Microsoft Expression Blend is an application that generates XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language) via a user interface. Blend is designed to create all of the WPF UI (User Interface) elements such as windows, buttons, grid, and brushes on a designer surface. Blend will then emit all the necessary XAML code. Blend is a designer tool, so you still use Visual Studio 2005 to write the application code. (Note: If you have the next version of Visual Studio, codenamed “Orcas,” installed, you don’t need to install the Visual Studio Extensions for WPF or the .NET Framework 3.)

Using the xamDataGrid in Blend
1. Launch Visual Studio 2005.
2. Start a New Project.
3. Select NET Framework 3.0 Windows Application (WPF) (VB or C#) as in Figure 1.
4. Add a reference to Infragistics WPF controls and supporting API as in Figure 2.
5. Build the Solution and Save all. As yet the Infragistics controls are not available in the toolbox to drag onto the design surface. We will achieve this by using Microsoft’s Expression Blend.
6. Start Blend and open the project just created. Note that Blend can read Visual Studio Solution files. Browse to where you saved the solution file and open it. You should see your solution displayed similar to Figure 3 in Blend. To access the Infragistics controls click on the button marked in red, the controls are in the Asset Library.

Download pdf Binding xamDataGrid in Expression Blend and Visual Studio