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Asked: 2026-05-11T21:16:03+00:00

I think I have got some grasp over basic WPF fundaes. Now I want

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I think I have got some grasp over basic WPF fundaes.

Now I want to go deep. However, apart from understanding how the classes work under the hood, I would like to learn practical aspects of WPF; that is, how to use it in real life projects.

I have seen a number of such books for Web Frameworks and languages such as Django, PHP etc, but none for WPF or for that matter, Winforms. All books of WPF/Winforms just include snippets, for that particular section/chapter.

I saw this question: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/720727/practical-silverlight-wpf-books, but it has more silverlight taste. I want for WPF.

I think reading blogs by WPF disciples and others is a good option, but I was thinking more of a systematic study.

So my question in nutshell is, what is the best systematic way to learn practical WPF programming for an advanced beginner?

Thanks!

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    I started with “Essential Windows Presentation Foundation“, because it starts you out building running applications from the beginning. It starts with Window and goes from there. The first working WPF code sample is in Chapter 1, starting on page 17.

    Then I read “Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed“, which goes much deeper overall, but starts with theory. IMO, it wouldn’t have been a good book to start with — far too much dry theory, and no chance to try it out until they finally get to Application and Window in Chapter 7; you don’t know enough to write a running WPF app until page 198. So I wouldn’t recommend this as the first WPF book you read. But for someone who already knows the basics, it’s terrific.

    After that:

    1. Start writing hobby apps. I’ve been teaching myself WPF by writing a couple of video games and a dependency-tracking task-list app. Haven’t finished any of them yet, but I’ve learned loads.
    2. Teach someone else what you know. This is a fabulous way to find out where the gaps in your knowledge are, and to help cement what you already do know. I’ve been doing WPF Lunch and Learns for the other devs in my department. One day we sat down with a blank Visual Studio project and made up a movie-database app over lunch.
    3. Whenever you find something you don’t know how to do yet, search Google and/or StackOverflow. If you don’t find the answer, ask it here.
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