Book Description
Printed entirely in color, with helpful figures and syntax coloring to make code samples appear as they do in Visual Studio.
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a key component of the .NET Framework 3.0, giving you the power to create richer and more compelling applications than you dreamed possible. Whether you want to develop traditional user interfaces or integrate 3D graphics, audio/video, animation, dynamic skinning, rich document support, speech recognition, or more, WPF enables you to do so in a seamless, resolution-independent manner. Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed is the authoritative book that covers it all, in a practical and approachable fashion, authored by .NET guru and Microsoft developer Adam Nathan.
· Covers everything you need to know about Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML)
· Examines the WPF feature areas in incredible depth: controls, layout, resources, data binding, styling, graphics, animation, and more
· Features a chapter on 3D graphics by Daniel Lehenbauer, lead developer responsible for WPF 3D
· Delves into non-mainstream topics: speech, audio/video, documents, bitmap effects, and more
· Shows how to create popular UI elements, such as features introduced in the 2007 Microsoft Office System: Galleries, ScreenTips, custom control layouts, and more
· Demonstrates how to create sophisticated UI mechanisms, such as Visual Studio-like collapsible/dockable panes
· Explains how to develop and deploy all types of applications, including navigation-based applications, applications hosted in a Web browser, and applications with great-looking non-rectangular windows
· Explains how to create first-class custom controls for WPF
· Demonstrates how to create hybrid WPF software that leverages Windows Forms, ActiveX, or other non-WPF technologies
· Explains how to exploit new Windows Vista features in WPF applications
Customer Reviews:
Great.......2007-08-25
Great book: a fast and well written introduction to WPF. I think it's a must for anyone is thinking to start with this technology.
From basic to advanced topic.......2007-07-30
This is a complete book on WPF. It start with the basic of XAML and then it introduce the new concept that WPF use (dependency properties, Routed events and Commands).
It give an introduction to the WPF controls and the layouts mode available.
Then it goes deep with databind, theming and skinning, drawing (2d and 3d) and finally animations.
It is The Book for WPF.
Great unleashing of WPF.......2007-07-16
From Resource binding to databinding and beyond, pretty much every bit of WPF that you need to know to get started well is covered.
The "full color" is awesome. The examples are great. The explanations are very clear with great comparisons to the "old" winforms way of doing things.
The only guide to WPF.......2007-07-13
For beginners or expert developers, this is the only guide you'll need to learn WPF. Excelent print quality, code markup as shown in Visual Studio, and complete information from scratch.
DataBinding, 2D drawning and animations chapters, are really impressive.
Good Stuff.......2007-07-09
This is one of the better computer books I've read in a long time. I've read a few of the big yellow "Pro this" and "Pro that" series and they were generally a bad rehash of MSDN documentation. In contrast, this book explains the framework on which WPF is built. It starts with describing XAML itself along with type converters and markup extensions - essential details. Once it gets to the chapter on controls, where most books slide into repetitive descriptions of control after control, this book categorizes them and points out their properties with respect to the framework in which they are embedded. Generally speaking, if you are interested in how the WPF classes fit together this is the book to get. If you are interested first in foremost in gradient brushes then this is not the book for you. It gets to them too but only after some worthwhile work. The only area where this book is weak is its description of the layout system that still has me generally confused. Perhaps that will resolve itself when I have something better than the [...]CTP installed.
Book Description
In this book, Windows programming legend Charles Petzold covers in parallel the two interfaces that make up the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). From the outset, the reader can shift focus seamlessly between Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) and C# to see them as flip sides of the same processes. Beginning in the first chapter, Petzold presents the general syntax of the XAML and corresponding programming code with numerous illuminating examples on how the two correspond and interrelate. The book builds on this base, providing the classic Petzold Windows user interface (UI) treatment, to show Windows developers how to create next-generation interfaces for their applications.
Customer Reviews:
very disappointing.......2007-07-20
I've been a Windows developer for around 10 years or so and have read dozens of developer books. This is only the second one I can remember returning.
I had previously read Programming Windows Presentation Foundation (Programming) (which I recommend) but was looking for more. At 900+ pages, and with the good reviews and experience of the author, this book looked like a good choice. Unfortunately, after the first 450 pages, I decided that my time would be much better spent simply rereading the the Chris Sells book instead.
The main problem is the style in which the book is written. It could easily be edited down to half its size. How many times do I need to read "Button btn = New Button()" in a code example? I know some people prefer fully functional examples over code snippets but after a while it really got ridiculous. The code examples eventually became almost useless to read because it became so much work to sort out the irrelevant and insignificant details. On top of which 90% of the code samples are examples of THE WRONG WAY to do a UI in WPF (i.e. in C# instead of XAML). I understand the second half of the book is all XAML, but spending 450+ pages on techniques you would NEVER ACTUALLY USE is a waste of my time.
A lot of bloat also came from a lack of focus on who the book is written for: experienced .NET/C# developers. I don't need to have "using" statements explained to me, I know how .NET dialogs work, etc... From the "Printing" chapter: "The Print dialog also includes a Number of Copies field. Enter a number greater than 1 in this field and the PrintVisual method prints multiple copies." Really. I never would have figured that out on my own.
There is a lot of good information here but it is simply not worth the time it takes to extract it from "Button btn = new Button()" statements. Maybe this book is a demonstration that you're never to old for an editor. I'm going back to O'Reilly books.
I appreciate this book so much.......2007-06-14
I think that Petzold was reading my mind when he wrote this book. I don't like XML, and I don't like "cheating" with XAML when you can write good clean C#. The first half of this book is entirely C# programming in WPF. I am using this book to help me write an abstraction layer above WPF. That simply would not be possible with XAML, which in my opinion places the design of the application at too low of a level. Petzold leaves no stone unturned, and whenever something seems weird, he doesn't ask us to trust him that it makes sense; he explores it in depth for us. I can't imagine that many other authors go through that kind of trouble when they're writing on tight deadlines. Petzold tells it how it is, and he includes the "why." Therefore, I recommend this book to anyone who strives to become a bit of an expert in WPF, not just a get-the-job-done programmer. I would consider this an advanced book at times because I find myself reading and re-reading sections to understand it. The explanation is there, but it's not trivial, and with so many pages in the book already, there is no room to be wordy.
WPF and XAML explained........2007-05-29
Written by a professional for the professional! This book reminds one on how things aught to be done in C# and gives an insight of WPF and its mechanics. A must have book for the serious developer and even the amature will benefit from Charles Petzold insight.
The Other Side of WPF.......2007-05-20
I purchased this book late last year, took a vacation and spent a week reading it cover to cover. Since that time I've written several production WPF applications of moderate complexity that are several generations beyond the WinForms and WebForms apps I had been writting. Several months ago, when it was released, I also got to read Adam Nathan's book on the topic of WPF. Having read both books and used WPF to produce better apps under the usual deadlines, I can honestly say that I benefited from the additional insights gleaned from both books.
When I read Petzold's book and saw the code first approach with XAML introduced later, my impression was this seemed contrary to the preference to XAML I saw espoused in other sources and beta books. As I reconciled this new technology being taught by a long tenured veteran, I got a feeling that perhaps earlier concepts around Win32 UI programming may be the lens through which the author is presenting the material on how to best apply WPF. Needless to say, I paid attention and got more value than I anticipated and beyond what I learned from his WinForms book of similar size. While Adam Nathan's book was a more efficient read for me, and one that I could appreciate in its attention and orientation to the more mainstream presentation of WPF, I think that later book in conjunction with this one is quite useful.
My real critique of Petzold's book was that it should have played more to the what may have been the author's strengths in elucidating the API and imperative coding in WPF. Such an approach may have been a great book as a complement to the many XAML focused ones to follow. I believe the API focused chapters that do exist makes Petzold's book a great contribution to WPF knowledge and application. Sure, in my day-to-day I strictly enforce the UI separation by defining a majority of UI elements in XAML. Without Petzold's book I probably would have went further in this approach. Yet, in reading his material I was reminded of and given an appreciaton for the techniques and the potential benefits of using the WPF API more explicitly to peform a range of tasks that works in concert with XAML declared elements to provide the complete solution.
For understanding the benefits and mechanisms of the WPF API this is a great complement for the many XAML dominated books out there. I rate it a 5 because I learned a greater variety of interesting details related to the WPF API than I would have been predisposed to explore or unable to find just using the MSDN documentation. For WPF API knowledge and understanding that can enhance the code side of solutions defined to a greater or lesser degree in XAML this is a great buy.
Nice cover, bad content.......2007-05-09
The writer is a guru in the field of Winforms applications.
The first part of the book is rather from this angle, the Second part discusses the markup (XAML). The book contains much code (C#), enumerations and is as a result, badly readable.
It contains no information about the technique behind the WPF, essential for understanding the new generation of applications which you can make.
If you want to learn the WPF I reccommend the book "Windows Presentation foundation Unleashed" of Adam Nathan. That one is filled with colours impressions and examples, very usefull working with markup.
Book Description
âChris Anderson was one of the chief architects of the next-generation GUI stack, the Windows Presentation Framework (WPF), which is the subject of this book. Chris’s insights shine a light from the internals of WPF to those standing at the entrance, guiding you through the concepts that form the foundation of his creation.â
–From the foreword by Chris Sells
âAs one of the architects behind WPF, Chris Anderson skillfully explains not only the âhow,’ but also the âwhy.’ This book is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to understand the design principles and best practices of WPF.â
–Anders Hejlsberg, technical fellow, Microsoft Corporation
âIf WPF stands as the user interface technology for the next generation of Windows, then Chris Anderson stands as the Charles Petzold for the next generation of Windows user interface developers.â
–Ted Neward, founding editor, TheServerSide.NET
âThis is an excellent book that does a really great job of introducing you to WPF, and explaining how to unlock the tremendous potential it provides.â
–Scott Guthrie, general manager, Developer Division, Microsoft
âWPF is a whole new animal when it comes to creating UI applications, drawing on design principles originating from both Windows Forms and the Web. Chris does a great job of not only explaining how to use the new features and capabilities of WPF (with associated code and XAML based syntax), but also explains why things work the way they do. As one of the architects of WPF, Chris gives great insight into the plumbing and design principles of WPF, as well as the mechanics of writing code using it. This is truly essential if you plan to be a serious WPF developer.â
–Brian Noyes, chief architect, IDesign Inc.; Microsoft Regional Director; Microsoft MVP
âI was given the opportunity to take a look at Chris Anderson’s book and found it to be an exceedingly valuable resource, one I can comfortably recommend to others. I can only speak for myself, but when faced with a new technology I like to have an understanding of how it relates to and works in relation to the technology it is supplanting. Chris starts his book by tying the WPF directly into the world of Windows 32-bit UI in C++. Chris demonstrates both a keen understanding of the underlying logic that drives the WPF and how it works and also a skill in helping the reader build on their own knowledge through examples that mimic how you would build your cutting edge applications.â
–Bill Sheldon, principal engineer, InterKnowlogy
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) replaces Microsoft’s diverse presentation technologies with a unified, state-of-the-art platform for building rich applications. WPF combines the best of Windows and the Web; fully integrates user interfaces, documents, and media; and leverages the full power of XML-based declarative programming.
In
Essential Windows Presentation Foundation, former WPF architect Chris Anderson systematically introduces this breakthrough platform, focusing on the concepts and techniques working developers need in order to build robust applications for real users. Drawing on his unique experience as an architect on the team, Anderson thoroughly illuminates the crucial new concepts underlying WPF and reveals how its APIs work together to offer developers unprecedented value.
Through working sample code, you’ll discover how WPF draws on the Web’s simple models for markup and deployment, common frame for applications, and rich server connectivity, and on Windows’ rich client model, simple programming model, strong control over look-and-feel, and rich networking. Topics explored in depth include
- WPF components and architecture
- Key WPF design decisions–and why they matter
- XAML markup language
- Controls
- Layouts
- Visuals and media, including 2D, 3D, video, and animation
- Data integration
- Actions
- Styles
- WPF Base Services
Essential Windows Presentation Foundation is the definitive, authoritative, code-centric WPF reference: everything Windows developers need to create a whole new generation of rich, graphical applications.
Figures
Foreword by Don Box
Foreword by Chris Sells
Preface
About the Author
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Applications
Chapter 3: Controls
Chapter 4: Layout
Chapter 5: Visuals
Chapter 6: Data
Chapter 7: Actions
Chapter 8: Styles
Appendix: Base Services
Index
Customer Reviews:
Where are the WHY's?.......2007-09-05
Chris has always impressed me with his talent to explain even the hardest bits of WPF in an approachable fashion - I guess many Channel 9 and other dev-related sites visitors would agree with me. Therefore, I started reading Essential WPF with high expectations...
There is nothing wrong with the book itself, but the marketing is completely and utterly false. Chris himself emphasizes that he would like to talk about the "why-s" of the platform and this is the very reason why I bought his book - only to find out that nothing like that happens. Quite honestly, any technical author could write this book after reading Windows 3.0 SDK documentation thoroughly - there is very little added value or insight. There are moments when Chris writes "this may be confusing..." and in this very moment, you would expect "... but it was necessary because of this and that" but that almost never happens. You are left with doubts about the quality of WPF which is probably the worst thing an author can do.
Don't be confused as I was: this book is not about "why-s", it is not about reasoning, it is not about in-depth discussion of some decisions made. It is an extensive walkthrough through the WPF features, it is a description of the framework but nothing more. Of course you will find some insights in this book but they are definitely not in proportion to Chris's role in the WPF team and his otherwise great skills.
I, personally, started reading this book as a big fan of WPF and was left with doubts if all the complexity is really necessary (and some things are pretty complex compared to Flex which is my current development environment). Actually, I think that I enjoyed reading the WPF introductory articles in the Windows SDK 3.0 documentation more and honestly, I thought that this could never happen when comparing docs and a book.
Anyway, if you really need great WPF book, don't waste money on this one - go buy Adam Nathan's WPF Unleashed. I'm on page 130 now and my enthusiasm for WPF is back. That book provides exactly what I wanted - deep discussion, great insight, practical tips, well thought-out structure and trust that the sub-optimal things in the current version are known issues likely to be fixed in WPF vNext.
Makes WPF easy to understand.......2007-07-07
The author clearly presents the reasoning behind the design, making a huge platform much more approachable.
Essential is a good word.......2007-06-29
Overall, I was not impressed with this book. I kept getting the sense that I was about to learn something interesting when - poof! - the book moved on to another topic.
So, if you're looking for an introduction to the concepts of WPF, this might be for you but do not expect any in depth coverage of any topic. I was hoping for (consider the author's background) a lot more detail.
To put this review in perspective: I have been working with WPF for quite some time and have already been through other books on WPF (including Petzold's and Adam Nathan's - the later being my personal favorite to date).
Not as 'fantastic' as I was expecting.......2007-06-15
My intention is not to criticise this book but to provide a bit of balance to the other "superlative" filled reviews. I had already read Adam Nathan's book before this and had high expectations of this one after reading the other reviews. After finishing the book I can't really understand why the reviews were so glowing. There are definitely some design insights and Chapter 7 (Actions) covered the important Command pattern in good detail, but I'm struggling to think of any advantages over the WPF Unleashed book.
I would definitely recommend WPF unleashed over this and the bottom line is I'll be looking to sell my copy of Essential WPF as I don't see the value of having both.
The Why of WPF with Real World Examples.......2007-05-25
This book is great if you want to understand the why behind WPF.
I have found that a lot of people are turned off by some the abstract teaching found in some of the Essential Series from Addison-Wesley. They feel the level of learning is too deep and doesn't show or relate to real world examples. That is not true with this book. Chris does an excellent job of digging deep while at the same time keeping the content in the real world.
This book is a definite complement of Adam Nathan's WPF book. No there is no color, but I didn't really think about it until I was writing this review.
The structure of the book's content is great, very well organized, and very thorough.
This is definitely a book you want at your side if you are programming WPF.
Book Description
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) (formerly known by its code name "Avalon") is a brand-new presentation framework for Windows XP and Windows Vista, the next version of the Windows client operating system. For developers, WPF is a cornucopia of new technologies, including a new graphics engine that supports 3-D graphics, animation, and more; an XML-based markup language (XAML) for declaring the structure of your Windows UI; and a radical new model for controls.
Programming Windows Presentation Foundation, authored by Microsoft Software Legend Chris Sells and WPF guru Ian Griffiths, is the book you need to get up to speed on WPF. By page two, you'll have written your first WPF application, and by the end of Chapter 1, "Hello WPF," you'll have completed a rapid tour of the framework and its major elements. These include the XAML markup language and the mapping of XAML markup to WinFX code; the WPF content model; layout; controls, styles, and templates; graphics and animation; and, finally, deployment.
Programming Windows Presentation Foundation features:
- Scores of C# and XAML examples that show you what it takes to get a WPF application up and running, from a simple "Hello, Avalon" program to a tic-tac-toe game
- Insightful discussions of the powerful new programming styles that WPF brings to Windows development, especially its new model for controls
- A color insert to better illustrate WPF support for 3-D, color, and other graphics effects
- A tutorial on XAML, the new HTML-like markup language for declaring Windows UI
- An explanation and comparison of the features that support interoperability with Windows Forms and other Windows legacy applications
The next generation of Windows applications is going to blaze a trail into the unknown. WPF represents the best of the control-based Windows world and the content-based web world; it's an engine just itching to be taken for a spin. Inside, you'll find the keys to the ignition.
Updated samples and change notes for the move from the February CTP to Beta 2 are now available from the example site: http://www.sellsbrothers.com/writing/avbook/
Customer Reviews:
No business value.......2007-04-11
I learned more on wpf from Microsoft Expression blend tutorials on weblogs than i did in this book.
It will tell you a lot about
1)Layout (manual layout in code/xaml)
2)Graphics (manual graphics in code/xaml)
It will NOT tell you about
1) dynamic data binding
2) how to create an app start to finish using expression and all of the tools available to you for wpf
3) how to validate data
4) how to use the navigation service and pages
5) how to use page functions
6) how to use property bags
And those are just the road blocks i've run into so far and had to research on my own. This book really let me down by not giving me even the slightest hint into the tools i would need to finish a business project!
Be warned - very out of date!.......2007-03-15
The next version - based on the final release of WPF, and updated to reflect the numerous changes to WPF since this first edition was published (and so contains code samples that actually work, correctly named classes/methods etc) - is not due to be released, according to the O'reilly website, until July 2007. Personally I would STRONGLY suggest holding off buying this book until then. When I read this edition in mid-2006 it felt out of date even then, let alone now! Please note: the new edition will be called "Programming WPF".
For example, excerpt from the first edition:
"Relational Data Source. As of the current build, WPF has no direct support for binding to relational databases, and the indirect support is not in such great shape either" meaning none of that is covered in this book.
A great overview.......2007-03-07
This book is a little out of date, but it's clear and concise. It's an excellent overview that helped me to get my first application up and running.
Very good book on WPF.......2007-01-09
This covers all the necessary topics on WPF. It gives good starting point about WPF programming. I liked the author style and the way examples were given. Though this book is old version of WPF still you will get good hang of WPF programming.
Good book to get advantage.......2006-11-10
Some times when you need to get advantage in you code of technologies that will be coming soon, you must read a heterogeneous sources of information each one of them partial. This is a book to join them together. This is my first reference book in WPF. This is what you need if you want to be a high technology programmer this is your book.
Book Description
C++ is the language of choice for thousands of applications and millions of lines of code. With C++/CLI, developers can integrate existing C++ code into the .NET platform without rewriting their applications. This book explores the C++/CLI syntax, teaches how to mix native C++ and managed .NET code, and shows how to integrate C++ with Windows Forms, WPF (Avalon), and WCF (Indigo).
Imagine taking a C++-based program you've been using for a decade and giving it a snazzy new interface using Windows Presentation Foundation. How about making your old business applications talk to your new ones using Windows Communication Foundation. C++/CLI makes this--and more--possible. C++/CLI in Action shows you how to bridge the gap between your existing C++ code and the .NET platform. C++/CLI in Action will help you if:
You're hesitant to migrate to .NET because it means rewriting code in C# or VB.
You have significant C++ expertise that you want to leverage in the .NET.
You only need to use pieces of the .NET framework, such as Windows Forms or web services.
There's no fluff here. Designed for readers who already know C++, this book starts by teaching the unique aspects of the C++/CLI language. After a quick tour through the basics, readers work through examples of integrating standard C++ into the .NET-based applications and building programs that mix C++ and .NET code for maximum performance and efficiency.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book.......2007-05-14
Nishant did an excellent job with this book. The only complaint is that he could have made it bigger.
He separates himself from the rest. The difference is his book covers:
1. MFC/Managed C++ integration. Excellent chapter.
He shows how to add any Managed class to either
an MFC Dialog or MFC View. My favorite chapters are
five and six.
2. Templates/Generic mixing. Even covers managed template
inheritance.
3. Advanced event covering with C++. I have worked with C++/C#
for years, and I didn't know this about events. Very good.
4. Avalon integration. This is somewhat lacking, but it is still
very good coverage.
I would recommend this book to anybody.
Book Description
When Microsoft releases Windows Vista, the new operating system will support applications that employ graphics now used by computer games--clear, stunning, and active. The cornerstone for building these new user interfaces is XAML ("Zammel"), the XML-based markup language that works with Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Vista's new graphics subsystem.
An acronym for Extensible Application Markup Language, XAML offers a wealth of new controls and elements with exciting capabilities, including animation and rendering of 3D graphics. Windows developers are already jazzed by the possibilities of using XAML for fixed and flow format documents like PDF and HTML, 2D and 3D vector-based graphics, form development, animation, audio and video, transparent layering, and a lot more. Many feel that XAML will eliminate the need for multiple file formats or plug-ins (read: Flash), while lowering development costs and reducing time to market.
The problem is, most developers don't know XAML. While it is fairly easy to understand, you still need a quick guide to bring you up to speed before Vista's release, and that's where this book's simple, no nonsense approach comes in.
XAML in a Nutshell covers everything necessary to design user interfaces and .NET applications that take advantage of WPF. Prerequisites such as Microsoft's new unified build system, MSBuild, and core XAML constructs and syntax--including shortcuts--are all presented with plenty of examples to get you started. The Core XAML Reference section lets you dig even deeper into syntax rules and attributes for all XAML elements with a series of quick-reference chapters. This section divides XAML elements into logical categories of elements, controls, shapes and geometry, layout, animations, and transformations for easy reference.
XAML in a Nutshell helps you learn, firsthand, how to use this XML-based markup language to implement the new generation of user interface graphics. As one reviewer noted, "Strong code examples and an efficient, conversational style take the tedium out of learning XAML and make the subject understandable--even interesting."
Customer Reviews:
Three months old and obsolete.......2007-01-16
I got this book when it was barely three months on the market.
Since WPF (aka avalon) is such a new topic, there are barely any books to teach it. This one is relatively clear and consice. The problem is that the WPF version thay are referring to is obsolete. Many concepts and most examples do not work as is. The whole chapter about Storyboards and animations is completely irrelevant.
I believe that a new version is needed, and I am sorry that I bought a three months old book which is obsolete, but I can not blame the author, she did a good job.
Regards
Basic Introduction to XAML.......2006-11-02
Reading over some of the other reviews listed here, I feel that this book is getting some harsh criticism that is simply not justified. This is an OVERVIEW book folks, not a comprehensive resource that will turn you into an uber XAML programmer overnight! This book touches upon topics quickly and swiftly. Usually I appreciate brevity, but in this case being short doesn't necessarily help or hurt this book. If you want a quick read that will teach you some of the ins and outs of XAML, this is a nice book to do just that. If you need a more extensive look at the technology then pick up another guide but don't bash this book for being what it is.
Here's an overview of what to expect:
01. Introducing XAML
02. Getting Started
03. XAML Basics
04. Layout and Positioning
05. Resources
06. Storyboards and Animations
07. Elements
08. Controls
09. Shapes and Geometry
10. Layout
11. Animations and Transformations
12. Events
Along with this, you get 8 appendices covering the major parts of the XAML technology.
If you want a quick intro the technology, this is a nice pickup.
**** RECOMMENDED
VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!.......2006-05-08
Are you a .NET developer and/or user-interface designer that is familiar with HTML and the basics of XML? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Lori MacVittie, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that gives the reader a broader sense of the XAML market.
MacVittie, begins by providing you with a quick introduction to XAML and includes a list of references to tools available for developing XAML applications. Then, she details the system prerequisites and basics necessary to begin developing and building XAML applications. The author continues by describing the core XAML syntax and delves into the types of elements used to create XAML applications. Next, she details how to position individual elements using a variety of techniques, including panels and absolute positioning. Then, the author provides an overview of resources, focusing on the use of global resources to create a customized look and feel for your interface. She continues by detailing the mechanisms available for animating XAML elements. Next, she details and provides examples for the basic elements used within XAML, including Brush and Pen, ListItem, and elements used for text decoration, such as Inline, Bold, and Italic. The author continues by detailing the control elements available within XAML, such as Button, CheckBox, ImageViewer, and Expander. Then, she explains the differences between shape and geometry classes and details the Shape and Geometry elements available within XAML. Next, she details the XAML elements used to lay out user interfaces such as Grid and Panel, and describes supporting elements such as Trigger, Style, and Border. The author continues by detailing the types of animations and transformations available to XAML elements. Finally, she explains the WPF event system and details the events available to XAML elements.
This most excellent book gives the reader a quick reference to XAML with examples. In other words, this book provides documentation of all core components and presents detailed discussions on features such as animation, resources, and layout that will jump-start you on your way to becoming a XAML developer.
Poorly Conceived.......2006-05-02
This is one book that could have benefited from a firm critique while still in proposal form by someone cognizant of the concerns of the potential audience.
A book about a technology not ready for prime time cannot focus on code snippets. It must be an advocacy book, a book that speaks directly to us skeptics in the coding trenches. It must motivate the hard work entailed in learning a new tech by giving us a glimpse of a better future if we do. This book fails in that.
The first concrete questions a knowledgeable person will want answered by the book is "How is XAML better than XUL? Can it do more or do it more easily?" The only mention of XUL is on page 4, where we are informed "XAML offers similar benefits to other markup-based application interface mechanisms such as XUL..."
Well yes, "similar," except that XAML, unlike XUL, is not cross-platform, not implemented, and not tested in production applications.
This book found me a skeptic and left me an irritated skeptic.
Slapped together - Dry and Boring.......2006-04-28
The previous post says nothing about the quality of this book and thus should be considered a definition of the XAML technology rather than a review.
In my opinion this book seemed slapped together. It was as if the tech writer of the documentation paraphrased the MS XAML Help. There was very little usage of metaphor or humour to make the topic interesting or easier to understand.
The code examples are extremely simple and unimaginative. In one of the very few lame attempts at humour the author comments about an animated rotating square and states that, "It may not be very useful, but it sure is fun to watch." I found this attempt at humour insulting. Can you imagine having a conversation with someone who talked like this?
If you are like me and you really like to have a paper version of bleeding edge tech stuff, you can be can be forgiven for purchasing this drivel. If you want to save yourself some hard earned cash, just download the MS Expression Interactive Designer CTP and work through the examples. You will learn more doing this in less time. In fact, unless you are stuck on the bus, you are wasting your time with this book.
Book Description
The Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (formerly code-named "Avalon") is a key part of .NET 3.0 and provides the foundation for building applications and high-quality user experiences in Windows Vista. WPF blends together application user interface, documents, and media content, while exploiting the full power of your computer.
WPF functionality extends support for Tablet PCs and other forms of input device, and provides a more modern imaging and printing pipeline. It also provides accessibility and UI automation infrastructure, data-driven UI and visualization, and even integration points for weaving the application experience into the Windows shell.
Pro WPF: Windows Presentation Foundation in .NET 3.0 covers WPF from installation to application design and implementation to deployment. One of the most detailed books on new WPF technology, it provides you with the no-nonsense, practical advice you need in order to build high-quality WPF applications quickly and easily. It also digs into the more advance aspects of WPF and how they relate to the other elements of the WinFX stack and the .NET Framework 2.0.
Topics covered include
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WPF basics: XAML, layout, control essentials, and data flow
-
WPF applications: navigation, commands, localization, and deployment
-
Advanced controls: custom controls, menus, toolbars, and trees
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WPF documents: text layout, printing, and document packaging
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Graphics and multimedia: drawing shapes, sound and video, animation, geometric transformations, and imaging
Customer Reviews:
I highly recommend this book for WPF developers or designers .......2007-07-06
I really didn't need another book on WPF, at least that is what my girlfriend would say. I already own "Applications = Code + Markup" by Charles Petzold, "Essential Windows Presentation Foundation" by Chris Anderson, "Foundations of WPF: An Introduction to Windows Presentation Foundation" by Laurence Moroney, "Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed" by Adam Nathan, and "Professional WPF Programming: .NET Development with the Windows Presentation Foundation" by an assortment of Wrox authors.
But I saw Pro WPF: Windows Presentation Foundation in .NET 3.0 on Amazon and decided to investigate the possibility that I need to have it. After reviewing the TOC I still wasn't sure. But after downloading the code from Apress I was sold. I have been a fan of Matthew MacDonald for some time. He has definitely worked his magic on this title.
Some of the highlights I like:
His in-depth coverage of printing.
His Custom Elements chapter.
His approach with 3-D drawings makes extensive use of the 3DTools from CodePlex.
The chapter on using ClickOnce with WPF.
Everything is gone into in depth. This is not a brush over the topic book.
The usability of the code makes the book all that much more valuable.
He also has a great site named ProseTech that has a companion site for the book. It contains all the links found in the book
For extreme coverage of Expression Blend you will have to by a book specifically on Blend. Too bad no good ones exist yet. One I have seen that is out has bad reviews. None of the books I have listed above cover Blend in-depth at all. The Wrox book has 2 high level chapters on it, but I have been playing with Blend 2 a lot and find myself in the XAML most of the time because I don't know how to get to what I want to do in Blend. On that note, this book is excellent for showing you how to work XAML to the maximum.
This book also does not cover Silverlight. It is a book about Windows Applications, not Browser Applications.
I highly recommend this book as addition to any developer's or designer's (those who need to know XAML) library. It was definitely worth buying.
Deep and wide.......2007-07-03
Pro WPF is quite impressive both in its breadth and in its depth. This tome of nearly 1,000 pages describes seemingly every feature of WPF with enough detail to actually get something done. No book of this size is perfect, but the typos were rare enough to not be distracting, and the writing was easy to read and comprehend. Even the succession of chapters is logical enough to allow sequential reading through the book, despite the varied topics.
Even if you're not of a mind to read the entire book cover to cover as I did, you'll still want this book as a reference for topics that you won't find discussed in the other WPF books, including how to build a custom view for a ListView, the many options for implementing printing in your application, how to create and use classes derived directly from Visual, etc. Highly recommended.
complete reference.......2007-07-03
got this book and also wpf unleased by adam nathan. This one seems to be more indepth and have more details. I find myself referring to this one more and more. Of course, it took longer to read, but it was worth it.
Book Description
Windows Presentation Foundation is a cutting-edge presentation framework for creating high-fidelity applications for Windows Vista and Windows XP. WPF is a composite technology with a noteworthy graphics engine that gives you more control over your application's screen output than has ever been possible in Windows before. New control frameworks and a new XML-based markup language, XAML, complete the core WPF package. On top of this, WPF can be linked to the new Microsoft Expression Suite to simplify the creation of your user interfaces, and it can be linked to .NET 2.0 to handle complex business logic.
Foundations of WPF: An Introduction to Windows Presentation Foundation teaches you everything you need to get started with the technology, and is broken into three parts. The first introduces and contextualizes the WPF technology; the second part dives deeper into the facets of the technology that are of immediate and valuable use in developing applications; the last part offers you the real-world perspective you need to be productive in the community and customer base. In summary, this book
- Explains how WPF interoperates with myriad new ancillary and support technologies being released by Microsoft (XAML, WCF, WinFX, and the Expression Design Suite)
- Gets you up and running, building applications for the new Windows "Vista" as quickly as possible
- Separates design and implementation to make life easier from a business and development perspective
Customer Reviews:
Unfortunately Betas Change.......2007-01-06
This book suffers from the fact that it includes information on a beta product. The beta product not only has changed, but it has changed name. Microsoft Expression - Interactive Developer is now Expression Blend. If you don't know this, then you will be lost in several chapters. The book also references an example to show what WPF can do. This is a URL listed on page 11. Unfortunately, like the Expression stuff, this is was also a beta site and the URL now leads to a simple page that says "thanks but the beta is over".
So if you figure out the tool, then you see a great example in chapter 3. Unfortunately, the flow of steps is textual and goes on and on. The organization of presenting the steps you need to do could have been better. When you combine this with the changes that have occurred in the product, things get hard to follow.
The middle section of the book focuses on Visual Studio 2005 and the WPF add-ins. This information is more accurate, but the information isn't very deep. Info on controls, and a bit about things you can do with them, some information on graphics and more. The book then goes back to the Expression tool that as mentioned earlier, isn't quite the same as when the author wrote the book.
The end result - This book will be much, much better when it is updated to the current product. (( I put a more complete review on Codeguru ))
A wonderful WPF resource.......2007-01-01
I didn't even know Laurence's book was released when I found it searching for WPF books. I ordered it and have been working with it for 4 days now. It's a definite keeper.
The book is 10 chapters long and 315 pages including indexes and tables. Chapter 1 does the obligatory "Introduction" to the technology. Nothing groundbreaking here.
Chapter 2 continues and provides a good intro and background.
Chapter 3 is where the rubber hits the road and it goes through building your first WPF application. It's a simple app but serves as a great intro application.
Chapter 4 covers "Building a Connected WPF Application". It's a superb discusson and again, although the app isn't overly complex, it gives you everything you need to build a complex 'real world' application. I've spent most of my time on CHapter 4, trying to come up with my own scenarios and using WCF to get my data.
Chapter 5 - Layout controls. This chapter is a lot more involved than many of the other ones but when you're through with it, you'll know layout inside and out.
Chapter 6 gets into XAML controls. This is the heart of WPF and it's explained in plenty of detail without overdoing it
Chapter 7 goes into graphics and media. To be honest, I haven't spent a lot of time on this chapter, just breezed through it so I don't have a lot to say about it.
Chapter 8 goes into animation and while related to the Chapter 7 content, animation is critical to making compelling WPF apps. I found this chapter particularly useful.
Chapter 9 goes into 3d graphics, again, a centerpiece to compelling UI's with WPF. Priceless.
Chapter 10 goes into distributing your WPF apps and well, it's a very nice touch. Few things are more frustrating than developing an app when you're learning and not being able to get it to deply correctly. I've done 3 apps so far and had 0 problems getting them deployed.
I've been a big fan of Moroney's books for a while now and this book doesn't disappoint.
Book Description
Liberty and Horovitz uncover the common threads that unite Microsofts .Net 3.0 technologies, so that developers can benefit from the best practices and architectural patterns baked into the new frameworks.
Average customer rating:
- This is *The* WPF Book for Application Developers
- Important material unique to this book
- One of the best technical books I've ever read
- Well done!!!!
- A great way to get started with WPF
|
Programming WPF
Chris Sells , and
Ian Griffiths
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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Similar Items:
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Essential Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) (Microsoft .NET Development Series)
-
Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed (WPF) (Unleashed)
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Programming WCF Services (Programming)
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3D Programming for Windows (Pro - Developer)
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Pro WPF: Windows Presentation Foundation in .NET 3.0
ASIN: 0596510373 |
Book Description
If you want to build applications that take full advantage of Windows Vista's new user interface capabilities, you need to learn Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). This new edition, fully updated for the official release of .NET 3.0, is designed to get you up to speed on this technology quickly. By page 2, you'll be writing a simple WPF application. By the end of Chapter 1, you'll have taken a complete tour of WPF and its major elements.
WPF is the new presentation framework for Windows Vista that also works with Windows XP. It's a cornucopia of new technologies, which includes a new graphics engine that supports 3-D graphics, animation, and more; an XML-based markup language, called XAML, for declaring the structure of your Windows UI; and a radical new model for controls.
This second edition includes new chapters on printing, XPS, 3-D, navigation, text and documents, along with a new appendix that covers Microsoft's new WPF/E platform for delivering richer UI through standard web browsers -- much like Adobe Flash. Content from the first edition has been significantly expanded and modified. Programming WPF includes:
- Scores of C# and XAML examples that show you what it takes to get a WPF application up and running, from a simple "Hello, Avalon" program to a tic-tac-toe game
- Insightful discussions of the powerful new programming styles that WPF brings to Windows development, especially its new model for controls
- A color insert to better illustrate WPF support for 3-D, color, and other graphics effects
- A tutorial on XAML, the new HTML-like markup language for declaring Windows UI
- An explanation and comparison of the features that support interoperability with Windows Forms and other Windows legacy applications
WPF represents the best of the control-based Windows world and the content-based web world. Programming WPF helps you bring it all together.
Customer Reviews:
This is *The* WPF Book for Application Developers.......2007-10-04
I was lucky enough to be the developmental editor for this book. This review is from that perspective.
First and foremost, this is not a quick and dirty update to the previous edition. Ian and Chris spent a lot of time to produce a thorough update that retains the same tone as the previous version while providing complete coverage of the important WPF 1.0 concepts and bits.
Additionally, the book is easier to read than the previous edition because Chris and Ian also spent significant time on the writing itself.
However, my favorite aspect of the book was how much new stuff about WPF I learned. I'd been a writer on the Microsoft WPF SDK for almost 1.5 years when I did the developmental edit on their book, so I was pretty comfortable with WPF. And, yet, several chapters enhanced my knowledge (of concepts and bits), particularly the data binding and graphics chapters.
I am bias in my review of this book given my role in its development but, irrespective, it's the only WPF book *for application developers* that I'll be using.
Important material unique to this book.......2007-10-02
I've read many "how to program with WPF" books, and already have a year of programming experience in WPF, so I'm really not able to fairly review books like this, at least from a beginner's point of view. However, I am confident that there is enough important material unique to this book that it is a must-have for the shelf of a WPF programmer. Despite its girth (835 pages), it isn't able to explain every facet of WPF in detail - in particular, I noticed that the Border class was given very little reference. I was worried that I wouldn't find much of anything I didn't already know, but I was fortunately wrong on that account, and will close the review by summarizing the most interesting bits (to me):
p. 59: You can safely use data binding with Settings.
p. 136: Explains how focus scope affects command routing.
p. 189: Good information on validation, including custom validation.
p. 226: Grouping with PropertyGroupDescription.
p. 298: Handy table of the template parts used by each control.
p. 336: The ValidateBindings method.
p. 341: You can navigate a NavigationWindow to a string.
p. 379: It's dangerous to use types as resource keys.
ch. 12: Great information on resources.
p. 432: Working with bitmaps and bitmap effects.
p. 484: Low-level text output.
ch. 15: Outstanding information on printing.
p. 672: Using attached properties to identify template placeholders.
p. 730: Screenshots demonstrating airspace issues with interop.
One of the best technical books I've ever read.......2007-09-30
I've read hundreds of technical books; this is one of the best. Period, and without exaggeration.
Sells and Griffiths combine phenomenal insight into the technology with years of practical application and an extraordinary ability to convey highly technical material in a way that is clear, concise and coherent. I wish I knew as much as they, or wrote as well; and that is not false modesty: they are the gold standard.
The second edition builds on the foundations they laid in the first, but goes well beyond. If you bought the first edition do not hesitate to buy the second; it not only updates the material, but adds at least half again as much new information and greatly expands on the insights they have to offer.
There are other books on WPF well worth owning, but this book is absolutely mandatory. If you have only enough money for one, this is the one. If you can't afford this one, then give up Starbucks and start drinking Dunkin'... 'cause you have to have this one.
On a personal note, Ian has tech-reviewed one of my books, and I can personally attest to the depth and breadth and comprehensiveness of his knowledge. He knows whereof he speaks; and I've yet to find a single instance where his understanding was shallow, let alone wrong. He brings a rigor to his writing that is not marred by pedanticism, and together, he and Chris Sells have managed that most difficult of feats: a two-author book that speaks with a single, clear voice that leaves you with few questions.
This is a six-star book; don't hesitate. In fact, stop reading my silly review and buy the book.
[NB: My opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of Microsoft Corporation, O'Reilly Media or any other entity real or fictitious. Your mileage may vary. Contents are hot. Void where prohibited.]
Well done!!!!.......2007-09-29
Thank you very much for this book, Chris!!
This is an excellent book, well organized smooth flow from start to end.
Easy to understand, before reading this book, learning WPF was really frustrating after reading this book, seems too easy. Code samples are excellent, I am working with VS 2008 beta 2 and pretty much all programs work too...
A great way to get started with WPF.......2007-09-23
I read many articles on WPF, seen many presentations and read Petzold's book on XAML. They all seem to focus on the 3D rendering aspects, and spend little to no time on how to create real business style applications, which use normal controls, care about localization, layout of lists and trees. Chris his book made me understand WPF and XAML in a way I can truly say I not only understand it, but I can also apply that knowledge to build real WPF application. Given I was not and will never be the expert Windows UI developer, "Programming WPF" got me going. It is easy to read, with clear language and clear examples.
Thanks Chris,
Gert "DataDude" Drapers
Software Architect
Microsoft Corp.
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Applications = Code + Markup: A Guide to the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (Pro - Developer)
Windows Communication Foundation Unleashed (WCF) (Unleashed)
Essential Windows Workflow Foundation (Microsoft .NET Development Series)
