Windows Presentation Foundation Development Technology

Microsoft Corporation has released a new platform Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) intended for the development of extended user interfaces for Windows OS. The main aim of the Windows Presentation Foundation technology is to simplify multifunctional application development process which can’t be carried out using Windows Forms technology. Without WPF development technology software development companies would need many other technologies, which are difficult to integrate together.

What key features does Windows Presentation Foundation development technology provide for software developers?

The WPF technology with the built-in support of multimedia, data visualization, complex text content and dynamic interaction with the user is used for modern resource-intensive application development with an original layout. The Windows Presentation Foundation technology has considerably improved possibilities of formatting, coverage and styles of control elements, animated 2D and 3D graphics with the hardware acceleration and the built-in support of formatted documents visualization.

The WPF technology contains about 30 control elements including such original elements as InkCanvas and Grid. Software developers can also add their own elements to Windows Presentation Foundation to customize software development process and provide high-quality software development services.

The Windows Presentation Foundation technology requires new tools. Visual Studio 2008 provides for WPF support including a new working area for constructing, a new visual property builder and the function Intellisense for editing the XAML code.

For the development of multifunctional WPF applications the participation of new team members is required: visual designers and interaction designers. Microsoft has offered a new development technology for these roles — Microsoft Expression Blend. This product is intended for the realization of creative, visual and interactive possibilities of the Windows Presentation Foundation platform, which allows using WYSIWYG development tools for working with animation, covers and data binding and creating visual elements.

Another advantage of Windows Presentation Foundation is the extension of development possibilities using the declarative language (XAML), which can be employed in many applications. WPF simplifies the usage of the scheme “model, presentation, presenter” and reduces presenter code volume with the help of templates. XAML has advantages not only in the sphere of presentation. Data binding lets establish the declarative connection with the base model. It allows changing the user interface without touching other levels of the application. Moreover, using XAML, software designers and software developers can work with the same files.

The Silverlight technology is highly compatible with Windows Presentation Foundation, which means that portability and joint use of web applications and Windows client applications are very convenient. The deployment of such applications on other platforms is easy with the Silverlight code which is practically identical to the WPF code.

The WPF technology is bound to become an indispensable Microsoft software development tool

In future Windows Presentation Foundation will become the main software development solution from Microsoft for most types of applications including standard applications based on forms. The possibilities of the WPF platform are beyond the scope of possibilities of standard platforms and other tools and technologies of user interface development. Using WPF, software developers can create applications that establish new standards of quality, convenience of performance and interaction with the user.