About Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0

The Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.0 (formerly known as WinFX) is the new managed-code programming model for Windows. It combines the power of .NET Framework 2.0 with new technologies for building applications that have a visually compelling user experience, seamless communication across technology boundaries, and support for a wide range of business processes. Microsoft plans to ship .NET Framework 3.0 as part of Windows Vista. At the same time, Microsoft will make .NET Framework available for Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

The following table lists some of the technologies included with .NET Framework 3.0.

Technology	Description
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF, formerly code-named "Avalon")	Provides classes for building next-generation smart-client applications that combine UI, documents, and media.
Windows Communication Foundation (WCF, formerly code-named "Indigo")	Offers a unified programming model and runtime for building service-oriented applications.
Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)	Offers a programming model, engine, and tools to build workflow-enabled applications that model business processes.
Windows CardSpace (formerly code-named "InfoCard")	Provides a technology for simplifying and improving the safety of working online with personal identity information.
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0	Enables productively building Windows and Web-based applications.

All of the classes that represent the new components (WPF, WF, WCF, and CardSpace) are part of the System namespace. The core classes of the .NET platform, such as the common language runtime (CLR) and base class libraries (BCL) remain as they are in .NET Framework 2.0.

 

 

 

       Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML; pronounced "Zammel") is a declarative XML-based language used to define objects and their properties, relationships and interactions. Originally created as an acronym for Extensible Avalon Markup Language (Avalon being the code-name for the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) technology), XAML is often mistakenly perceived as a WPF technology. In fact, XAML is used extensively in the .NET Framework 3.0 technologies, particularly in WPF, where it is used as a user interface markup language to define UI elements, data binding, eventing, and other features, and in Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), in which workflows themselves can be defined using XAML.

       XAML elements map to Common Language Runtime object instances whereas attributes map to CLR properties and events on those objects. In typical usage, XAML files will be produced by visual design and developer tools, such as Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer, Microsoft Visual Studio or XAMLPad. The resulting XML is compiled into a .xaml file, which is inserted as a resource into a .NET Framework assembly. At run-time, the framework engine extracts the .baml file from assembly resources, parses it, and creates a corresponding WPF visual tree or workflow.

       When used in WPF, XAML is used to describe graphically rich visual user interfaces, such as those created by Adobe Flash. XUL and UIML are other examples of XML-based user interface languages. The language allows for the definition of both 2D and 3D objects, rotations, animations, and a variety of other effects and features.

       Anything that is created or implemented in XAML can be expressed using a more traditional .net language, such as C# or Visual Basic .NET. However, a key aspect of the XAML technology is the more simple approach required for tools because it is simply XML. Consequently, a variety of products are emerging, particularly in the WPF space, to create XAML files. One such example is Aurora. Being XML-based, XAML allows analysts, designers and developers to share artifacts more realistically and to enable these artifacts to be re-edited by any of these roles without requiring additional re-integration work by the others.