Pro WPF: Windows Presentation Foundation in .NET 3.0

When . NET first appeared, it introduced a small avalanche of new technologies. There was a whole new way to write web applications (ASP. NET), a whole new way to connect to da- bases (ADO. NET), new typesafe languages (C# and VB . NET), and a managed runtime (the CLR). Not least among these new technologies is Windows Forms, a library of classes for building Windows applications. Although Windows Forms is a mature and full-featured toolkit, it’s hardwired to essential bits of Windows plumbing that haven’t changed much in the past ten years. Most significantly, Windows Forms relies on the Windows API to create the visual appearance of standard user interface elements such as buttons, text boxes, check boxes, and so on. As a result, these ing- dients are essentially uncustomizable. For example, if you want to create a stylish glow button you need to create a custom control and paint every aspect of the button (in all its different states) using a lower-level drawing model. And don’t even think about introducing animated effects such as spinning text, shimmering buttons, shrinking windows, or live previews because you’ll have to paint every detail by hand! The Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) changes all this by introducing a new model with entirely different plumbing. Although WPF includes the standard controls you’re familiar with, it draws every text, border, and background fill itself.