WinUI Advanced Documentation - Microsoft Developer

Mastering Complex UI Patterns

This section delves into advanced techniques and patterns for building sophisticated and dynamic user interfaces with WinUI. We'll explore concepts that go beyond basic controls and layouts, enabling you to create truly engaging and professional applications.

Custom Control Development

Learn how to create your own reusable UI components by extending existing WinUI controls or building from scratch. This includes understanding templating, visual states, and property inheritance.

                    
// Example: Creating a custom button with a unique visual state
public class SpecialButton : Button
{
    public static readonly DependencyProperty PulsingProperty = DependencyProperty.Register(
        "Pulsing", typeof(bool), typeof(SpecialButton), new PropertyMetadata(false));

    public bool Pulsing
    {
        get { return (bool)GetValue(PulsingProperty); }
        set { SetValue(PulsingProperty, value); }
    }

    public SpecialButton()
    {
        // Define templates and visual states in XAML or code
        this.DefaultStyleKey = typeof(SpecialButton);
    }
}
                    
                

Data Binding and MVVM Deep Dive

Gain a comprehensive understanding of WinUI's data binding engine, including advanced scenarios like data converters, validation, and commanding. We'll explore the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) architectural pattern in detail and how to implement it effectively in your WinUI projects.

Key Takeaway: Implementing MVVM promotes testability, maintainability, and separation of concerns.

Animations and Transitions

Bring your applications to life with captivating animations and smooth transitions. This section covers WinUI's animation system, including storyboards, connected animations, and custom animation techniques for creating dynamic user experiences.

Interoperability with Other Technologies

Discover how to integrate WinUI with other Windows technologies, such as DirectX for custom rendering, and how to leverage existing libraries and components within your WinUI application.

Advanced Layout and Templating

Unlock the full potential of WinUI's layout system and templating capabilities.

Custom Panel Layouts

Go beyond the standard `Grid`, `StackPanel`, and `RelativePanel` by creating your own custom panel implementations for unique arrangement of child elements.

                    
// Conceptual outline for a custom panel
public class CircularPanel : Panel
{
    protected override Size MeasureOverride(Size availableSize)
    {
        // Measure children and calculate total size
        return base.MeasureOverride(availableSize);
    }

    protected override Size ArrangeOverride(Size finalSize)
    {
        // Arrange children in a circular pattern
        return base.ArrangeOverride(finalSize);
    }
}
                    
                

Content Control Templating

Understand how to redefine the visual structure of content controls like `ContentPresenter` and `ItemsPresenter` to achieve highly customized UI elements.

Visual Tree and Logical Tree Navigation

Learn how to traverse the visual and logical trees of your WinUI elements to inspect, manipulate, and interact with your UI at a deeper level.

Performance Optimization Techniques

Ensure your WinUI applications are fast, responsive, and efficient.

UI Virtualization

Implement UI virtualization for large lists and grids to significantly improve performance by only rendering the visible elements.

Resource Management

Best practices for managing application resources, including images, fonts, and data, to minimize memory usage and improve load times.

Profiling and Debugging Performance Issues

Utilize profiling tools and debugging techniques to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks in your WinUI applications.

WinUI Advanced Topics