Can F# TypeProviders be used in a Windows Store app?

Question

I can't seem to figure out how to get F# TypeProviders to work in a Windows Store (C#) app.

As far as I can tell, TypeProviders can only be used in an assembly targeting the full .NET Framework, whereas Windows Store apps must target .NET Portable.

I have created an F# assembly and referenced the F# TypeProviders library, however when attempting to reference this assembly from my Windows Store app, I receive an error stating that the library could not be referenced.

Is there any way around this? I want to use F# TypeProviders to reference various data sources and then use the generated code/types in my Windows Store app. Anyone have experience with this?

UPDATE:

Just to be clear, I am asking if there is a way to use the standard F# TypeProviders (such as WsdlService) in a Windows Store App?

It unclear to me whether your question is "is it possible to create a type provider that can be used to write Windows Store Apps?" or "can the type providers in the F# standard library be used to write Windows Store Apps?". The answers are "yes" and "no", respectively. — kvb
Thank you for your comment and responses, I have clarified my question. — Joshua

Damir Arh Damir Arh · Accepted Answer · 2013-01-12T06:04:42

Looking at the other assemblies FSharp.Data.TypeProviders.dll is referencing, I don't think there is a way around this. Since most type providers are used for accessing a database in one way or another (ADO.NET, LINQ to SQL, EF), it references System.Data.dll which is not available in WinRT.

The only data sources supported by built-in type providers that can be used in WinRT are web services and OData services. Their type providers maybe could be supported in a WinRT project if they were implemented in a separate library, but not in their current implementation.

Can F# TypeProviders be used in a Windows Store app?

2 Answers