Issues

Based on your feedback, we have published a new build of Expression Blend 2 August Preview that addresses two issues:

a) Expression Blend 2 August Preview will not require a license key to work. The software is designed to stop working on January 1st, 2008, no matter when you install it. If you had issues with the trial licenses expiring, you should un-install the previous August Preview build and install our refreshed bits.

b) You can create Silverlight 1.1 projects inside Expression Blend 2 August Preview again. This functionality was broken with the update to the Silverlight 1.1 Alpha Refresh bits.

The Expression team has become aware of a problem with the Visual Studio 2005 Standard DVD included in the packaging of the Expression Blend and Expression Studio products (specifically, setup repeatedly prompts for the DVD). Please accept our sincere apologies for our mistake and, if you're affected by this issue, here is a temporary remedial solution. We will follow up this post with a more official solution very soon.

To work around the issue:

1.

After you buy and install any Expression program, you should immediately license your software to avoid future interruption of the programs. If you don’t license them, the programs will stop running after 60 days or possibly sooner if you have used a trial product key. When you start any unlicensed Expression program, a dialog box may prompt you to enter your product key to license the program. If you’ve closed that dialog without licensing your software or the dialog doesn’t appear, use the following steps to license your software instead:

·          To license Expression Blend, Expression Design, or Expression Media, start the program, choose Help > Enter Product Key, and then enter your product key which appears on a sticker on your software box; if you bought Expression Studio, licensing just one of these programs will also license the other two.

Issues

• When you attach to KeyDown / KeyUp event you get a JavaScript error AG_E_INIT_ROOTVISUAL (ErrorCode: 2101).
• KeyboardEventArgs.Key is not a standard ASCII code

Description

In Silverlight 1.1 Alpha keyboard events can only be handled on the root most Canvas. That is the reason you get Error 2101.

The Key you receive from the KeyboardEventArgs is not a standard ACII Code in this release.

Solutions

To get the root most Canvas you can iterate trough all parents of your control.

Expression Design Users,

If you have tried to use Expression Design after December 31st, 2006 you have no doubt found that the product is not working. This was caused by an unfortunate time-related bug in the code that somehow escaped our rigorous testing.

I very much regret that this has happened and I hope you will accept my apology. We appreciate the time and effort that you take when testing our products and especially the feedback that you give us -- whether positive or negative.

You should expect a fix for this problem to be posted no later than end of day tomorrow (January 3rd,) or possibly sooner.