Developers can now test WinFX GUI design tools

Does Sparkle shine?

Microsoft last month issued its first Community Technology Preview of Interactive Designer, which was previously codenamed Sparkle.

Interactive Designer is a user interface design tool that is part of Microsoft’s forthcoming Expression toolset. The latest move means software developers can now use XAML to design applications that use the WinFX framework, which is a core component of the forthcoming Windows Vista desktop operating system, expected to be launched later this year.

Wayne Smith, a senior Microsoft product manager, said that WinFX is a new set of managed APIs that will come in with the release of Windows Vista. It is based on the .Net Framework and was formerly codenamed Avalon Windows Presentation Foundation.

“This is the first chance that developers have had to design applications for Vista using WinFX,” Smith added. “Previously they would have had to do hand coding. Cider is a future version of Visual Studio that targets the Windows Presentation Foundation and is focused on code-heads. This tool is for people who think visually.”

However, Smith held out little hope for developers looking for tools to migrate existing software to the new Vista APIs. “We’re looking at the future of Windows applications, so developers would probably use these tools to create new applications. We’re not releasing migration tools at this time to help move old code from Win32 to WinFX, although I dare say some smart third party might do so.”

Smith said the Expressions web site has been updated with new technical resources, training videos and sample code to support developers using the new tool.