WPF or Windows Form?

We're planning to develop a new custom client LOB application and, by making the analysis document, there's the crucial dilemma: should I choose Windows Form (where all my team is great) or should I choose the new Windows Presentation Foundation?

When I've submitted this question, I've received also responses like "Windows Form are dead... we've to move to WPF!".

I think that our final choice will be to choose WPF for this project (maye with the interesting Composite Application Guidance for WPF Framework), but absolutely I can't agree to say that "Windows Form is a dead technology".

Windows Form is still alive and it will be alive for many years. WPF is not intended to replace Windows Forms but it's an other technology for developing Windows client applications.

There are scopes where Windows Form is the best choice and others where WPF is more appropriate. If you think that you need a sophisticated user experience, maybe WPF is the best choice. But if you need a LOB application that must offers good performance and traditional navigation (MDI etc.), maybe Windows Form could be the right choice.

A myth that I want to destroy here is also that it's wrong to think that WPF is just for applications that requires a great user experience. No... WPF has lots of interesting features that overcomes the UI.

And why not interoperability? Don't forget that you can use WPF controls inside a Windows Form application and viceversa. This could be interesting...

Make your right decision and... long life to Windows Forms!!

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Print | posted on Thursday, September 25, 2008 6:01 PM

Comments on this post

# re: WPF or Windows Form?

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I'm a fan of WPF :D but I think that this framework have an high learning curve then...when you don't need a great user experience...I always suggest Windows Form ...at the moment :)
Left by Vito Arconzo on Sep 26, 2008 9:53 AM

# re: WPF or Windows Form?

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I totaly agree with you Vito. WPF has an high learning curve and it involves also design competency that are not so "friendship" for a developer... there are so many cases where Windows Form is still the best choice, despite the UI.
Left by Stefano Demiliani on Sep 26, 2008 10:18 AM

# re: WPF or Windows Form?

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I've tried WPF for one project for something about 3 months just to abandon it and use Windows Forms Instead. Why?
1) After those 3 months I still have a feeling that I know so little about WPF.
2) Now, after this experience I really like Windows Forms designer - it's so easy and intuitive comparing to WPF designer, ehm I should say comparing to XAML because WPF designer is not usable for me at all
3) Performance - I still can't understand how hardware supported WPF can be so slow comparing to GDI
4) I'm not a web developer so XAML is not my language of choice and... Why can't I inherit some windows like in Windows Forms.
Left by SeeR on Sep 29, 2008 11:34 PM

# re: WPF or Windows Form?

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I agree... Windows Form Designer is so "RAD" compared to the actual WPF tools.
About performance, for my WPF experience I can say that there's no big difference on performances if you are not using special WPF features (such as 3D, video etc.) that involves heavily the GDI.
However, today is out this "guide":
windowsclient.net/.../wpf-app-quality-guide.aspx
Must be read I think...
Left by Stefano Demiliani on Sep 30, 2008 12:22 PM

# re: WPF or Windows Form?

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By the looks of that picture.. someone is bored with windows forms
Left by i on May 15, 2009 8:17 PM

# re: WPF or Windows Form?

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This post comes after an internal discussion we had today... in summary, we've a project in progress <h4>Links of London Kama Arrow Charm</h4>(client-server application) where the client side is a complex WPF application. Now there's a requirement about having the client <h4>Louis Vuitton Bags-LV Robusto 1 Compartiment</h4> functionalities available also via browser on the intranet. What solution to propose? The "survey"'s results are
Left by jewellery earrings on May 11, 2010 6:26 AM

# re: WPF or Windows Form?

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velop a new custom client LOB application and, by making the analysis document, there's the crucial dilemma: should I choose Windows Form (where all my team is great) or should I choose t
contact uslink exchange with us
Left by wholesale laptop adapter on May 23, 2010 2:28 PM

# re: WPF or Windows Form?

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Did booting Windows XP the way you described indeed work? Kind of unbelievable, especially since noone has succeeded in booting anything other than Mac OS..
Left by gioco del casinò in rete on May 24, 2010 10:04 AM

# re: WPF or Windows Form?

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agree... Windows Form Designer is so "RAD" compared to the actual WPF tools.
Left by clothing manufacturer on Mar 28, 2011 4:46 PM

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