MS E-Learning on WPF

I decided with the upcoming events both MIX:UK 07 and the MSP "Boot Camp" I should do a little geeking up on some of the subjects which are going to be appearing at both of the events, I have chosen to first take a look into the new exciting world of WPF, otherwise known as Windows Presentation Foundation. This enables designers and developers to work together without compromise to create a "rich" (the current buzz word) user interface.

I took a free e-course called "Clinic 5135: Introduction to Developing with Windows® Presentation Foundation and Visual Studio® 2005 " which can be found here. The course is split into a number of sections:

• Introduction to WPF
• History of WPF
• WPF Features
• Creating WPF Applications
• Building WPF Applications
• Hosting and Deploying WPF Applications and Custom Controls
• Interoperating WPF and Other Application Models
• Undestanding WPF Object Models
• The WPF Application Object Model
• The WPF Programming Object Model

Each of these sections of the course have content to either read, listen to or watch, when you have then completed the section there is a short self test to partisipate in making sure you have understood the section.

I found each of these sections easy enough to follow although at time I felt like some of it was going over my head and if I knew more about programming I would be faring a little better, in saying this the course has now given me a much better understanding of how WPF is incorperated into the development of applications.

The only disapointing part about the course is that it didnt run us thorough much more than how to create a simple hello, world application. I would of liked to of seen a bit more on the development side of this like a couple of videos that walked you through creating say an RSS reader or such like.

Overall the course was well worth the time spent reading throught the material (even with a bad internet connection in my new flat). I would advise anyone who is inerested in WPF or just wants to know some more of the technical stuff behind creating WPF applications to give it a shot.