We have been asked this question several times.
Does PrimalForms use WPF?
For those of you who are not familiar with Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), it is Microsoft’s new graphical interface that uses DirectX and your graphics card to render the Window controls.
The short answer is: No. But often we ask in return: Is there a particular reason why you ask for WPF support? Or is there a feature that WPF offers that you require?
In response, we often find there isn’t anything in particular that requires the user to use WPF which can not already be handled by the existing WinForm Controls. Unless you are using high graphic rendering or animation in your GUI applications, there isn’t much incentive to create your GUIs with WPF instead of WinForms. Additionally, some servers may not have the necessary hardware to truly benefit from WPF.
Will we support WPF in the future?
Maybe. If the need arises and the demand is there; we will look into supporting WPF in the future.
It’d be cool to see in the future, but for now there are work-arounds like WPK. You’re correct that WPF is generally not necessary, but it is significantly more powerful.
When are you releasing your 2011 products (Primal Script and Forms?
As soon as we have a set date we will post it on the blog.
It’s nice that you think WPF is useless except for “high graphics rendering” … but saying so doesn’t make it true.
Here’s a few reasons off the top of my head.
Reason 1: Rich Content model: tooltips with images on them, mouse-over-popup panels with buttons and sliders, whatever UI you can conceive, you can design in WPF.
Reason 2: Rich Data Binding: You can not only bind controls to data objects, you can bind controls to controls, or controls to XML.
Reason 3: Data Templates: Your UI can be defined by the types of objects you want to display.
Reason 4: Triggers: You can define complex user interface feedback purely in the user interface layer without script code.
Reason 5: Printing: Just call “PrintVisual” to print your form out.
Reason 6: User Interface and Business Logic may be separated easily and clearly using WPF
Reason 7: Routed Commands allow simple wiring up of UI to business logic with built-in support for enabling/disabling controls
Reason 8: Dynamic XAML loading allows styling or completely altering the User interface and even UI behavior depending on the user profile, access rights, etc.
Reason 9: UI Validation is easy and even automatic.
Hi Joel. We have had this discussion I believe, even though you never replied to my email :-). While all your reasons are perfectly true, they mostly apply to developers and not administrators. At least that is the feedback we are getting.
If you folks out there think otherwise, head on over to http://support.sapien.com and post in the wishlist forum. Let us know what you think and why and what for you want to use WPF. Or let us know why you don’t care.
Either way, we like to hear from you.