Please explain the benefit(s) of using an XML-based syntax (e.g. XAML) instead of normal source code (e.g. WinForms)?

Question

First off, please note that this question is not about WPF vs. WinForms.

What are the highest-ranking benefits that led Microsoft to invent XAML in favour of the “old” approach of generating compilable C# code?

My impression is that other developers seem to find a lot of downsides to it, but Microsoft went with it regardless, which must mean that there is a benefit that I am not seeing. I would like you to explain to me what it is that I am missing.

Answer 1

Using XML gives you meta-data in a format that a huge number of parsers and parsing tools support. At least in theory this allows anyone to meta-program against it using any language.

More practically, XML lets you seem like a more open standard. You can argue it's just markup like a browser, but easier to parse.

These are real benefits, but in practice there is too much going on outside the XAML for the benefits to be terribly important.

Answer 2

The biggest benefit of XAML is that it allows you to describe your UI in an declarative way. That is, you don't so much say "create a box, now resize it", you say "create a box and btw, it's this size"

The second place where XAML shines is that it really takes advantage of bindings. For instance:

<Button IsEnabled="{Binding IsBusy}">

In your view model you can go about your business and set IsBusy to true or false, and as it changes, the Button's enabled state automatically switches back and forth.

So as a more complex example:

<ListBox ItemsSource={Binding Options}>
 <ListBox.ItemsTemplate>
  <CheckBox Checked="{Binding IsChecked}" Contents="{Binding Name}"/>
 </ListBox.ItemsTemplate>
</ListBox>

In this example we're binding to a list (Options) and creating an item in a list box for every item. The cool thing here is that as we add items to the list, or remove them the UI is automatically synced to the state of our list. As we click the checkbox on each item, the underlying objects are automatically updated to match the UI. With powerful tools like this I've hacked out UIs in a fraction of the time it would take me to wire up all the events in a WinForms app.

In general this all means that you can write your UI in a declarative format and this is a massive productivity gain. Although, I must mention that this does at a cost. You will probably get more performance out of a WinForms app as the code will be less generalized. But unless you're doing something like showing 40,000 rows in a data grid, you probably won't notice a big slowdown using XAML.

It should also be mentioned that other UI libs accomplish this same goal without XML. For instance, QT uses Json (http://labs.qt.nokia.com/2009/05/13/qt-declarative-ui/)

Answer 3

A benefit is that the XAML can be used in other applications. A good example is that the XAML can be developed in Blend by a designer/artist while the internals (code behind) get coded in visual studio.

I beleive it was Microsoft's attempt at separate UI markup versus code behind and to make it possible for the UI to be coded by non-programmers using a tool like Blend.

But, many shops don't have Blend so for many of us it looks like a re-invention of the wheel.

Here's are 8 points bought out by someone closer to the windows client:

8 XAML Benefits

Answer 4

The 8 Benefits of XAML for UI and Beyond

• XAML Describes Data in a Concise, but Human and Machine Comprehensible, Way
• XAML is Useful for Many Types of Data
• XAML uses Typed Object Models for Better Programming and Validation
• XAML is Extensible and Version Tolerant
• XAML is Toolable
• XAML is XML (it benefits from the availability of off-the-shelf tools, it's human-readable, etc.)
• XAML Enables Event Driven Programming Models
• XAML can be Compiled or Interpreted

I view XAML as an "intermediate language" of UI; you can use it with any programming language, and on different platforms. It enables language, platform and device-independent description of the user interface.

Answer 5

XAML was designed to simply represent a hierarchy of objects and not only for GUI such as XPS and WF. Using XAML to build applications would help you deliver Rich Internet Applications (RIA) as well as rich desktop applications.

The use of XAML as a text based declarative representation of GUI brings the MS development tools a step closer to other technologies considered as standard in the industry such as HTML.

Some of the main features of XAML (over Windows Forms) are:

1. XAML allows for drawing Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) Images and transformations. One of the benefits of vector graphics is that they can scale to any size without losing quality so you don't worry much about the resolution of the user's computer.

2. Windows forms, in general, suffered from limited support for automatic placement of controls as a result of windows re-size and changes in the GUI surface (as when new controls are added or removed). Controls are positioned by explicit specification of row and column values for each control through the GUI or program code. While XAML allows for this behavior, it introduces a more easy way to solve this problem by providing he Stack Control control and the Wrap Panel controls.

3. In XAML you can construct new controls from existing ones directly in the XAML using nesting. You can nest an image control within the button control together with a Stack Panel to create a new type of button, that is, a button with a picture. Since this control is created in XAML, you don't need to create a separate dll to use it like as the case is in Windows forms. Example:

   <Button Width="90" Height="40">
       <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
         <Image Source="Yes.png" Width="14" Height="14" />
         <TextBlock Margin="5,1,0,0" Text="Yes" />
       </StackPanel>
   

4. Styling and templates allows you to customize the looks of controls on several levels similar to the capabilities of CSS and HTML. No procedural programming required. One change can be reflected on the entire GUI.

5. XAML allows advanced data binding techniques not available in Windows forms. You can even bind one control to anther's data value(s).

6. XAML provides a built in Navigation framework that you can use or replace with other frameworks. In fact WPF, Silverlight and XAML are designed to take advantage of MVVM pattern that you can't exactly achieve with Windows Forms.

7. With the introduction of XAML, the code behind files could be isolated to a greater degeree from the interface design files. Of course the dependency of some names still exist. However, the fact that XAML is text based declarative language similar to XML and HTML that does not require a compiler, allows interface designers to create separate XAML files to be later integrated with the code behind files. This is unlike the case with windows forms where the GUI is tightly coupled as procedural code in the project. Designers using XAML could even leave Visual Studio and use the MS Expression Blend tool to create their GUI. MS Expression Blend is created for designers rather than programmers.

8. XAML provides advanced native techniques for animation and video display without the need for 3rd party tools.

9. XAML was intended to make the development of Windows-Based software and Web Pages more close than it was using ASP.NET nad Windows Forms. Silverlight and WPF both use XAML (although there are some differences, but large part of the experience is transferable).

10. An SDK for XAML includes interesting controls and it allows you, among other features, to support wizards/storyboard style presentation without using a 3rd party tool.

Answer 6

One point I dont see in alot of answers is that xaml encurages the core of wpf desgin principals. Seperate the visual representation and visual logic (in pratice this is limited to triggers and such but assuming no custom controls this is often all you need) from the business logic. This also couples well as others have noted with a expresive syntax for binding, attached propertys and other meta data which can be more verbose in normal C# code.

On a more personal opinion note, one thing I find nice about xaml is it beter represents the visual hierarchy of controls than just generating code. At a glance its easy to see how one control is related to the others.