Editing Windows Forms (section)

== History and future ==
Just like [[Abstract Window Toolkit]] (AWT), the equivalent [[Java (programming language)|Java]] API, Windows Forms was an early and easy way to provide [[graphical user interface]] components to the [[.NET Framework]]. Windows Forms is built on the existing Windows API and some controls merely wrap underlying Windows components.<ref name="monofaq-winform">{{cite web
| url=http://www.mono-project.com/FAQ:_Winforms
| title= FAQ: Winforms
| publisher=mono-project.com
| quote= ''It is very unlikely that the implementation will ever implement everything needed for full compatibility with Windows.Forms. The reason is that Windows.Forms is not a complete toolkit, and to work around this problem some of the underlying Win32 foundation is exposed to the programmer in the form of exposing the Windows message handler''}}</ref> Some of the methods allow direct access to Win32 [[Callback (computer programming)|callbacks]], which are not available in non-Windows platforms.<ref name="monofaq-winform"/>

In .NET Framework 2.0, Windows Forms gained richer layout controls, Office 2003 style toolstrip controls, multithreading component, richer design-time and data binding support as well as [[ClickOnce]] for web-based deployment.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Appendix A. What s New in Windows Forms 2.0|title=Windows Forms 2.0 Programming|last1=Sells|first1=Chris|last2=Weinhardt|first2=Michael|publisher=Addison-Wesley Professional|edition=2nd|date=May 16, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Data Binding with Windows Forms 2.0: Programming Smart Client Data Applications with .NET|url=https://archive.org/details/databindingwithw0000noye|url-access=registration|last=Noyes|first=Brian|publisher=Addison-Wesley Professional|edition=1st|date=January 12, 2006|chapter=Preface|isbn=978-81-317-4823-7 }}</ref>

With the release of .NET Framework 3.0, Microsoft released a second, parallel API for rendering GUIs: [[Windows Presentation Foundation]] (WPF) based on DirectX,<ref>{{cite book|section=DirectX, not GDI+|title=Pro WPF and Silverlight MVVM: Effective Application Development with Model|last=Hall|first=Gary|publisher=Apress|edition=2010|date=December 27, 2010|page=2}}</ref> together with a GUI declarative language called [[Extensible Application Markup Language|XAML]].<ref>{{cite web
| access-date = 2011-08-25
| last       = Smith
| first      = Josh
| date       = 2007-09-05
| publisher  = Josh Smith on WPF
| title      = WPF vs. Windows Forms
| quote      = WPF is not intended to replace Windows Forms. [...] Windows Forms is still alive and well, and will continue to be enhanced and supported by Microsoft for years to come. WPF is simply another tool for Windows desktop application developers to use, when appropriate. 
| url        = https://joshsmithonwpf.wordpress.com/2007/09/05/wpf-vs-windows-forms/}}</ref> <!--Since WPF is relatively new, it is unclear if Windows Forms will continue to be improved in future .NET releases.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://joshsmithonwpf.wordpress.com/2007/09/05/wpf-vs-windows-forms/
| title= WPF vs. Windows Forms
| first=Josh|last=Smith
| date=2007-09-05
| access-date=2008-07-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=http://blogs.msdn.com/mharsh/archive/2004/09/20/231888.aspx
| title= WPF vs. Windows Forms
| first=Mike|last=Harsh
| quote=''If you’re targeting only Windows XP and Longhorn, Avalon is the way to go.  But Windows Forms is still the only way to write managed UI that will run on Win 2K and below''
| date=2004-09-20
| access-date=2008-07-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.longhorncorner.com/Blogs/BlogDetail.aspx?BlogId=660
| title= Future of Windows Forms and ASP.NET
| first=Mahesh|last=Chand
| date=2008-05-08
| access-date=2008-07-26}}</ref>-->

During a question-and-answer session at the [[Build (developer conference)|Build 2014]] Conference, Microsoft explained that Windows Forms was under maintenance mode, with no new features being added, but bugs found would still be fixed.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.infoq.com/news/2014/04/WPF-QA
| title=A WPF Q&A
| publisher=infoq.com
| date=2014-04-03
| quote=''Windows Forms is continuing to be supported, but in maintenance mode. They will fix bugs as they are discovered, but new functionality is off the table''
| access-date=2014-04-21}}</ref> Most recently, improved high-DPI support for various Windows Forms controls was introduced in updates to .NET Framework version 4.5.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.infoq.com/news/2014/05/DotNet-4-5-2|title = High DPI Improvements for Windows Forms in .NET 4.5.2|date = 2014-05-06|access-date = 2015-02-10|website = InfoQ|last = Allen|first = Jonathan}}</ref>