Random Bits

This is a Behavior I created to allow Drag and reposition items in WPF Control that extend ItemsControl. After applying this behavior the user can at runtime click and drag any item while holding the control key.

I created this behavior to support a application which required ability for the users to reposition items like icons on a desktop.

Here is the screen cast of the sample application demonstrating this.

In this sample, I have used a Menu, Custom ItemsControl, ListBox and TabControl to test.

I posted this code to Expression Gallery.

I will be updating this to add support for items to read their current X & Y positions using attached properties, and events when position changes etc.,

Have you ever pulled out your hair trying to figure out why / why not a particular value is/ is not being set on your control , what was wrong with the binding?

I have seen people suggest exotic solutions where in there used a special converter so that they can debug the value being bound, or turn-on WPF tracing which generates a huge volume of trace statements that you will have to filter, well i found a easier way to debug just the one binding that matters by specifying a  binding attribute.

   1: <UserControl

   2:     xmlns:diag="clr-namespace:System.Diagnostics;assembly=WindowsBase">

   3: ...

   4: ...

   5: <Grid>

   6:   <TextBlock VerticalAlignment="Center" Text="{Binding Name,diag:PresentationTraceSources.TraceLevel=High}"/>

   7: </Grid>

this produces following output in your trace log

   1: System.Windows.Data Warning: 54 :   Path: 'Name'

   2: System.Windows.Data Warning: 56 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): Default mode resolved to OneWay

   3: System.Windows.Data Warning: 57 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): Default update trigger resolved to PropertyChanged

   4: System.Windows.Data Warning: 58 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): Attach to System.Windows.Controls.TextBlock.Text (hash=56437836)

   5: System.Windows.Data Warning: 63 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): Resolving source 

   6: System.Windows.Data Warning: 66 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): Found data context element: TextBlock (hash=56437836) (OK)

   7: System.Windows.Data Warning: 74 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): Activate with root item CPUPlugin (hash=28857250)

   8: System.Windows.Data Warning: 104 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571):   At level 0 - for CPUPlugin.Name found accessor ReflectPropertyDescriptor(Name)

   9: System.Windows.Data Warning: 100 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): Replace item at level 0 with CPUPlugin (hash=28857250), using accessor ReflectPropertyDescriptor(Name)

  10: System.Windows.Data Warning: 97 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): GetValue at level 0 from CPUPlugin (hash=28857250) using ReflectPropertyDescriptor(Name): 'CPU'

  11: System.Windows.Data Warning: 76 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): TransferValue - got raw value 'CPU'

  12: System.Windows.Data Warning: 85 : BindingExpression (hash=42296571): TransferValue - using final value 'CPU'

and here is how it was made…

Here is the screen cast of demo which was built on top of the sliverlight application framework that I was working on for sapient labs. we will be hosting this application on the cloud (azure) shortly…

Looks like VS 2010 editor and the blend editor have some code base.. I was pleasantly surprised to see C# intellisense in blend, I was only expecting XAML intellisense.

Check this out "Engineering Windows 7" blog ... this reminds of the start of the longhorn blogs... and this is the 3rd time I am seeing the words "open and honest" in articles on Windows 7 :)

This is awesome Mono implements the complete C# 3.0 spec with full support for LINQ

Add to that have a Parallel LINQ bits too...

Checkout the ShaderEffect Build Tasks as part of WPF Futures release...

http://www.codeplex.com/wpf/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=14962

With .NET 3.5 SP1 RTM we get a new class called D3DImage this allows for Direct3D surface to act as a Image

Checkput some of the samples that I found so far..

• This is cool, check out D3DImage type sample by Dr. WPF in .NET 3.5 SP1, this opens up world of possibilities...
• Also check this code shows how to map Web Cam video onto a WPF Brush using D3DImage
• XNA meets WPF - by Jeremiah Morrill