Time for XAML? -- Visual Studio Magazine

Time for XAML?

The language behind WPF is starting to gain momentum, thanks in large part to Silverlight.

By Michael Desmond
07/01/2009

Don't look now, but the broadly ambitious eXtensible Markup Language (XAML) vision Microsoft kicked off several years ago appears to be gaining traction. Most developers know XAML as the language behind Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), the graphical subsystem unveiled in 2006 with .NET 3.0 and due for an extensive refresh in .NET 4. (check out last month's cover feature, ".NET 4 Revealed").

Ironically, the real driver behind XAML to date has been Silverlight, Microsoft's fast-evolving rich Internet application (RIA) platform. Even as WPF adoption languished, Web developers began working with XAML and tooling like Expression Blend for their Silverlight projects.

Silverlight has set the stage for XAML adoption, says Todd Anglin, chief evangelist with component maker Telerik.

"I think there's a bit of a halo effect on WPF from Silverlight. Silverlight was the attention-getter and people came and learned the core concepts of XAML within Silverlight," Anglin said in an interview.

That halo effect should grow stronger this summer, when Microsoft is expected to release Silverlight 3. The new version will introduce powerful new data and application capabilities that, for the first time, make Silverlight a mature target for live-fire business application development. The question is: Will desktop application developers simply develop for Silverlight rather than the more robust and extensive WPF spec?

It's an open question, and one that VSM readers will certainly have a say in answering. Meanwhile companies like Telerik are helping developers support WPF and Silverlight apps from a common code base, with components that work from a unified code set. Are you aiming to build XAML apps that run seamlessly in both Silverlight and WPF? Or do you plan to target WPF for your traditional client applications? E-mail me at [email protected].

About the Author

Michael Desmond is an editor and writer for 1105 Media's Enterprise Computing Group.

Printable Format

comments powered by Disqus

Featured

Full Stack Hands-On Development with .NET

In the fast-paced realm of modern software development, proficiency across a full stack of technologies is not just beneficial, it's essential. Microsoft has an entire stack of open source development components in its .NET platform (formerly known as .NET Core) that can be used to build an end-to-end set of applications.
.NET-Centric Uno Platform Debuts 'Single Project' for 9 Targets

"We've reduced the complexity of project files and eliminated the need for explicit NuGet package references, separate project libraries, or 'shared' projects."
Creating Reactive Applications in .NET

In modern applications, data is being retrieved in asynchronous, real-time streams, as traditional pull requests where the clients asks for data from the server are becoming a thing of the past.
AI for GitHub Collaboration? Maybe Not So Much

No doubt GitHub Copilot has been a boon for developers, but AI might not be the best tool for collaboration, according to developers weighing in on a recent social media post from the GitHub team.
Visual Studio 2022 Getting VS Code 'Command Palette' Equivalent

As any Visual Studio Code user knows, the editor's command palette is a powerful tool for getting things done quickly, without having to navigate through menus and dialogs. Now, we learn how an equivalent is coming for Microsoft's flagship Visual Studio IDE, invoked by the same familiar Ctrl+Shift+P keyboard shortcut.