I use this a reference book to look up topics as I need them; I did not read it cover-to-cover. It has been very useful to explain the basics of how various elements operate. I often grab this book when I have some kind of weird stumbling block. It may not have the answers to my exact problem, but it often sheds enough light to give me the appropriate vocabulary for a successful Google search.
This book is well organized, so it is easy to search. Having the code in color, with standard VS conventions, makes it really easy to read the code samples.
Very clear and encompassing, and a lovely book. The explanations are exact, and there're a lot of useful samples. Though I'd expect more insights in useful issues (like manipulating data grids) on the account of graphics. Another remark: the downloaded sample code isn't arranged in a way that enables you easily locate the code in the book, and there are even code excerpts in the book that may not be found in the downloaded code, what's pretty annoying.
For the Unleashed book series this is another good technical reference book. As with several of the other Unleashed series this is not a beginner's guide on how to use this particular technology, this is an professional level resource book. It is made to be a handy reference and nothing more.
WPF 4 Unleashed by Adam Nathan's is a thorough and useful overview of WPF 4.0. The book explains concepts in detail, features a lot of interesting examples in color coded code, and you can download the code samples and the Visual Studio solution files.
The book covers a lot of topics but perhaps not everything. The book begins with an overview of WPF and an in depth overview of XAML. Then follows WPF fundamentals and things you need to know to build basic interactive WPF graphical user interfaces such as controls, panels, responding to user/input events, how to structure and deploy an application, and exploiting special features in Windows 7. Then the book delves deeper into various kinds of controls and features for professional programmers, such as resources, data binding, styles, templates, skins, and themes.
However, it was what followed after that which interested me the most. Part V focused on 2D graphics, 3D graphics, animation and audio/video and speech synthesis and speech recognition. The chapter on 3D graphics was well presented and interesting and explained such topics as cameras, perspective, different kinds of lighting, transforms, materials, geometry models, in addition to WPF constructs. The last part (Part VI) focused on advanced topics such interoperability with non-WPF technologies (Win32, Windows Forms, ActiveX, DirectX) and how to create user controls and custom controls and how to create/design custom panels.
The introductory chapter on XAML was quite challenging. However, if you don't get everything in that chapter you should just continue reading anyway. It gets better. The book does not have step by step follow along exercises. You are supposed to know what to do with the sample code. It is not a book on how to use Visual Studio. In that sense it is not a book for beginners. However, the book will inform you about what you can do with WPF and how it works and then you can come back to it later for reference. Therefore I think it is useful to both beginners and those already familiar with WPF.
I think the book is pretty good and I definitely recommend it. However, I wish the chapter on XAML had been split up in two chapters, one introductory and one advanced chapter placed at the end of the book. The advanced chapters could also have included a few more topics related to WPF such as XPS.
This gave me a very good introduction to learning WPF. It starts off very basic and explains where WPF came from and then gets very technical in a hurry. I didn't read it cover to cover, but I found the first several chapters a good starting point and then I just got in there and started playing. I've used the rest of the book for references when I'm trying to figure certain things out, but I actually found that running my questions through Bing came back with fast and accurate answers to my questions.
WPF 4 is very detailed focused book on the WPF 4 framework. It reads more like a reference that it does a "How to"/learning guide on subject matter. If you are not familiar with WPF 4, then you should start with another book.
The production quality of the book is quite good. The color printing which matches the color scheme of Visual Studio 2010 is quite helpful when you are looking to compare code to what you are working on in VS2010. The organization of the book is fairly good.
Many other reviewers have mentioned that Chapter 2 is a tough one to get through. It really is. You should start with a higher level discussion of XAML. MSDN was several good articles/overview of XAML.
The chapter on data binding really needs to be expanded with better information and examples. Data binding is critical part of any application. If you cannot bind data from various sources, then what good will your application be?
If you can purchase it used and keep on your bookshelve for a reference then purchase it. If you are looking to learn WPF, then look for other sources.
I took a quick look at the reviews for this product and I think a lot of them are unfair. It's a framework for building applications and not a programming guide. The author clearly goes into detail about using the framework and provides enough reference material and examples such that you should have little trouble learning about the fundaments of using WPF. I find it interesting that so many people seem to be complaining about it being too difficult to learn from but all and all if you know how to develop in C# you should have very few problems.
On that note I do think the author could have handled the subject differently (personally I like programming books that walk you through the creation of an application instead of act as reference as you feel like you're building on your knowledge) but the book serves its purpose.
I suggest you get a hold of the book and then keep up with the changes to the framework as Microsoft releases them (as opposed to buying a new edition each time a version is released). If you can get a hold of version of this book for the last WPF version you likely will be fine as well as once you get the hang of it the framework really is pretty easy to deal with.
I've purchased several SQL books on the kindle, but this was my first dive into an unleashed book for the kindle... and let me tell you, the entire book is worthless because the code samples are almost impossibly to view on the kindle.
My kindle is plain e-ink - so I can't see color coding in the book, one of the books' key features. Additionally, the code shows up as images which have to be "rotated and zoomed" for you to be able to even READ the code... which is the biggest pain to have to stop reading, click, wait for the image to pull in... and even then you can't get the whole code in one page so you're constantly having to click 'left' and 'right' to see the entire image.
As a concept I would rate this category of books 3 stars because try as they might, guides like this don't come close to real hands on practice. This is however a very thorough and well written reference with plenty of images, diagrams, tips and advice and for that I will bump it up to 4 stars. As a desk reference it may be useful, although generally I think most people will just hit a google search rather than pull the book out of their library. As a kickstart guide I think it will provide plenty of inspiration and guidance... just dig in with your bare hands earlier rather than later.
Pros: Great production quality & color images
Cons: Some of the call-out tips might have been better integrated into the text than kept as sidebars
I feel that the introductory chapters in this book, primarily chapter two, are a bit difficult to digest, initially. Chapter one got me excited about the prospect of WPF. Then in chapter two, the author introduces XAML's role in the WPF processing pipeline, and it seems a little bit daunting keeping the complimentary XAML vs. C# approaches distinguished. This may just be from my own transition into the XML-based programming model, since the technology introduces so many underlying technologies which seem foreign to my premier introduction to bracketed markups like HTML that I could take at face value. Chapter three is where things start to come together before diving into what turns out to be an incredible approach to creating outstanding user interfaces.
Once all the formalities are out of the way, WPF 4 Unleashed makes playing around with the technology quite fascinating, considering what it is. It's a lot of reading, but it's thorough and the results are rewarding.
The color print does make it easy to keep track of where you are in case the book falls closed. The author covers all the bases, as far as I can tell, in regards to the capabilities of each item, in addition to the caveats to look out for in particular cases. Once I got into it, I came to find it enjoyable - it's just that first introductory hurdle that you've got to muscle your way through.
Product Details :
Paperback: 848 pages
Publisher: Sams Publishing; 1 edition (June 14, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0672331195
ISBN-13: 978-0672331190
Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 1.5 x 9.1 inches
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