Notes on WPF Changes
from Sept 2005 (PDC) CTP
to November 2005 CTP

The November 2005 Community Technology Preview (CTP) build of WinFX contains numerous API changes from the September 2005 CTP (the PDC ’05 build). While the basic design and principles discussed in Programming Windows Presentation Foundation: Beta Edition are unchanged, some of the details are different from our last list of changes (from beta 1 to the September 2005 CTP).

You’ll also want to check out Microsoft’s Introducing the November CTP: What’s New In Windows Presentation Foundation.

General

• <ApplicationDefinition Include="MyApp.xaml" /> is all you need in your .proj (or .csproj or .vbproj) file to make MyApp.xaml build with your project, i.e. no need to add it as a “page” ala <Page Include="MyApp.xaml" />. In fact, if you do, msbuild will try to compile it into the project twice and you’d have a compiler error.
• The mini-languages have been removed, e.g. the following in the Sept CTP:
  
  <!-- Sept CTP -->
  <Style ... >
    <Setter Property="Background"
  Value="VerticalGradient White LightGray" />
  </Style>
  
  Is now the following in the Nov CTP:
  
  <!-- Nov CTP -->
  <Style ... >
    <Setter Property="Background">
      <Setter.Value>
        <LinearGradientBrush>
          <LinearGradientBrush.GradientStops>
            <GradientStop Offset="0" Color="White" />
            <GradientStop Offset="1" Color="LightGray" />
          </LinearGradientBrush.GradientStops>
        </LinearGradientBrush>
      </Setter.Value>
    </Setter>
  </Style>

Note that this does not change the programming model – it is just a syntax change. These mini languages were simply a shorthand for the fully-specified syntax.

• There’s no longer a need to put a UICulture element into your .csproj if you’ve got a mapping PI in your project just to get it to compile, i.e. the following is no longer needed:
  
  <Project DefaultTargets="Build" ...>
    <PropertyGroup>
      <RootNamespace>AvCalc</RootNamespace>
      <AssemblyName>AvCalc</AssemblyName>
      <OutputType>winexe</OutputType>
      <!-- no longer needed to compile in the presence of a mapping PI -->
      <!--<UICulture>en-US</UICulture>-->
      ...
    </PropertyGroup>
    ...
  </Project>
  
  In fact, if you’ve got the UICulture element hard-coded in your .csproj and you try to compile in another locale, you’ll have problems.

Layout

• The RotateTransform ctor in the Sept CTP:
  
  RotateTransform(double angle, Point center)
  
  has been replaced with the following in the Nov CTP:
  
  RotateTransform(double angle, double centerX, double centerY)

• The LayoutTransform property remains, but this used to offer one of the mini-languages mentioned in the ‘General’ section of this document. It was previously possible to use strings such as ‘scale 2’ or ‘rotate 20’ in XAML for this property. Now it is necessary to spell out transformations in full.

• The Superscript and Subscript text inline elements have been removed. Instead, use a Span element, setting the Typography.Variants attached property to Superscript or Subscript.

Controls

• The Window.Text property has been renamed Window.Title

• Menu separators are now created with a <Separator> element instead of using a MenuItem with Mode="Separator"

Data Binding

• ObjectDataProvider: Instead of the TypeName parameter which took a type name differently than any other place in WPF, i.e. “Namespace.Class,Assembly”, the parameter is now named ObjectType and uses the Type XAML namespace extension, so code in the Sept. CTP:
  
  <!-- Sept, CTP -->
  <ObjectDataProvider TypeName="PersonBinding.RemotePeopleLoader,PersonBinding" ... />
  
  now looks like this in the Nov, CTP:
  
  <!-- Nov, CTP -->
  <?Mapping XmlNamespace="local" ClrNamespace="PersonBinding" ?>
  <Window xmlns:sys="sys" ...>
    <ObjectDataProvider
  ObjectType="{x:Type local:RemotePeopleLoader}" ... />
    ...
  </Window>
  
  
• ObjectDataProvider: Instead of a comma-delimited last of string parameters, the ODP requires you to populate a collection of typed ctor parameters:
  
  <!-- Sept, CTP -->
  <ObjectDataProvider Parameters="foo, 452" ... />
  
  <!-- Nov, CTP -->
  <ObjectDataProvider ...>
  <ObjectDataProvider.ConstructorParameters>
      <sys:String>foo</sys:String>
      <sys:Int32>452</sys:Int32>
    </ObjectDataProvider.ConstructorParameters>
  </ObjectDataProvider>

Resources

• The DictionaryLocation enumeration has been renamed ResourceDictionaryLocation.
• Referencing resource files relative to the installed directory of the application now requires the use of a special form of URL: the ‘pack’ scheme.  For example, to refer to a “foo.jpg” file, you must use “pack://siteoforigin:,,,/foo.jpg”

Graphics

• Mini-languages (as mentioned in the ‘General’ section of this document) were widely used in graphics, so although the programming model has changed, this has a significant impact on using XAML to represent graphics. In particular, linear and radial gradients, image references, and transforms must now be specified in full.  (Note that Paths and Polylines retain their mini-languages
• Viewport3D no longer has a Models property. It has a Children property instead, although you do not need to specify this explicitly in XAML – just putting elements inside a Viewport3D adds them as Children by default. You must add one or more ModelVisual3D elements as Children – this is a new type. It in turn has a Content property that contains instances of Model3D (or derived types). Model3D is what you used to add to Viewport3D.Models, so this adds another layer to the hierarchy you need to create for 3D content. (This change is primarily to improve the extensibility of the 3D API.)

Animation

• The DictionaryLocation enumeration has been renamed ResourceDictionaryLocation.
• Property-based triggers (i.e. <Trigger> as opposed to <EventTrigger>) can now launch actions – previously they could only set properties. Actions can be launched either when the trigger goes from being inactive to active (<Trigger.EnterActions>) and when it goes from being active to inactive (<Trigger.ExitActions>). Note that while data triggers can now run actions as well as properties, <EventTriggers> can only launch actions – they cannot set properties. (This is because event triggers are by their nature instantaneous – it wouldn’t be useful for an event trigger to be able to set a property like a data trigger can, because an event trigger has no duration; the property would only be set for 0 seconds which wouldn’t be terribly useful…)

Interop

• WindowsFormsIntegration.dll has moved to the C:\Program Files\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\WPF\v3.0 folder.