As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance.
Closed 11 years ago.
Locked. This question and its answers are locked because the question is off-topic but has historical significance. It is not currently accepting new answers or interactions.
Well, i've got a nice WPF book its called Sams Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed.
I really like to read and learn with it. Are there any other WPF books you could recommend?
I've found the following books very useful:
Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed - Adam Nathan
You mention you already have this book, however I wanted to give my opinion on it. It is a great book for the newcomer - it is printed in full color which is a great help for visualizing both xaml and concepts for WPF.
Essential Windows Presentation Foundation - Chris Anderson
This is also another great book for the newcomer. While it is not printed in color, it does give a great insight into how WPF works.
Pro WPF in C# 2008 - Matthew Macdonald
This is a great reference book - one that sits on my desk and is constantly referred too. However, I didn't feel is was as newbie friendly as the other two books above. This is the most recently released book (at the time of this posting), and has been updated for VS2008. This is useful, as there are some changes with the versions of WPF. I believe there is a VB.NET version available.
Programming WPF - Chris Sells & Ian Griffiths
Another great book - I wish this was available when I was first learning the framework.
Application = Code + Markup - Charles Petzold
This was the very first WPF I purchased. It is not very newbie friendly, and I wouldn't recommend it for a first-time-wpf'er. The fact that Xaml is not introduced until page 457 makes learning the technology for the real world very difficult. That said, this book is invaluable if you really want to understand how things work at a very deep level (which is also important to get the most of the framework.
The only book I would totally avoid is:
Professional WPF Programming - Chris Andrade et al.
While the content was Ok in this book, I just found the other books to be much clearer and delve to a much deeper level.
Hope this helps! WPF has a steep learning curve, but once you "get it", UI programming can actually become "fun"!
Sams Teach Yourself WPF in 24 Hours.
I'm one of the authors, so my opinion is biased.
Our book is structured around building four applications. It's not as in-depth as Nathan's or Petzold's books. Its intent is not to be exhaustive (or a reference), rather it is a means to coming up to speed quickly on WPF. Likewise, to provide a foundation so that you won't feel overwhelmed when you encounter some of the various nooks and crannies in the technology.
WPF in Action with Visual Studio 2008
It is in print now.
Adam's book is fantastic - http://blogs.msdn.com/adam_nathan/archive/2006/05/17/599301.aspx
Also Petzold's is good although a little chewey to get through :-) http://www.charlespetzold.com/wpf/
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit - Microsoft .NET 3.5 Windows Presentation Foundation (70-502)
I personally find that I become much more motivated to read and learn about a topic if the learning process culminates with a Microsoft Certification. If you're anything like me, you may find it more rewarding to dive into this certification study guide that just came out a week or two ago.
A new book just came out by notable WPF expert, Pavan Podila (with a little help from Kevin Hoffman). It's all about building controls in WPF and is aptly called:
WPF Control Development Unleashed
If you're going to be building visuals, elements, or controls in WPF, you will want this book on your shelf. Getting to the point where you understand enough of the WPF API and concepts to write a decent control, takes enough time ... this book will ease your journey!
I am with KiwiB* awesome book. Although you need to now .net to get some of the examples, as they miss some of the using statements for the code examples.
I'm currently starting in on "Pro WPF with VB 2008: Windows Presentation Foundation with .NET 3.5 (Paperback)" and so far am pretty happy with it. Good for us VB'ers... :)
Yes, I highly recommend this one
Related
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance.
Closed 11 years ago.
so i have been writing a prototype application in Silverlight for the last 3 months, although I am enjoying the technology and it has been very useful for the current task, I have read and been told from varies sources that the technology could no longer be supported and HTML5 is the way forward? Was just wondering if there was some solid information on this from Microsoft and if so where it could be found? Done some googling and just found blogs with sparse info.
Also if anyone one had any thoughts on the state of the mac version of silverlight? I have run some tests so far and the applications performance is really poor compared to silverlight running on windows.
Thank you for your time.
I'd have to look for the articles and links again but, long ago, Microsoft would not answer any questions about Silverlight and, more recently, has announced they do not encourage and will no longer develop Silverlight for the desktop. They now encourage HTML5 usage as evidenced by Windows8 which won't even be able to directly run Silverlight at all.
Interview with Microsoft's Bob Mulia by Mary-Jo Foley:
Our strategy has shifted
So what’s a developer to make of Microsoft’s messaging (or lack
thereof) about Silverlight at its premiere developer conference?
I asked Bob Muglia, the Microsoft President in charge of the company’s
server and tools business, that very question and got what I consider
to be the clearest answer yet about how Microsoft is evolving its
Silverlight strategy.
“Silverlight is our development platform for Windows Phone,” he said.
Silverlight also has some “sweet spots” in media and line-of-business
applications, he said.
But when it comes to touting Silverlight as Microsoft’s vehicle for
delivering a cross-platform runtime, “our strategy has shifted,”
Muglia told me.
And, about the Mac:
“But HTML is the only true cross platform solution for everything,
including (Apple’s) iOS platform,” Muglia said.
More links with Microsoft interviews:
Microsoft has abandoned Silverlight in Metro
Microsoft's Silverlight has been dropped for HTML5
I'd rather not take part in these discussions, but the one comment said it best. None of us can reasonably answer this question.. even IF "MS' strategy has changed." It could change back. The exec who said this -- Bob Muglia-- announced a month later (maybe it was 1.5 months) announced he was leaving the company (and is no longer with Microsoft today).
The only real indicators we have are that they haven't announced an end of life date, and there is another technology that uses Silveright that came out called VS LightSwitch (not just the phone). Not saying that any of this means that Sivlerlight is sticking around, BUT we really don't know. The problem is more complex than a fanboy of any type can really answer.
I'd like to think it will be around for a while (and I personally am basing a new project on it). Not to name drop, but there is a former Silverlight and Win8 evangelist who recently left MS to go work for Disney (where I know they do a lot of Silverlight work, yet).
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance.
Closed 10 years ago.
Is Windows forms Simart Client is a legacy thing now? And is it to be replaced by Prism (and/or MVVM)? Should I bother to learn about Smart Client?
Another question which might be related to is that what are the performance differences between Winforms and WPF apart from all the cool stuff in wpf like data binding and 3D? Does WPF struggle to run on Windows 2000 and Pre2000 OS? This question is important because it can very much decide which platform you are going to use winforms or WPF when you have to support old OSs (for e.g. in NHS)?
Having worked with both the Smart Client Software Factory and WPF + MVVM, I'd certainly consider SCSF "legacy". I wouldn't use it on a new project. First, it's based on WinForms, but maybe more importantly, it's a bloated framework. It's cumbersome and does not lend itself well to unit testing. I found, after developing an application with it for the better part of 5 years, that the framework just "got in the way" far too often.
I can't speak to Prism, but after my experience with SCSF I would shy away from any out-of-the-box frameworks. When I started working with WPF and MVVM I wrote my own "framework" bits. Really, the only things I found I needed were a good IoC container (StructureMap was my choice) and an EventAggregator (two interfaces and one class implementation that I wrote myself, borrowing directly from a post on Jeremy Miller's blog). Other than that, I go with straight WPF and the MVVM model of development.
Given a greenfield desktop application, my choice would be WPF, MVVM & STructureMap.
I think your first question pretty much comes down to WPF versus Winforms, which have been answered before.
However, regarding your second question about WPF on Win2000 and earlier, WPF is a part of .NET 3.0 and you need at least XP SP2 or Win2003 Server for .NET 3.0 as can be seen here, so if you want to use .NET in a pre XP environment, you'll have to stick with WinForms.
Closed. This question does not meet Stack Overflow guidelines. It is not currently accepting answers.
We don’t allow questions seeking recommendations for books, tools, software libraries, and more. You can edit the question so it can be answered with facts and citations.
Closed 6 years ago.
Improve this question
I've got about three years c# experience. I'd like to learn some WPF and the MVVM pattern.
There are a lot of links to articles on this site but I'm getting a little overwhelmed.
Would a sensible approach for a begginer to be forget mvvm for a while and just quickly learn a bit a of WPF, then come back to MVVM?
I had a leaf through Application=Code+Markup - Charles Petzold in work today, it doesn't seem to mention MVVM (at least not in the index). I was pretty surprised by this as I thought MVVM was supposed to be the "lingua franca" of WPF?
Also I've just started working at a new company and they are using MVVM with WinForms, has anyone come across this before?
Can anyone recommend a book that will teach me both WPF and MVVM?
It depends on your experience.
I personally felt that this was a lacking area in MVVM discussions, which was what led me to write my series on MVVM and WPF from a Windows Forms developer perspective.
I would not try to learn WPF without learning MVVM. You'll end up trying to "unlearn" many aspects, as WPF really doesn't make sense, completely, until you understand the separation of presentation and logic that's pervasive throughout the architecture. MVVM is really just extending this same separation into the application space.
As for "MVVM in Windows Forms" - a lot of people try to do this, but it's not really MVVM. In order to do "MVVM" you need access to a richer form of data binding than Windows Forms provides. "MVVM in Windows Forms" is really, typically, just Model-View-Presenter with a different name (riding the MVVM bandwagon, I'd guess), but not really the same as MVVM in WPF.
Jason Dolinger has an excellent video on the subject. It steps you through the process moving from using code behind files to a full MVVM pattern including Dependency Injection and Testing.
Bill Steele did a 16 part "Soup-to-Nuts" webcast series on WPF. The links on the msevents site are broken. Here is a Google search to find them. This will help with the WPF learning curve. And he does NOT use any MV* patterns in his examples.
EDIT: The MSEvents links are working now, I am leaving the Google search as a backup.
Josh Smith also has an excellent article WPF Apps With The Model-View-ViewModel Design Pattern on MSDN.
Herding Code:
Presentation Patterns with Jeremy Miller, Ward Bell, Rob Eisenberg and Glenn Block
Part 1
Part 2
MIX10:
Laurent Bugnion Understanding the
Model-View-ViewModel Pattern
Rob Eisenberg Build Your Own MVVM Framework
And of course Reed Copsey's MVVM articles are worth a read as well.
I was told a few times that my MIX10 session was explaining the MVVM pattern well enough for beginners (even though some parts are actually quite advanced, so don't worry if you need to re-watch certain parts).
The session is at http://live.visitmix.com/MIX10/Sessions/EX14
Sorry for the self-promotion.
Cheers,
Laurent
There aren't many books covering MVVM but there is one : Advanced MVVM
But there are lots of online resources and this one is a must read : WPF Apps With The Model-View-ViewModel Design Pattern
After that I suggest looking into frameworks like
MVVM Light Toolkit
Caliburn
To do big things (like learning WPF + MVVM) it is better to break the task in smaller steps.
I think that the best approach in this situation is to start by learning the UI part of Wpf. Learn XAML syntax, the layout system, the available controls and forget about binding and how to deliver data to the controls.
Once you know the UI basics of Wpf then it is time to move to MVVM. Learn how bindings work and the MVVM pattern.
In this Web you can find a tutorial focusing on the hands on but with the theory available:
http://www.learnmvvm.com
Here is a tutorial for MVVM http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/819294/Learn-WPF-MVVM-step-by-step-Basics-to-Advance-Leve which goes from basic to the advance level in 5 steps. So its like graduating from a 3 layer to full MVVM.
Try this site. It collects the various resources at one place.
http://learnandmasterwpf.blogspot.com/
I just read this book. It is not really about learning WPF, but it should be useful once you already know a bit of WPF and want to progress your understanding of MVVM.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-WPF-Silverlight-MVVM-Model-View-ViewModel/dp/1430231629
This question already has answers here:
Closed 12 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
What WPF books would you recommend?
GUI's written using WPF seem to be closer to a Web 2.0 feel than older Winforms development has been; do you know of any good quality references online or books which give a general overview of how to design nice WPF applications?
I saw this StackOverflow question where some GUI design books are mentioned, but am interested in information specifically for WPF.
Is WPF & SilverLight Design worth learning
Thanks!
I found WPF Unleashed to be very UI-centric and WPF Control Development to be like the next step (very advanced GUI stuff). The huge WPF book on Apress is great for in-depth coverage on the topic, but the red books on Sams would probably be better for what you're looking to get out of them.
WPF Unleashed on Amazon
WPF Control Development Unleashed on Amazon
This article gives a good beginning intro. Even though it is for the 3.0 framework, the basics are all still valid.
This one, while not being a very good comprehensive guide, gives some good information on the different WPF controls.
There are many, many resources out there, but your best bet is still probably going to be at MSDN. Now that VS2010 and the .NET framework have been released, MSDN has tons of tutorials and how-to videos on all the new stuff, including WPF.
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance.
Closed 9 years ago.
I found the ad on this site to Krypton controls (and here's another one!) and was wondering if any of you using vs.net 05 or 08 are using them and how that's working out. If you're answering, please specify which parts you're using (free, ribbons, tabs) and which vs.net you're on, which language(s) you use, along with pros and cons. I know there are probably better suites out there that you may be fond of, but this question is specifically about Krypton controls. We'd be using it with vb.net, .net 3.5, 08, so I'm particularly interested in hearing about your experience in those areas. (I've watched all the screencasts)
I have been using the Krypton Controls ToolKit for over 3 years with Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 in .NET 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, and 3.5 SP1. I have only used the free ToolKit and not the Ribbon or Tab controls. I have used it only in C#.
Pros:
Free
Easy to Use - It adds all of the components to the Toolbox so it's very easy to implement.
The font rendering is awesome compared to the default windows form controls.
The "chrome" which allows you to totally override the look of the application is very nice.
The ability to define a master scheme makes it easy to change the look of similar controls in one central location.
The support, even on the free Toolkit is awesome, by submitting questions on the Component Factory forum.
It includes additional controls that should've been part of the windows form controls including headergroups.
Cons:
That the other components aren't free ;)
In older versions, some controls didn't exist in the ToolKit so you had to use the winform control which wouldn't entirely fit with the application look. The latest version, however, has most, if not all the controls implemented as Krypton controls.
Here's a quick sample of our options dialog for the "MuvEnum Address Bar" using the Krypton Chrome. It was super easy to create. Notice the smoothness of the fonts.
I can't recommend the Krypton Controls enough.
John Rennemeyer
MuvEnum
I have been using the free controls in various small internal projects for work for several years. I started following his blog just as he started as MicroISV, from a mention on a MicroISV blog. So I have been through many improvments he has made. The controls he makes are rock solid (at least in my usage of them) and he really listens to what his users want in features and other controls.
I HIGHLY recommend the controls!
I have been using the full suite for the last year and a half. I have been very happy with the results. They are easy to use and I haven't run into any issues that I couldn't fix myself (I purchased the source code version).
Definitely recommended.
I'm using it. It's quite okay.