Sebastopol, CA--The advent of web services hasn't yet rendered standalone Windows applications a thing of the past, nor significantly thinned the ranks of programmers who develop them. For these programmers, who number in the millions, Microsoft created .NET Windows Forms, a key element for developing the next generation of Windows "rich-client" applications, both standalone and Internet-connected. Windows Forms is not difficult to work with, claim Jesse Liberty and Dan Hurwitz, authors of the just-released book, Programming .NET Windows Applications (O'Reilly, US $49.95), but as with many .NET technologies, the learning curve can be steep. Still, developers who have discovered Windows Forms have discovered a simpler and cleaner programming model for creating graphic user interfaces than anything Microsoft has offered them in the past--one that is well worth scaling the learning curve for.
Using a streamlined programming model that deals automatically with many tedious details that once plagued developers, this new technology offers more power and simpler deployment. As Liberty and Hurwitz explain, "Windows Forms is the name Microsoft gave to its desktop development technology. Using Windows Forms, it is easier than ever to create applications that are dynamic and data-driven, and that scale well. Used in conjunction with Visual Studio .NET, Windows Forms technology allows you to apply Rapid Application Development techniques to building Windows applications."
"Programming .NET Windows Applications" guides developers through all aspects of using .NET Windows Forms class libraries and the associated programming tools in Visual Studio .NET to build applications for the Windows desktop platforms. This all-inclusive tutorial teaches experienced programmers and web developers how to design applications that either function alone on a PC or work in combination with a web-based application server to take advantage of the richer Windows interface and higher level of security.
Beginning with an introduction to Windows Forms and the .NET Framework, the book moves step-by-step through each aspect of the technology, from events, controls, drawing and GDI+ to using ADO.NET, exceptions and debugging, and configuration and deployment. The book also shows how Windows applications can sidestep problems that used to arise from the use of DLLs and how .NET Windows Forms can be used as an alternative to ASP.NET and browser-based approaches for building rich web application clients.
"Programming .NET Windows Applications" teaches developers all they need to know to use Windows Forms effectively. In this book, leading .NET experts Liberty and Hurwitz have teamed up again to deliver a comprehensive tutorial--surely one of the best resources available for learning how to program with .NET Windows Forms.
Additional Resources:
Programming .NET Windows Applications
Jesse Liberty and Dan Hurwitz
ISBN 0-596-00321-8, 1228 pages, $49.95 US, $77.95 CA
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