Pros:
The book teaches the user how to design a XAML page, how to use data binding, and how to set up the Model-View-View Model structure to conform to commonly accepted standards. The feature that impressed me the most was that Weil has provided a number of interactive exercises to teach you how to create a WPF-MVVM application. After each block of material, there are "Now it's your turn to code:" sections in which you are expected to create a XAML control, write a method, bind a control to a data object, etc. Afterward there is a "Solution" section in which Weil leads you step-by-step through the assignment, in case you weren't able to do it on your own after reading the material. To make the exercises more interesting, Weil provides links to resource files that can be imported into your Visual Studio project. If you complete all of the exercies, by the end you will have a demonstration of an application to manage a bike shop's inventory.
Cons:
The book is very brief. With only around 180 pages or so to work with, Weil only provides the most cursory look at some of the most important features of WPF-MVVM programming. I for one felt that too much time was spent on XAML and too little on MVVM. I think for most people the basics of setting up XAML controls will come easily. It is a very easy-to-understand language and there are numerous tutorials online for free. MVVM, however, is more complex and even though there is a wealth of online material, much of it is inaccessible to someone without a broad programming knowledge base (like myself). Some might also complain that Weil relies on code-behind to handle view navigation. There were also several grammatical errors, but nothing which made the book impossible to follow.
The book is very brief. With only around 180 pages or so to work with, Weil only provides the most cursory look at some of the most important features of WPF-MVVM programming. I for one felt that too much time was spent on XAML and too little on MVVM. I think for most people the basics of setting up XAML controls will come easily. It is a very easy-to-understand language and there are numerous tutorials online for free. MVVM, however, is more complex and even though there is a wealth of online material, much of it is inaccessible to someone without a broad programming knowledge base (like myself). Some might also complain that Weil relies on code-behind to handle view navigation. There were also several grammatical errors, but nothing which made the book impossible to follow.
Overall, I'm glad I purchased the book, but am already looking into more robust treatments of the subject matter to further my understanding. If you are a beginner like me, this book may be a good place to start.
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