Alastair, I've complained about this previously in different groups as I'm stonewalled by different absurd problems related to binding, layout and XAML. Writing a complete Windows app in WPF is utter hell. It's like building a skyscraper out of sticks and string. Sure it can look pretty in the end, but how hard can it be and is it worth it?
I estimate that it would take me 10 times longer to write an app in WPF compared to WinForms. And then I'm not even sure I could achieve the desired result and would have to use some Winorms controls anyway. I agree that getting the desired layout is hell, I utterly detest Blend (and can't afford it anyway) and prefer to write my UI in raw XAML, and mercifully the intellisense and designer is now (mostly) working in VS2010. Laying everything out correctly is like completing a puzzle, and then you have to code all of the binding and finish up with endless cryptic type converters. How can I be so far into the 21st century and I'm writing complex UIs in a text editor? I'm currently trying to learn to use the WPF grid for complex display and validation behaviour and it's just more hell. After spending years learning all the ins and outs of the DataGridView control I have to chuck it all out and read terabytes of tutorials and documentation on the new one. You try and format a single grid column in a complex and attractive way and then try to validate data entry. Good luck! I reckon I spend more time reading documentation and web searching in WPF (and Silverlight) that I do actually coding. I have been coding for 30 years and I'm sure that WPF/Silverlight/XAML/Binding have caused my worst suffering ever, and the lowest productivity ever. To top it off, there are multiple frameworks and academic techniques for structuring your apps now (CAB, Prism, MVC, MVVM, etc). You're not along, and you're not mad. Greg
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