XAML Power Toys 3.0.0 Released – Code Name: Refactored

Version 3 of XAML Power Toys is a major refactoring of the code.  I have re-engineered the entire application to make it easily extendable and for me to integrate with other developer .dlls, including C# code.  Adding a new feature is now super simple compared to the original version.  When I wrote the original version, some of the concepts were new to me so I wrote each of them completely; this way I could learn the best way to get from point A to point Z and could compare methods side by side. 

Version 3 also uses the Ocean framework.  I have not included the source for Ocean yet, but will be doing so in the next month or so.  XAML Power Toys has taken over my life like Mole did, so Ocean has suffered a longer release date than I wanted.

Thanks to Pete O’Hanlon for his great work on MoXAMLPowerToys.  Pete and I have been learning from each others work (code under the hood).  I patterned my CommandBase object after his.  Thanks Pete!

Version 3 Highlights

• Rewrote the Fields List.  Added several cool features.
• Removed all WinForms and WinForms MessageBoxes.
• Have all code but one function running in the same AppDomain.
• All forms that create code use the Control Defaults now.
• Refactored control generation into one control factory.
• All add-in actions are now encapsulated in unique commands. 
• Taking advantage of code reuse by referencing Ocean framework.
• Added various ToolTips at Josh Smith’s recommendation.

Version 3.x (future version)

Silverlight support is my number one priority now.  Need to be able to reflect the Silverlight assemblies without locking them.  Need to get into this and hope to get this done later this week.

Installation

For Version 3, you must use Control Panel to uninstall Version 2.   Sorry about this, but Version 3 has different file names that will not get removed unless you use Control Panel. 

Version 3 of XAML Power Toys can be downloaded on the XAML Power Toys Home Page.  There is also a video on the new Fields List.

Closing

I really hope that developers embrace the power of code generation in the UI spaces.  XAML Power Toys is a very simple application that can save hardworking developers and teams a huge amount of time during the development and maintenance phases of their products. 

I truly hope that others will develop and share powerful UI tools that empower WPF and Silverlight developers and designers.

Have a great day.

Just a grain of sand on the worlds beaches.