Silverlight 2: XAML and C# Interop (2008)

Silverlight 2: XAML and C# Interop

Microsoft's "Flash killer" has arrived in its second version. Silverlight 2 isn't just a media player; it's a cross-platform version of the .NET framework that runs in the browser. The separation of concerns between XAML (UI) and C# (Logic) is a breath of fresh air.

Declarative UI with XAML

XAML allows you to define your UI in a clean, XML-based format.

<!-- MainPage.xaml -->
<UserControl x:Class="AunimedaApp.MainPage"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
    <Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot" Background="White">
        <Button x:Name="MyButton" Content="Click Me" 
                Click="MyButton_Click" Width="100" Height="30"/>
    </Grid>
</UserControl>

Code-Behind in C#

The logic is handled in a partial class. Because it's the real .NET CLR, you get generics, LINQ, and strong typing.

// MainPage.xaml.cs
namespace AunimedaApp
{
    public partial class MainPage : UserControl
    {
        public MainPage()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void MyButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            MyButton.Content = "Processing...";
            // Call a WCF service asynchronously
            FetchData();
        }
    }
}

Deep Zoom and Beyond

Silverlight 2 also brings "Deep Zoom" (MultiScaleImage), which allows for smooth zooming into gigapixel images. By using the .xap file format (which is just a renamed .zip), Silverlight bundles your assemblies and assets into a single package. If you're a .NET developer, the web just became a whole lot more friendly.

Aunimeda develops websites and web applications for businesses - corporate sites, e-commerce, portals, and custom platforms.

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