www.it-ebooks.info Professional WPF Programming: .NET Development with the Windows ® Presentation Foundation Chris Andrade, Shawn Livermore, Mike Meyers, Scott Van Vliet 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16 PM Page iii www.it-ebooks.info 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16 PM Page ii www.it-ebooks.info Professional WPF Programming: .NET Development with the Windows ® Presentation Foundation 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16 PM Page i www.it-ebooks.info 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16 PM Page ii www.it-ebooks.info Professional WPF Programming: .NET Development with the Windows ® Presentation Foundation Chris Andrade, Shawn Livermore, Mike Meyers, Scott Van Vliet 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16 PM Page iii www.it-ebooks.info Professional WPF Programming: .NET Development with the Windows ® Presentation Foundation Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard Indianapolis, IN 46256 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN: 978-0-470-04180-2 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher. 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All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16 PM Page iv www.it-ebooks.info About the Authors Chris Andrade is a Principal with Novera Consulting, a Microsoft Certified Partner specializing in enterprise architecture and development with .NET and Microsoft server technology. Chris devotes most of his time to assisting companies in applying Microsoft technologies to improve their business pro- cesses and operations. Chris has worked within a diverse range of business verticals, including automo- tive, healthcare, and mortgage. Chris also takes active participation within the local developer community, speaking and presenting along the west coast whenever possible. Shawn Livermore (MCAD, MCSD, PMP) [shawnlivermore.blogspot.com] has been architecting and developing Microsoft-based solutions for nearly a decade. Shawn has been consulting as an enterprise and solutions architect for Fortune 500 clientele within highly visible enterprise implementations. His range of technical competence stretches across platforms and lines of business, but he specializes in Microsoft .NET enterprise application architectures and Microsoft server-based product integrations. Shawn lives in the Southern California area with his beautiful wife Shantell and amazing daughter Elexzandreia. Shawn also enjoys beating his friend Jason at air hockey, basketball, baseball, football, arcade games, cards, billiards, ping pong, shuffleboard, trivia, golf, racquetball, dirt bike races, cross- country skiing and pretty much any other sport in existence. Shawn would like to once again remind Jason, “Who’s your daddy?” Mike Meyers is president of Novera Consulting Inc, a software development and consulting firm spe- cializing in custom application development utilizing the .NET platform and Microsoft server technol- ogy. Based in Orange County, California, Mike’s company is focused on providing solutions based on Microsoft platforms and technology to companies spanning multiple industries. Mike has worked in a number of industries, including mortgage, healthcare, and various ecommerce ventures as developer, architect, and project manager. When he’s not writing code, Mike is active mountain biking in southern California, hiking with his four-legged Labrador Dakota or playing music with friends. Scott Van Vliet is an accomplished Solutions Architect who has spent the past decade delivering suc- cessful Microsoft-based solutions to his clients. Currently a Senior Manager with Capgemini, a world- wide leader in technology consulting services, Scott has managed, architected, and developed solutions for companies across the globe. He is also the Microsoft Delivery Leader for Capgemini’s Telecom, Media & Entertainment practice, providing technical and engagement leadership on all Microsoft-based projects. Scott can be reached via his Web site at http://www.scottvanvliet.com/. 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16 PM Page v www.it-ebooks.info To my wife Sena and son Ethan: for their patience, love, and understanding during the process of writing this book. I love you both so much. —Chris Andrade To my best friend and life companion, Shantell, who has stuck around with me through it all and never once doubted me. You’ve believed in me from the beginning when we had nothing. I appreciate your friendship and your love, and look forward to getting old and wrinkled together. Thank you for supporting this book and the time it required. And, of course, I am so thankful for my daughter Elexzandreia, who has taught me so many things. Thanks for letting daddy type on the laptop while you write me little cards and “projects.” We must have gone through thousands of tape dispensers and construction paper packages over these last few years. You’re an angel, and my greatest accomplishment in this life would be to see your life flourish and grow into the woman God has designed you to be. —Shawn Livermore To my parents, Richard and Linda, who have always supported my entrepreneurial spirit, helping me to become who I am today. In particular, I dedicate this to my father for spending 30 years with I.B.M. to support his family and foster my interest in computers, and to my mother for raising a handful and teaching me an appreciation for writing and the arts. I would also like to dedicate this book to my brother Nick. No one could ask for a better brother or friend. —Mike Meyers 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16 PM Page vi www.it-ebooks.info Credits Senior Acquisitions Editor Jim Minatel Development Editor John Sleeva Technical Editor Carl Daniel Production Editor Christine O’Connor Copy Editor Nancy Rapoport Editorial Manager Mary Beth Wakefield Production Manager Tim Tate Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Richard Swadley Vice President and Executive Publisher Joseph B. Wikert Graphics and Production Specialists Brooke Graczyk Denny Hager Jennifer Mayberry Barbara Moore Alicia B. South Quality Control Technicians Cynthia Fields Brian H. Walls Project Coordinator Adrienne Martinez Proofreading and Indexing Aptara Anniversary Logo Design Richard Pacifico 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16 PM Page vii www.it-ebooks.info [...]... in WPF is the notion of element trees, which represent the visual elements of which a WPF application is comprised Two element trees exist within a WPF application: the logical tree and the visual tree Logical Tree The logical tree is the hierarchical structure containing the exact elements of your WPF application as defined either declaratively within a XAML file, or imperatively in code Consider the. .. that, along with WPF, make the NET Framework 3.0 such an important and powerful platform xxi www.it-ebooks.info Introduction The chapter-level breakdown is as follows: ❑ Chapter 1, “Overview of Windows Presentation Foundation —This chapter explores the evolution of the Windows API over the years and how this paved the way for a new platform, WPF You will then take a high-level tour of the WPF architecture,... overview of WPF, including the following key topics: ❑ Evolution of the Windows API ❑ NET Framework 3.0, the next-generation APIs for Windows-based development ❑ WPF architecture and development model ❑ XAML, the new declarative language backing WPF ❑ Tools to develop WPF applications www.it-ebooks.info Chapter 1: Overview of Windows Presentation Foundation A Brief Histor y of the Windows API The Windows... up the Windows Presentation Foundation You learn how to create a rich UI, exploring the various controls now available to you, and how to leverage the new content model that WPF provides You explore the WPF object model as well as the new subsystems offered in WPF, such as the dependency property system and the routed event model You learn how to develop and deploy WPF applications targeting both the. .. away from the long-standing Win32 platform in the direction of WPF This is followed by an overview of WPF and the core components and subsystems of the platform Next, a tour of Expression Blend is offered, and we provide examples to show you how to build rich UI The remaining chapters then focus on individual topics related to WPF development The book ends with a brief introduction to two other components... work through the examples in this book, you may choose either to type in all the code manually or to use the source code files that accompany the book All of the source code used in this book is available for download at http://www.wrox.com Once at the site, simply locate the book’s title (either by using the Search box or by using one of the title lists) and click the Download Code link on the book’s... security Security in WPF is based on the NET 2.0 CAS security model Security is also based on the application model you choose and where the application will be hosted If it is hosted in a browser, you will need to understand the Internet Zone permission set These topics are covered in depth With the basics of WPF application development, deployment, and security fully explored, the book then dives into... Meet Windows Presentation Foundation Formerly known as Avalon, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is the new graphical subsystem in Windows Vista that provides a holistic means for combining user interface, 2D and 3D graphics, documents, and digital media Built on the NET Framework, WPF provides a managed environment for development with the Windows operating system This takes advantage of the existing... across computers without requiring that the originating application be installed, is included in WPF Architecture The anatomy of WPF consists of unmanaged services, managed subsystems, and a managed API available for consumption by WPF applications, known as the presentation framework Figure 1-1 outlines the general underlying architecture of WPF, with each major component detailed in the sections that... Figure 1-1 Element System The element system represents the surface of WPF with which developers will interact Contained within the element system are the core components making up the UI, such as styles, layout, controls, binding, and text layout Almost all the components in the element system derive from the all-important System.Windows FrameworkElement class This class provides the base functionality . www.it-ebooks.info Professional WPF Programming: .NET Development with the Windows ® Presentation Foundation Chris Andrade, Shawn Livermore,. PM Page ii www.it-ebooks.info Professional WPF Programming: .NET Development with the Windows ® Presentation Foundation 01_041802 ffirs.qxp 4/2/07 5:16