This is the Safari online edition of the printed book.

WPF Control Development Unleashed

Building Advanced User Experiences

In this book, two leading Windows Presentation Foundation experts give developers everything they need to build next-generation WPF applications–software that is more robust, usable, and compelling.

Drawing on their close ties with Microsoft’s WPF development team, Pavan Podila and Kevin Hoffman give you a clear, robust, and practical understanding of WPF, its underpinnings, its overall architecture, and its design philosophy. Podila and Hoffman introduce never-before-published WPF design patterns and support them with robust, real-world code examples–all presented in full color, just as they appear in Visual Studio.

The authors begin by explaining how to “think in WPF,” and then introduce powerful new techniques for everything from handling 3D layouts to creating game-like physics effects. Along the way, they offer in-depth coverage of data binding, building interactivity, and control development: three of WPF’s most challenging concepts. You’ll learn how to choose the right WPF features for every programming challenge, and use those features far more creatively and effectively.

If you want to build truly outstanding WPF applications, this is the book that will get you there.

• Master the patterns and techniques you need to build state-of-the-art WPF applications

• Write more powerful and effective applications that reflect a deep understanding of WPF’s design philosophy

• Learn how WPF has evolved, and take full advantage of its growing sophistication

• Make the most of advanced declarative programming techniques

• Leverage IScrollInfo, virtualization, control theming, and other complex features

• Build more powerful interactivity into your WPF applications

• Create more visual software with 3D elements, custom animations, and shader effects

• Optimize WPF application performance in real-world environments

• Master design patterns for organizing your controls more effectively

Category: .NET Programming / WPF

Covers: Windows Presentation Foundation

User Level: Intermediate—Advanced

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 4 Ratings

Great book if you already know everything in it - 2009-10-13
Reviewer Rating:
This book consistently make promises its fails to keep. Chapter after chapter starts with "in the chapter you will gain an in-depth knowledge of X" and after several pages of very high-level discussion and nearly irrelevant examples concludes with, "Now that you know all about X..." and the authors barely even grazed the topic - then alone provided you with anything you can actually use to implement the topics supposedly covered.

Case in point: Data Templates. They spent the first four chapters raving about them and talking about how they have shown you the power of them and did not provide a single explanation of how to actually use one, or where they are used. No examples or even discussions of concrete examples at all. So when I read "now we have shown you..." and they have not shown me anything at all - well, I'm done. I admit I only made it half-way before I was so disgusted I put it down and quit wasting my time. Chapter after chapter I finished wondering where was the beef?

I'm no WPF beginner, but then I'm no expert either - that is why I am reading the book, right? I am sure if you are reading this stuff already knowing everything it makes more sense - but I found myself thinking as I read about topics I already know, "Man, that is a convoluted way to describe that to someone just learning. I'm sure glad I already know it." It was positively inspiring in the sense that I began thinking if these guys can write a book this bad and get published, maybe I should take a shot at writing a book myself.

Seriously, the entire book needs a reality check - the best is when they claim to be presenting a simpler method of accomplishing some task and then proceed to unfold something grotesque. At least other authors I have read covering WPF have the common decency to show you how to do a thing that is ugly, acknowledge that, yes, it is ugly, shrug and move on - or better yet show you a better pattern, but this book reads like Microsoft sales literature. But then who are you going to believe, the experts or your own lying eyes? I don't know how much of this is the technology and how much is the authors, but sorry, you can point at a bowl of spaghetti and call it a twelve-layer lasagna all you want; I am not buying it.

Covers the most powerful functionality WPF has to offer - 2009-09-29
Reviewer Rating:
WPF is a vast topic. This book does a great job of zeroing in on some of the most powerful functionality WPF has to offer and assembling it in a very concise format.

The book starts out covering the WPF Design Philosophy which is a great for those who need an introduction to the overall context WPF offers the developer. I would recommend reading only to those who have some experience with WPF. This become evident right away. Chapter 2 `The Diverse Visual Class Structure' does a great job of covering all the most important classes in WPF, and it fits them together like a puzzle providing a complete view of the WPF, but I can see the beginner being completely overwhelmed and lost throughout the chapter. This is not a ding to the book, it warns the book is for intermediate to advanced WPF programmers.

The book continues to dig into some of the most advanced features WPF has to offer. The only thing about the book I would change is providing more printed code. The authors say they believe in only printing the most relevant code, which is fine, just not my personal preference. I like to be able to read a book without having to be on my computer to review the code. This is not a ding against the book either, since it is just a preference and the code download is great. It is very well organized and usable.

Beyond the chapters on building controls with WPF the authors also offer guidance on achieving high performing code and the use of performance measuring tools. It is a short chapter but it gets you started.

They also have a chapter of design tips. This chapter is not just WPF centric. The chapter includes a list of the well know design patterns for GUI development. They are not covered in detail, but they have a good summary about the pattern.

The authors have a good writing style that makes the book enjoyable to read. The topics are all very cool topics and they really show off the advanced capabilities of WPF.

I highly recommend all WPF developers read this book at some point along their learning path. It is not introductory, so I would suggest having a little experience first. No matter how advanced you are in your experience level, you will learn some new things from this book.

Excellent book for the experienced - 2009-10-30
Reviewer Rating:
If you have experience with WPF this is an excellent book. It may not have all the detailed code but has all the meaty topics you need. If it had code for every little thing it talks about it would probably be a 900-page book and much less appealing. This is a 350-page book but very dense. Every page has tons of useful information.
It's a nice complement to Adam Nathan's book (ISBN 0672628917).

Awesome Book - 2009-10-09
Reviewer Rating:
This is a really awesome book that will really help you to understand developing in WPF even if you never create a control - it is much more than just about control development.

The book quality and code quality are outstanding.

I highly recommend this book.

David Roh

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