Microsoft’s New App Turns Your Basic Sketches Into Code

Microsoft’s Garage lab is releasing a new Ink to Code app that turns your sketches into an actual app. The app is in its very early stages, so don’t expect it to be something that you would use in a professional project.

Ink to Code uses Windows 10’s Smart Ink feature to turn your drawings into shapes. So for example, when you draw a square, it will turn it into a button, or you could draw a button. Once you have the basic layout of the app drawn, you will then be able to import it as actual code to Visual Studio and compile it as an app, which is pretty neat.

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This is meant for rapid prototyping, and it should work for the most part as long as you are building something simple. But of course, this is still a prototype, so it can’t work with anything complex. For now, the app only works with things like labels, text, login, text inputs, images, and that’s about it.

The idea behind Ink to Code is certainly pretty cool, and it’s a good example of how powerful inking is in Windows 10. This is still a proof of concept, and you probably won’t ever use it to build real apps or prototypes. Either way, you will be able to download Ink to Code from the Microsoft Store sometime later today.

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Conversation 7 comments

  • wolters

    Premium Member
    25 January, 2018 - 3:43 pm

    <p>This is interesting and I'm going to give it a try. It doesn't appear in the store as of yet…tried it from my Surface Book. </p>

  • jgoraya

    25 January, 2018 - 4:35 pm

    <p>Agree with Paul I've been waiting for Microsoft to tie inking to coding. Looking to see if this evolves, but very interesting.</p>

  • nerdile

    Premium Member
    25 January, 2018 - 5:48 pm

    <p>Whoa. I am DEFINITELY trying this.</p>

  • dcdevito

    25 January, 2018 - 9:28 pm

    <p>This is really interesting and innovative. </p>

  • Nonmoi

    25 January, 2018 - 11:25 pm

    <p class="ql-indent-1"><em>The store redirection in the linked Garage lab blog is not working, and a search of ink to code comes up empty in the store (US). </em></p><p>UPDATE:</p><p> In store now, lacking some basic functions like drag and drop to create object on whiteboard, select and relocate/ resizing an existing object/ objects. There is also a lack of scanning capability to capture paper drawing to a ink one. I had yet look at the quality of code it creates, but this idea is interesting, and would be great if it will get constant developments. </p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    26 January, 2018 - 3:10 am

    <p>Shame, reading the headline, I was thinking it would turn diagrams or use cases into code.</p><p>The forms designer is pretty cool, but I was expecting more…</p>

  • Shel Dyck

    26 January, 2018 - 10:06 am

    <p>The link to the Store still doesn't work.</p>

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