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Windows Presentation Foundation SDK Viewer Sample

The Windows Presentation Foundation SDK Viewer demo is an end-to-end rich client viewer optimized for the presentation of Software Development Kit (SDK) content. Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a compelling platform that enables new user interface (UI) and document presentation possibilities. This application demonstrates the flexibility of WPF as a presentation platform for documents.

Important: This application is for demonstration purposes only. Due to production constraints, the documentation included with this application is incomplete. It reflects only some of the changes between the May and September 2005 CTP releases and is otherwise incomplete. For up-to-date documentation, refer to the documentation included as part of the Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.0 (formerly WinFX) SDK installation.

Audience

Developers interested in reviewing an application that makes significant use of both the UI and document features of the Windows Presentation Foundation are the primary audience for this sample. Additionally, anyone interested in learning more about the power and flexibility of WPF is encouraged to build the sample and review the content therein. The viewer is fully functional and contains several hundred conceptual topics describing the breadth and depth of the platform.

Prerequisites

To successfully run the demo, you need to install the following:

  • Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista September CTP (build 5219) on an x86 system

  • September 2005 Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.0 (formerly WinFX) Community Technology Preview

  • September 2005 Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.0 (formerly WinFX) SDK

  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 or Microsoft Visual C#/VB Express 2005 Beta 2

  • Visual Studio 2005 Extensions for Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.0 (formerly WinFX)

Launching the Demo

The SDK Viewer demo can be compiled and run from either the command line using the MSBuild command line compiler, or using Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2005 Beta 2.

To compile and run the application from within Visual Studio, perform the following steps:

1. Open the project solution file, SdkViewer.sln.

2. Did you get a password prompt for a certificate? If so, the password is blank.

3. Choose "Build Solution" from the Build menu.

4. Your project will be built and placed in bin/Debug or bin/Release depending on the current build environment.

To compile and run the application within an MSBuild window, do the following:

1. Open a Build Environment Window (Debug or Release), which is part of the Microsoft Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.0 (formerly WinFX) SDK.

2. Navigate to the location of the project file, SdkViewer.csproj.

3. Build the solution by typing the following at the command line:

MSBuild.exe SdkViewer.csproj /t:Clean,Build

4. Your project will be built and placed in bin/Debug or bin/Release depending on the build environment you chose.

A pre-compiled version of the application is provided as a courtesy in the Install directory. Simply double-click SDKViewer.exe to launch the application.

Note: The file Samples.dll must be present in the bin/release directory in order to view sample content within the viewer.

Using the Demo

The following features are available within the SDK Viewer client window:

  • SdkViewer is a navigation-based application. As you browse back and forth through different topics, the navigation arrows will allow you to go back and forward. This navigation history is maintained per document tab.

  • The documentation is presented with a single page viewer control. This allows you to view paginated content one page at a time. The zoom control on the control allows the text to scale and reflow very easily. The document will also reflow as the application is resized.

  • The tree view control in the Index panel allows you to browse the available content. You can view it in the hierarchical "Contents" view, or by the flatter "Index" view. The search field allows you to type in a search keyword and have the content filtered to match documents that contain that keyword.

  • A viewer is built in for the samples. Some of the samples can be edited as well, with changes almost immediately reflected.

  • The application supports loading multiple documents at once via a tab control. To open a new tab, click on the "New" button or press Alt+T. You can close the current tab by clicking on the close button or pressing Alt+W.

  • The available keyboard commands are :

F11 - toggle kiosk mode

Alt+D - select the Address Location field

Alt+X - open the Index panel

Alt+O - open the Documentation panel

Alt+T - open a new tab

Alt+W - close the current tab

  • The Index and Documentation panels can be docked and undocked. To undock, click and drag the top of the panel, or click the button to toggle. If you close a panel, you can use the buttons at the top of the application to open it again.

  • The SdkViewer supports online and offline content sources.

  • The SdkViewer supports annotations. Use the annotations menu to toggle annotations and add them to selected text. You can add highlights, text notes, or ink notes. The annotations will be persisted with the document.

  • Documents can be exported to the XPS Package (".container") format. Choose the "Save" button to save it out to a location on your hard drive. You can then open the container.

  • Documents can be printed. Click on the print button, which will show a dialog that contains a preview of the document along with a list of available printers.

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