Windows App Studio Updated with WordPress Support, More

Microsoft’s web-based app maker, Windows App Studio, has been updated with some exciting new features. Key among them is the ability to link your app to a WordPress-based data source.

As Microsoft says, Windows App Studio is a free, online app creation tool that allows you to quickly build Windows and Windows phone apps to publish, test, and share. You can make changes, add content, and toggle between phone and tablet views to watch your app come alive. And if you need more advanced programming features, Windows App Studio generates Visual Studio-ready source code so you can take your app to the next level.

This week, Microsoft announced several new features for Windows App Studio. These include:

Use a WordPress data source. This feature lets you connect your app to your WordPress-based blog, a super-exciting update that can help a blog owner turn their site into a full-featured mobile app.

Related content. – Now, you can display related content (like comments from a blog post) in a section in your app.

Microsoft Advertising support. I’m surprised this hasn’t been in App Studio all along, but you can now use the Microsoft Ad control to place advertising in your app, so you can make money when people use it.

Carousel control. The new Carousel control lets you display a number of hero images in a single section that behaves like a slideshow.

Improved section design features. – Now you can change the background and hero image for each section individually, Microsoft says, and choose how each section appears on the default/home section of your app.

New templates. App Studio now provides new templates for WordPress, Events (which uses the related content feature), and My Shop (for product catalogs).

Windows App Studio is pretty amazing. Check it out, and get started on your first app, today.