127

WPF vs. WinForm

WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation):

Windows Presentation Foundation (known as WPF) is a graphical subsystem to display the user interfaces. WPF is used to render the user interface in the windows-based applications. WPF is also known as “Avalon,” which was released as part of the .NET framework, version 3.0. Later we used it to remove the dependencies on the GDI system. WPF is built on the DirectX-which provides the hardware acceleration. WPF adopted the modern UI feature, which includes transparency, gradients, and transforms. WPF is a consistent programming model that we use to build the applications and also provides us the separation between the User Interface and the business logic.

WPF uses the mark-up language, which is known as the XAML. WPF uses XAML because this language is platform-independent.

Windows Forms

Windows Forms is known as the graphical application programming interface (can call it as Graphical API). Windows Forms is the feature of the Windows .NET framework, which provides us access to the native Microsoft Windows Interface elements. It completes the task by wrapping the Windows API in the managed code. This will execute the task under the management of the Common Language Runtime virtual machine. The output will be in the form of the Bytecode. Windows Form is considered as the replacement of the C++, which is based on the Microsoft Foundation Class Library. Windows Form provides us a model that is comparable to the model view controller(MVC).

In Windows Forms, most of our time is spen in the waiting of the user’s action- like they will fill the data in the textbox or click on the button.

Here is the comparison between the Windows Forms and WPF based on some features:

Advance

Windows Form	WPF
Windows Form is an old concept for the development of the desktop application.	WPF is an advanced technology that is used for the development of the application.

Simple

Windows Form	WPF
Windows Forms are simple to use as we are using the controls of it. They are easily usable.	WPF is complex to be used for the development of the application.

Scalable

Windows Form	WPF
Windows Forms are less scalable; we can extend the UI element when we need it.	WPF is scalable. This can extend the UI elements.

Secure

Windows Form	WPF
Windows forms contain a less secure feature.	WPF contains the enhanced security feature.

Design

Windows Form	WPF
We cannot use Windows Form where the design is required.	WPF is used for designing the UI part of the application.

Performance

Windows Form	WPF
We cannot use Windows Form where the design is required.	WPF is used for designing the UI part of the application.

Advantages of WPF

1. WPF is a flexible technology, so with the help of this technology, we can do things without writing the new controls.
2. WPF includes data binding, which helps to create the separation between the data and the layout.
3. WPF will use the hardware acceleration for the GUI, which helps to give better performance.
4. WPF employs XAML, which is helpful for creating or editing the GUI and with the help of which we can split the work between the designer(XAML) and the programmer(C#).

Advantages of WinForms

1. Winforms are used earlier, so they are older, more tried, and tested.
2. We have lots of 3^rd party controls which we can buy or can get it free.
3. The designer of visual is comfortable with the WinForms than the WPF where in WPF, we have to do all the work itself.

WrapUp

WPF is a graphical subsystem where the users can interact with the windows-based application.

Windows Form is known as the graphical API, which provides access to the native Microsoft Windows Interface elements.

WPF uses the Markup language, which provides the relationship between the UI elements and the other UI elements.

Windows Forms is an event-driven application that provides us the Microsoft .NET framework.

---