WPF In Action: With Visual Studio 2008

Description

Now more than ever, Windows applications have to work well and look good. Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Microsoft's new user interface framework, gives you the ability to create stunning graphics, rich interactions, and highly-usable Windows applications. WPF is the API beneath Windows Vista interfaces, and it's also available for older versions of Windows. Up to this point, it has only been possible to build WPF applications manually, mainly by hand-coding in XAML-WPF's declarative XML-based markup language. The soon-to-be-released Visual Studio 2008 provides the full set of developer tools you need to take advantage of this exciting technology.

 The combination of WPF and Visual Studio 2008 represents the start of the next generation of Windows applications. Hand-coding XAML is fine if you're an early adopter, but to put WPF into production, you need to master the tools and application styles you'll use in your day job.

 WPF In Action focuses on WPF development using Visual Studio 2008 and other available tools.. The book starts with thorough coverage of the basics-layouts, styles, resources, and themes. It then takes you through several real-world scenarios, exploring common challenges and application-types. You'll build several sample applications, ranging from a simple calculator to a typical line-of-business application. Along the way, you'll add graphical elements, animation, and support for printing, accessibility, and other standard functionality.

 Written in a witty, engaging style, WPF In Action can be read cover-to-cover or used to reference specific problems and issues. The approach is practical and always focused on how you'll use WPF in real development scenarios. You'll learn how to handle the many new issues presented by the extreme flexibility of WPF. The authors also provide numerous tips and suggestions for how to work efficiently.

CONTENTS:

Part 1 Past, Present, and Future

1 The road to Avalon

2 Getting started with WPF and Visual Studio 2008

3 WPF from 723 feet

Part 2 The Basics

4 Working with Layouts

5 The Grid panel

6 Resources, styles, control templates, and themes

Part 3 Application Development

9 Laying out a more complex application

10 Commands

11 Data binding with WPF

12 Advanced data templates and binding

13 Custom controls

14 Drawing

15 Drawing in 3D

Part 4 The Last Mile

16 Building a navigation application

17 WPF and browsers: XBAP, ClickOnce, and Silverlight

18 Printing, documents, and XPS

19 Transition effects

20 Interoperability

21 Threading