Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is the future of Rich Client (or Smart Client or Fat Client or whatever term is in fashion) programming in .NET. Microsoft is using WPF for the UI in Visual Studio 2010. If you are like me, then you still haven't had a chance to work with it extensively (due to constraints of my day-job). But, if you are like me, you are also very excited about the technology -- and not just because of the eye candy (although that is an added bonus; albeit a potentially dangerous one).
Note: this isn't an introduction to WPF. I have some resources listed below if you want more info. So, here's what I like...
Declarative Programming Model
You can do quite a bit of the UI work in the XAML itself (XAML stands for eXtensible Application Markup Lanuage -- for more information, look for an intro to XAML). This UI work includes triggers, animations, and data bindings. Sure, you can do the work in your C# (or VB) code, but it's nice to be able to put it into the XAML.
Data Binding
I write business applications for a living -- that means pretty much everything requires some sort of data access. There are several WPF data binding features that seem to combine the best of WinForms data binding and ASP.NET WebForms data binding, plus some new features thrown in.
Binding to the container
Since you can bind the DataContext (your data source) to a UI container (which is pretty much everything -- see below), every child element can use that DataContext implicitly.
Good Support for value converters
IValueConverter is nothing new, but I have seen several WPF demos that use it in the data binding, making things dead simple. For example, you can use a value converter to convert a bank balance (an integer) to a brush (red for negative values, black for positive). In your bindings, you can bind the Brush on a TextBox directly to the bank balance, and the value converter takes care of the rest.
Binding to static resources
You can use data binding syntax to connect properties to static resources that are either defined locally to the page or globally to the application. As a programmer, you need to do less internal context switching since the syntax is the same regardless of whether you are binding to a static resource or a dynamic data context.
Binding from one element property to another
I'm not sure why I like this so much, but for some reason I do. If you need to display the same data twice on a page (like in a master / detail or selection / detail relationship), you can bind the Content property of one element ot the Content property (or any other property) of another.
Commands
Coming from the Delphi programming world, I always wondered where the concept of Actions went in C# (after all, Anders Heilsberg was the architect of both languages). Commands allow you to hook up several UI elements to the same command. For example, you can hook up a menu item, tool bar item, and a button to a single Command (such as Save). This lets you enable or disable the Command, and it will affect all connected UI elements. (Also, you have centralized code which is always good.)
Now let's move on to some more visual features. (I'm skipping the eye-candy at this point to focus on usability.)
Most controls are also containers
This adds immense flexibility to the UI designer. You have full control over layout of a button that has both an image and text. Anyone who has fought with the layout of an image button in WinForms will greatly appreciate this.
Flexible layout and resolution independence
If you pay attention to your layout, you can design an UI that is usable on both a 23" desktop monitor and a 9" netbook. This will seem somewhat familiar to web developers. Plus, if you focus on using vector graphics (as opposed to bitmaps), then you can get good scaling without aliasing (i.e. "jaggies").
Templates and styles
This seems very comfortable to web developers who use CSS. But it is incredibly more powerful. I'll be focusing on this in a future post.
"Lookless" controls
None of the WPF UI controls have a built in rendering. Instead, they have default templates. This means you can replace the default with your own template to make a control appear however you want. Because the base control is "lookless", it means that all of the functionality (such as "Click" on a button) is separated from the rendering; so, you can replace the visual rendering without impacting the underlying functionality.
Lack of a DataGrid
This one may sound weird. Most of the WPF forums are littered with developers complaining about the lack of a data grid. There is even a CodePlex project to implement one. But I have found the lack of a DataGrid to be an opportunity.
In my applications, I generally use data grids because they are easy -- not because they are the best way to present the information to the user. I have started to think about the power of the ListView. By using containers and templates (including data templates), I have full control over how I present the data, and it's dead simple.
"Dead simple" is the key. Most of the things that I've mentioned are possible to do in WinForms, but you end up jumping through hoops to accomplish them. WPF makes these things "dead simple." If you're curious about alternatives to displaying data (without a Data Grid), then check out some of Billy Hollis' web casts (see below for links).
So, that's why I am excited about WPF. If you are, too, then you can check out these resources:
The Official Microsoft WPF and Windows Forms Site
This site is loaded with tutorials, samples, downloads, and lots of info.
dnrTV
This site has web casts (generally about an hour long) on all sorts of .NET topics. As mentioned above, Billy Hollis has done some excellent episodes:
dnrTV - Episode 115 - Billy Hollis: Getting Smart with WPF
dnrTV - Episode 128 - Billy Hollis: XAML for Developers Part 1
dnrTV - Episode 129 - Billy Hollis: XAML for Developers Part 2
Pro WPF in C# 2008: Windows Presentation Foundation with .NET 3.5, Second Edition - Matthew MacDonald
This is an excellent (large) book. It's around 1000 pages, and has lots of great information and samples. There is also a VB version of this book if that is your language of choice.
I'll be digging in to specific WPF topics as time goes on, so stay tuned!
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