Combo WF/WPF Master Class with Brian Noyes (23rd - 27th June 2008)

The class starts by explaining where workflow is appropriate and how to use it in your applications, and then continues to discuss in depth how to develop workflow-driven applications using WF.
You will learn how to design and develop sequential workflows and state machine workflows, host workflows in a variety of application types, and allow workflows to communicate with their host application and the outside world.

You will also get exposure to advanced aspects of workflow development, including concurrency, transactions, security, alternate processing flows, and building custom activities. In addition to learning how use the basic capabilities of WF, you will also learn when to use specific techniques and capabilities and when not to. You’ll get a better understanding of complex aspects of WF, and your knowledge will go well beyond what the available documentation.

You will learn not only the mechanics of WF programming, but you will also best practices and design guidelines that span other forms of .NET development, making you a better developer and architect.

The class consists of a balanced mix of slide presentation, demos, and hands-on labs. The demos reinforce both the concepts and the mechanics of using WF, and serve as reference implementations that can be used when implementing systems with WF. The demos also contain several utilities and helper classes that can save you coding effort in production projects.

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) allows you to create new and compelling user experiences with rich graphics and media in far less time than with previous UI technologies. To achieve this, WPF offers new presentation layer architecture. Understanding this architecture is the key to effectively employing WPF and utilizing its supporting tools.

The class covers the core capabilities of WPF including its fundamental concepts and where it fits relative to other UI technologies, programming in eXtensible Application Markup Language (XAML), WPF architecture building blocks, controls, graphics, styles, data binding, all using the new design tools from the Expression suite and Visual Studio 2008.

The class provides essential guidelines on the best way of performing certain tasks and how to choose between multiple options when applicable and how WPF related to other technologies such as WF and WCF.

The class will not only teach you how to effectively employ the design and development tools but also demonstrate the shortcomings of the tools and how to compensate, all aimed at making you more productive learning and applying WPF. In the tradition of the IDesign Master Classes, this class sets the focus on literally how to put your presentation layer together appropriately so that you can employ the right capabilities at the right time.

The class also presents how and when to use WPF’s step technology, Silverlight, and how to target and reuse controls, design effort and other artifacts in both environments.

The class comprises of conceptual presentations, demonstrations, and hands on labs to help reinforce the concepts and offer first-hand experience. The demonstrations and labs provide a foundation of sample code and starting points you can draw from in your own projects.