Getting Started

GoXam
1

Hello,

After quickly looking around, I am unable to set up my VS 2010 toolbox with the new GoWPF controls. Could someone point me in the right direction for getting started with GoWPF?

I see the really good demo showing many examples of what can be done; and I see a detailed pdf explaining GoXam/GoWPF. But are there any step-by-step guides to just get me started?

Thanks!
Aaron

2

I was starting to write down those steps when I realized what most people want are the results, not the methodology. The steps are quite ordinary.

So you can download the resulting “minimal” WPF C# application using GoXam: WpfApplication2.zip.

Unzip it in the Samples directory of your installation of GoWPF. The resulting WpfApplication2 directory should be a sibling of the GoWPFDemo directory.

I basically copied the model initialization code out of the GoXamIntro document.

As far as customizing the toolbox is concerned, you probably only want the Northwoods.GoXam.Diagram control added to a tab there. Right-click in the Toolbox tab where you would like to put the Diagram control, invoke “Choose Items…”, click on the “WPF Components” tab, and search for the Diagram control in the Northwoods.GoXam namespace in the Northwoods.GoWpf assembly, check its CheckBox, and click “OK”.

3

Thanks! This Helps!

4

Nope - given how bad the docs are you guys need to publish a step by step Getting Start Guide.

1. Since the demo download for Silverlight 4 is just the DLL, where is the sample code? I scrounged around your download area but could not find it.
2. Further, you need to set the property (can't recall which) on the DLL so you can actually use it in VS2010 - I know this is an MS thing, but you might consider helping new users out by stating they can avoid confusion by clearing this setting before they can load it into the toolbox.
3. Would a simple step-by-step demo be too much to ask? I'm not talking about "build my app for me" but how about a demo (in both VB and C#) that uses a Diagram and a Palette together for a simple drag and drop app that allows for linking a couple nodes together?
Just giving us the code saying, "here you go" is nuts. Without spending way too much time climbing through your code, who knows how you arrived at the conclusion?
Take an hour, write down the steps you followed, and stick it out there as a real getting started guide.
As it stand now, if I hadn't already licensed your controls (back in the WinForm days) I wouldn't give you the time of day after reviewing the mess I just looked at today for your Silverlight documentation.
Seriously - for someone looking to build a Silverlight app having come from the Win and Webform world, this is going to be a nightmare...
5

  1. I think you have already discovered, as the web site says, that you need to install the .MSI kit before you use the ZIP file that only holds the latest DLL. Using the latest DLL is not required, unless you need the bug fix that the DLL provides.

  2. If you install the MSI kit, the DLL is unblocked (for security reasons) automatically. But that is not the case for a DLL that is downloaded in a ZIP file.

  3. That’s a good idea. But I think we’ve done that one better with the videos we have produced for building a Silverlight diagram app using RIA services. These are listed in the documentation page.

The applications created in those videos do not include a palette. However, you can easily adapt the Palettes used in the samples.

I can sympathize with the frustration, since the WPF/Silverlight/XAML world is quite different from the WinForms/GDI+ world. XAML and data-binding and models form a completely different way to program.

6

Also, I have added another simple sample for Silverlight 4 at:
GoSilverlightBasic.zip