Windows Universal/Store apps support

[Paulo Pinto via Digitalmars-d-learn]

On Friday, 29 May 2015 at 07:41:14 UTC, Rikki Cattermole wrote:
> On 29/05/2015 7:03 p.m., Paulo Pinto wrote:
>> On Friday, 29 May 2015 at 03:23:39 UTC, Rikki Cattermole wrote:
>>> On 29/05/2015 3:57 a.m., Olivier Prince wrote:
>>>> I searched the forum to find if there is some support for 
>>>> new Windows
>>>> development technologies and I didn't find anything related 
>>>> (except some
>>>> rants about WinRT 3 years ago).
>>>>
>>>> - Is there any support in D or phobos for developping this 
>>>> kind of
>>>> applications?
>>>
>>> No.
>>>
>>>> - Does D support ARM as Windows target?
>>>
>>> Yes/No. ldc/gdc guys probably are a good place to start.
>>>
>>>> - Are there any plans to support the specific libraries in 
>>>> this respect
>>>> (something like C++/CX extensions or COM metadata files)?
>>>
>>> What exactly do you need?
>>
>> WinRT is an evolution of COM with a .NET feel to the API.
>>
>> Basically it is COM where objects also need to implement a new
>> interface, IInspectable, and .NET metadata stored in .winmd 
>> files is
>> used instead of COM type libraries.
>>
>> In a way WinRT is the return of Ext-VOS, the original idea 
>> behind .NET.
>> Most likely caused by the Longhorn failure to write everything 
>> in .NET,
>> as most new Windows APIs have been introduced as COM 
>> components since
>> Vista.
>>
>> So any language targeting WinRT, or Universal Apps as they are 
>> now
>> known, needs to to support COM alongside the required 
>> interfaces for
>> interoperability between languages and be able to 
>> consume/produce .NET
>> metadata files.
>>
>> --
>> Paulo
>
> D already supports COM.
> For .winmd, you should be good to go for -m32mscoff and -m64! 
> Just add LFLAGS="/winmd"
>
> Although this really really needs to be tested.

As far as I am aware D supports old style COM, not COM with WinRT 
improvements.

I don't get your hint with LFLAGS.

Are you aware what are .NET metadata files?

..
Paulo