SilverlightTM 4 Problem — Design — Solution

Chapter 5. One More Slice Can't Hurt

Creating the Food Log Page

Now that you have a working user registration and login system, it's time to start thinking about adding some of the main application features. This chapter is the first of three that will cover the various data entry aspects of the application. You'll really begin to see how the new WCF RIA Services Framework greatly enhances the developer experience when writing data entry applications. This chapter focuses on creating the nutrition log page. You will see how easy it is to create rich data entry forms for your users as well as how to take advantage of the powerful data binding functionality built in to the existing Silverlight data controls such as the DataGrid.

The fun doesn't stop there, however; you will also see how to make use of new Silverlight Toolkit controls such as the AutoCompleteBox and GlobalCalendar. The new GlobalCalendar control is particularly exciting in that it provides you with a mechanism to customize the style of various calendar days, a feature missing from the standard Calendar control. This may not seem very important now but you will soon see how this is a critical piece of the food log page, and it is only made possible by making use of this new enhancement.

PROBLEM

It's been established that the bulk of the work required for this site will be geared around data entry. One of the biggest problems with any site that focuses on data entry is creating an interface that does not frustrate users ...