Microsoft Popfly

Microsoft Popfly (codenamed Springfield) is a website that allows user to create web pages, program snippets, and mashups using the Microsoft Silverlight rich internet applications runtime and the set of online tools provided. It requires users to login with their Windows Live ID, and fill-up additional information about themselves when logging in for the first time to use Popfly.

The Popfly includes three tools based on Silverlight technology.

Mashup Creator

The Mashup Creator is a tool that lets users fit together pre-built blocks in order to mash together different web services and visualization tools. For example, a user could snap together photo and map blocks in order to get a geotagged map of pictures on a topic of their choice. Also available is an advanced view for blocks, which allows users to modify the code of the block in JavaScript, as well as giving users flexibility in designing the programs. Additional HTML code can also be added to the mashups. A feature similar to IntelliSense, with autocompletion of HTML code, is available as well.

The Mashup Creator also provides a preview function, with live preview in the background as users link blocks. Tutorials are available, and error notices are given to users when incompatible data is sent between blocks.

Web Creator

The Web Creator is, as its name implies, a tool for creating web pages. The user interface layout is similar to the ribbon user interface for Office 2007. Web pages are created without HTML coding, and can be customized by choosing predefined themes, styles, and color schemes. Users can embed their shared mashups in the web page. Completed web pages will also be saved in each user's Popfly space.

Popfly Space

Completed mashups and web pages are stored in 25MB on Popfly Space, where users also receive a customizable profile page and other social networking features. Public projects can be shared, rated, or "ripped" by other users. Popfly allows users to download mashups as gadgets for Windows Sidebar or embed them into Windows Live Spaces, with some support for other blog service providers.

Another feature Popfly Space is the Popfly Explorer plug-in for Visual Studio Express. Users can utilize Visual Studio Express (only Visual Basic Express or Visual C# Express), to download the mashups and modify the coding, as well as performing actions as uploading, sharing, ripping, and rating the mashups.