Windows Presentation Foundation
Circa 2006

---

---

 

The Windows Presentation Foundation (or WPF), formerly code named Avalon, is the graphical subsystem feature of the .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly called WinFX) and is directly related to XAML. It is pre-installed in Vista, the latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating system. WPF is also available for installation on Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003. It provides a consistent programming model for building applications and provides a clear separation between the UI and the business logic. A WPF application can be deployed on the desktop or hosted in a web browser. It also enables richer control, design, and development of the visual aspects of Windows programs. It aims to unify a host of application services: user interface, 2D and 3D drawing, fixed and adaptive documents, vector graphics, raster graphics, animation, data binding, audio and video.

WPF/E is a subset of WPF, and stands for "Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere". It is basically a mobile version of WPF, based on XAML and Javascript. 3D features are not included, but XPS, vector-based drawing, and hardware acceleration, are. Wikipedia

 

This site was created in 2006. It was dedicated to everything Windows Presentation Foundation. Andrew Whiddettt (CTO), Victor Gaudioso and John Woo are WPF Engineers who helped guide those so inclined to learn WPF via articles, blogs, downloads and tutorials. Each of these engineers had their own blog.

An Update: I wonder how these three engineers would have reacted to the news that Zendesk was going to kill its Windows Phone app in 2017. I work for a company that offers customized help desk support to Zendesk clients. Our phones were ringing like crazy when this announcement was first made. Zendesk is a global provider of customer service software. They operate in 150 markets. In 2012 the company launched its Windows Phone app in the Market. However in November 2016 Zendesk announced that it was going to end support for its Windows Phone app and the app would only receive any emergency maintenance updates after Dec 31st 2016. Arggg!!! went our clients. In 2017 we had to explain to clients that due to the low usage of its Windows Phone app, Zendesk was just going to kill it. The app was removed from the Windows Store completely in April 2017 and was no longer be available for download for Windows Phone users. It was understandable if Zendesk didn't have enough users to justify making the proper updates and support. We told customers that Zendesk recommended they switch to an iOS or Android OS platform to keep enjoying the features of its Zendesk App. We also offered other work-a-rounds, but some clients were initially very unhappy. I was burned out by the end of that week. My one consolation was that the company just happened to be upgrading our offices and the reception area that same week with Italian modern furniture that was really sleek and cool. The furniture company, room service 360°, they ordered from is located in Philadelphia. I've driven by it many times but never associated it with business furniture. Turns out room service 360° offers stunning modern furniture from many Italian brands among others, for both the home and office. The makeover of the company was impressive and had a very positive impact on the employees moral. And the feedback from both our old and new customers was irrefutable: They loved the new look. Thank you management.

Now it's time to hit the road and drive home. I always like getting home. My affectionate Alaskan Malamute, Nanette, greets me at the door, ready to have some fun. We have a routine that includes a three-mile run and playing Frisbee, a game she loves. Nanette is surprisingly agile for such a large dog, and catching that Frisbee is her favorite part. It's a good thing I have several acres of land for her to use up all her energy before we go in for the night. Speaking of hobbies and outdoor activities, I recently got into golf, inspired by the themes of this year's Forum, which emphasized wellness and personal growth. Just last week, I picked up my new set of womens left handed golf clubs, recommended by a friend who is also a southpaw. These clubs have been a fantastic addition to my leisure time, providing a great way to relax and improve my game. I'm planning to spend more time at the local golf course, honing my skills and enjoying the open spaces, much like Nanette enjoys her time outdoors. This evening, after our run and Frisbee game, I might even practice a few swings in the backyard. It's going to be a good evening, indeed. Oh yes.

 

---

---

 

The selected content below taken from Victor Gaudioso’s blog posts.

June 1, 2011

The LASLUG Raffle Chooser App has been Published in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace

Victor @ 1:57 pm

Hello All,

If you attended our May 25, 2011 Los Angeles Silverlight Usergroup (LASLUG) meeting then you saw Kim S (LASLUG Special Event Coordinator) use the custom built Raffle Chooser Windows Phone 7 Application to choose the Winning Raffle Tickets.

Well, I figured that this could be a handy tool for our other .NET Usergroups such as LA C# Usergroup or even our friends at SoCal Code Camp ran by Woody

Pewitt (@woodyp on Twitter) as I think they all hold raffles as well. So I published it on the Zune Marketplace.  It is under the Social Category and is FREE!

You can Install the Raffle Chooser app directly from here: http://tinyurl.com/4xhcltr

If  you would like the source code feel free to email me at victorg at laslug dot com.

Thanks!  Victor

 

April 29, 2011

The Los Angeles Silverlight Usergroup (LASLUG) is Growing by Leaps & Bounds – State of the Usergroup

— Victor @ 12:07 am

Hello LASLUGers!

Today we had an occurrence that sets us apart as a premier .NET Usergroup;  today we hit the BIG TIME: Telerik has signed on to become a proud sponsor  of the Los Angeles Silverlight Usergroup.  In their own words, Telerik’s Emily Parker writes “(we) provide 1 Telerik Ultimate Collection valued at $1999/month. This license is our largest bundle so it includes tons of software – check them out here: www.telerik.com/purchase.  I know you said other’s do two licenses/month but this license is a  huge bundle which always goes over well.  We send a demo CD with the license codes on them so your winners can just walk away with this and they are all set!“  

 Are they awesome or what? 

 Mission Statement:

To provide the local Los Aneles .NET community (with an emphasis on Silverlight & WPF) with the finest speakers that the planent has to offer.  Further, we pledge not to ever charge any of our members any money for this service.  While most other usergroups are free to attend they tend to charge for the raffles whereby they give away prizes.  We not only offer free gourmet pizza, beer, softdrinks and deserts we offer free prizes.  It is our goal to provide every member in attendence with a free prize be it a small prize such as a DevExpress tee-shirt, or a Microsoft Flash drive to something more significant such as an Apress book on how to do game programing for Windows Phone 7 to something very expensive such as Telerik’s Ultimate Silverlight Software Collection (a $1999.00 value).  Further, we promise to update our venues to make it easier for some members to attend one month and then easier for other members to attend another month.  We also feel this keep the group fresh and reduces the chance of them becoming bored with LASLUG meetings.  Finally, we have commited to our sponsors to help them add to their customer base by touting the positive aspects of their products and by encouraging our members to use their decision-making power at their places of employment to employ these books and tools if they enjoy the products we give to them as prizes. We also promise our sponsors high-visibility on our website (www.laslug.com) as well as in our meetings.

So Wed May 25th is the tentative date for our next LASLUG meeting and the first meeting we will be giving away Software from:

1. Telerik (one copy of Ultimate Collection – Value: $1999.00);

2. DevExpress (two copies of Silverlight Controls for Silverlight – Value: $799.99 (times two));

3. Syncfusion (two copies of Essential Studio Enterprise Edition – Value: $1,995.00 (times two));

4. VIBlend (VIBlend WPF Controls package – Value: $349.000), (VIBlend Silverlight Controls package – Value: $499.00).

  

We will also be giving away books:

1. Apress - Four titles to be determined – Approximate Value: $50.00 (times four));

2. FreindsOfEd-  One title, two copies - Expression Blend 4 with Silverlight – Value: $49.00 (times two));

3. Safari Books Online (10 day free trial and 20% off with purchase of a year subscription).

 

We will also have swag from:

1. Mircosoft

2. DevExpress

3. Syncfusion

4. Telerik

5. VIBlend

6. Nowcom

 

This comes out to a total of $9,283.  So by the time the meeting takes place I expect the prizes to be valued at well over $10,000.

And this is just as of right now…we are currently in talks with O’reilly, Manning, Anheuser-Busch, New Belgium Brewers and a few others.

So look for email blasts from me and the management team with regards to new sponsorship and meeting details.  Once you get the meeting announcement please secure your spot ASAP as space is limited and I think that will all of these new prizes, swag, gourmet pizza and beer the meeting is going to fill up fast! 

 

October 2, 2010

An Amazing Review of my new Silverlight 4 Book

—  Victor @ 12:26 am

Hello All!

A reader named Peter Henry wrote an awesome review of my new Silverlight 4 book on his blog.  Its funny, the way he describes my writing style is EXACTLY what I was shooting for;  that is, as if I were right over your shoulder telling you step by step how to develop in Silverlight using Blend and Visual Studio.  Here is his review, you can also read it here: http://www.pchenry.com/Home/tabid/36/EntryID/343/Default.aspx

A few weeks ago, I saw a message on Twitter asking people to reply to get a free book.  Now, usually I disregard those emails/phone calls/unsolicited advancements with utter and complete contempt (too polite? LOL) but this time around I thought I might read this a bit further.  

The posting was from Simon Yu from apress.com, he was asking for reviewers for an upcoming Expression Blend book.  Interesting.  I was familiar with the previous book (Expression Blend 3) since Sylvain had bought one last year and I was kind of envious he was learning WPF and Expression Blend with this book.  Ya, it looked that impressive when I leafed through it.

But then……..life got busy, work got busy…..life just happened…..you probably know what I mean right?  Well, fast forward to Simon’s posting and I thought, eeehhhhh……what’s the worst that can happen?  Oh ya, he could be bogus and I get spammed forever?  AAAAAHHHHH let’s try it out, could be interesting?

As I would say to Bert lately, “long story short”, I got the book in the mail (thank you very much Simon!) and I have to tell ya, WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!  VERY COOL!  I guess in the last year, I’ve kind of gotten a bit gun-shy with the whole WPF/XAML/Blend thing.  Why?  Not quite sure why actually…..just that there’s A LOT to bite off to get something done.  Layout managers, data binding, POCOs or EF, WCF or web services, resources, triggers, behaviours, then there’s the whole XAML and Blend thing…..maybe you’re where I am?  You feeling a bit OVERWHELMED with all that?

Well, this is where this book comes into play.  I said to myself, with WP7 coming out, I’m getting on that band wagon and I’m going to do WPF this time!  Yes siree Bob!  Who’s Bob?  I don’t know, that’s the expression!  Anyways, here are my first impressions!

• Who’ the book aimed at?  People like me!  COOL!
• It’s NOT 800 pages!
• It reads less like MSDN and more like a book that keeps you excited!  Sorry MSDN, no slight against you, when I goto you, I want info HERE AND NOW, nothing pretty, nothing fancy, but when I’m reading about something brand new, I need a bit of spoon feeding and a bit of excitement to keep me interested.
• “LOTS of pretty pictures!”  Which is good for a visual designer tool that Blend is!  Ironic eh?  Lots of sites, even books don’t have pictures, WTF?  The HUGE benefit of pictures is I can see IMMEDIATELY when I’m begining to deviate away from the lesson and starting to get lost.  Not here!
• Juicy info is had right away, not half way through the book.  Ever read a Tom Clancy book?  Doesn’t matter which one, they ALL, only get interesting half way through.  Boooooooring!  Not with this book!
• Yes, I did get the book for free, but NO I’m not biased nor inclined to give this book a good rating just because of that.  I’m cheap, but I’m also not looking to make my living with book reviews.  I have ONE objective with this book, to learn Blend!
• And my last, first impression, which is the most important point in this post, Victor’s writing feels COMPLETELY interactive and dynamic.  Think about it, it’s a book written months ago, and it STILL feels like a conversation with him right there!  What do I mean?  He does this a lot and I love it…..he explains something, and I’m thinking…but, but but……then in the very next sentence he answers my very same question in my head.  Ya, and he does that continuously.  I’ve done good and bad training courses before, this guy writes this book like a beautiful training course.  I’m 50pgs into it and have HUGE expectations now for him to continue doing his “set’em up and knock’em down” style of teaching!

So, there you have it, my first impressions about this new book from Victor Gaudioso.  Keep your eyes peeled on this blog for a followup blog with my end of book review.  Now it’s time to grab a coffee and get coding (well, reading and coding that is LOL).

Thanks so much Peter!  Victor

 

May 26, 2010

New Speaking Event: Microsoft Book Signing/Silverlight 4 Presentation

— Victor @ 11:45 am

Hello All!

On Saturday June 19th, 2010 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm (PST) I will be signing copies of my latest book Foundation Blend 3 with Silverlight and presenting/demoing the new features of Silverlight 4 at the Microsoft Store in Mission Viejo, California!

Join me as I show how to use the new Webcam and COM APIs, show how to build Out-Of-Browser (OOB) Silverlight applications and talk about Sketchflow Prototyping with Silverlight.

There will be plenty of prizes and give-aways from our sponsors.  Microsoft will be giving away copies of the Expression Blend Suite, Apress will be giving away some of its most popular book titles based on .NET technologies and finally DevExpress will be giving away copies of its popular Silverlight Tools.

Join us for an evening of book signing, food and drinks, presentations and everything Silverlight!  attendance is free but RSVP as space is limited. 

See you there!

 

April 6, 2010

My Microsoft MVP Award!

— Victor @ 2:43 pm

My MVP Award just came in the mail and it did not disappoint.  There was a really nice plaque, a glass award, an MVP ID card and an MVP pin. Take a look at the video of me opening my award!

 

March 5, 2010

An Interesting Journey with a Man Named Ted

— Victor @ 8:24 am

Hello All,

As you probably know,  I am very serious and passionate about my love for Silverlight and Blend; I love the technology and possess a burning passion for teaching it.  If any of you know me you know full well that if you ask me for help I will do all I can to help you understand this medium and to be productive in it. 

As you also know I write books on Blend and Silverlight; I do so for a couple of reasons:

First, I do it to help those interested to learn this platform.  Silverlight and Blend are amazingly easy to use once you know how.  Sadly learning how can be difficult.  To facilitate the ease of learning this medium I decided to write books under the Apress/Friends of Ed flagship Foundation series.  I have two books already published and currentlyI am writing my third on SL 4/Blend. 

The second reason I write books is so that I have creditability as a bonafide  SL/Blend expert.  That being the case people will listen to my teachings and when I raise issues to my friends over at MSFT I get some very good responses. 

What I DON”T write these books for is money; it is all about the passion I possess.  To be honest, I don’t make a whole lot of money writing these books; if you were to break it down I probably end up making less than $5.00 per hour. 

So, whenever I receive a new review on Amazon I am quick to read it in hopes to understand how the public feels about my publication and how I can improve my next book.  As an example of this, I have my book’s Amazon link on my smart phone’s desktop. I click it at least once per day to look for new comments. 

The comments thus far have been quite positive (currently the book has 4 out of 5 stars).  So, whenever I get a negative comment my heart sinks and I am deeply saddend and concerned. 

As it happens just such a comment came down the pike a few days ago. In this review a man named Ted stated that there is entirely too much code in my book and being that it is a Blend book this should not be the case. 

While this review did hurt my feelings I had to admit the guy had a valid point.  But to be sure I grabbed a copy of my book and started to thumb through it and this validated what he had stated: there was in fact too much code for a Blend book.  So, I commented back and told Ted that his comment “cut me to the core” and that he did in fact have a valid point.  I apologized and promised that I would do better on my new book slated to come out this summer. 

Ted quickly responded and was a little apologetic that he had hurt my feelings but stuck by his point. He accepted my ap0logy and said that he looked forward to my next book.  But I didn’t feel that I had done enough for Ted.  Sure I had helped him understand that there are real people behind these books that have real feelings but what had I done to helphim?  This was a reader that put his faith in me to help them learn Silverlight and Blend and I had left him wandering aimlessly in the woods.  Not cool! What to do?

So, I decided that Ted would be one of those readers that is smart enough not to need to be guided through a narrative on how to learn Silverlight  and Blend.  After some thought it hit me that Ted is one of those that would benefit from a “take one from column A and one from column B” kind of learning regime. 

With that, I pointed Ted at my  personal blog where I have about 30-40 free Silverlight video tutorials.  They range from “how to build a chrome button in Blend” to “how to de-serialize XML into native Silverlight objects.”

The danger of pointing a Silverlight newcomer to these videos is there is no structure, the reader is free to run wild and possibly tutorialize themselves into total confusion. 

Which, by the way I think my beginner books are great: I take your hand at the very beginning and then walk you through, step by step how I think you should learn Silverlight and Blend and then when I think you are ready I let your hand go and tell you to now go forth and learn, you are ready.

So, this morning I received an email from a very excited and happy Ted telling me that my videos are what he has been looking for since he started this mission to learn Silverlight/Blend some 15 days ago.  Further, he was so satisfied he was compelled to post a comment entitied “Must Watch – Must Read Resources for Blend!” on the Microsoft Expression website, found  Below are a couple of excerpts from his post:

“…He explained things I had not seen in any help files or any other videos in 14 days of research.  You might be tempted to skip the first video about the UI, don’t do it!  One of the HUGE keys to understanding Blend is understanding the interface….”

and

“…Trust me, if you watch Victor’s videos, you will have about 50% fewer questions on how to do things in Blend.  If you work through the self paced tutorial, you will have another 50% reduction.  Just think, you will actually be able to do something in Blend, not wait for answers here, and when you DO have a question, it will probably be code related or something pretty esoteric that these experts can really sink their teeth into!…”

So now I have fulfilled my goal of helping one more person who wants to learn Silverlight and Blend.  And along the way, I discovered a way to make my new book better and even made a friend along the way.  Thanks Ted, my friend.

Victor

 

November 26, 2009

A Rough Draft of my New Silverlight 4 Book (due out in 2010)

— Victor @ 12:52 pm

Apress/Friends of Ed has engaged me to write a follow up to my last book Foundation Blend 3 with Silverlight . This new book will have all of the information from my last book as it is still relevant for Silverlight 4 but will also include the many wonderful new features of Silvelright 4.  I have created a rough draft for the Table of Contents for the new book and have decided to share it with you.  Please feel free to help me out and provide me with comments so that I can provide you with the best product to help those that are interested learn Silveright.

Table of Contents (working name: Foundation: Silverlight 4)

1. Setting up the development environment (Blend 3 probably Blend 4 when released, Visual Studio 2010, Silverlight 4 Tools, Silverlight 4 Runtime)
2. The Blend 3 (probably 4) Integrated Development Environment: The Toolbar, panels, artboard, workspace modes (Animation v Design)
3. C#, XAML, and Object Oriented Programming
4. Controls: Including the new Silverlight 4 Controls: ViewBox, RichTextArea ,  FlowDirection Property, the Improved DataGrid
5. Timed Storyboards: Creating a Newton Cradle application
6. Using the VSM and Blend 3’s State panel to create a Silverlight Media Player
7. Behaviors: Included behaviors and custom behaviors: Using the FarseerPhysics engine to create a simple Silverlight 4 video game
8. The Silverlight MediaElement: Create a video player application with Behaviors, XML serialization, and the new Silverlight 4 Drop property
9. Using RIA services with the Silverlight 4 Network Authentication
10. Events and EventHandlers including SL 4 right-click and MouseWheel event handling
11. Classes and Interfaces
12. ControlTemplates, Styles and Custom UserControls
13. Writing a Custom Silverlight 4 Content Panel
14. Writing a Silverlight 4 Out of the Browser application with Elevated Trust and the new Silverlight 4 COM API
15. DataBinding: What is it? Improvements in Silverlight 4: DependencyObject Binding, StringFormat, TargetNullValue, FallbackValue
16. Silverlight 4 Managed Extensibility Framework (MEF)
17. Building a Sketchflow Prototype
18.  The Silverlight 4 Printing and Open Save APIs: Create an Image Printer application
19. Creating a Photobooth application with the Silverlight 4 Microphone and Webcam API
20. Miscellaneous Silverlight 4 Features:  The Clipboard API,  Command support for Buttons,  HTML support, the Notification API, TextTrimming, Full Keyboard access in Full Screen,  Offline DRM support, Data Validation, ,Fluid user interface support, Implicit theming for Controls, Google Chrome support

 

 

10.27.06

This is actually my first week of WPF and it has been a frustrating one as it is very difficult to install the WPF authoring environment. The reason for this is because MS has not released the final build for WPF as of yet. So, in order to install the authoring environment you have to install a few different things. They are:

  1. The .NET 3.0 Framework (if you have .NET 2.0 framework it might be best to uninstall it first.

  2. Visual Studio 2005 (Visual Studio Express is free and should work).

  3. Orcas.

  4. MS Interactive Designer (formally known as Sparkle)

  5. Visual Studio Extensions (so you can create a WPF project).

This should get you up and running. Soon, I will post a blog about creating a very simple WPF application. However, in the meantime I would suggest you get Jesse Libery's and Brian MacDonald's book on C#, called C# 2005 and Jessey Libery's book called, ironically enough C# and brush up on your C#. Good luck. Victor

 

10.28.06

Today I am posting my first WPF application. It is simple but I think it does show the power of the WPF 3D engine. If you have trouble seeing it you may have to download IE 7. Soon, I will post a tutorial on how I built it; you will be amazed on how simple the code for this was. Victor 

 

11.09.06

I have been in WPF bootcamp for the last three weeks and have learned quite a bit. Soon, I will post tutorials on how to style buttons as well as how to make a simple video player. Keep checking back. Victor 

 

02.01.07

We have written an exporter for 3DS Max so I have been learning the basics of that program. I made a simple model of a lightsaber with a simple rotation animation and exported it to XAML. Take a look:

 

02.01.07

Blend Beta 2 is out. I don't know if you have used this but this is awesome for the design side of WPF. I still use Visual Studio for the C#. 

 

---

---

---

---