XAML Unleashed: (Unleashed)

Full Color: Figures and code appear as they do in Visual Studio. If you want to write Windows apps with XAML, one person can help you more than anyone else: Adam Nathan. He has built a well-deserved reputation as the world’s #1 expert on putting it to work. Now, he’s written the definitive, practical XAML tutorial and reference: XAML Unleashed. Nathan answers the questions you’re most likely to ask, walks through the tasks you’re sure to perform, and helps you avoid problems as you use XAML. You’ll learn how to create effective user interfaces for line-of-business apps, consumer apps, reusable controls, or anything else. These techniques will be invaluable whether you’re creating universal Windows apps or working with Silverlight or WPF. XAML Unleashed is packed with C# and XAML code examples that are fully color-coded to match their appearance in Visual Studio--the same approach that has made Nathan’s previous Unleashed books so popular. Detailed information on how to... Understand and apply XAML’s syntax, namespaces, and keywords Organize controls and other elements in a smooth and intuitive user interface Make the most of XAML’s rich controls for content, items, images, text, and media Build exceptionally powerful user and custom controls Master reliable and efficient ways to mix XAML with procedural code Extend XAML with type converters, markup extensions, and other third-party desktop classes Use data binding to link and synchronize controls with in-memory representations of data Leverage XAML’s support for binary and logical resources Use styles, templates, and visual states to radically redesign controls without sacrificing their built-in functionality Access the Windows animation library to create stunning theme transitions and animations Build custom panels to enforce consistency in unusual user interfaces Understand subtle changes in XAML’s behavior across different Microsoft UI frameworks

Table of Contents:
Introduction     1 Who Should Read This Book?      2 Code Examples     2 How This Book Is Organized     2 Conventions Used in This Book     4 Part I: The XAML Language Chapter 1: What Is XAML?      5 Elements and Attributes     6 Namespaces     9 Property Elements     11 Summary     13 Chapter 2: Child Elements and Keywords     15 Children of Object Elements     15 XAML Keywords     19 Summary     22 Chapter 3: Mixing XAML with Code     23 Loading and Parsing XAML at Runtime     23 Compiling XAML     26 Summary     30 Chapter 4: Extending XAML     31 Type Converters     31 Using Arbitrary Types in XAML     34 Markup Extensions     38 Some Notes About XAML2009     40 Summary     45 Part II: Graphics Chapter 5: Arranging Elements     47 Controlling Size     48 Controlling Position     52 Applying 2D Transforms     55 Applying 3D Transforms     63 Summary     66 Chapter 6: Automatic Layout     67 Canvas     68 StackPanel     71 DockPanel     72 Grid     75 VariableSizedWrapGrid and WrapPanel     84 Primitive Panels     87 Handling Content Overflow     89 Summary     97 Chapter 7: 2D Graphics     99 Shapes     99 Geometries     107 Brushes     115 Summary     129 Chapter 8: 3D Graphics     131 Getting Started with 3D Graphics     131 Cameras and Coordinate Systems     135 Transform3D     147 Model3D     157 Visual3D     181 Viewport3D     186 2D and 3D Coordinate System Transformation     187 Summary     195 Part III: Controls Chapter 9: Content Controls     197 Button     198 HyperlinkButton     199 RepeatButton     200 ToggleButton     201 CheckBox     201 RadioButton     202 ToolTip     203 Summary     205 Chapter 10: Items Controls     207 Items in the Control     208 Items Panels     209 ComboBox     212 ListBox     214 ListView     215 GridView     219 Summary     220 Chapter 11: Images     221 The Image Element     222 Multiple Files for Multiple Environments     231 Decoding Images     236 Encoding Images     244 Summary     252 Chapter 12: Text     253 TextBlock     253 RichTextBlock     265 TextBox     270 RichEditBox     276 PasswordBox     279 Summary     279 Chapter 13: Audio and Video     281 Playback     281 Capture     292 Transcoding     303 Summary     308 Chapter 14: Other Controls     311 Range Controls     311 Popup     314 Hub     316 DatePicker     322 TimePicker     323 ProgressRing     324 ToggleSwitch     325 Summary     326 Chapter 15: User Controls and Custom Controls     327 Creating a User Control     328 Creating a Custom Control     331 Summary     340 Part IV: Exploring XAML Features Chapter 16: Resources     341 Binary Resources     341 Logical Resources     348 Summary     355 Chapter 17: Data Binding     357 Introducing Binding     357 Controlling Rendering     366 Customizing the View of a Collection     374 Summary     378 Chapter 18: Styles, Templates, and Visual States     379 Styles     380 Templates     386 Visual States     395 Summary     404 Chapter 19: Animation     405 Theme Transitions     406 Theme Animations     417 Custom Animations     422 Custom Keyframe Animations     435 Easing Functions     439 Manual Animations     444 Summary     446 Part V: Advanced Features Chapter 20: Layout with Custom Panels     447 Communication Between Parents and Children     448 Creating a SimpleCanvas     451 Creating a SimpleStackPanel     455 Creating a UniformGrid     458 Summary     463 Chapter 21: Fun with XAML Readers and Writers     465 System.Xaml Overview     465 The Node Loop     468 Reading XAML     469 Writing to Live Objects     473 Writing to XML     475 XamlServices     476 Summary     478 Index     479

About the Author :
Adam Nathan is a principal software architect for Microsoft, a best-selling technical author, and a prolific developer of apps for Windows. He introduced XAML to countless developers through his books on a variety of Microsoft technologies. Currently a part of the Windows team, Adam has previously worked on Visual Studio and the Common Language Runtime. He was the founding developer and architect of Popfly, Microsoft’s first Silverlight-based product, named by PCWorld as one of its year’s most innovative products. He is also the founder of PINVOKE.NET, the online resource for .NET developers who need to access Win32. His apps have been featured on Lifehacker, Gizmodo, ZDNet, ParentMap, and other enthusiast sites. Adam’s books are considered required reading by many inside Microsoft and throughout the industry. Adam is the author of Windows 8.1 Apps with XAML and C# Unleashed (Sams, 2013), 101 Windows Phone 7 Apps (Sams, 2011), Silverlight 1.0 Unleashed (Sams, 2008), WPF 4.5 Unleashed (Sams, 2013), .NET and COM: The Complete Interoperability Guide (Sams, 2002), and several others. You can find Adam online at www.adamnathan.net or @adamnathan on Twitter.