Light Game

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

Light Game how to create a simple game to toggle all the squares to Yellow from Black 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 LightGame, 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: LightGame 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 Windows.UI;

public class Library
{
    private const string title = "Light Game";
    private const int on = 1;
    private const int off = 0;
    private const int size = 7;
    private readonly Color lightOn = Colors.Gold;
    private readonly Color lightOff = Colors.Black;
    private readonly int[,] _board = new int[size, size];

    private Grid _grid;
    private Dialog _dialog;
    private int _moves = 0;
    private bool _over = false;

    // Toggle, Set & Winner

    // Select & Add

    // Layout & New

}

The Class defined so far Library.cs has using for package of Comentsys.Assets.FluentEmoji and others. It also has Constants to represent things needed in the game and there are Variables to keep track of values used in the game and elements for the look-and-feel of the game.

Step 7

Still in the Class for Library.cs after the Comment of // Toggle, Set & Winner type the following Methods:


private void Toggle(int row, int column)
{
    _board[row, column] = _board[row, column] == on ? off : on;
    var piece = _grid.FindName($"{row}:{column}") as Piece;
    piece.Fill = _board[row, column] == on ?
    new SolidColorBrush(lightOn) :
    new SolidColorBrush(lightOff);
}

private void Set(int row, int column)
{
    Toggle(row, column);
    if (row > 0)
        Toggle(row - 1, column); // Toggle Left
    if (row < (size - 1))
        Toggle(row + 1, column); // Toggle Right
    if (column > 0)
        Toggle(row, column - 1); // Toggle Above
    if (column < (size - 1))
        Toggle(row, column + 1); // Toggle Below
}

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

Toggle is used to set the elements of the game between being On or Yellow or Off or Black then Set is used to toggle the elements of the game to the Left, Right, Top and Bottom of the element that has been toggled and Winner checks to see if the game is over.

Step 8

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


private void Select(Piece piece)
{
    if (!_over)
    {
        int row = (int)piece.GetValue(Grid.RowProperty);
        int column = (int)piece.GetValue(Grid.ColumnProperty);
        Set(row, column);
        _moves++;
        if (Winner())
        {
            _dialog.Show($"Well Done! You won in {_moves} moves!");
            _over = true;
        }
    }
    else
        _dialog.Show($"Game Over!");
}

private void Add(Grid grid, int row, int column)
{
    Piece piece = new()
    {
        Width = 50,
        Height = 50,
        IsSquare= true,
        Name = $"{row}:{column}",
        Fill = new SolidColorBrush(lightOn)
    };
    piece.Tapped += (object sender, TappedRoutedEventArgs e) => 
        Select(piece);
    piece.SetValue(Grid.ColumnProperty, column);
    piece.SetValue(Grid.RowProperty, row);
    grid.Children.Add(piece);
}

Select is used to check if the game is over and if not then will use Set to toggle elements of the game, then uses Winner to check if the game has been won.

Step 9

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


private void Layout(Grid grid)
{
    grid.Children.Clear();
    grid.RowDefinitions.Clear();
    grid.ColumnDefinitions.Clear();
    for (int index = 0; index < size; index++)
    {
        grid.RowDefinitions.Add(new RowDefinition());
        grid.ColumnDefinitions.Add(new ColumnDefinition());
    }
    for (int row = 0; row < size; row++)
    {
        for (int column = 0; column < size; column++)
        {
            Add(grid, row, column);
        }
    }
}

public void New(Grid grid)
{
    _grid = grid;
    _moves = 0;
    _over = false;
    Layout(grid);
    _dialog = new Dialog(grid.XamlRoot, title);
    for (int column = 0; column < size; column++)
    {
        for (int row = 0; row < size; row++)
        {
            _board[column, row] = on;
        }
    }
}

Layout will create the look-and-feel for the game and New will start a game.

Step 10

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

Step 11

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 12

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 13

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 14

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 15

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 16

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

Step 17

Once running you can then select any Square and you win by setting all the Squares that are Yellow to Black, or you can select New to start a new game.

Light Game Running and Output

Step 18

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!

Light Game PDF