MSDN Magazine July 2003

DirectX 9.0 is the latest evolution of the Microsoft 3D graphics technology for Windows. Direct3D, a major component of the DirectX Graphics subsystem, has evolved so rapidly in the last few years that the underlying programming paradigm has changed quite a bit from its origin. This article introduces the fundamental concepts of the unmanaged Direct3D architecture and illustrates how the managed Direct3D layer abstracts the unmanaged layer. Also, the author describes the Geometry, Texture, Device, and other classes and uses code from the Samples SDK. Yahya H. Mirza and Henry da Costa

GDI+: A Primer on Building a Color Picker User Control with GDI+ in Visual Basic .NET or C#

Although most developers and APIs use the RGB scheme when working with colors, it's not the only available way to represent or select colors. For instance, the standard Windows color-selection dialog box allows you to work with the HSL color scheme in an indirect way. In this article, the author describes several color selection schemes, and uses GDI+ (via the System.Drawing namespace) to create a component that makes it possible for your own applications to provide a simpler, friendlier color chooser. Along the way, you'll get tips to help you use GDI+ in your own apps. Ken Getz

Vector Graphics: Build Flexible, Lightweight XML-Based Images for ASP.NET Using Scalable Vector Graphics

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), a W3C graphics standard built around XML, is one of several vector graphics technologies that allows fast, lightweight drawings such as charts and graphs to be rendered on the fly in an appropriate viewer. There are many advantages to such vector graphics, including conservation of bandwidth and storage media, and flexibility. This article explains these benefits and shows you how to easily add powerful, dynamic, interactive visual elements to your Web applications. Dennis Forbes

Web Services: Extend the ASP.NET WebMethod Framework by Adding XML Schema Validation

WebMethods make the development of XML Web Services easier by encapsulating a good deal of functionality, but there is still a lot of underlying XML processing that you have to be responsible for. For example, WebMethods do not validate messages against the implied schema. Because they are not validated, the response that's returned can result in unintended consequences. To address this, the authors extend the WebMethod framework by adding XML Schema validation through a custom SoapExtension class. Aaron Skonnard and Dan Sullivan

Real-World XML: Manipulate XML Data Easily with the XPath and XSLT APIs in the .NET Framework

XPath is emerging as a universal query language. With XPath, you can identify and process a group of related nodes in XML-based data sources. XPath provides an infrastructure that is integral to XML support in the .NET Framework. The XPath navigation model is even used under the hood of the XSLT processor. In this article, the author reviews the implementation details of the XPath navigator and the XSLT processor and includes practical examples such as asynchronous transformations, sorted node-sets, and ASP.NET server-side transformations. Dino Esposito

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Columns

Editor's Note: Check Out the Tablet PCs Since we founded MSDN Magazine back in 1932, we've seen generation after generation of technological advances, from the early TV test transmissions of Felix the Cat dolls that made up the bulk of our coverage in the 1940s to the special 132-page bumper issue that coincided with the launch of "New" Coke in 1985.	New Stuff: Resources for Your Developer Toolbox TeaLeaf Technology has announced the availability of TeaLeaf IntegriTea with Session to Script. This new feature allows scripts for testing products, such as the Microsoft® Web Application Stress tool, to be automatically generated directly from the Web sessions of real users. Theresa W. Carey	Web Q&A: Accessible Images, Image Format Converter, and More Edited by Nancy Michell
Data Points: Managing Hierarchical Inserts in ASP.NET and ADO.NET John Papa	Cutting Edge: Working with Images in the .NET Framework Dino Esposito	The XML Files: XML Namespace Collisions, XmlNodeList and Deserialization, and More Aaron Skonnard
.NET Column: Calling Win32 DLLs in C# with P/Invoke Jason Clark	Advanced Basics: Passing Data Between Objects in an Application Ken Spencer	Design Patterns: Architecture of an Autonomous Application Sten Sundblad and Per Sundblad
C++ Q&A: Parent and Child Window Captions, More MoveDlg Paul DiLascia	Talking To…: Ken Getz Talks About His Role as a Microsoft MVP