Preface

Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) provides several libraries and APIs for developers to create engaging user experiences. This book features a wide range of simple to complex examples to demonstrate how to develop enterprise-grade applications for Windows desktop with WPF.

This updated second edition of Mastering Windows Presentation Foundation starts by covering the benefits of using the Model-View-View Model (MVVM) software architectural pattern with WPF, before guiding you through debugging your WPF apps. The book will then take you through the application architecture and building the foundation layer for your apps. As you advance, you'll get to grips with data binding, explore the various built-in WPF controls, and customize them to suit your requirements.

Filled with intriguing and practical examples, this book delineates concepts that will help you take your WPF skills to the next level. You'll learn to discover MVVM and how it assists in developing with WPF, implement your own custom application framework, understand how to adapt built-in controls, get up to speed with using animations, implement responsive data validation, create visually appealing user interfaces, and improve the performance of your app and learn how to deploy your applications.

Also, you will discover a smarter way of working with WPF using the MVVM software architectural pattern, learn to create your own lightweight application framework to build your future applications upon, understand data binding, and learn how to use it in an application.

You'll learn how to create custom controls to meet your needs when the built-in functionality is not enough. You'll also understand how to enhance your applications using practical animations, stunning visuals, and responsive data validation. To ensure that your app is not only interactive but also efficient, you'll focus on improving application performance and finally discover the different methods for deploying your applications. By the end of this book, you'll be proficient in using WPF for developing efficient yet robust user interfaces.