Microsoft announces new tools for developers at Microsoft Build 2018

Microsoft has called on developers to embrace Microsoft 365 as a development platform at Microsoft Build 2018, its annual developer conference. Microsoft 365 brings together Office 365, Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security.

Source: Microsoft 365 web page. Screen showing Microsoft 365.

Microsoft calls Microsoft 365 "the largest productivity platform in the world". "Microsoft 365 is where the world gets its best work done," said Joe Belfiore, Corporate VP, Microsoft. "With 135 million commercial monthly active users of Office 365 and nearly 700 million Windows 10 connected devices, Microsoft 365 helps developers reach people how and where they work."

At Microsoft Build, Microsoft announced new opportunities that help developers create smarter ways for people to work, including new tools that give them the flexibility to design experiences in the languages and frameworks of their choice. Microsoft 365, combined with insights from the Microsoft Graph, empowers developers to build intelligent applications. New tools include the following:

New and updated Microsoft Teams APIs in the Microsoft Graph and support for organisation-specific applications in Teams allows developers to create tailored, intelligent experiences based on the unique needs of a business or industry. Companies can also publish custom apps to the Teams app store.

Deeper SharePoint integration into Microsoft Teams enables people to pin a SharePoint page directly into channels to enable deeper collaboration. Developers can use modern script-based frameworks like React within their projects to add more pieces that can be organised within SharePoint pages.

New support for Power BI visualisations in Excel makes it possible for developers to extend the custom visuals created for Power BI to Excel, giving them an opportunity to reach more users.

Updates to the Fluent Design System that help developers create immersive, deeply engaging experiences with Microsoft's updated design language.

.NET Core 3.0, which allows developers to use the latest version of .NET and have their application run in a standalone .NET environment.

MSIX, a complete containerisation solution providing a simple way to convert large catalogues of applications. It inherits the best of Universal Windows Platform (UWP) including reliable, robust installation and updating, as well as a managed security model and support for both enterprise management and the Microsoft Store.

Windows Machine Learning, a new platform that enables developers to easily develop machine learning models in the intelligent cloud and then deploy them offline and in high performance to the PC platform.

New Azure machine learning and JavaScript custom functions that let developers create their own additions to the Excel catalogue of formulas.    

Microsoft also introduced a set of technology experiences that addresses a more mobile workforce, including streamlining mobile Windows experiences across a variety of devices and platforms, as well as better blending web and app experiences. These new experiences include:

A new way to connect the phone to the PC with Windows 10 that enables instant access to text messages, photos and notifications. This new experience will begin to roll out in the Windows Insider Program soon.

The Microsoft Launcher app on Android will support enterprise customers including line-of-business app discovery and IT advisement on configuration. The Microsoft Launcher app will also support Timeline for cross-device app launching.

On an iPhone or iPad, Microsoft Edge browsing sessions are included in the Timeline experience on a Windows 10 PC.

Microsoft is enabling any developer to reach and engage new audiences with Sets, an easier way to organise information and return to what the developer was doing. With Sets, what belongs together stays together, making it easier and faster to create and be productive. For developers, UWP will work with Sets from the start.

Adaptive Cards, now supported within Microsoft 365, enable developers to create rich, interactive content in messages coming from their apps, bots or services into Teams and Outlook. As a result, people can approve expense reports or comment on an issue in GitHub directly within a Teams chat, or even pay bills directly in email.