Syncfusion Metro Studio #ModernUI #SharePoint #SP2013 and other products I use day to day
Now I don’t often talk about the products that I use on a day to day basis. However, I got introduced to a free product yesterday that is going to make my life sooooo much easier when creating POC work around SharePoint as well various Slide Decks I may create in the future in PowerPoint.
Anyway, this isn’t a review or an endorsement really, but it has been out for a while now (looks like almost a year) and I totally missed it, so I figured others may have missed it also.
http://www.syncfusion.com/downloads/metrostudio
Special thanks to Oliver Stickley (CPS) for finding this gem of a tool 🙂 – It has already been used for one of our projects and POC’s
You can find out more about Oliver here: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/olistickley
Other products I use on a daily basis:
Apart from the usual SharePoint Designer, Microsoft Office and Project and Visio tools, here are some other tools that I use on a regular basis.
Nattyware – Pixie
Useful for getting the colour palette directly from a web page / application. So useful, I have this on my taskbar all the time for quick and easy access.
http://www.nattyware.com/pixie.php
U2U CAML Builder
Useful in 2007, 2010 and 2013. In a 2010 / 2013 world, I use this to create my CAML for my JavaScript CSOM work. In 2007, I use this to aid my jQuery SOAP request calls.
Expression Encoder 4 including Screen Recorder
This is the main tool I use for recording my screen. It records the mouse pointer (as well as highlighting the pointer in a cool orange glow), can use the web cam and microphone as well as partial screen to full screen capture.
This is no where near as good Camtasia, but it is also free and easily available too 
- http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=27870
- Video Codec for playback before conversion: http://www.microsoft.com/en-GB/download/details.aspx?id=10732
Windows Live Essentials 2012
I use these tools to edit the videos I create for my blog / CodePlex solutions as well as blogging itself.
- Windows Live Movie Maker (Editing Videos)
- Windows Live Writer (Blogging)
- URL: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-live/essentials-home
Quick image edits via the web:
Not a replacement for Photoshop or your preferred image editor, but when you’re stuck on client site, can’t install software and need to make a quick change… Pixlr to the rescue
Colour Gradient Generator
Again, another quickie although potentially out of fashion now-a-days in this bold colour Modern UI world
URL Encode / Decode
Whilst coding, I often have to URL encode or decode based on some kind of output.
I have used this site for years: http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/dencoder/
As I gather more unusual tools I will blog again, but hopefully this post will be useful for people.
Till the next time, happy SharePoint-ing.
SharePoint (and Project Server) Shenanigans 