Pro WPF in C# 2008: Windows Presentation Foundation with .NET 3.5, Second Edition

Dependency Properties and Routed Events

Every .NET programmer is familiar with properties and events, which are a core part of .NET's object abstraction. Few would expect WPF, a user interface technology, to change either of these fundamentals. But surprisingly enough, that's exactly what WPF does.

First, WPF replaces ordinary .NET properties with a higher-level dependency property feature. Dependency properties use more efficient storage and support higher-level features such as change notification and property value inheritance (the ability to propagate default values down the element tree). Dependency properties are also the basis for a number of key WPF features, including animation, data binding, and styles. Fortunately, even though the ...