I have read this book. This book is very informative. The author has explained the concepts in detail and in good way. It covers the .NET Framework 3.0. So i don't know is there any changes from .NET 3.0 to .NET 3.5.

This book was the easiest book I have ever read. It kept me interested and awake. Not to mention the information was given in a way that was easy to understand. The extra sidebars that were included added very useful linformation as well. They really helped to drive the point home as well as well as provide more functionality to whatever was being discussed. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Book gives an excellent introduction of WPF. However, I think that the 2D/3D-part of the book is a bit over the top if you are looking for basics.

Money well spent.

On first opening this book you are struck by the beautiful full colour pictures and syntax-highlighted code samples. [Though the experience was slightly marred by the tears and damage to the front cover which occurred during shipping, as was also the case with another book in the order.]

I did a quick flip through and thought... "Beautiful presentation, but the content looks a bit over-simplified. Maybe all the reviewers were seduced by the full colour pages."

Then I started working my way through the book. I was blown away. The writing style is simple and to the point. But it doesn't lack depth. There are indications of the little things that are likely to catch you out, as well as discussions of some pretty advanced topics too.

So, Yay! The content of the book was just as good as the way it was presented, if not better. My only criticism is that in some cases there could have been more code examples.

On the other hand this would probably have made the book very bloated and not as useful as a reference book. There's enough information to point you in the right direction, and from there google will get you to all the code samples you need.

So let O'Reilly do the cookbook style books with lots of code snippets. They do that so well. This book takes a novel approach, and it works brilliantly!

All the features of WPF are explained here, with samples and visual codes for your reference. I decided to buy this book and other about Blend 2, but most of my doubts I solved with this edition.
Great book from beginners to experts.

Hey, a programming book in full colour!! WPF Unleashed really does introduce the concepts and details of WPF programming in a clear and easy manner, and Adam Nathan is to be commended for his efforts. Anyone wanting to learn (more) about WPF will benefit from this book.

This is a well written, well structured book.

Full color with good examples and covers a good range of details.

As WPF is such a change from Windows Forms programming, you really do need a reference book to get you started (and for reference too, when you want to do something more advanced). Googling just doesn't help too much yet... and in any case what you really want to do is to understand a little of the underlying technology, not just copy someone else's code snippet and ignore how it works.

I started with this book, then got impatient to get writing some code - so I bought Chris Sells' "Programing WPF", which got me to a flying start. But then I wanted to go back and understand more of what I was doing, and so I picked up WPF Unleashed again - and a lot of what I had been coding became clear.

So now I'm almost certain to shuttle between the two books... and I recommend you do the same!

What can I say.. I was looking for a book about WPF. I saw many, and many until I found that one. Then I stopped looking for more :)

This book stands out as one of the easiest to read technical books. The book is in color, is divided into many chapters and sub-chapters, and written in a casual style, which makes it very enjoyable to read. The coverage of the content is top-notch, save for the chapter on data binding which I think lacked better examples. I think this book falls into the category of a cover-to-cover read; meaning it is easy to get through the book in a couple weeks. There are other books that I would recommend as a reference book that contain more detailed technical information. If you are new to WPF and are the type to read complete chapters and books, then definitely start with this one.

I have over 25 technical books on my shelf (and those are just the ones I have hung on to). Without a doubt this is one of, if not THE, best technical book I have ever read!

This book really captures the excitement that surrounds WPF and carries that through into a book. They layout is exceptional (colour print is much less tiring to read). The chapters are thorough, especially on the key areas.

As I read through, questions would pop into my head. "Hmmm I wonder how that works?". Then I would turn the page and right there would be a detailed explaination. I was rarely left wondering how things worked, or how pieces fit together.

Don't think - just buy it!

I am new to WPF but an experienced ASP.NET and Windows Forms developer. The book contains much information although, naturally, part of it is a little bit old. However, what most annoyed me was the writing style of the book which I experienced somehow clumsy compared to many other IT books. Although my written English is not the best possible (my mother tongue is Finnish and I live in Finland) I am very sensitive about incoherencies in English text.

A very good idea is using full color printing. It is clearer and can delight the reader!

Osmo Saarela, Finland

So much is alreay said about this great book, so I will be short. I have read plenty of books aimed at developers, and this is truly the one that have made the biggest impression.

This is a must-have for WPF developers, and I'm sure that this book will become a legend in it's field!

This is a very good book about WPF, it is full of examples and cover all the most important features of WPF. THis book is good for people that does not know anything about WPF, but it goes quite deep inside the tricks of WPF.

This is a must have for everyone interested in the argument.

Good overview book to explain all the concepts and controls. The colour makes it much easier to read and digest.

The best one, by far. I have Cris Sells and Petzold's books and I never touched them since I bought this one.

I have not been a fan of Sams or the "Unleashed" series in the past. However with the lack of books in this space I gave it a try. The page layouts are very well done and the book moves through the major topics in a well thought out way. If you are a fan of the "Head First" series you will probably enjoy reading this book.

I am starting to wear this book out because I am using it so often as a reference while I program. I own three WPF books and this is the only one I constantly refer to. It's worth every penny. Don't hesitate to buy it.

Windows Vista is not only a great Operating System but also includes advanced graphics capabilities. Microsoft has developed new languages and frameworks that target Vista. Windows Presentation Foundation (XAML) helps you to build true, classic Vista style applications for Windows and Web environments. Many developers are eager to learn about this new technology and they are in search of good learning material. Adam Nathan has indeed done a good job by examining the complete features and functionalities of WPF in his latest book "Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed."

The book consists of five parts including an Appendix. The first part provides a solid explanation to WPF, XAML and some of the important concepts in WPF. The second part introduces you to the controls shipped with WPF and various features, such as Sizing, Positioning, Transforming elements, and Panels. The final chapter discusses the deployment aspects of a WPF application. The third part provides a comprehensive overview about the various features, such as Resources, Data Binding, Styles, Templates, Skins and Themes. I feel that these chapters will be of great use for advanced developers.

Some of the interesting features of the book are colored screenshots and source codes, useful tips and FAQs at relevant pages, and additional reference material under the banner Dig Deeper. I feel that colored screenshots help a reader to taste the real essence of the code output. Moreover, the author has labeled certain portions of the source code, such as in Page 289, which will surely help a reader to understand the code much better. I must say that the book is highly code intensive. All the concepts have been examined only with codes and not using any development environment. I believe that tools such as Orcas and Expression Blend were not available at the time of the release of the book.

Part 4 explores the usage of Graphics (2D/3D), Animation and Audio/Video speech capabilities of WPF with the help of complete source code along with relevant explanation. I am amazed to see the kind of effort the author has put in to compile the facts in a meaningful manner. The final part delves deep into some of the advanced topics such as Interoperability, User custom controls and development of layout with custom panels.

The source code for all the examples along with complete table of contents, sample chapter and a list of errata can be accessed from the publisher's website. Moreover, you can also view the related information on the website maintained by the author at http://adamnathan.net/wpf/. The book also includes one Appendix which contains a list of tools and utilities available for WPF development. I would suggest the author publishes information about new tools available currently, such as Expression Blend on the Publisher's website so that readers can know about them as well.

I feel that the book will be of real value for all developers who wish to master the nuances of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).

I recently came to know that Adam's Silverlight Unleashed book will be released around the week of October 12. I look forward to read his book.

Anand Narayanaswamy (Microsoft MVP and Chief Technical Editor, ASPAlliance.com) is the author of Community Server Quickly

Community Server Quickly: A Concise and Practical Guide to Installation, Administration, and Customization

Great book: a fast and well written introduction to WPF. I think it's a must for anyone is thinking to start with this technology.

This is a complete book on WPF. It start with the basic of XAML and then it introduce the new concept that WPF use (dependency properties, Routed events and Commands).
It give an introduction to the WPF controls and the layouts mode available.
Then it goes deep with databind, theming and skinning, drawing (2d and 3d) and finally animations.
It is The Book for WPF.

From Resource binding to databinding and beyond, pretty much every bit of WPF that you need to know to get started well is covered.

The "full color" is awesome. The examples are great. The explanations are very clear with great comparisons to the "old" winforms way of doing things.

For beginners or expert developers, this is the only guide you'll need to learn WPF. Excelent print quality, code markup as shown in Visual Studio, and complete information from scratch.
DataBinding, 2D drawning and animations chapters, are really impressive.

This is one of the better computer books I've read in a long time. I've read a few of the big yellow "Pro this" and "Pro that" series and they were generally a bad rehash of MSDN documentation. In contrast, this book explains the framework on which WPF is built. It starts with describing XAML itself along with type converters and markup extensions - essential details. Once it gets to the chapter on controls, where most books slide into repetitive descriptions of control after control, this book categorizes them and points out their properties with respect to the framework in which they are embedded. Generally speaking, if you are interested in how the WPF classes fit together this is the book to get. If you are interested first in foremost in gradient brushes then this is not the book for you. It gets to them too but only after some worthwhile work. The only area where this book is weak is its description of the layout system that still has me generally confused. Perhaps that will resolve itself when I have something better than the [...]CTP installed.

If you are responsible for the interaction design (front end) of your team's software and Web applications, and you are interested in WPF, this is the book for you.

With WPF, front and back end seem to be merged more than ever, leaving non-programmers feeling overwhelmed by all of the books out there aimed at programmers. Designers who are more comfortable with XHTML and CSS will feel right at home with this book, as it focuses on XAML, which is comfortingly familiar.

I'd recommend picking up VB or C# (or whatever Object Oriented language your team uses) as you develop your WPF skills, but this book will break down the walls surrounding WPF development, and keep you excited about learning more.

After previous SVG experience, reading the entire WPF doco on MSDN, & trying all the samples I could find, I did not think there was much left to learn on WPF. This book showed me how wrong I was and how deep & creative WPF is. Kudos to the author. A great resource - buy this book!

I am a developer with many years of experience but this is some difficult information to grasp. XAML is complex and many of the concepts are new. You have to be willing to change the way you have been used to doing most things. For example, you have to be willing to use XAML binding rather than the usual method of explicitly hydrating your controls.

The author makes this as understandable as you can make while also covering it in the complete through detail you need for it to be useful in the real world. Yes having it in color does make a difference.

I have been developing Windows software since 1994 and have had my share of good resources and poor resources. This book is amazing! The wording in the book is very similar to someone talking you through the entire WPF platform. Examples are excellent and so is the "Tips" and additional information. The author anticipates the user reactions specifically by seasoned developers and addresses them. I am reading this book like a novel. I am on page 356 and I can't put it down. This is in my top 3 developer books, if not #1. If you have any thoughts on going down the WPF path, start here.

This book is an excellent example of just what a tutorial should be: readable, accessible, and well illustrated. I am deeply jealous of it being 4-color and it is a vivid demonstration of how much a full color book can convey. A great, must- have book

I have used this book for one full project cycle. It was recommended by a company that I was collaborating with for a project and they were right. This book is the state of the art on WPF programming as of this writing. However, there are improvements that could be made. I think the data binding section could be a little stronger. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone starting an new WPF project.

This is one of the few technology or programming texts that I've seen which considers the importance of organization and presentation on learning. The writing is extremely competent and the full color text is both pleasing and clarifying to the text. I highly recommend this for anyone looking to get a handle on this rich technology.

If you want to start of learning XAML and understanding WPF there is no better source currently available. The books style and format make the material easy to access though the concepts are highly technical not a book for the novice but if you are an experienced programmer who wants to learn XAML then get this book.

Adam Nathan has created the ultimate guide to the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), and it should be required reading for any WPF developer. I have been working with the WPF since the early WinFX betas, and I've still learned a lot from this book. I have also read Charles Petzold's "Applications = Code + Markup", and I must say that Adam's book is better organized and more comprehensive. It goes into much greater detail of how things work (i.e. the process by which dependency property values are resolved), and follows up by describing *why* things work the way they do. The color diagams, screenshots, and code samples exemplify the careful thought that went into this publication.

[...]

It seems like a never-ending task to keep up with Microsoft's latest and greatest application design software. But such is the life of a software developer... I got a chance to look at Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed by Adam Nathan, and I'm impressed on a couple of levels. This is how I wish all software books were written and published...

Content:
Part 1 - Background: Why Windows Presentation Foundation?; XAML Demystified; Important New Concepts in WPF
Part 2 - Building a WPF Application: Introducing WPF's Controls; Sizing, Positioning, and Transforming Elements; Layout with Panels; Structuring and Deploying an Application
Part 3 - Features for Professional Developers: Resources; Data Binding; Styles, Templates, Skins, and Themes
Part 4 - Going Beyond Today's Applications with Rich Media: 2D Graphics; 3D Graphics; Animations; Audio, Video, Speech, and Documents
Part 5 - Advanced Topics: Interoperability with Win32, Windows Forms, and ActiveX; User Controls and Custom Controls; Layout with Custom Panels
Part 6 - Appendix: Helpful Tools
Index

Nathan aims the book at developers focused on user interfaces using, of course, the Windows Presentation Foundation software. It's meant to span the continuum from .NET newbies to experienced WPF developers. I can say he succeeded from the newbie perspective. I came away with a good basic understanding of WPF, how it works, and an idea as to all the features that can be used to create very nice applications from the user interface perspective. I appreciated the historical coverage of how we got to this point, and it set the table for everything that followed.

Beyond the content, the style and layout of the book was phenomenal. The most obvious difference is that this is a full-color book. All the code samples are color-coded, and more importantly, all the screen shot examples are as they would appear on your monitor. While this is important for user interface books, it's critical for a book like this. Many of the subtleties of WPF involve things that don't translate well to black and white print, like transparent windowing. Having those examples in color allows you to understand exactly what can be expected. Add in the numerous sidebars of tips, faqs, warnings, and so forth, and you've got a book that can take you from beginner to journeyman in short order.

I really wish more development books would go to full-color printing. It can take a very good book and make it truly outstanding, like this one...

The book covers the intricacies of WPF in a concise way (unlike Petzold's book, which goes on page after page). The topics covered are very practical - whenever I got stuck, this book had a solution. Surprisingly, the colored examples did not make too much of a difference, although colored text provided for better readability.

Right now there are limited training resources for learning WPF and pretty much a non-existence of proven patterns and practices. All of these assets will eventually come to the developer community as more people adopt the technology. For right now, I would recommend this book for learning and as a keeper for a decent reference book.

Some of the things that I really appreciated out of this book:

· This is truly a value-add, especially for a "visual" technology. There are other WPF books that don't have a single screenshot and it is extremely helpful to have the visual side of WPF represented throughout the book.

· XAML Demystified and Important New Concepts Chapters -- I'm really happy that he did this at the beginning of the book and is where any beginner of WPF or Silverlight (formerly WPF/E) should start the learning process.

- Organized Extremely Well: It's great if you want to read it from cover to cover or hit a particular topic. I always give a book the "Index Text" and check to make sure I can easily find the most common WPF topics.

I'm only in chapter 4 but I had to come here to say why this book is a success.

Before confusing you with xaml's often misunderstood declaritive syntax, Adam tells you what it is you're about to see and why WPF does it that way. Then he shows you the xaml and follows it up with C# procedural code doing the same thing.

Finally, i can understand the real reason the syntax is the way it is, not just knowing "that is the way it is done", something that certain authors failed to do in their wpf books. This gives me the power to do my own thing without having to keep asking "now how do i do THIS winforms type of thing in xaml?" to everyone on msdn.

MSDN thanks you, Adam and I hope your wife has forgiven you!

After reading all amazon reviews, I headed out to B&N and bought my copy from a distant store since I was told all the nearby stores had copies sold out. I knew then it was going to be a fun Saturday night and after reading the first chapter, its 11 PM EST and the fun has really started. It is indeed one of the best written books I read probably the other best was the one by Fritz Onion on Essential ASP.Net. Anyway, I can't wait to see what more fun lies ahead and before my eyes close on me, I'd pen off this review now and move to the next chapter. Enjoy!!!!

WPF is a revolutionary technology and there's a lot to it, so you need all the help you can get.
There are other good books on this subject, but none as well-rounded as this one. The details suffer a bit because of this, but the other qualities of this book - good examples, great use of color for UI as well as for code snippets(!) - more than make up for it.
If you want to get a great overview of the WPF and just enough detail to get you started, pick this book up.

Adam Nathan is succinct, informative, clear and direct. The decision to go full-color is perfect for this topic. The best development book I've ever read.

If you're looking to learn more about creating powerful WPF applications you really can't go wrong with this book. Adam Nathan does a great job of explaning the key concepts of WPF and even discusses some of the pitfalls to watch out for which is somewhat unusual from an author working for Microsoft. A great book written by someone that really knows the framework.

This is book is a timely, useful, and in-depth overview of WPF from two Microsoft engineers. Well written and structured, it's an excellent resource for anyone seeking to understand WPF's role and details.

Get It! Anyone developing new applications for Vista is going to want this. The book got to me in 2 days flat. It dives right into WPF and gets you inside the language and knowing it pretty well by the 3rd chapter. Anyone who wants to stay on the cutting edge of devel should have this in their library.

If, as a software developer, you have spent years looking at the visual promises of Vista, really wanting to dive in and create those next generation, media-rich interfaces, but didn't have a clear indicator of where to begin - now you do. Windows Presentation Foundation Unleashed is your one-stop answer to discovering what WPF is, learning basic and advanced controls, and building WPF applications.

Without a lot of dry history, and in a full-color presentation that makes comprehending what you're reading much more efficient, you are given a very complete coverage of controls, control manipulation, data binding, animation, and other multimedia objects. Throughout the text you are given not only code snippets, but illustrations of what the finished product should resemble, sidebar Tips sections, sidebar Warnings sections, and sidebar "Digging Deeper", really solidifying the information presented not only in the initial component coverage, but the follow-up WFP application development.

Hands down, for adding WPF to your development skills, this is the title you need.

At the very least, the book publisher's decision to make this a color-rich book makes it a top notch seller. There are LOTS of XML examples and coloring really does help.
I found the analogies quite good and the flow very natural. Have not finished it yes, but like what I'm reading so far.
If you plan on learning WPF for the first time, I'd recommend this as the first purchase, for sure.

Roy.

An excellent book about WPF. Very readable all the way and with lots of good examples to support the descriptions.

Though WPF is still young and lots of good or bad practices are waiting to find out this book deserves its 5 star.
1) WPF boasts its powerful UI feature. This book comes with lots of many screenshots.
2) At this transition period people with background in ASP.NET and Windows Forms definitely need some information connecting to these technologies. This book has great topics in this regard.

I hope this book will evolve into a definitive guide on programming WPF. In the next version I wish to see more topics on WPF internals, custom controls, nontrivial application and design practice, databinding and validation.

Overally this is the best book describing WPF so far.

I just finished reading this book during my holidays, and it helped me take that steep learning-curve that WPF has. Adam Nathan is a very good writer, and knows how to explain the WPF concepts very well. I really like the way he has put tips and inside-information into this book.

This book starts with XAML, and that it the way it should be. If you are disappointed after reading Petzold's book on WPF, this is the book you need!

Just one small thing: the index is sometimes wrong (a few pages off).

Just finished reading this book. It is simply great! It was easy to read. It has plenty of pictures - they help a lot. Code snippets are just snippets and not the whole programs - "routine" and obvious code is not duplicated. It is well structured. It has a lot of interesting details about WPF and it is introducing them in right order. Great job, Nathan!

This is simply the best book on WPF.

It is very clearly written, very well organized, very good choice of examples, very well laid out, and has excellent use of color. It raises the bar for .NET books.

BTW, you can download a sample chapter from the SAMs site to get a feel for what the book is like.