I knew you could change the default from WPF Designer to XML Editor (and lose all the intellisense), but I didn't know this tip that Josh shows about Xaml editing in VS...

Lots of progress in 2007 from Microsoft and the community in the tooling front

• VS 2008 shipped with a Wpf Designer & a Xaml textual editor.
• The Expression team shipped their first version in May and continues to improve Blend with previews of Blend 2 December Preview and Blend v1 SP1
• Zam 3D is now shipping v1.
• Mobiform shipped Aurora XAML Designer v1.
• Robby Ingebretsen shipped a completed KaXaml 1.0 (that at least one dev is raving about: Kaxaml: The XAML editor for me).
• Lester Lobo updated XamlPadX (first one to get to v3!)
• Charles Petzold has XamlCruncher v2 shipping.

Debugger Visualizers

• Mole for Visual Studio is a WPF runtime inspection tool in the same ballpark as Snoop, but integrated into VS as a Debugger Visualizer.

I need to go update my list @ http://robrelyea.com/xaml/editors

while (!perfect)
{
    UseThem();
    GiveFeedBack();
    GetImprovedVersions();
}

Use your favorites.  Give feedback to their creators.  Iterate.  :-)

[please let me know if I completely forgot any tools...and sorry in advance]

The Platform?

Meanwhile, the WPF team shipped our first version in November 2006 (.Net 3.0), our first update in November 2007 (.Net 3.5) and we're all busy working on our next release wave...more public news @ Mix.

2008

I'm looking forward to the improvements that 2008 will bring to WPF developers!

[Updated the list:

• upgraded the Blend link to their December Preview.
• added Aurora

]

I was happy to hear that ZAM3D 1.0 is now available for purchase...looks like you may be able to save 25% if you buy before the new year.

An email that I received says:

ZAM 3D Key Benefits:

• Provides an easy to use 3D authoring environment for designers and developers
• Offers both basic and advanced 3D modeling and animation capabilities
• Converts existing 2D artwork in the AI and EPS formats into 3D models
• Imports pre-built 3DS and DXF models for quick conversion to XAML
• Outputs 3D XAML markup that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Expression Blend and Visual Studio 2005 and 2008
• Leverages WPF, the presentation subsystem for Windows Vista (also available on XP), to enhance application interface design

“Electric Rain’s product brings powerful 3D modeling and animation capabilities to both the creative designer and application developer, and will offer exciting opportunities for creating superior content and rich user experiences for Windows Vista.”
Forest Key, group product manager of the .NET Developer Product Marketing Group at Microsoft Corp.

Those of you doing 3d work in WPF may find it useful in your work.  Congrats to the Electric Rain guys!

As a guy who spends a lot of time thinking of Xaml, I'm absolutely thrilled that we've shipped VS with a "Xaml Language" aware text editor.  You'll remember that since PDC 2003, we've been providing an XSD and having users use the Xml editor in VS.  The major downside there was that with new Types (custom controls and 3rd party controls) didn't work with intellisense, and actually broke intellisense inside their content as well.

Now, the Xaml Editor can deal with new Types - I believe it can even deal with types that are described in the same project that you are using them!

Walt writes 2 posts that are a must read if you ever edit Xaml in VS:

• XAML Editor Preferences in VS 2008 (Part 1)
• XAML Editor Preferences in VS 2008 (Part 2)

Great stuff!

Try it out, and please give feedback on the Xaml Editor at the WPF Designer ("Cider") forum.

If you've liked Pete Blois' Snoop to help debug/understand what is happening in a WPF application, Josh Smith has recreated a subset of its functionality and integrated it into VS as a Debugger Visualizer.  Read all the details on his codeproject posting for "Woodstock for WPF" and Josh's Woodstock announcement to the WPF Forum.  Great to see!

Internal mail that may be helpful to the WPF community, read bottom to top...if you have good tips (or feedback) in this area, please let us know...

---------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Blend Program Manager

If you are using ObjectDataProvider, use the GetInDesignMode flag to figure out when you code in running inside Blend/Cider, and change the behavior from run-time to design-time data.

Look at System.ComponentModel.DesignerProperties.GetInDesignMode()

---------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Microsoft User of WPF
Subject: Best way to have test data show up in blend but not at runtime?

I’m sure this has been asked before, but what is the best way to allow a designer to work with real clr data in blend without having to run the application to see the results of his edits?  I’ve been using an object source for blend:

<Window.Resources>

        <ObjectDataProvider x:Key="InstancesDS" d:IsDataSource="True" ObjectType="{x:Type ItemsControlTest:InstancesTestData}"/>

</Window.Resources>

But when I run the app, I want programmatically generate data to show up.  Any way clean way to do this without writing a bunch of custom login in OnLoaded that changes datasources and datacontexts?

Generally how do people deal with this problem?

A customer is looking for a RC to Wpf/Xaml converter.  It looks like http://dudelabs.com has a converter to go from RC to WinForms, but I'm not aware of a RC to Wpf/Xaml converter.

Anybody have any techniques to share in this area?

Via this link that mentioned Xaml, I found http://Himalia.net.  Sounds interesting...

Jaime Rodriguez has 3 new posts with some nice demos of VS 2008 Beta2 & Blend.

In September 2006, I posted how to "Add Event Handlers in VS for WPF".  Thankfully, VS 2008 Beta2 now has support for events throughout the WPF design experience.  Andrej Tozon posts with pictures describing some of that new support.

In a recent VSX Community Newsletter I found a pointer to a Source Code Outliner Power Toy for VS on Codeplex.  Haven't tried it yet, but looks interesting...

As I mentioned the other day, beta2 is coming soon...VS2008 is the first version of VS that will be able to target multiple versions of the .Net Framework (2.0, 3.0, or 3.5).

A bit of background info:

• Luke Hoban, a PM on the C# team who headed up the MultiTargetting design for VS 2008, did a blog post talks about multitargetting in VS: http://blogs.msdn.com/lukeh/archive/2007/06/29/net-framework-multitargeting-in-visual-studio-2008-aka-orcas.aspx
• Faisal Mohamood, a PM on the MSBuild team, did a post about msbuild’s angle on multitargetting: http://blogs.msdn.com/msbuild/archive/2006/11/15/multi-targeting-how-does-it-work.aspx

WPF Significance:

• When you use VS 2008 Express Editions (C# Express, VB Express), I believe you will only be able to target .Net Framework 3.5 for WPF apps.
• When you use VS 2008 Pro, etc..., you will be able to target WPF applications that require .Net Framework 3.0 or 3.5.

Thomas posted an addin for VS to launch a project with Expression Blend.  Cool.

What other productivity enhancers have you thought of that you'd like to build; or would like somebody else to build?

I'd like to see better shell navigation between a bunch of projects, with the ability to launch in Blend/VB/MsBuild, etc...in fact I built this a while ago...I just need to go spend some more time on it...

in the Delphi and C++ Builder Roadmap, but it still isn't clear when/if WPF will specifically be supported, and how.  I'll see if I can get clarification...

Bob's Delphi Stuff posted how to do a code only WPF application in Delphi in September 2006.  I'm curious if/when Delphi will add the necessary support for markup compilation (codedom, msbuild targets, etc...).

Any feedback on these steps?  Do most of you just download all the samples from the SDK?  Have you seen the Windows Client SDK teams post about finding the right sample from the "all samples" install.  Any feedback in this area?

Typed "Wpf TextBox Sample" in the IE7 search box.

Navigated to TextBox page in MSDN:

Clicked on link to TextBox samples:

Clicked on a link to "Counting Text Changes in a TextBox Sample":

Prompted for an Exe Download, clicked on Run:

Read/Accept License agreement:

Choose location to unzip the sample to:

Open the files in Explorer:

Open in VS/Blend/etc...

I hadn't realized that the Blend team released the Blend Configurator.  If you are using VS 2008 and Expression Blend, this will make you happy. [via Pete Brown]

Thought that we should clearly communicate this externally, in case there is confusion...(internal mail thread, please read bottom-to-top):

From: Me
The plan is that the delivery we made in November 2006 was the last update of those extensions.
VS 2008 (formerly code named "Orcas") is where all of our time and energy is going for great WPF tooling support inside of VS.
Yes, you may share this info.

From: MS Employee
Could you please give me a piece of advice – what is expected timeframe of shipping Visual Studio Extensions for NET Framework 3.0 RTM and may I share it with our local User Group?

In the craziness that was Mix07, I don't think I ever even said that Expression Studio (Blend, Design, Media, and Web) shipped in early May 2007.

microsoft.com/expression is where to start.

How to get it:

• Download the 60-day trial.
• Buy Expression Studio (or just individual components).
• MSDN Universal subscribers will get a copy of Blend due to many requests.
• I also believe that Expression Studio is distribute as part of the MS Partner distribution. (don't know the formal terms around this...)

David Sleeckx posted a "WPF Tree Debugger Visualizer".

Does running as a Debug Visualizer provide a significant benefit to you all?

Pete Blois' Snoop should also get a look for people who want to see the runtime state of WPF's Tree.

Would love to hear what VS "Orcas" and Blend should do to get more helpful in this area....

I've recently seen feedback on Expression Design that has asked for Import from Xaml and Export to XPS.

What other improvements do you want to see covered in future versions?

One issue I can contribute:

• when I create a rectangle and then export to Xaml, why do I get <Path /> elements instead of <Rectangle />.  Most things can be converted in Paths, however, I'd prefer to only do that when it needs to.