The toolkit was first released over a year and a half ago with 26 different features. Since then, we’ve added five new packages over nine new releases, each one adding new controls, helpers, services, extensions, object models and more – most coming from the community directly. Today, there are over 100 distinct features. Just compare the number of controls (and categories) in the sample app from the initial release:
UWP Community Toolkit Sample App (v1.0)
UWP Community Toolkit Sample App (v2.2)
When we initially released the UWP Community Toolkit, we received feedback that developers want to share toolkit components with other frameworks such as WPF, WinForms, Xamarin, .NET Core, and more. In v2.0, with the help of the community, we identified components that could be factored out in .NET Standard libraries and created new .NET Standard packages so more developers could take advantage of the community work – and many did. Many of the services, helpers, and parsers are cross platform today and can be used anywhere – and we are working to enable even more.
Enabling more developers is what the toolkit is all about, so starting with the next Windows Community Toolkit release, we are setting a goal to enable more Windows developers working on Windows 10 experiences to take advantage of toolkit components where possible. Therefore, the new name is reflective of this increased focus and more inclusive of all Windows developers.
The community is working enthusiastically towards the next major toolkit update, currently scheduled for late May. All the work is done in the open and we invite any developer to participate and contribute. To get started with the latest and greatest today, visit the GitHub repository and dive into the code. Or if you rather use NuGet packages, preview packages will be published on NuGet right on time for the Microsoft Build conference. We will update the documentation and the sample app at the same time but keep in mind these are pre-release packages and they might change for the final release.
To join the conversation on Twitter, use the #windowstoolkit hashtag. And if you are attending Microsoft Build 2018, just stop by our booth to say hi!
Happy coding!