Windows 8 Metro apps can be made in several ways, including the use of the HTML language. In a new blog post, Microsoft goes over in detail on how Windows 8 app creators can use HTML controls to help make Metro-based apps.
The highly technical post on the official Windows 8 app developer blog uses an example of how to use those HTML controls by focusing on just one of them; the button control which looks like a click friendly UI when used on a standard web page. Microsoft has made some changes to the control so that for Windows 8 Metro apps, the button looks like this:
The blog post states:
Windows 8 has made two improvements here: First, we enhanced the styling capabilities provided for the HTML controls like to give you more flexibility than ever before via CSS to provide visuals for the different parts and visual states that you see in controls. Second, we provided default Metro style visuals for all the HTML controls via two out-of-the-box default style sheets that are part of the Windows Library for JavaScript (WinJS) and included by default in all the VS Templates.
You can check out a list of all of the style changes and additions Microsoft has put into the HTML controls at Microsoft"s website.
The blog also goes into detail on how app developers can make changes to the button control in order for their Windows 8 apps to work best for touch hardware devices. Special font support has been put into the HTML controls so developers can provide localized text for any Windows 8-supported languages. Finally, Windows 8 has an HTML engine for rendering apps in HTML and in JavaScript.
Source: Windows 8 app developer blog | Image via Microsoft