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127 lines
8.5 KiB
Markdown
127 lines
8.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Application Development"
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description: Learn how to build a variety of applications using the framework of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
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ms.date: "01/26/2018"
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helpviewer_keywords:
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- "WPF [WPF], about application development"
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- "application development [WPF], about"
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ms.assetid: 2996ce5e-81e9-49ae-881b-952db3dd1b7e
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---
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# Application Development
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<a name="introduction"></a>
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Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a presentation framework that can be used to develop the following types of applications:
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- Standalone Applications (traditional style Windows applications built as executable assemblies that are installed to and run from the client computer).
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- XAML browser applications (XBAPs) (applications composed of navigation pages that are built as executable assemblies and hosted by Web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox).
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- Custom Control Libraries (non-executable assemblies containing reusable controls).
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- Class Libraries (non-executable assemblies that contain reusable classes).
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> [!NOTE]
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> Using WPF types in a Windows service is strongly discouraged. If you attempt to use these features in a Windows service, they may not work as expected.
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To build this set of applications, WPF implements a host of services. This topic provides an overview of these services and where to find more information.
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<a name="Application_Management"></a>
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## Application Management
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Executable WPF applications commonly require a core set of functionality that includes the following:
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- Creating and managing common application infrastructure (including creating an entry point method and a Windows message loop to receive system and input messages).
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- Tracking and interacting with the lifetime of an application.
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- Retrieving and processing command-line parameters.
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- Sharing application-scope properties and UI resources.
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- Detecting and processing unhandled exceptions.
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- Returning exit codes.
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- Managing windows in standalone applications.
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- Tracking navigation in XAML browser applications (XBAPs), and standalone applications with navigation windows and frames.
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These capabilities are implemented by the <xref:System.Windows.Application> class, which you add to your applications using an *application definition*.
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For more information, see [Application Management Overview](application-management-overview.md).
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<a name="WPF_Application_Resource__Content__and_Data_Files"></a>
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## WPF Application Resource, Content, and Data Files
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WPF extends the core support in the Microsoft .NET Framework for embedded resources with support for three kinds of non-executable data files: resource, content, and data. For more information, see [WPF Application Resource, Content, and Data Files](wpf-application-resource-content-and-data-files.md).
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A key component of the support for WPF non-executable data files is the ability to identify and load them using a unique URI. For more information, see [Pack URIs in WPF](pack-uris-in-wpf.md).
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<a name="Windows_and_Dialog_Boxes"></a>
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## Windows and Dialog Boxes
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Users interact with WPF standalone applications through windows. The purpose of a window is to host application content and expose application functionality that usually allows users to interact with the content. In WPF, windows are encapsulated by the <xref:System.Windows.Window> class, which supports:
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- Creating and showing windows.
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- Establishing owner/owned window relationships.
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- Configuring window appearance (for example, size, location, icons, title bar text, border).
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- Tracking and interacting with the lifetime of a window.
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For more information, see [WPF Windows Overview](wpf-windows-overview.md).
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<xref:System.Windows.Window> supports the ability to create a special type of window known as a dialog box. Both modal and modeless types of dialog boxes can be created.
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For convenience, and the benefits of reusability and a consistent user experience across applications, WPF exposes three of the common Windows dialog boxes: <xref:Microsoft.Win32.OpenFileDialog>, <xref:Microsoft.Win32.SaveFileDialog>, and <xref:System.Windows.Controls.PrintDialog>.
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A message box is a special type of dialog box for showing important textual information to users, and for asking simple Yes/No/OK/Cancel questions. You use the <xref:System.Windows.MessageBox> class to create and show message boxes.
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For more information, see [Dialog Boxes Overview](dialog-boxes-overview.md).
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<a name="Navigation"></a>
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## Navigation
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WPF supports Web-style navigation using pages (<xref:System.Windows.Controls.Page>) and hyperlinks (<xref:System.Windows.Documents.Hyperlink>). Navigation can be implemented in a variety of ways that include the following:
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- Standalone pages that are hosted in a Web browser.
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- Pages compiled into an XBAP that is hosted in a Web browser.
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- Pages compiled into a standalone application and hosted by a navigation window (<xref:System.Windows.Navigation.NavigationWindow>).
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- Pages that are hosted by a frame (<xref:System.Windows.Controls.Frame>), which may be hosted in a standalone page, or a page compiled into either an XBAP or a standalone application.
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To facilitate navigation, WPF implements the following:
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- <xref:System.Windows.Navigation.NavigationService>, the shared navigation engine for processing navigation requests that is used by <xref:System.Windows.Controls.Frame>, <xref:System.Windows.Navigation.NavigationWindow>, and XBAPs to support intra-application navigation.
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- Navigation methods to initiate navigation.
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- Navigation events to track and interact with navigation lifetime.
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- Remembering back and forward navigation using a journal, which can also be inspected and manipulated.
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For information, see [Navigation Overview](navigation-overview.md).
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WPF also supports a special type of navigation known as structured navigation. Structured navigation can be used to call one or more pages that return data in a structured and predictable way that is consistent with calling functions. This capability depends on the <xref:System.Windows.Navigation.PageFunction%601> class, which is described further in [Structured Navigation Overview](structured-navigation-overview.md). <xref:System.Windows.Navigation.PageFunction%601> also serves to simplify the creation of complex navigation topologies, which are described in [Navigation Topologies Overview](navigation-topologies-overview.md).
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<a name="Hosting"></a>
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## Hosting
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XBAPs can be hosted in Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox. Each hosting model has its own set of considerations and constraints that are covered in [Hosting](hosting-wpf-applications.md).
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<a name="Build_and_Deploy"></a>
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## Build and Deploy
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Although simple WPF applications can be built from a command prompt using command-line compilers, WPF integrates with Visual Studio to provide additional support that simplified the development and build process. For more information, see [Building a WPF Application](building-a-wpf-application-wpf.md).
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Depending on the type of application you build, there are one or more deployment options to choose from. For more information, see [Deploying a WPF Application](deploying-a-wpf-application-wpf.md).
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<a name="related_topics"></a>
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## Related Topics
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|Title|Description|
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|-----------|-----------------|
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|[Application Management Overview](application-management-overview.md)|Provides an overview of the <xref:System.Windows.Application> class including managing application lifetime, windows, application resources, and navigation.|
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|[Windows in WPF](windows-in-wpf-applications.md)|Provides details of managing windows in your application including how to use the <xref:System.Windows.Window> class and dialog boxes.|
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|[Navigation Overview](navigation-overview.md)|Provides an overview of managing navigation between pages of your application.|
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|[Hosting](hosting-wpf-applications.md)|Provides an overview of XAML browser applications (XBAPs).|
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|[Build and Deploy](building-and-deploying-wpf-applications.md)|Describes how to build and deploy your WPF application.|
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|[Introduction to WPF in Visual Studio](../getting-started/introduction-to-wpf-in-vs.md)|Describes the main features of WPF.|
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|[Walkthrough: My first WPF desktop application](../getting-started/walkthrough-my-first-wpf-desktop-application.md)|A walkthrough that shows how to create a WPF application using page navigation, layout, controls, images, styles, and binding.|
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