Book excerpt: Summary A thorough revision of the bestselling Silverlight 4 in Action. This comprehensive guide teaches Silverlight from the ground up, covering all the new v. 5 features in depth. You'll also explore WCF RIA Services, MVVM, and more—with dozens of code samples you can use in Visual Studio 2010 or the free Visual Web Developer 2010 Express. About the Book This hands-on guide explores Silverlight from the ground up, covering every feature in rich, practical detail. It is readable and the coverage is comprehensive. You'll master networking, MVVM, and more—with dozens of code samples you can use in Visual Studio or the free Visual Web Developer Express. Silverlight 5 in Action teaches you how to build desktop-quality applications you can deploy on the web. Beginners will appreciate the progression from simple examples to full applications that employ good design and coding practices. Seasoned . NET developers will love how the sample code embraces and extends what they already know. Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book. What's Inside 2D and 3D graphics and animation Business application services, rules, and validation The MVVM pattern and testing Free appendixes (150 pages) available online A background in C# or VB.NET is helpful, but no knowledge of Silverlight or XAML is required. ============================================ Table of Contents PART 1 CORE SILVERLIGHT PART 2 CREATING THE USER INTERFACE PART 3 WORKING WITH DATA AND SERVICES PART 4 2D AND 3D GRAPHICS PART 5 MAKING THE MOST OF THE PLATFORM PART 6 BEST PRACTICES Introducing Silverlight XAML and the property system The application model and the plug-in Working with HTML and browsers Out-of-browser applications The security model and elevated trust Rendering, layout, and transforming Panels Human input Text fundamentals Editing plain and rich text Control basics and UserControls Animation and behaviors Resources, styles, and control templates Extensions, converters, custom controls, and panels Binding Data controls: DataGrid and DataForm Input validation Networking basics Working with SOAP services RESTful services with the ASP.NET Web API Working with XML, JSON, RSS, and Atom Duplex, sockets, and local connections Graphics and effects Working with images Introduction to 3D 3D lighting, texturing, and animation Pop-ups, windows, and full-screen applications Navigation Working with files and directories Printing COM, Native Extensions, and p-invoke Structuring and testing with the MVVM pattern Debugging your application The install experience and preloaders