C# and WPF a good choice?

[MrGreene]

Dear forum members,

I'm working on an accounting software, which I was planing to do using C#. Now that I see there is WPF that I can use instead of WinForms, I would like to ask you a couple of questions.

1. For an account software, which I would like to have it looking good, with dynamic graphs and "easy on eyes" with light animations (like apps on iphone, transitions etc), is C# .NET WPF a good choice? What would be your recommendations?
   
2. And how can I skin the window completely? Like, iTunes working on a Windows machine. The window and the title bar is custom, but buttons for quitting the application or minimizing it still the Windows one. How can I do this with VS and C# with WPF?
   
3. Once the project is complete, can I deploy it to work on a web browser? Is it possible? Because I read some stuff like this.
   
4. Also, dear members, do you have any favorite resource which teaches animation and design side of WPF?

Thank you very much.

[Phil Weber]

Yes, WPF is a good choice. If you want to deploy the app in a browser, Silverlight is an even better choice; here is a Silverlight banking demo: http://www.cookingwithxaml.com/meals/financials/

Here is a sample demonstrating how to skin a window: http://pavanpodila.spaces.live.com/b...9398!345.entry

[MrGreene]

Thank you Mr. Weber for your quick answer and recommendations.

I've checked the Silverlight banking demo and its beautiful.

And the blog of Pavanpodila is brilliant, however I can't get to download the indicated file, as the domain no longer exists of his host.

If you know, can you please give me the name or some sort of starting point of windowless-window that I can build from scratch so I can learn it better?

What kind of a research shall I perform to find necessary namespaces or whatever that needs to be done in order to achieve it?

Also if you are aware of more useful blogs like the one of Pavanpodila, could you please share them too?

Thank you, once again.

Yes, WPF is a good choice. If you want to deploy the app in a browser, Silverlight is an even better choice; here is a Silverlight banking demo: http://www.cookingwithxaml.com/meals/financials/

Here is a sample demonstrating how to skin a window: http://pavanpodila.spaces.live.com/b...9398!345.entry

[Hack]

Perhaps here...

http://community.altiusconsulting.co...lverlight.aspx

[Hack]

And here are some zip files that you might find interesting...

http://www.bankingwithxaml.com/woodgrovefinancial/

[Phil Weber]

MrGreene: The GlassWindow source code is included in this project: http://www.codeplex.com/fluidkit

[MrGreene]

Thank you!

Fluidkit seems to be an excellent source of information, as it contains a lot of things that I can learn from.

Now thanks to Fluidkit's GlassWindow, I also understand the logic behind how iTunes looks. I realise the shadow of their -close, minimize, maximize- buttons are limited in size, unlike native Windows applications, it's obvious that they have also "skinned" the Window. I tought it was native.

I'm thinking about following these footsteps, in order to create the project I've planned.

Could you please tell me your opinion?

1. Create a C# WPF Project on VS.
2. Start coding the software, focusing on codebehind, not caring much about how it looks. With basic textboxes, and so on on visual level.
3. Once everything is in well runing order, and fully functional, start desiging its forms and textboxes and everything in MS Expression and import them and replace the old controls and it become "easy on the eyes", to publish it.

MrGreene: The GlassWindow source code is included in this project: http://www.codeplex.com/fluidkit