature detecting for and directly calling Universal Windows APIs. Once deployed, hit F12 on a Windows machine to test and debug your app."

Developers can also offers those apps to Windows 10 users directly with Microsoft's new Windows Store:

"Any application built with Project Westminster will be a Universal Windows Platform App and publishable to the Windows 10 Store. When you enter URLs in the app manifest and package the app you'll have all that's required to submit to the Store. From there you'll be able to follow the standard developer submission flow for any Universal Windows App. Once submitted, your app will be discoverable by users and have the ability to be installed across the range of Windows 10 devices."

Microsoft says that web app developers should be able to reuse their code so that their Windows 10 app version can be access on other devices like smartphones with Windows 10 Mobile, the Xbox One, HoloLens, and Surface Hub.

Source: Microsoft

John Callaham