omar wrote:
I am starting a new smart-client project that will use winForms for its UI. I wanted some guidance or framework to drive and control the design and philosophy of the UI.
The closest thing I came across is Microsoft's CAB (CompositeUI Application Block). CAB seems to come with a steep learning curve.
I wanted to know if there was something better out there as an API or guidance to how build UIs like that of Outlook??
I've been working on a project that uses CAB for about the past 3 years. The learning curve is steep if you're not already familiar with many of the patterns that it uses. If, however, you had a coach/trainer to teach you the CAB, I think you'd find the learning curve reasonable.
That said, if I were starting a new WinForms project tomorrow, I would not choose CAB (or any other "framework"). Instead, I'd grab StructureMap for IoC and adhere to the best principals of OO and DDD. With a good IoC container and good knowledge of proper design techniques, you can solve 99% of your problems. You'll end up with a maintainable application that is easy to extend and improve.
Really, the best "framework" you for building an app in WinForms is the simplest one, and you can build yourself the necessary pieces as you go. I think that knowledge is way more important than any "framework" you can pull off the shelf.
Follow D.R.Y. with zeal and you'll prevent a lot of headaches. Flesh out a solid domain model as necessary (don't over engineer anything!); use a quality OR/M with DDD to construct simple, easy to use Repository layer. Have an IoC container that's easy to use so you can keep your application manageable and enable change easily. Keep your classes small - stick to the S.R.P. Utilize MVC/MVP for views and unit test your presenters/controllers to ensure a high degree of quality.
You can do ALL of those things without a framework.
