Microsoft has shared a new roadmap that confirms its plans to modernize the apps using Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). This move could bring more apps in line with Windows 11’s design guidelines. For those unaware, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a subset of the .NET framework.
Developers use WPF to create the UI of apps that can run on Windows. WPF is exclusive to Windows. At the moment, apps like Phone Link, Visual Studio Community, Spotify, and Eartrumpet use WPF. Microsoft has some plans in mind to update the UI features of the WPF framework.
But why? Because WPF’s style hasn’t evolved much. The proposed modernization will aid developers in creating consistent Windows experiences that complement Windows 11’s UI. As first spotted by Windows Latest, here are a few goals of the project:
Windows 11 theming
Upgrading WPF will make sure that the apps that run on Windows 11 can use the operating system’s theming features.
For example, apps can access the newer Windows colour schemes. This could mean using accent colors when selecting buttons, texts, and other elements. Similarly, apps will be able to use rounded corners for more elements, such as buttons or controls.
In one of the Github posts, Microsoft noted that Windows 11 modernization for WPF could mean access to new color brushes, gradients, accent color and variations.
Apps can also use features such as Snap Layouts.
“Support for Win11 features such as snap layout, rounded corners for controls and newer color schemes would bring enhanced experience for WPF applications,” Microsoft noted in the support document first spotted by Windows Latest.
It will improve the overall appearance of the apps built on WPF. So, apps will not look out of place and complement the UI scheme of Windows 11.
Accessibility and performance improvements for Windows 11 apps
Improving WPF controls will help to develop apps that can be used by everyone (users with any kind of impairment). Building accessibility-focused apps that do not pose a challenge to use is this program’s top priority.
Microsoft also wants to improve the overall performance of apps built using WPF. It will benchmark how apps run on different devices and iron out the kinks in WPF.
Microsoft plans to make these apps run faster on Windows 11, use less memory, and launch faster with better rendering.
Fixing issues
The Redmond giant wants to do something about the major bugs and PRs within WPF. It will prioritize the major issues and also take the help of the community.
Slowly, the huge pileup of unaddressed bugs will reduce. So, developers won’t have to pause developments or ship apps with broken features.
WPF is far from perfect on Windows 11, but Microsoft doesn’t want it to remain the same. During Build 2024 developer conference, Microsoft touted WPF and WinAppSDK as the future of Windows apps. These new plans will improve the overall framework while identifying and fixing any issues that pop up in the future.
On the official roadmap page, Microsoft clarified its position on the missing support for emojis, hyphen ligatures, SVG support, and more. The company is cognizant of the inadequate feature set and plans to improve it.
However, fixing what’s broken seems to be the first course of action, and that leaves little room for these requests.