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Applied WPF 4 in Context
Applied WPF 4 in Context sets the standard for leveraging the latest Windows user interface technology in your business applications. Using this book, you'll learn how to implement world-class Windows Professional Foundation (WPF) solutions in a real-world line of business applications, developing the code from the ground up, and understand how to apply best development practices and related .NET products and technologies to your solutions. You will cover designing and developing the application, testing and debugging, data access, reporting, and applying styles and themes to enhance the look of the user interface--all using WPF in a very practical, eminently useful context. You'll create asynchronous and parallel code, and learn how to distribute the application's components using Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). You'll also apply the Model-View-ViewModel pattern, again in a real-world WPF application.
Elegant and functional WPF applications are easier to create than ever before with Applied WPF 4 in Context.
Elegant and functional WPF applications are easier to create than ever before with Applied WPF 4 in Context.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 23, 2012
I've been teaching myself WPF for a few months now and I have half a dozen WPF books including WPF 4 Unleashed and Pro WPF in C# 2010. This book was the 3rd WPF book I picked up so I wasn't a complete noob by this stage. That said, I'm still very green.
This is not a beginners book. If you're just starting out with WPF I recommend Adam Nathan's WPF 4 Unleashed. I really started to struggle at chapter 5 when the author starts to talk about Entity Framework and Domain Driven Design (DDD). I knew nothing about these concepts and the author's introduction isn't aimed at noobs. I had to put the book down and turn to Google and other books to get a proper explanation of these concepts; these concepts take some time to get your head around.
One of the major problems with this book is its structure. It jumps around all over the place.
I think in a few months I'll find this book much more helpful. Especially after I've read more books about Entity Framework. I'll update my rating in a few months if my opinion of this book changes.
There are quite a few typos throughout the book as well.
This is not a beginners book. If you're just starting out with WPF I recommend Adam Nathan's WPF 4 Unleashed. I really started to struggle at chapter 5 when the author starts to talk about Entity Framework and Domain Driven Design (DDD). I knew nothing about these concepts and the author's introduction isn't aimed at noobs. I had to put the book down and turn to Google and other books to get a proper explanation of these concepts; these concepts take some time to get your head around.
One of the major problems with this book is its structure. It jumps around all over the place.
I think in a few months I'll find this book much more helpful. Especially after I've read more books about Entity Framework. I'll update my rating in a few months if my opinion of this book changes.
There are quite a few typos throughout the book as well.
July 18, 2011
I am a systems person so it is easier for me to learn a new technology when I understand the big picture: What problem is the technology addressing? What are the components of the technology? How do the components interact help to the technology to tackle a problem? Thus, I really appreciated the approach of “Applied WPF in Context”. I had heard acronyms such as XAML, WPF (Windows Presentation Framework), and WCF (Windows Communication Framework) and I knew they were Microsoft technologies for building applications, and I had a general idea what some of the terms meant but didn’t really know how the various technologies fit together. Applied WPF tackled the problem in its early chapters with clear explanations for the various components as well as the two primary Microsoft tools (Expression Blend and Visual Studio 2010) for implementing the technology. I was able to work through the various examples without too much trouble and without having to rely on the sample code which is downloadable from the book’s website (though it was comforting having the code as a fallback). Most of my challenges were with the free third-party code libraries which the book recommends; however, these third-party tools/code-samples are not a focus of the book so those challenges were a minor issue. Overall, I feel that I gained practical insight into WPF which I will be able to apply immediately in order to construct a SQL Server Reporting Services Scheduling tool that I have been wanting to build. I now feel I have the tools and understanding I need to feasibly undertake the project.
One interesting note is that I downloaded and read the book on my e-Reader. I have a Sony Daily Edition Reader (model 950SC) and I had no problems with the ePub version of the book. Even the numerous illustrations, diagrams, and other figures were legible both on the Sony Reader and on my laptop. However, almost all the diagrams, figures, and illustrations were missing in the Adobe PDF version of the book: again both on my Sony Reader and my laptop. I was surprised at this because I have been able to load other PDFs (magazines, other books) while retaining all images and diagrams on my Sony Reader (which handles PDFs fine) and on my laptop (I use Adobe Digital Editions for PDFs). So if you prefer to eBooks (I certainly do), go for the ePub version.
In sum, it was a pleasant experience reading the book and I would recommend it to someone wanting to understand what WPF is about.
Disclaimer: As per FTC guidelines, I received one copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.
One interesting note is that I downloaded and read the book on my e-Reader. I have a Sony Daily Edition Reader (model 950SC) and I had no problems with the ePub version of the book. Even the numerous illustrations, diagrams, and other figures were legible both on the Sony Reader and on my laptop. However, almost all the diagrams, figures, and illustrations were missing in the Adobe PDF version of the book: again both on my Sony Reader and my laptop. I was surprised at this because I have been able to load other PDFs (magazines, other books) while retaining all images and diagrams on my Sony Reader (which handles PDFs fine) and on my laptop (I use Adobe Digital Editions for PDFs). So if you prefer to eBooks (I certainly do), go for the ePub version.
In sum, it was a pleasant experience reading the book and I would recommend it to someone wanting to understand what WPF is about.
Disclaimer: As per FTC guidelines, I received one copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.
August 5, 2014
After reading some books about programming WPF this book finally explained how to use WPF in the context of MVVM.
The chapters about the View and ViewModel are rather easy to understand and to apply. Using the Model took me some more time (I had no reference of building a good model or data access layer). In the end the chapters about the DAL provided me with enough information to find an acceptable solution for the DAL.
The chapters about the View and ViewModel are rather easy to understand and to apply. Using the Model took me some more time (I had no reference of building a good model or data access layer). In the end the chapters about the DAL provided me with enough information to find an acceptable solution for the DAL.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews