“Chris
Anderson was one of the chief architects of the next-generation GUI
stack, the Windows Presentation Framework (WPF), which is the subject
of this book. Chris’s insights shine a light from the internals of WPF
to those standing at the entrance, guiding you through the concepts
that form the foundation of his creation.”
–From the foreword by Chris Sells

“As
one of the architects behind WPF, Chris Anderson skillfully explains
not only the ‘how,’ but also the ‘why.’ This book is an excellent
resource for anyone wanting to understand the design principles and
best practices of WPF.”
–Anders Hejlsberg, technical fellow, Microsoft Corporation

“If
WPF stands as the user interface technology for the next generation of
Windows, then Chris Anderson stands as the Charles Petzold for the next
generation of Windows user interface developers.”
–Ted Neward, founding editor, TheServerSide.NET

“This
is an excellent book that does a really great job of introducing you to
WPF, and explaining how to unlock the tremendous potential it provides.”
–Scott Guthrie, general manager, Developer Division, Microsoft

“WPF
is a whole new animal when it comes to creating UI applications,
drawing on design principles originating from both Windows Forms and
the Web. Chris does a great job of not only explaining how to use the
new features and capabilities of WPF (with associated code and XAML
based syntax), but also explains why things work the way they do. As
one of the architects of WPF, Chris gives great insight into the
plumbing and design principles of WPF, as well as the mechanics of
writing code using it. This is truly essential if you plan to be a
serious WPF developer.”
–Brian Noyes, chief architect, IDesign Inc.; Microsoft Regional Director; Microsoft MVP

“I
was given the opportunity to take a look at Chris Anderson’s book and
found it to be an exceedingly valuable resource, one I can comfortably
recommend to others. I can only speak for myself, but when faced with a
new technology I like to have an understanding of how it relates to and
works in relation to the technology it is supplanting. Chris starts his
book by tying the WPF directly into the world of Windows 32-bit UI in
C++. Chris demonstrates both a keen understanding of the underlying
logic that drives the WPF and how it works and also a skill in helping
the reader build on their own knowledge through examples that mimic how
you would build your cutting edge applications.”
–Bill Sheldon, principal engineer, InterKnowlogy

Windows
Presentation Foundation (WPF) replaces Microsoft’s diverse presentation
technologies with a unified, state-of-the-art platform for building
rich applications. WPF combines the best of Windows and the Web; fully
integrates user interfaces, documents, and media; and leverages the
full power of XML-based declarative programming.

In Essential Windows Presentation Foundation,
former WPF architect Chris Anderson systematically introduces this
breakthrough platform, focusing on the concepts and techniques working
developers need in order to build robust applications for real users.
Drawing on his unique experience as an architect on the team, Anderson
thoroughly illuminates the crucial new concepts underlying WPF and
reveals how its APIs work together to offer developers unprecedented
value.

Through working sample code, you’ll
discover how WPF draws on the Web’s simple models for markup and
deployment, common frame for applications, and rich server
connectivity, and on Windows’ rich client model, simple programming
model, strong control over look-and-feel, and rich networking. Topics
explored in depth include

• WPF components and architecture
• Key WPF design decisions–and why they matter
• XAML markup language
• Controls
• Layouts
• Visuals and media, including 2D, 3D, video, and animation
• Data integration
• Actions
• Styles
• WPF Base Services

Essential Windows Presentation Foundation
is the definitive, authoritative, code-centric WPF reference:
everything Windows developers need to create a whole new generation of
rich, graphical applications.

Chris Anderson,
architect in Microsoft’s Connected Systems Division, specializes in
designing and architecting .NET technologies for the next generation of
applications and services. In ten years at Microsoft, he has worked on
technologies ranging from Visual Basic 6.0 and Visual J++ 6.0 to .NET
Framework 1.0 and 1.1. In 2002, he joined the Windows Client team as an
architect for Windows Presentation Foundation. Anderson has spoken at
numerous conferences, including PDC, TechEd, WinDev, and DevCon.