My XML is Alive! An Intro to XAML

I have to admit I have been working with XAML for so long that I tend to take it for granted. That's why I was excited when the Gwinnett Georgia Microsoft Users Group requested a talk that would be an introduction to XAML. It seemed a great way to get back to why XAML is so powerful - and why it's counterparts in the web like AngularJS are so effective. I enjoyed putting the talk together and more importantly had a fantastic time delivering the talk. The talk includes source code that steps through XAML, including a class library that illustrates how XAML instantiates objects even if they aren't "XAML aware", an example of how data-binding would be done manually if it wasn't build into the XAML system, and samples that illustrate the Visual State Manager along with the MVVM pattern.

Here is the description of the talk:

Extensible Application Markup Language, better known as XAML (pronounced “zammel”), is a language developed by Microsoft that is based on XML. It provides a declarative way to instantiate rich object graphs – in other words, through XAML you are able to create instances of classes, set properties, and define behaviors. Most commonly used to describe the user interface for technologies like Silverlight, WPF, and Windows 8.1, XAML provides a separation of concerns between the presentation and business logic for an app and gives the designer the flexibility to create experiences that interact with code through data-binding. This enables design-time data and true parallel workflows between designers and developers. Jeremy Likness will walk you through XAML, including how it is used by various technologies and the advantages it provides when building applications.

You can grab the deck for the talk at SlideShare and the link to the source is on the last slide.

Enjoy!