Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) seems to be the successor to Windows Forms for desktop development.  The following are some of the highlights in WPF:

  • Separation of logic code from the presentation code where the presentation code is defined using a declarative syntax called Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML).
  • Three kinds of application available for creation: Windows applications, Navigation applications, and XAML Browser Applications (XBAPs).  Windows applications are similar to Windows Forms applications.  Navigation applications are similar to web sites in that they provide a page-based user experience but they run on the desktop computer like Windows applications.  XBAPs are similar to Navigation applications except that they run in Windows Internet Explorer.
  • Unprecedented support for displaying graphics, images, and media files.
  • Binding of a property to any object or source.  Use of data templates to configure how your data is displayed in the presentation layer.
  • Use of Styles, Animations, and Triggers to provide consistent user interface appearance, add interactivity, and change the user interface appearance in response to different conditions.
  • New document and printing model where you can work with XML Paper Standard (XPS) Documents and Flow Documents.