Simulating Real-World Conditions with the Simulation Dashboard

As a developer, it is a common mistake to assume that an application will be used under the same conditions of that during development. With mobile development, this assumption is all the more erroneous. You should never assume that a phone is going to have an active Internet connection, nor that a connection will be able to support a fast data rate. If your app performs poorly or even fails when there is a slow or intermittent data connection, users are likely to give your app a poor rating on the Windows Phone Marketplace.

The Windows Phone SDK includes a tool called the Simulation Dashboard, which enables you to simulate a less-than-optimal data connection while debugging your app (see Figure 27.7).

FIGURE 27.7 Simulation Dashboard.

To open the Simulation Dashboard, in Visual Studio, select Simulation Dashboard from the Tools menu.

The Simulation Dashboard allows you to alter the network speed and signal strength of the data connection. You can also set the lock screen state, which is useful when testing apps that are enabled to run beneath the lock screen.

The Trigger Reminders button interrupts your app by presenting a reminder while you are debugging. This is useful for testing that your app is able to cope with deactivation.