3D Game Development with Microsoft Silverlight 3: Beginner's Guide. A practical guide to creating real-time responsive online 3D games in Silverlight 3 using C#, XBAP WPF, XAML, Balder, and Farseer Physics Engine

Gaston C. Hillar

Microsoft Silverlight is a programmable web browser plug-in that enables the animation, vector graphics, and audio-video playback features that characterize Rich Internet Applications. Silverlight is a great (and growing) RIA platform and games are the next level to exploit in it. But it doesn't offer 3D capabilities out of the box and integrating a 3D engine can involve lot of complex mathematics and matrix algebra. This book will help C# developers to get their fingers on the pulse of 3D in Silverlight.This book uses Balder, an open source 3D engine offering 3D capabilities for Silverlight 3. It leaves out boring matrix algebra and complex 3D mathematics. By the end of the book you will have explored the entire engine, and will be able to design and program your own 3D games with ease!The book begins by introducing you to the fundamental concepts of 2D games and then drives you into the 3D world, using easy-to-follow, step-by-step examples. The book employs amazing graphics and impressive performance, and increasingly adds more features to a 3D game giving you a rich interactive experience.By following the practical examples in this book, you will learn the important concepts, from the creation of the initial models, up to the addition of physics and artificial intelligence.The book helps you to provide realistic behaviors for 3D characters by enveloping models with different textures, using lights to create effects, animating multiple 3D characters using a physics engine (Farseer Physics Engine), and simulating real-life physics. Videos, music, and sounds associated with specific events offer the final touches to the 3D game development learning experience.

Building RESTful Python Web Services. Click here to enter text

Gaston C. Hillar

Python is the language of choice for millions of developers worldwide, due to its gentle learning curve as well as its vast applications in day-to-day programming. It serves the purpose of building great web services in the RESTful architecture. This book will show you the best tools you can use to build your own web services.Learn how to develop RESTful APIs using the popular Python frameworks and all the necessary stacks with Python, Django, Flask, and Tornado, combined with related libraries and tools. We will dive deep into each of these frameworks to build various web services, and will provide use cases and best practices on when to use a particular framework to get the best results. We will show you everything required to successfully develop RESTful APIs with the four frameworks such as request handling, URL mapping, serialization, validation, authentication, authorization, versioning, ORMs, databases, custom code for models and views, and asynchronous callbacks. At the end of each framework, we will add authentication and security to the RESTful APIs and prepare tests for it.By the end of the book, you will have a deep understanding of the stacks needed to build RESTful web services.

Django RESTful Web Services. The easiest way to build Python RESTful APIs and web services with Django

Gaston C. Hillar

Django is a Python web framework that makes the web development process very easy. It reduces the amount of trivial code, which simplifies the creation of web applications and results in faster development. It is very powerful and a great choice for creating RESTful web services.If you are a Python developer and want to efficiently create RESTful web services with Django for your apps, then this is the right book for you.The book starts off by showing you how to install and configure the environment, required software, and tools to create RESTful web services with Django and the Django REST framework. We then move on to working with advanced serialization and migrations to interact with SQLite and non-SQL data sources. We will use the features included in the Django REST framework to improve our simple web service.Further, we will create API views to process diverse HTTP requests on objects, go through relationships and hyperlinked API management, and then discover the necessary steps to include security and permissions related to data models and APIs. We will also apply throttling rules and run tests to check that versioning works as expected. Next we will run automated tests to improve code coverage. By the end of the book, you will be able to build RESTful web services with Django.

Guide to NoSQL with Azure Cosmos DB. Work with the massively scalable Azure database service with JSON, C#, LINQ, and .NET Core 2

Gaston C. Hillar, Daron Yöndem

Cosmos DB is a NoSQL database service included in Azure that is continuously adding new features and has quickly become one of the most innovative services found in Azure, targeting mission-critical applications at a global scale. This book starts off by showing you the main features of Cosmos DB, their supported NoSQL data models and the foundations of its scalable and distributed architecture. You will learn to work with the latest available tools that simplify your tasks with Cosmos DB and reduce development costs, such as the Data Explorer in the Azure portal, Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer, and the Cosmos DB Emulator.Next, move on to working with databases and document collections. We will use the tools to run schema agnostic queries against collections with the Cosmos DB SQL dialect and understand their results. Then, we will create a first version of an application that uses the latest .NET Core SDK to interact with Cosmos DB. Next, we will create a second version of the application that will take advantage of important features that the combination of C# and the .NET Core SDK provides, such as POCOs and LINQ queries. By the end of the book, you will be able to build an application that works with a Cosmos DB NoSQL document database with C#, the .NET Core SDK, LINQ, and JSON.

Hands-On MQTT Programming with Python. Work with the lightweight IoT protocol in Python

Gaston C. Hillar

MQTT is a lightweight messaging protocol for small sensors and mobile devices. This book explores the features of the latest versions of MQTT for IoT and M2M communications, how to use them with Python 3, and allow you to interact with sensors and actuators using Python.The book begins with the specific vocabulary of MQTT and its working modes, followed by installing a Mosquitto MQTT broker. You will use different utilities and diagrams to understand the most important concepts related to MQTT. You will learn to make all the necessary configuration to work with digital certificates for encrypting all data sent between the MQTT clients and the server. You will also work with the different Quality of Service levels and later analyze and compare their overheads.You will write Python 3.x code to control a vehicle with MQTT messages delivered through encrypted connections (TLS 1.2), and learn how leverage your knowledge of the MQTT protocol to build a solution based on requirements. Towards the end, you will write Python code to use the PubNub cloud-based real-time MQTT provider to monitor a surfing competition.In the end, you will have a solution that was built from scratch by analyzing the requirements and then write Python code that will run on water-proof IoT boards connected to multiple sensors in surfboards.

Hands-On RESTful Python Web Services. Develop RESTful web services or APIs with modern Python 3.7 - Second Edition

Gaston C. Hillar

Python is the language of choice for millions of developers worldwide that builds great web services in RESTful architecture. This second edition of Hands-On RESTful Python Web Services will cover the best tools you can use to build engaging web services.This book shows you how to develop RESTful APIs using the most popular Python frameworks and all the necessary stacks with Python, combined with related libraries and tools. You’ll learn to incorporate all new features of Python 3.7, Flask 1.0.2, Django 2.1, Tornado 5.1, and also a new framework, Pyramid. As you advance through the chapters, you will get to grips with each of these frameworks to build various web services, and be shown use cases and best practices covering when to use a particular framework.You’ll then successfully develop RESTful APIs with all frameworks and understand how each framework processes HTTP requests and routes URLs. You’ll also discover best practices for validation, serialization, and deserialization. In the concluding chapters, you will take advantage of specific features available in certain frameworks such as integrated ORMs, built-in authorization and authentication, and work with asynchronous code. At the end of each framework, you will write tests for RESTful APIs and improve code coverage.By the end of the book, you will have gained a deep understanding of the stacks needed to build RESTful web services.

Internet of Things with Python. Create exciting IoT solutions

Gaston C. Hillar

Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing the way devices/things interact with each other. And when you have IoT with Python on your side, you'll be able to build interactive objects and design them. This book lets you stay at the forefront of cutting-edge research on IoT. We'll open up the possibilities using tools that enable you to interact with the world, such as Intel Galileo Gen 2, sensors, and other hardware. You will learn how to read, write, and convert digital values to generate analog output by programming Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) in Python. You will get familiar with the complex communication system included in the board, so you can interact with any shield, actuator, or sensor. Later on, you will not only see how to work with data received from the sensors, but also perform actions by sending them to a specific shield. You'll be able to connect your IoT device to the entire world, by integrating WiFi, Bluetooth, and Internet settings. With everything ready, you will see how to work in real time on your IoT device using the MQTT protocol in python.By the end of the book, you will be able to develop IoT prototypes with Python, libraries, and tools.

Java 9 with JShell. Introducing the full range of Java 9's new features via JShell

Gaston C. Hillar

The release of Java 9 has brought many subtle and not-so-subtle changes to the way in which Java programmers approach their code. The most important ones are definitely the availability of a REPL, known as JShell, which will make experiments and prototyping much more straightforward than the old IDE-based project-led approach. Another, more subtle change can be seen in the module system, which will lead to more modularized, maintainable code. The techniques to take full advantage of object-oriented code, functional programming and the new modularity features in Java 9 form the main subjects of this book.Each chapter will add to the full picture of Java 9 programming starting out with classes and instances and ending with generics and modularity in Java.

Javascript: Object Oriented Programming. Build sophisticated web applications by mastering the art of Object-Oriented Javascript

Kumar Chetan Sharma, Stoyan Stefanov, Ved Antani, Gaston C. Hillar

JavaScript is the behavior, the third pillar in today's paradigm that looks at web pages as something that consists of : content (HTML), presentation (CSS), and behavior (JavaScript). Using JavaScript, you can create interactive web pages along with desktop widgets, browser, and application extensions, and other pieces of software. Object-oriented programming, which is popularly known as OOP, is basically based on the concept of objects rather than actions. The first module will help you master JavaScript and build futuristic web applications. You will start by getting acquainted with the language constructs and how to organize code easily. You develop concrete understanding of variable scoping, loops, and best practices on using types and data structures, as well as the coding style and recommended code organization patterns in JavaScript. The book will also teach you how to use arrays and objects as data structures. By the end of the book, you will understand how reactive JavaScript is going to be the new paradigm.The second module is an easy-to-follow course, which includes hands-on examples of solutions to common problems with object-oriented code. It will help to identify objects from real-life scenarios, to protect and hide data with the data encapsulation features of Python, JavaScript, and C#. You will discover the advantage of duck typing in both Python and JavaScript, while you work with interfaces and generics in C#. With a fair understanding of interfaces, multiple inheritance, and composition, you will move on to refactor existing code and to organize your source for easy maintenance and extension.The third module takes you through all the in-depth and exciting futures hidden behind the facade. You should read through this course if you want to be able to take your JavaScript skills to a new level of sophistication.

Learning Object-Oriented Programming. Explore and crack the OOP code in Python, JavaScript, and C#

Gaston C. Hillar

Learn Web Development with Python. Get hands-on with Python Programming and Django web development

Fabrizio Romano, Gaston C. Hillar, Arun Ravindran

If you want to develop complete Python web apps with Django, this Learning Path is for you. It will walk you through Python programming techniques and guide you in implementing them when creating 4 professional Django projects, teaching you how to solve common problems and develop RESTful web services with Django and Python. You will learn how to build a blog application, a social image bookmarking website, an online shop, and an e-learning platform.Learn Web Development with Python will get you started with Python programming techniques, show you how to enhance your applications with AJAX, create RESTful APIs, and set up a production environment for your Django projects. Last but not least, you’ll learn the best practices for creating real-world applications.By the end of this Learning Path, you will have a full understanding of how Django works and how to use it to build web applications from scratch.This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products:• Learn Python Programming by Fabrizio Romano• Django RESTful Web Services by Gastón C. Hillar• Django Design Patterns and Best Practices by Arun Ravindran

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Developer's Compendium: The Best of Packt for Extending SharePoint. Build an engaging SharePoint site with Visual Studio, Silverlight, PowerShell and Windows 7 Phone with this book and e-book

Series Editor: Carl Jones, Balaji Kithiganahalli, Mike Oryszak, Yaroslav Pentsarskyy, ...

The SharePoint platform is ideal for developers looking to build exciting solutions, and SharePoint 2010 is more equipped than ever for the task. While plenty of SharePoint titles will help you understand general SharePoint development techniques or spend time focusing on one method or tool, Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Developer's Compendium: The Best of Packt for Extending SharePoint offers you the option of using four different tools and platforms to achieve exceptional end user experience.This book fills the gap for a comprehensive SharePoint title which describes the end goal of a SharePoint developer. So often books focus on development techniques for one tool; this will get you on your way to developing a good business website with a great user experience, however, you choose to get there, be it using PowerShell, Visual Studio, Silverlight, Windows 7 Phone, or a combination of all four.Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Developer's Compendium: The Best of Packt for Extending SharePoint draws from five separate titles from Packt's existing collection of excellent SharePoint titles:Microsoft SharePoint 2010 and Windows PowerShell 2.0: Expert Cookbook Microsoft Silverlight 4 and SharePoint 2010 IntegrationMicrosoft SharePoint 2010 Development with Visual Studio 2010 Expert CookbookMicrosoft SharePoint 2010 Enterprise Applications on Windows Phone 7Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Business Application Development BlueprintsMicrosoft SharePoint 2010 Developer's Compendium: The Best of Packt for Extending SharePoint is an exciting mash-up of five existing Packt SharePoint titles for extending development techniques.It begins with two never before seen Packt chapters from an exciting new title, giving you a quick overview of the options available for extending SharePoint. It then moves on quickly to building a community site and discusses PowerShell scripting, as well as integrating Silverlight animations and helping you get to grips with SharePoint development on Windows Phone.With this book in hand you won't just find techniques for one development tool, you'll learn how to reach your end goal of developing a site with great user experience using a number of options at your fingertips.

Microsoft Silverlight 4 and SharePoint 2010 Integration. Techniques, practical tips, hints, and tricks for Silverlight interactions with SharePoint

Gaston C. Hillar

Silverlight is a powerful development platform for creating engaging, interactive user experiences for the Web, desktop, and mobile applications. Integrating Silverlight RIAs in SharePoint 2010 offers amazing opportunities to combine the power and flexibility offered by SharePoint. It is easy to create great user experiences when you have a step-by-step guide to implement Silverlight 4 applications on SharePoint 2010 sites.This book is not a primer on Silverlight 4 or SharePoint 2010. This book focuses on the integration of Silverlight 4 and SharePoint 2010 and provides step-by-step guidelines for implementing Silverlight RIAs in SharePoint. It is filled with real-world examples that depict the various techniques for interacting with data and services provided by this powerful business collaboration platform, for the enterprise and the Internet. As you sit reading this, you might have already started thinking about the benefits of implementing multiple Silverlight applications in a SharePoint environment. This book will help bring those thoughts to fruition.This book begins with the fundamental concepts of integrating Silverlight 4 with SharePoint 2010, such as the preparation of the development environment to create applications using Silverlight 4 and the addition of one or more Silverlight RIAs to a SharePoint site. Then, it moves on to the SharePoint Silverlight Client Object Model world, using step-by-step examples to combine a Silverlight application and a SharePoint module. It also covers methods to deploy and debug the Silverlight application while it runs as Silverlight Web Part in a SharePoint page. The book teaches you to take advantage of the new features offered by Visual Studio 2010 to browse SharePoint lists.Once the reader has control over the SharePoint Silverlight Client Object Model and its asynchronous operations in Silverlight applications, it is time to access external databases through the new Business Connectivity Services (BCS) and interact with workflows. Then, the book explains to perform CRUD operations by consuming the new SharePoint 2010 WCF Data Services in Silverlight. In the end, you'll learn to utilize Silverlight 4's rich media features to add effects and interactive animations to images and videos, thus offering the final touches to the Silverlight 4 and SharePoint 2010 integration learning experience.By the end of this book, you'll learn to take advantage of the unique features offered by Silverlight in order to create impressive UX that interact with SharePoint 2010.

MQTT Essentials - A Lightweight IoT Protocol. Send and receive messages with the MQTT protocol for your IoT solutions

Gaston C. Hillar

This step-by-step guide will help you gain a deep understanding of the lightweight MQTT protocol. We’ll begin with the specific vocabulary of MQTT and its working modes, followed by installing a Mosquitto MQTT broker. Then, you will use best practices to secure the MQTT Mosquitto broker to ensure that only authorized clients are able to publish and receive messages. Once you have secured the broker with the appropriate configuration, you will develop a solution that controls a drone with Python.Further on, you will use Python on a Raspberry Pi 3 board to process commands and Python on Intel Boards (Joule, Edison and Galileo). You will then connect to the MQTT broker, subscribe to topics, send messages, and receive messages in Python. You will also develop a solution that interacts with sensors in Java by working with MQTT messages. Moving forward, you will work with an asynchronous API with callbacks to make the sensors interact with MQTT messages. Following the same process, you will develop an iOS app with Swift 3, build a website that uses WebSockets to connect to the MQTT broker, and control home automation devices with HTML5, JavaScript code, Node.js and MQTT messages

Object-Oriented Programming with Swift 2. Click here to enter text

Gaston C. Hillar

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of objects; these are data structures that contain data in the form of fields, often known as attributes and code. Objects are everywhere, and so it is very important to recognize elements, known as objects, from real-world situations and know how they can easily be translated into object-oriented code.Object-Oriented Programming with Swift is an easy-to-follow guide packed full of hands-on examples of solutions to common problems encountered with object-oriented code in Swift. It starts by helping you to recognize objects using real-life scenarios and demonstrates how working with them makes it simpler to write code that is easy to understand and reuse. You will learn to protect and hide data with the data encapsulation features of Swift. Then, you will explore how to maximize code reuse by writing code capable of working with objects of different types. After that, you'll discover the power of parametric polymorphism and will combine generic code with inheritance and multiple inheritance. Later, you move on to refactoring your existing code and organizing your source for easy maintenance and extensions.By the end of the book, you will be able to create better, stronger, and more reusable code, which will help you build better applications.

Swift 3 Object-Oriented Programming. Implement object-oriented programming paradigms with Swift 3.0 and mix them with modern functional programming techniques to build powerful real-world applications - Second Edition

Gaston C. Hillar

Swift has quickly become one of the most-liked languages and developers’ de-facto choice when building applications that target iOS and macOS. In the new version, the Swift team wants to take its adoption to the next level by making it available for new platforms and audiences.This book introduces the object-oriented paradigm and its implementation in the Swift 3 programming language to help you understand how real-world objects can become part of fundamental reusable elements in the code. This book is developed with XCode 8.x and covers all the enhancements included in Swift 3.0. In addition, we teach you to run most of the examples with the Swift REPL available on macOS and Linux, and with a Web-based Swift sandbox developed by IBM capable of running on any web browser, including Windows and mobile devices.You will organize data in blueprints that generate instances. You’ll work with examples so you understand how to encapsulate and hide data by working with properties and access control. Then, you’ll get to grips with complex scenarios where you use instances that belong to more than one blueprint. You’ll discover the power of contract programming and parametric polymorphism. You’ll combine generic code with inheritance and multiple inheritance. Later, you’ll see how to combine functional programming with object-oriented programming and find out how to refactor your existing code for easy maintenance.