Tool Development 01 - Introduction to Tool Development

Tool Development
Chapter 01: Introduction to Tool Development
Nick Prühs

About Me
“Best Bachelor“ Computer Science
Kiel University, 2009
Master Games
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences,
2011
Lead Programmer
Daedalic Entertainment, 2011-2012
Co-Founder
slash games, 2013
Microsoft MVP
2015
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First Things First
• At npruehs.de/teaching you‘ll always find
• these slides
• solutions to all assignments
• Ask your questions – any time!
• Each lecture will close with
• further reading
• an optional assignment
• Contact me any time at dev@npruehs.de!
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Objectives
• To get an idea of the basic development process of
good Desktop applications
• To understand the importance of good UI and UX
design
• To learn how to development a basic Desktop
application with Windows Presentation Foundation
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Motivation
“You wouldn't use a
screwdriver on a nail.”
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Motivation
• First, you should make the tools!
• Save development time
• Can be shipped to players
• Can even be your main business field (Adobe, Nevigo)
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StarCraft II World Editor

Motivation
• Highly workflow-dependent
• Level Editor
• Blueprint Editor
• Common Functionality
• New
• Load & Save
• Selection & Inspector
• Brush
• Perspectives & Zoom
• Copy & Paste & Cut
• Undo & Redo
• Settings
• Test Run
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Requirements
• Responsiveness
• Avoid blocking UI!
8 / 58This should never happen!

Requirements
• Robust error handling
• Handle exceptions!
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This must never happen. Never, never, never, never, never!

Requirements
• Extensibility
• Adaptive window size
• Backward compatibility
• WYSIWYG
• Localization
• Security Context
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Development Process
1. Design
1. Define Functional Requirements
2. Analyze Target Group
3. Develop Overall Application Architecture
2. Implement
1. Create Prototypes
2. Develop Application
3. Test
1. Write Unit Tests
2. Perform Usability Tests
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UI Design Guidelines
• Less UI is better UI.
• The more functionality that is exposed at any one time,
the more difficult it is for a user to find the functionality
that they need.
• Consistent UI is good UI.
• Providing a consistent UI enables a user to become more
proficient with an application in a much shorter time.
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UX Design Guidelines
• Support the minimum Windows effective
resolution of 800x600 pixels.
• Use determinate progress bars for operations that
require a bounded amount of time.
• Even if that amount of time cannot be accurately
predicted.
• Tab order should flow from left to right, top to
bottom.
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UX Design Guidelines
• Assign shortcut keys to the most commonly used
commands.
• It's rude to interrupt.
• When an application displays a dialog box, it forces the
user to stop whatever it is that they are doing and pay
attention to something else. If it is possible, remove the
need for a dialog box completely by avoiding error cases
and other disruptive user experiences.
• And many, many, many, many more… (see
References)
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Model-View-Controller
• Design pattern that separates data from its visual
representation
• Model: Data, such as names, phone numbers, or health
points.
• View: Visual representation of that data, such as console
output, UI textfields or health bars.
• Controller: Layer that separates model from view,
serving as interface for any interaction with the data.
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Model-View-Controller
• Allows exchanging views or modifying the model
without breaking existing functionality.
• For instance, write console client first and GUI client
after.
• Greatly improves your application architecture
through separation of concerns.
• Anybody always knows where to look in your code.
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Introduction to Windows
Presentation Foundation (WPF)
• Presentation system for building Windows client
applications
• Part of the Microsoft .NET Framework
• Both standalone and browser-hosted applications
• Resolution-independent and vector-based
rendering engine
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Architecture of
WPF Applications
• Extensible Application Markup Language
(XAML) markup for defining the application
appearance
• XML-based markup language
• Used to create windows, dialog boxes, pages, and
controls
• Code-Behind for defining the application behavior
• Responds to user interaction
• Implements Business Logic
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WPF Example #1
XAML
<Window
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
Title="Window with Button" Width="250" Height="100">

<Button Name="button">Click Me!</Button>
</Window>
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Rendered View

WPF Example #2
XAML
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<Window
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
x:Class="WpfApplication1.MainWindow"
Title="Window with Button"
Width="250" Height="100">
<Button Name="Button" Click="button_Click">Click Me!</Button>
</Window>

WPF Example #2
XAML
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<Window
</Window>

WPF Example #2
XAML
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<Window
</Window>

WPF Example #2
C#
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namespace WpfApplication1
{
public partial class MainWindow
{
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
void button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
MessageBox.Show("Hello, Windows Presentation Foundation!");
}
}
}

WPF Example #2
C#
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{
{
public MainWindow()
{
}
{
}
}
}

WPF Example #2
C#
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{
{
public MainWindow()
{
}
{
}
}
}

WPF Example #2
C#
27 / 58
{
{
public MainWindow()
{
}
{
}
}
}

WPF Example #2
Rendered View
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Excursus: C# Events
• Enable a class or object to notify other classes or
objects when something of interest occurs
• Class that sends (or raises) the event is called the
publisher.
• Classes that receive (or handle) the event are called
subscribers.
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C# Events
• Events are declared using delegates.
• Similar to “function pointer”
• Type that defines a method signature
• Used to pass methods as arguments to other methods
• Clients give the class delegates to methods that
should be called when the event occurs.
• When the event occurs, the delegate(s) given to the
class are invoked.
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C# Events Example
C#
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public class Actor
{
private int health;
public int Health
{
get { return this.health; }
set { this.health = value; }
}
}

C# Events Example
C#
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public class Actor
{
private int health;
public delegate void HealthChangedDelegate(int newHealth);
public event HealthChangedDelegate HealthChanged;
public int Health
{
get { return this.health; }
set { this.health = value; }
}
}

C# Events Example
C#
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set
{
if (this.health == value)
{
return;
}
this.health = value;
HealthChangedDelegate handler = this.HealthChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this.health);
}
}

C# Events Example
C#
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set
{
{
return;
}
{
}
}

C# Events Example
C#
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set
{
{
return;
}
{
}
}

C# Events Example
C#
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public class HealthBar
{
public HealthBar(Actor actor)
{
actor.HealthChanged += this.OnHealthChanged;
}
private void OnHealthChanged(int newHealth)
{
// Update health bar...
}
}

WPF Application Class
• Handles startup and lifetime management, shared
properties, and shared resources
• Supports both standalone and browser-hosted
applications
XAML
<Application x:Class="WpfApplication1.App"
StartupUri="MainWindow.xaml" />
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WPF Application Class
• Handles startup and lifetime management, shared
properties, and shared resources
• Supports both standalone and browser-hosted
applications
XAML
<Application x:Class="WpfApplication1.App"
StartupUri="MainWindow.xaml" />
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WPF Controls
• Basic Controls
• Labels
• Buttons
• Textboxes
• Checkboxes, ComboBoxes, RadioButtons
• Panels, Boxes, Scrollbars
• Menus, Dialog Boxes
• Progress Bars, Status Bars
• Advanced Controls
• Grids, Lists and Trees
• Calendars
• Document Viewers (XPS, *sigh*…)
• Images, Media Players
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Label Control
Text label for a control.
XAML
<Label>This is a label.</Label>
Rendered View
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Button Control
Button that reacts to the mouse clicks.
XAML
<Button Name="ButtonQuit“ Click="ButtonQuit_OnClick">
Quit
</Button>
Rendered View
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TextBox Control
Used to display or edit text.
XAML
<TextBox Name="TextBoxName" TextChanged="TextBoxName_OnTextChanged">
Please enter your name!
</TextBox>
Rendered View
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CheckBox Control
Control that a user can select and clear.
XAML
<CheckBox Name="CheckBoxEnabled“ IsChecked="True"
Checked="CheckBoxEnabled_OnChecked“
Unchecked="CheckBoxEnabled_OnUnchecked">
Enabled
</CheckBox>
Rendered View
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RadioButton Control
Control that a user can select, but not clear.
XAML
<StackPanel>
<RadioButton Name="RadioButtonColorRed" GroupName="Color“ IsChecked="True"
Checked="RadioButtonColorRed_OnChecked">Red</RadioButton>
<RadioButton Name="RadioButtonColorGreen" GroupName="Color“
Checked="RadioButtonColorGreen_OnChecked">Green</RadioButton>
<RadioButton Name="RadioButtonColorBlue" GroupName="Color“
Checked="RadioButtonColorBlue_OnChecked">Blue</RadioButton>
</StackPanel>
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RadioButton Control
Control that a user can select, but not clear.
Rendered View
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ComboBox Control
Drop-down list that can be shown or hidden by
clicking the arrow on the control.
XAML
<ComboBox Name="ComboBoxColor" />
C#
this.ComboBoxColor.ItemsSource =
new List<string> { "Red", "Green", "Blue" };
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ComboBox Control
Drop-down list that can be shown or hidden by
clicking the arrow on the control.
Rendered View
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WPF UI Layout
• Defined by location and size of all controls
• Has to adapt to changes in window size
• This is achieved by relative positioning.
• Determining the final layout is done in two steps:
1. Control tells its parent what location and size it
requires.
2. Parent tells the control what space it can have.
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WPF UI Layout Example
XAML
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<Window
Title="Layout with the DockPanel" Height="143" Width="319">

<DockPanel>
<TextBox DockPanel.Dock="Top">Dock = "Top"</TextBox>
<TextBox DockPanel.Dock="Bottom">Dock = "Bottom"</TextBox>
<TextBox DockPanel.Dock="Left">Dock = "Left"</TextBox>
<TextBox Background="White">This TextBox "fills" the remaining space.</TextBox>
</DockPanel>
</Window>

WPF UI Layout Example
Rendered View
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Assignment #1
1. Create New Project
1. Download and install Visual Studio Community 2015
from https://www.visualstudio.com/en-us.
2. Create a new WPF application called LevelEditor.
3. Change the title of your MainWindow in the
MainWindow.xaml file.
4. Change the size of your main window to 800 x 600
pixels.
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Assignment #1
2. Model-View-Controller
1. Create three folders in your project named Model,
View and Control.
2. Move App.xaml (and App.xaml.cs) to the Control
folder.
3. Move MainWindow.xaml (and MainWindow.xaml.cs)
to the View folder.
4. Update the namespaces and folders of all four files
accordingly.
5. In the MainWindow constructor, grab a reference to
App via the static Application.Current property.
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Assignment #1
3. Quit Button
1. In App.xaml.cs, add a Quit method that calls the
application Shutdown method.
2. Add a Quit button to MainWindow.xaml.
3. In MainWindow.xaml.cs, implement the Click event
handler of the button, calling the Quit method of your
App class.
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Assignment #1
4. About Window
1. Create a new window called AboutWindow in your View folder.
2. Add some nice information (e.g. your name, application version
number) to that window using the <TextBlock> and
<LineBreak/> tags.
3. In App.xaml.cs, add a About method that instantiates a new
AboutWindow object and calls its Show method.
4. Add an About button to MainWindow.xaml.
5. Change the surronding panel in MainWIndow.xaml from Grid to
DockPanel in order to prevent both buttons from overlapping.
6. In MainWindow.xaml.cs, implement the Click event handler of
the button, calling the About method of your App class.
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References
• MSDN. Overview of the User Interface Development Process.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/windows/desktop/ff728828%28v=vs.85%29.aspx, April 2016.
• MSDN. Implementing a User Interface. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/windows/desktop/ff728823%28v=vs.85%29.aspx, April 2016.
• MSDN. UX checklist for desktop applications.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/windows/desktop/dn742479.aspx, April 2016.
• MSDN. Windows Presentation Foundation.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us//library/ms754130.aspx , April 2016.
• MSDN. Introduction to WPF. https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/mt149842.aspx, April 2016.
• MSDN. Delegates (C# Programming Guide).
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms173171.aspx, April 2016.
• MSDN. Events (C# Programming Guide). http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/awbftdfh.aspx, April 2016.
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Thank you!
http://www.npruehs.de
https://github.com/npruehs
@npruehs
dev@npruehs.de

5 Minute Review Session
• Why should you make tools as early as possible?
• Name a few important requirements for all tools!
• What is Model-View-Controller?
• What is the basic architecture of a WPF application?
• How are C# events used?
• How do you define the entrance point of a WPF
application?
• How are the controls arranged by the WPF layout
engine?
• How do you bind data to a WPF control?
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Tool Development 01 - Introduction to Tool Development

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