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Mastering Windows Presentation Foundation
Mastering Windows Presentation Foundation

Mastering Windows Presentation Foundation: Master the art of building modern desktop applications on Windows

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Mastering Windows Presentation Foundation

Chapter 2. Debugging WPF Applications

When our WPF programs don't work as expected, we need to debug them, as we would with any other language. However, at first it can seem to be a daunting task, as WPF is very different from other languages. For example, when declaring a Dependency Property, we normally add a CLR property wrapper for convenience. However, the WPF Framework won't call it when the property value is changing, so we'd wait a long time for a break point in that setter to be hit.

When we're testing our newly developed code, we need to be able to check the values of our data bound properties, and there are a number of ways to do that, although some are far from obvious. In this chapter, we'll investigate a number of important sources of information to help us to locate the mistakes in our code.

We'll discover a variety of tactics to help us when debugging the data bound values and find out how to track down the actual cause of a problem...

Utilizing the Output window

When we've made changes to our XAML, but don't see what we are expecting to see in the UI, the first place to look for errors is in the Output window of Visual Studio. If this window is not already visible, then you can display it by selecting the Output option from the View menu or by pressing Ctrl + W and then O .

However, if you have a binding error, but don't see any reference to it in the Output window, it could be because your Visual Studio is not currently set up to output debug information to it. You can turn this functionality on in the Visual Studio Options dialog window.

Note

Navigate to Tools | Options | Debugging | Output Window | General Output Settings.

The General Output Settings section has several options that you can turn on and off. The most important ones are All debug output and Exception Messages, but it is generally good practice to leave them all set to On. When set, binding errors will be displayed in the Output window...

Putting Presentation Trace Sources to work

As useful as it is, there are certain occasions when using the Output window will not suffice. Perhaps we have far too much output to look through now and would like to view it on the way home from work, or maybe we need to see this kind of debug trace information after our application has been deployed. In these cases and others, it's time to enable the WPF Presentation Trace Sources.

There are a number of different trace sources that we can employ to output detailed tracing data for us. The choice is the same as that found in the WPF Trace Settings options and in fact, after setting the values there, the Output window has already been showing us the debug trace output. By default, WPF uses a DefaultTraceListener object to send the information to the Output window, but we can override that and/or configure the output to be sent to a text and/or XML file instead or as well.

In order to do this, we need to alter our app.config file, which is...

Discovering inner exceptions

When we are building the content of our Views, we often make the odd typographical mistake here and there. Perhaps, we mistype the name of one of our properties in a binding path, or copy and paste some code that references other code that we have not copied.

At first, it may appear to be quite difficult to find the source of these types of errors, because when we run our application, the actual error that is raised by Visual Studio is usually of type XamlParseException and bares no direct relation to the actual error. The additional information provided is also of little help. Here is a typical example.

Discovering inner exceptions

Let's investigate this further. We can see that the additional information supplied here says-'Provide value on 'System.Windows.Markup.StaticResourceHolder' threw an exception.' Line number '48' and line position '41'.

Now let's try to break this down to some meaningful information. Firstly, it is clear that the...

Debugging data bound values

So far, we have seen that we can utilize a number of sources of information to help with tracking down the causes of our problems. However, what about actual debugging? In other GUI languages, we can add breakpoints at various locations in our code and watch our values changing as we step through our code. While we can also do this with WPF applications, it is not always so obvious where to put our breakpoints to ensure that program execution will hit them.

If you remember from the previous chapter, the CommandManager.RequerySuggested event is raised when the CommandManager detects a change in the UI that could reflect on whether a command could execute or not. Well, it turns out that two of the conditions that the CommandManager looks out for is when the application window is either activated or deactivated and we can take advantage of this to help us when debugging. Note that the application window is deactivated when the user moves focus from it and is reactivated...

Utilizing the Output window


When we've made changes to our XAML, but don't see what we are expecting to see in the UI, the first place to look for errors is in the Output window of Visual Studio. If this window is not already visible, then you can display it by selecting the Output option from the View menu or by pressing Ctrl + W and then O .

However, if you have a binding error, but don't see any reference to it in the Output window, it could be because your Visual Studio is not currently set up to output debug information to it. You can turn this functionality on in the Visual Studio Options dialog window.

Note

Navigate to Tools | Options | Debugging | Output Window | General Output Settings.

The General Output Settings section has several options that you can turn on and off. The most important ones are All debug output and Exception Messages, but it is generally good practice to leave them all set to On. When set, binding errors will be displayed in the Output window in the following...

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Key benefits

  • Learn how to use the MVVM software architectural pattern and see the benefits of using it with Windows Presentation Fountain (WPF)
  • Explore various ways to enhance efficiency through performance tuning and UI automation
  • Obtain a deep understanding of data validation and understand various methods that suit different situations

Description

Windows Presentation Foundation is rich in possibilities when it comes to delivering an excellent user experience. This book will show you how to build professional-grade applications that look great and work smoothly. We start by providing you with a foundation of knowledge to improve your workflow – this includes teaching you how to build the base layer of the application, which will support all that comes after it. We’ll also cover the useful details of data binding. Next, we cover the user interface and show you how to get the most out of the built-in and custom WPF controls. The final section of the book demonstrates ways to polish your applications, from adding practical animations and data validation to improving application performance. The book ends with a tutorial on how to deploy your applications and outlines potential ways to apply your new-found knowledge so you can put it to use right away.

Who is this book for?

This book is for working developers with a moderate level of knowledge about Windows Presentation Foundation. It will also be of special interest to ambitious individuals who want to know more about application architecture. It is also suitable for those who just want to learn how to build visually stunning user interfaces.

What you will learn

  • Use MVVM to improve workflow
  • Create visually stunning user interfaces
  • Perform data binds proficiently
  • Implement advanced data validation
  • Locate and resolve errors quickly
  • Master practical animations
  • Improve your applications' performance

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Feb 17, 2017
Length: 568 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785883002
Vendor :
Microsoft
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Product Details

Publication date : Feb 17, 2017
Length: 568 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785883002
Vendor :
Microsoft
Tools :

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Table of Contents

12 Chapters
1. A Smarter Way of Working with WPF Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Debugging WPF Applications Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Writing Custom Application Frameworks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Becoming Proficient with Data Binding Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Using the Right Controls for the Job Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Mastering Practical Animations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Creating Visually Appealing User Interfaces Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Implementing Responsive Data Validation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Completing That Great User Experience Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Improving Application Performance Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. Deploying Your Masterpiece Application Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
12. What Next? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.1
(8 Ratings)
5 star 62.5%
4 star 12.5%
3 star 12.5%
2 star 0%
1 star 12.5%
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Darryl Chambers Apr 05, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Excellent reference. Well organized, and clearly written, with a very approachable style. Thank you.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Alex Jun 30, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I needed a MVVM book and really like how this one is structured. Be aware though that the source code fragments in the Kindle version are not highlighted and lack any beautification. Other than that - this is a great book.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Kindle Customer Jul 22, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This is the book to architect and develop robust and controlled WPF applications. The author throws out great design considerations and ideas from modern design and patterns along the way. If you need to successfully develop complex applications in WPF that others hide from, this is the book for you.I have been away from WPF MVVM development for many years and needed a quick refresh, but using best practices and modern tools (such as .NET Core and modern C# constructs). The integration of modern design concerns into the presentation is great. These ideas were clearly earned the hard way and make this a unique book that is worth the effort to read.It took me a couple of days to work through this book. If you are not fluent with modern architecture and design patterns, expect to spend more time (and side reading). This book is worth the effort.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Aaron Thompson Nov 27, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book is great and honestly it may have been a little bit over my head. They dive very deep into the details which can be great for folks who operate on that level. Prior to reading this book I had worked on a few small projects using UWP. After skimming a few tutorials and stumbling my way through some code spaghetti I knew that some more foundation would be a big help. When I realized that I needed to rebuild one of my apps in WPF, I dove into this book. It did help me to understand the basics of what a framework is, how WPF is designed to help, and how WPF can be modified to suit my needs. This book is a heavy read and I'm glad that I have it. I'm sure that its the kind of thing that will be good to revisit every so often as I continue to learn.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
JBL Jun 20, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book is very good. As the title suggests, it will definitely help you develop mastery level skills with WPF applications. There is a lot of content to be had, all with plenty of explanation and actual code examples. I recommend downloading the actual the project file from the Packt website to make sure you're understanding things correctly.The physical quality of the book is very good. The text is clear and easy to read. The pages are thick and don't stick together.My only complaint is that for some of the more in-depth chapters, the actual implementation code can increase in complexity very quickly with multiple objects being utilized to achieve the end result. You may find yourself re-reading these chapters more than once (hardly worth taking off a star).
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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