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Future Developments Notes

Review Questions

1. What are some new WPF controls?

2. What are some changes in WPF properties for controls?

3. How is a prefix set up for an XML namespace in a XAML file?

4. What do these terms mean?
   Dependency Property   Attached Property   Trigger

   Routed Event   FlowDocument  Static Resource

5. Name six container controls that are useful for controlling the layout in a WPF project.

6. Create a style that applies to all buttons on a form. Check out these WPF Style Details first.

7. How does data binding work?

8. What is MVVM?

Examples

Future Examples: DecoratedButton  Stars  Rainbow  FillingExample  ClockControlExample  SimpleCodeAnimation  PerspectiveCylinders  SphereLighting  TransformExamples  Generate3DMesh 

Example file: future.zip

Future2 Examples: Linq2Xml  Linq2Xml2

Example file: future2.zip

Part A: Future Developments

1. 10 to 15 Years Out
   • Biological and Chemical Computers
     An article about a biological computer built from leech neurons:
     http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/358822.stm

     DNA Analysis is a mature field of biological computing.

   • Electronic and Mechanical Nanocomputers

   • Quantum Computers
     Recent news about quantum computing
     www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100525090337.htm

     David DiVincenzo, of IBM, lists these requirements for a practical quantum computer:
      
     
     1. scaleable physically to increase the number of qubits;
         
     2. qubits that can be initialized to arbitrary values;
         
     3. quantum gates that are faster than the decoherence time;
         
     4. universal gate set;
         
     5. qubits that can be easily read.
         
2. 5 Years Out
   • Hot topics:
     Parallel Computing with .Net: Parallel Extensions Library: Parallel.for, Parallel.foreach.

     Cloud Computing: Google, Microsoft Azure.

   • Required Features of Computing Technologies:
     Rich User Interface Experience

     Expressive Language

     Powerful IDE

     Application to Application Internet Communication

     Support for Multiple Processors

   • W3School's Vision for Distributed Applications

   • Most Popular Computer Languages
     The most popular computer languages according to TIOBE.

   • Contenders for the Language of the Future
     .Net and XAML

     Java

     Python

     Ruby

3. Sample Code
   • Ruby:   Apache Log File Analyzer

   • Python:   User Registration System

Part B: Some C# 3.0 Language Features

1. Implicit Data Typing
   • Automatically infer the type of a variable from its initial value.

   • Traditional C#:
     int n = 3;
     Person p = new Person("Alice", 'F', 23);

   • C# 3.0:
     var n = 3;
     var p = new Person("Alice", 'F', 23);

2. Extension Methods
   • Add a method to a class without using inheritance or recompiling the original class. This must be done in a static class.

   • Method Definition:
     public static void MethodName(this ObjectType objectName)
     {
         // Method definition
     }
     

   • Method Invocation:
     ObjectType obj = new ObjectType( );
     obj.MethodName( );

3. Object Initializers
   • Declaring a new object with an object initializer:
     var p = new Point { X = 30, Y = 40 };

4. Anonymous Types
   • Anonymous Object Definition:
     var myCar = new { Color = "Red",
         Make = "Buick", Year = 1975 };

   • Using an Anonymous Object:
     color = myCar.Color;

   • Fields of an anonymous type are read only.

5. Predicates
   • A Predicate is a function passed as a delegate to another function. For example:
     List<int> x = new List<int>( ) {3, 6, 9, 12};
     List<int> y = x.FindAll(IsEven);

     where FindAll is the selector predicate, defined as
     public bool IsEven(int n)
     {
         return n % 2 == 0;
     }

   • The NewStuff Example shows how to use a predicate using three styles:
     1. Using traditional method and delegate syntax.

     2. Using anonymous delegate syntax.

     3. Using lambda method syntax.

   • Lambda method syntax is a way to define an anonymous inline method. Define a public delegate named squarer:
     public delegate int squarer(int n);

     Then inside a method, a delegate sqr can be defined with lambda expression syntax:
     squarer sqr = (x => x * x);

   • The power of lambda expressions arises when both the inline and anonymous features can be exploited at the same time:
     y = x.FindAll(n => n % 2 == 0);

6. New C# 4.0 Features
   An article by Mads Torgerson that discusses some of the new features in C# 4.0.

Part C: Some LINQ Examples

• LINQ means Language Integrated Query.

• LINQ extracts or manipulates data in databases, XML files, metadata tables or collections.

• Example:

  string[ ] animals = {"elephant", "lion",
      "rhinocerous", "tiger"};
  IEnumerable<string> subset =
      from g in animals
      where g.Length > 6
      orderby g
      select g;
  foreach(string s in subset)
      Console.WriteLine(s);

• Here are two Linq to Xml examples: Linq2Xml   Linq2Xml2

Part D: More about WPF

1. Graphics   DecoratedButton, Stars, Rainbow Examples
   • In the DecoratedButton Example, use a Path tag to draw on a Button control. For example:

     <Path Data="M 5,10 A 3,3 0 0 0 13,10" 
           Stroke="Black" />
     

   • Here are the possible types of paths that are designated by letters in the Data attribute:
     M   Move to new point, which becomes the next current point.

     L   Draw line from current point to new point.

     H   Draw horizontal line from current point to new y-value.

     V   Draw horizontal line from current point to new x-value.

     C   Draw cubic Bezier curve.

     Q   Draw quadratic Bezier curve.

     A   Draw elliptical arc finishing at new point.

     Z   Draw line from current point back to initial point of path.

   • Use a ScaleTransform to enlarge the button. Because the rendering of the button is device independent, the resolution is still good at the larger scale.

   • Use a Polygon tag to draw a five-pointed star in the Stars Example.

   • The Points collection determines the corners of the polygon.

   • There are two ways to determine the interior of the polygon when filling:
     OddEven   A line traversing the polygon is in the interior of the polygon if it has crossed an odd number of edges. It is in the exterior if it has crossed an even number of edges.

     Nonzero   A line traversing the polygon counts +1 for each left-to-right edge that it crosses and -1 for each right-to-left edge. If the total is 0 it is in the exterior, if it is non-zero, it is in the interior.

   • The Rainbow Example uses a LinearGradient fill with GradientStops to form a rainbow with smooth transitions between colors.

   • The rainbow colors are:
     Red  Orange  Yellow  Lime  Blue  Cyan  Blue  Red 

2. Animation   ClockControlExample, SimpleCodeAnimation
   • In the FillingExample, implement a DoubleAnimation in a StoryBoard. Set the property to change as Ellipse.Width. The animation should start at 0:0:2 and end at 0:0:5. Ellipse.Width should start at 10 and end at 300 pixels.

   • Use a DispatcherTimer object to keep track of the elapsed time.

   • Here are other types of derived Animation classes:
     ByteAnimation  ColorAnimation  DecimalAnimation  DoubleAnimation  Int16Animation  Int32Animation  Int64Animation  Point3DAnimation  PointAnimation  QuaternionAnimation  RectAnimation  Rotation3DAnimation  SingleAnimation  SizeAnimation  ThicknessAnimation  Vector3DAnimation  VectorAnimation 

   • A StoryBoard can involve more than one type of animation.

     at the same time, for example, a wheel can move forward and rotate simultaneously.

   • The ClockControl Example uses ColorAnimation in addition to DoubleAnimation.

   • The SimpleCodeAnimation Example sets up and alters animations using C# code.

   • More complex animations can be created using keyframes.

3. Three-Dimensional Graphics   PerspectiveCylinders, SphereLighting, TransformExamples, Generate3DMesh
   • The PerspectiveCylinders Example shows a scene viewed from a camera.

   • The camera location, orientation and field of vision must be specified.

   • To show a three-dimensional scene, these resources are needed:
     A wireframe model called a mesh for each object.

     The specifications of the surface materials, for example, DiffuseMaterial, SpecularMaterial or EmissiveMaterial.

     The types, positions and directionalities of the lights in the scene.

Part E: Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Apps

1. UWP App Characteristics
    
   
   • UWP apps target device families, not specific operating systems.
      
   • Targeted devices include desktop, tablet, phone, XBox,
      
   • Apps that run on or interact with specialized hardware:
     
     SurfaceHub   apps for interactive whiteboards used to support virtual meetings,
     IoT                 apps that interact with lights, sensors, and motors in a manner similar to Arduino,
     HoloLens        apps that generate holograms.
     
     
   • If developer uses only core APIs, the UWP app will run on any device.
      
   • Extension SDKs add specialized APIs for individual devices.
      
   • UWP apps are integrated with cloud services such Azure.
      
   • UWP apps can be downloaded from the Windows Store or they can be sideloaded directly onto a PC.
      
   • A common architecture for UWP apps is MVVM, which uses data binding and triggers to connect the data with the user interface.
      
   • MVVM (Model-View-View Model) architecture separates the app's business and presentation logic from the user interface, which makes the app easier to test, maintain, and develop.
      
   • A successful MVVM implementation has no code behind.
   i
   
2. Input Handling APIs
    
   
   • CoreIndependentInputSource   Consumes raw input on main thread or on background thread.
      
   • PointerPoint   Unifies raw touch, mouse, and pen data into a consistant set of interfaces and events.
      
   • PointerDevice   Supports querying to determine available input modalities.
      
   • InkCanvas and InkPresenter allow access to ink stroke data.
   
   
3. Visual Studio 2015 Available Projects
    
   
   • Hub   Supports Hub controls that organize content into distinct, but related sections, which are meant to be traversed in a preferred order.
      
   • Pivot   Presents data from a single database in a variety of formats using a variety of controls.
      
   • LightSwitch   Allows developers to write user interfaces that support CRUD applications without writing code.
   
   
4. Windows Store Apps
    
   
   • run on the desktop
      
   • are downloaded from the Windows Store like a phone or IPad app.
      
   • typically run in full screen mode.
      
   • are chromeless: no borders or popup windows.
      
   • can take input from touch screen gestures.
      
   • can also take input from accelerometers in mobile devices.
      
   • run in the Windows 8.1 operating system, but not in Windows 10.
   
   

Part F: Intro to Silverlight and Expression Blend

1. What is Silverlight?
   • Silverlight is Microsoft's environment for running rich internet applications.

   • However, plugin environments for browsers like Silverlight and Flash have been replaced by HTML5 and Javascript.
      
   • Support for Silverlight will officially stop on Oct 12, 2021.
   
   
2. MS Expression?
   • Expression is Microsoft's development environment for WPF and SilverLight related applications.
      
   • Expression is a Suite of Five Software Products

     Expression Web	XHTML and CSS Web Pages
     Expression Blend	Silverlight XAML Applications
     Expression Design	Vector-based Graphics Design
     Expression Media	Manage Digital Media Files
     Expression Encoder	Encode Video Files

     
     
     • A version of Expression Blend ships with Visual Studio 2015.
     
     
   • Importance of Learning Expression Blend
     • An article by Josh Smith:

       joshsmithonwpf.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/the-importance-of-learning-expression-blend

     • Expression Blend is for designers.
       It has better capability than Visual Studio for editing colors, storyboards, animations and triggers.

       In earlier versions, it did not have the capability for editing C#, VB or JavaScript code.

       Later versions do have this capability.

       Currently, both Visual Studio and Expression Blend have the capability to create WPF and SilverLight projects.

   • Some Silverlight Examples
     • Examples Supplied with Expression Blend