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Price: $9.99
(as of Nov 29, 2025 02:46:41 UTC – Details)
WPF in Action with Visual Studio 2008: A Comprehensive Guide
The release of Visual Studio 2008 marked a significant milestone in the development of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications. WPF, a powerful and flexible framework for building desktop applications, was first introduced with.NET Framework 3.0. With Visual Studio 2008, developers gained access to a robust set of tools and features that made it easier to design, develop, and deploy WPF applications.
In this article, we will explore the key features and benefits of using WPF with Visual Studio 2008. We will also provide an overview of the tools and techniques available to developers, as well as some best practices for building robust and scalable WPF applications.
What is WPF?
WPF is a.NET framework for building desktop applications with a rich, graphical user interface. It provides a powerful and flexible way to create applications with complex layouts, animations, and graphics. WPF applications can be deployed on the desktop, and with the release of.NET Framework 3.5, they can also be deployed as web applications using the XBAP (XAML Browser Application) model.
Visual Studio 2008 and WPF
Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools and features for building WPF applications. Some of the key features include:
- WPF Project Templates: Visual Studio 2008 provides a range of project templates for building WPF applications, including WPF Application, WPF User Control Library, and WPF Custom Control Library.
- XAML Editor: The XAML editor in Visual Studio 2008 provides a powerful and intuitive way to design and edit XAML markup. It includes features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, and debugging.
- Designer: The WPF Designer in Visual Studio 2008 provides a visual interface for designing WPF user interfaces. It allows developers to drag and drop controls, set properties, and create complex layouts.
- Debugging and Profiling: Visual Studio 2008 provides a range of debugging and profiling tools for WPF applications, including the ability to debug XAML markup and profile application performance.
Building WPF Applications with Visual Studio 2008
Building a WPF application with Visual Studio 2008 is a straightforward process. Here are the basic steps:
- Create a new WPF project: Use the WPF Application project template to create a new WPF project.
- Design the user interface: Use the WPF Designer to create the user interface for your application.
- Write code: Write code to implement the logic and behavior of your application.
- Test and debug: Use the debugging and profiling tools in Visual Studio 2008 to test and debug your application.
Best Practices for Building WPF Applications
Here are some best practices for building WPF applications with Visual Studio 2008:
- Use MVVM: The Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) pattern is a powerful and flexible way to separate the logic and presentation of your application.
- Use data binding: Data binding is a powerful feature in WPF that allows you to bind data to controls and other elements in your application.
- Use styles and templates: Styles and templates are a great way to create a consistent look and feel for your application.
- Test and debug thoroughly: Testing and debugging are critical steps in the development process. Use the tools and features in Visual Studio 2008 to ensure that your application is robust and scalable.
Conclusion
WPF is a powerful and flexible framework for building desktop applications, and Visual Studio 2008 provides a comprehensive set of tools and features for building WPF applications. By following the best practices outlined in this article, developers can create robust and scalable WPF applications that meet the needs of their users. Whether you are building a simple desktop application or a complex enterprise system, WPF and Visual Studio 2008 provide a powerful and flexible solution.
C. Harrison –
Great introduction to WPF
While not the most in-depth book on WPF, this book covers every major feature in WPF. The authors know their audience – developers. Developers want to see a lot of code, and that’s what you get in this book; a lot of code and a lot of examples. After going through this book cover to cover (which is rare for me and computer books) I had a very solid foundation on WPF to build upon.If you’re new to WPF this is your starting point.
OnceMore –
Opinionated but really good book
According to the authors, their goal for this book is to not only teach developers how to use WPF, but more importantly, how to use it well and properly. For this reason, they offer a lot of their opinions about what they think are great and not so great about WPF as of the 3.5 SP1 Release, in comparison to Windows Forms, for example. Also, instead of just showing you the steps involved in, say, creating data bindings or animation effects, they show you how to go one or two steps further to create architecturally resilient frameworks that support easier swapping of animation effects or data access components. Divided into four parts, the book begins with a three chapter introduction that includes a historical discussion of how WPF is so different from previous UI Technology offerings from Microsoft. Part 2, consisting of Chapters 4 through 8, gets readers involved in building a calculator application and, through that process, teaches readers about controls, layouts, dependency and attached properties, events, styling and resource management. Part 3, consisting of Chapters 9 through 15, tackles data binding, graphics, and custom controls. The two lengthy chapters on data binding (Chapters 11 and 12) are, in my opinion, the best chapters in the book, covering rarely discussed topics such as MultiBindings, Priority Bindings, and current gotchas when working with results collections from LINQ queries and potential workarounds. Finally, Part 4 consists of one or two chapters each on XBAP, Printing, and Threading etc. Despite its heftiness, the book does not provide comprehensive coverage of WPF concepts; instead, the authors have carefully chosen the topics they wanted to concentrate on (for example, they provide simplified explanations of how attached and dependency properties work, choosing not to elaborate on the runtime complexities involved behind the scene). Also, the authors may be opinionated, but their rather folksy writing style makes the book an easy read.
oregon111 –
very disappointed
OK. Here is the scoop from a real person – not the “marketing dept.”I bought this one, the unleashed, and the pro C# wpf books about the same time. I used this one the least. I ended up using the unleashed to get started, then switching to the pro book for more insight.While I felt that I gave this one a fair chance, it never seemed to bond with me and the writing did not click with me.What I wanted from this book is a tutorial on how to build some wpf apps in vs2008. I did not get that.No wonder Amazon is selling them for pennies.
Kenny Bright –
Not a bad book but…
I got this book based on the reviews but after getting to Chapter 11 (Data Binding with WPF) the authors completely lost me with their style of writing. The main reason i got the book was to learn not to copy or run their code. Am sure they are both smart guys but they both seem to get lost sometimes trying to explain the concept; my guess is that this has to do with trying to impress that they know so much.This is the worse “In Action” book i have read to far.
Omar Shraim –
Best to learn WPF and XAML
I just finished reading this gem today and I was so impressed that I felt compelled to write a review.Coming from a winforms background, I did my homework going through online articles, tutorials and the likes. In addition, I tend to “consume” books like yesterday’s newspapers. This book is my 5th book on the subject and honestly not any of the other books (including the more recent ones for VS2010) comes close to the clarity of explanation and enjoyment of reading that you get from this book.Although the hummer sometimes tends to be childish (and other time really hilarious), you can’t help but admire how the authors incorporate their opinion and experience (which I find as useful as the material in the book).My favorite chapters that nowhere else you would find the same level of quality explanation are:= the two chapters on binding= the two chapters on layouts= the two chapters on User Controls and Custom ControlsEach of the above is alone is worth the price of the book. The book’s “in action” style truly helps put forward the true philosophy of WPF compared to other books and articles that explain features through code snippet or useless apps.English is not my native language and I found the book very clear and approachable so I totally disagree with the reviews downplaying the writing style of the book.Things I did feel the book came short where the negligible coverage of MVVM pattern, the few spelling/grammar mistakes in the text and the fact that both authors seem not to have an active blog (would love to read anything coming from either of them).Bottom line, this book is a one-stop shop to learn WPF and truly enjoy it during the process. Well done Manning, this is a true quality book.
Mirko –
I don’t use much of WPF but it is nice book to have to get overall feeling what WPF is all about.
Maciej Lisman –
Easy to read, and pretty consistent. Book contains everything you need to know to start with WPF. First you get some foundations: why WPF was created, basically comparing it with .net Windows Forms. Then author creates simple application (Calculator). What is good is that author is constantly improving that application applying new techniques from WPF. So don’t get pure techincal text, but also practical working application with hints how to make it better. Because not everything can be presented on Calculator some chapters are separeted, like: Data Binding, Printing XPS, Intreoperability with Windows Forms and Threading. All in all, I would highly recommend it for beginners!
Amazon Customer –
an excellent reference book take a logical approach to learning wpf witch will quickly allow you to go from nothing to programming easy.