The need to learn XAML

Expression Blend will be out soon. I read that a Release Candidate is available.

Lynda.com is offering free training on Blend, probably only until the product is released. In a movie titled Animation Basics, the instructor dropped an image onto the design surface, and made the image grow larger over time.

Examining the XAML generated for the animation, he added an attribute to the <Storyboard> element (AutoReverse="True") , causing the animation to run backward after it finished.

Such settings might be set in a Properties window, but knowing possible attributes for an object or just being able to read them is bound to be useful in creating images and animations and interactive elements in XAML.

It's like the importance of knowing HTML vs. using a Web Design program. Sometimes it's good to be able to read the underlying HTML. Since Microsoft clamped down on Internet security, my Home Page would warn Internet Explorer visitors about Active Content. I removed the Flash animations, but the warnings persisted.

Looking at the HTML, I saw that my trusty old Web page editor had added some JavaScript to do something special if the Browser was Netscape Navigator 4.0. Since I don't know any of the 27 people who still use Netscape Navigator 4.0, I removed that bit of JavaScript, and the unfriendly warnings ceased.

The tools will save time, and provide the ability to create and preview visual elements easily, but I'm now convinced that understanding the XAML itself will be essential for any meaningful WPF work.  ¶ 10:14 PM