Community Feedback Important to the WPF Designer for Visual Studio 2008 SP1

Question

At Microsoft, we take your feedback and bug reports seriously. For the WPF Designer in Visual Studio 2008 SP1, the Cider team implemented quite a few community-driven features. Also, we spent significant time improving product quality in some high-priority areas identified from community feedback. The following is a brief summary of the work that was performed on the WPF Designer for Visual Studio 2008 SP1.

New Features

In the WPF Designer for Visual Studio 2008 SP1, we implemented the following new features. Features such as the Events tab and Go To Definition are among the top feature requests from the community.

1.       Events tab: Developers can now set up an event handler in the Events tab of the Properties window.

2.       Alphabetical view: The Properties window now supports both Categorized view and Alphabetical view.

3.       Toolbox for XAML view: Now you can continue to use the Toolbox when XAML view is active.

4.       Rename:  The WPF Designer now supports Code-to-XAML rename.

5.       Go To Definition/Find All References:  Developers can save time by taking advantage of these new features.

6.       Expanded design time support : The WPF Designer includes design-time support for TabControl and Expander. Also, grid lines can now be deleted in Design view.

7.       Snap lines for control margins: You can easily space controls apart from each other and from edges of containers by using the new snap lines.

8.       Full XAML view is the default for non-designer friendly XAML files: When a developer opens a non-designable XAML file as an application definition file, external resource dictionary, or FlowDocument, the WPF Designer opens the file in full XAML view.

Bug fixes

In deciding which bugs to fix in the WPF Designer for Visual Studio 2008 SP1, we always gave priority to high customer-impact bugs, stability problems, false errors, and performance issues. 

In total, we fixed approximately 222 bugs that existed in the initial release of the WPF Designer. 38 bugs (17%) were reported directly by external or internal customers, including 14 from Microsoft Connect channel.

The following were the top areas of bug fixes:

·         34 (15%) bug fixes for AutoUpdate when users type in XAML view. Issues included incorrect or false error reports, or issues that generated an Information bar.

·         24 (11%) bug fixes to address Visual Studio crashes caused by the WPF Designer.

·         20 (9%) bug fixes related to IntelliSense. Issues included IntelliSense no longer appearing or did not behave as expected.

·         18 (8%) bug fixes related to loading XAML documents. Issues were primarily about WPF Designer’s inability to load some valid XAML files.

·         7 (3%) bugs fixes to address performance, memory leak, and stress issues. Other than bug fixes, we also addressed performance, especially loading scenarios.

Your Feedback Matters

As you can see, community feedback has been the key driver in the new features that were added and the bug fixes that were made in the WPF Designer for Visual Studio 2008 SP1. Once you start using Visual Studio 2008 SP1, we are eager to hear your feedback about the WPF Designer. How is your experience? Did you encounter any issues? What is your wish list for future versions?

As always, we are here to listen to your feedback, provide solutions or workarounds, follow up with you to clarify issues, and make sure that future versions of the WPF Designer are even better.

Thanks for your continued support. 

The Cider Team

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This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Answer 1

Since installing the release of VS2008 / .NET SP1, I have had many problems with the WPF designer displaying simple XAML and / or crashing Visual Studio. My solution contains a mixture of MFC and WPF projects. The designer has no problems when the WPF project is contained in a .NET-only project set.

The WPF / XAML displays occasionally, but I usually get an exception and stack trace (see below) where the window would be displayed. If I edit the XAML and save, Visual Studio will freeze for about 10 seconds and then crash with the Send/Don't Send dialog.

Again, the XAML is very simple...just a Window or Page with a Grid, Border and a couple of Buttons. Because the XAML is simple and problems only occur in the MFC/WPF hybrid solution, I assume the problem is VS-project related. The stack trace has VS interfaces for the hierarchies and providers. Specifically, the solution contains two native MFC projects (app and dll), a MFC extension dll that has some individual files compiled with /clr, and a WPF project.

BTW, although there were occasional display problems with the SP1 beta, they could be overcome by closing the designer and recompiling, then reopening....no crashes. The release SP1 is very unstable in this project configuration. Please let me know ASAP any info you have on this issue as I can see it causing us major problems down the road. Thanks.

Greg Larson
GE Healthcare

Stack trace of exception shown in the designer:

Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at MS.Internal.Package.VSIsolationProviderService.CreateIsolationProvider(String identity, AssemblyReferenceProvider assemblyReferences, IEnumerable`1 assemblyFolders)
   at MS.Internal.Providers.VSDesignerContext.GetIsolationProvider(IServiceProvider provider, IVsHierarchy hierarchy, AssemblyReferenceProvider assemblyReferences)
   at MS.Internal.Providers.VSDesignerContext.Initialize(IServiceProvider provider, IVsHierarchy hierarchy, UInt32 itemid, Object docDataObj)
   at MS.Internal.Providers.VSDesignerContext.GetContext(IServiceProvider services, DocData docData, Boolean createIfNotExist)
   at MS.Internal.Providers.VSDesignerContext.GetContextFor(DocData docData)
   at MS.Internal.Providers.VSTextModelProvider.GetTextModel(FileToken token)
   at MS.Internal.Host.Isolation.Adapters.ContextToProtocolAdapter.MS.Internal.Host.Isolation.Protocols.ITextModelProtocol.GetTextModel(FileTokenGuid token)
   at MS.Internal.Host.Isolation.Protocols.ITextModelProtocol.GetTextModel(FileTokenGuid token)
   at MS.Internal.Host.Isolation.Adapters.ToTextModelAdapter.GetTextModel(FileToken token)
   at MS.Internal.Designer.VSDesigner.VSDesignerClientImpl..ctor(VSDesigner designer, DesignerContext designerContext)
   at MS.Internal.Designer.VSDesigner..ctor(VSDesignerHost host, DesignerContext designerContext)
   at MS.Internal.Designer.VSIsolatedDesigner.VSIsolatedDesignerFactory.CreateDesigner(DesignerContext context)
   at MS.Internal.Host.Isolation.IsolatedDesigner.BootstrapProxy.CreateDesigner(IsolatedDesignerFactory factory, IDesignerContextProtocol contextProtocol)
   at MS.Internal.Host.Isolation.IsolatedDesigner.BootstrapProxy.CreateDesigner(IsolatedDesignerFactory factory, IDesignerContextProtocol contextProtocol)
   at MS.Internal.Host.Isolation.IsolatedDesigner.Load()
   at MS.Internal.Designer.DesignerPane.LoadDesignerView()

Answer 2

Hi, Greg,

Thanks for reporting your issue on this forum. I wonder if you have tried your solution (project configuration) on a different machine that also has VS2008 SP1 installed.

If the problem can be reproduced quite consistently, will you please send a sample to me for further investigation? My email address is zhanbos at microsoft.com.

Thanks again.

Zhanbo

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This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Answer 3

Thank you, Zhanbos. Yes, the solution was tried on another machine with SP1 with the same problems. I emailed you the example.

Greg

Answer 4

The issue reported by Greg is determined to be identical to Microsoft Connect Feedback 361698. (https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=361698)

Please monitor that page for updates.

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This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Answer 5

I think it should be noted that the issue in Connect only refers to solutions that contain a Win32 (C++) project.  I have experienced the same issue in a solution with only C# projects.

Answer 6

I am desperately trying to get VS 2008 Express Edition with SP1 to work with WPF. I have tried everything I can think of to stop the designer from crashing Studio - reinstalled .NET, reinstalled VS, uninstalled other programs.... nothing works.

Is there likely to be any way to work with WPF in the near future?

Answer 7

Hi goofBallLogic

I'm sorry you're having so much trouble getting Visual Studio Express to work with WPF.

Can you provide a few more details of the problems you are hitting, specifically

1. Do you see the problem for brand-new WPF projects (File...new...WPF application)? Or is it only for some projects?
2. When do you see the crashes? Is it when you open any XAML file or just a particular one? If a particular one can you share the XAML?
3. Can you compile and run WPF applications at all on this machine?
4. Are you seeing any particular error messages when the crash occurs?
5. Do other project types (e.g. Windows Forms application) open correctly?

I hope we can help you get to the bottom of this issue.

Regards
Mark

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Mark Wilson-Thomas - Program Team - WPF & SL Designer for Visual Studio - posts are provided 'as-is'

Answer 8

I'm experiencing crashes too, so I'll let myself answer your questions, Mark, describing what happens on my enviroment.

1. Happens on some projects, didn't happen on new projects, but keep in mind that I hadn't worked with them enough.
2. When compiling, and sometimes when closing designer windows.
3. Yes.
4. Yes, see http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vswpfdesigner/thread/62d3ab35-8536-4a96-91fa-3e81c66186a9.
5. Yes.

Additional info: It happens only when the XAML designer is open. If I close all designer windows, everything works (unless it crashed upon closing, see 2).


Yaakov

Answer 9

I've responded with some more questions at http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vswpfdesigner/thread/62d3ab35-8536-4a96-91fa-3e81c66186a9

Mark

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Mark Wilson-Thomas - Program Team - WPF & SL Designer for Visual Studio - posts are provided 'as-is'

Answer 10

Hi there,

For me it seems that in the WPF designer a serious memory leak exists. I've already used the designer in its CTP state in VS 2005, and by that state I've experienced that VS is eating up memory quite quickly.

I have a small project using third-party components (Syncfusion Essential Studio WPF - Demo version). The workflow is that I edit the XAML code (since for me it's faster to type XAML and use IntelliSense, than set properties visually), and sometimes I switch to the Designer view to inspect the look.

In an hour of work, VS incrementally slows down, and the memory footprint of it is above 1 GB, which is quite huge for the several hundred lines of code in my project. That time I have to restart VS. After startup, the memory footprint is about 160-200 Mb, which is ok.

Answer 11

Hi Matyas

The VS2005 CTP release (aka the Visual Studio 2005 extensions for WPF) are a very early version of our WPF designer intended to give an early preview of our work back in 2006. They are no longer available for download. They are very much out of date and contain a large number of significant bugs, and we are not updating them any further.

Going forward you are strongly recommended to use Visual Studio 2008 for your WPF development needs.

The WPF designer is in all the Visual Studio editions including the Express Editions:
https://www.microsoft.com/express/product/default.aspx

There are significant bug fixes for Visual Studio 2008 in Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1:
https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=FBEE1648-7106-44A7-9649-6D9F6D58056E&displaylang=en

We also have a Hotfix available which covers a number of issues in the WPF designer:
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/KB958017

If you see the sort of memory leaks you are describing, in Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1, please let us know,

Thanks!

Mark Wilson-Thomas

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Mark Wilson-Thomas - Program Team - WPF & SL Designer for Visual Studio - posts are provided 'as-is'

Answer 12

Hi Mark,

It seems that I was not clear regarding the Visual Studio version I use. Since this is a topic for VS 2008 SP1, I assumed that I'm talking about this version, and mentioned that the situation of eating up memory already existed in that old version of WPF Designer, and I experience memory leak in VS 2008 SP1, too when using the WPF Designer.

The version I use is 9.0.30729.1 SP (this is on the About box), and I have the Silverlight Tools version 9.0.30729.143 installed as well, so the hotfix you mentioned is not applicable for me, since it's included (thus installed) with Silverlight Tools. I've also enabled Microsoft Update for Visual Studio, which has installed a lot of fixes installed until now.

Is it possible that the third-party (Syncfusion) components I'm using in the project (and in the designer) cause the memory leak?

Answer 13

Hi,

I wonder why you DONT use the WPF Designer used by Expression Blend.


Based on my experiences, it has the following advantages:

- it's much more stable compared to the VS one in terms of crashing

- it shows a helpful exception detail window when the designer encountered problem with the XAML, while still rendering the output instead of displaying useless message and not UI output at all!

- it doesn't do ANNOYING and UNNECESSARY layout refresh (when in the designer mode) everytime the project is built or debugged!


I would appreciate any explanations about this.


Thanks!

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Maximilian Haru Raditya

Answer 14

0) Have you seen the price of the tool? It costs more than the frakking IDE does.  Together, it costs between $800 and $1200 to buy the tools necessary to get started writing WPF apps (I don't count VS Express because that's for people that are not serious about programming for a living.)

1) We're programmers, and we're repeatedly told that Blend is "for designers". 

2) Why doesn't Microsoft just do what needs to be done, and fix the frakking designer in the IDE?  You're essentially saying, "This tool sucks, so use this one because it sucks a little less."

3) Blend is almost useless for actually working on a project from scratch.  Why don't they just make it a plugin for the IDE, drop the otherwise useless features from it, and call it a control designer, because theat's what *we* use it for (since the IDE is essentially useless when it comes to editing existing control templates).

4) BTW, have you tried adding a reference to a project with Blend?

5) No intellisense.  For new guys just starting out with WPF, this is show-stopper.

6) The only thing I use Blend for is to scrape a template for a control (because the IDE doesn't give us this functionality - what rocket scientist made THAT call?).

7) The interface is a mutant cross between a developer tool and Photoshop.

I've been using MS dev tools since Visual C++ 1.5 came out, and I've spent countless thousands on MSDN which was last truly usefull in 2000. I spent the money on a MSDN subscription once again so  can get the latest Windows, IDE, and Blend (this is my own personal money - not a corporate purchase) so that I can remain marketable as a programmer.  I think this entitles me to complain (sometimes bitterly) about my lot in life as it relates to Microsoft "tools".  The really sad part is that there is no alternative (you can bet that if there were, I would investigate them with gusto) - we just have to accept it when it sucks, and hope Microsoft eventually sees it our way (which is virtually never).  Suggesting that we use Blend because the current Visual Studio is a pile of manure is ludicrous and insulting.

Now, before you say something peurile, like "If you don't like it program in another framework", believe me, if that were an option I'd certainly do it.  The need to eat and pay the mortgage pretty much forces me to go where the market goes. I don't think WPF is "all that", but I have to do it if I want to stay employed (and employable).  If I see something that doesn't smell right, I'm certainly not going to give that knowing nod, smile and say, "Those whacky guys at Microsoft are up to their old shennaigans again."

So, if you work for Microsoft, take that list to whoever is in charge of the Visual Studio team, and let them know that "Use Blend" is not an acceptable answer.

Answer 15

I was gona say my VS2k8 throws slibbish non-sense errors with XAML and after awhile playing around it crashed, same story, what do I do now da da da, but I gave up after reading the posts. 

John Simmons, I think you are pointing out the issue. It is not "we" programmers they are looking after.

MS has options to do two things, spend time and money to get down to earth and fix "our" tech issues and build solid APIs, IDEs. Or spend time and money to cover up by keep selling pretty adz to your boss and clients so they keep using M$ dev tools. 

Which path did you think they gone down to over the years.

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kelvin1997

Answer 16

Hi, Kelvin,

We heard you, and now we would like to learn more about the issue you reported. You are saying that Visual Studio 2008's WPF designer crashes after you play with it for a while. Can you comment on the following information that will help us understand the issue better?


(1) Environment: What is your OS version? Your VS is Visual Studio 2008 SP1, right? Have you checked out KB958017，KB963035，and KB963676, to see if they may apply to your system?
(2) Project: You can crash VS with any project? or with one or more particular project?
(3) Operation: What did you do prior to VS crash?
(4) Technical Info: Can you check if there is Error entry in event log for DevEnv? Can you get a call stack when VS crashes?

With the initial data from you, we will gain some ideas on what to look for as the next step.

Thanks for your assistance,
Zhanbo

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This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Answer 17

If you have any flame-retardant skivvies, you should probably put them on and make sure you have no significant areas of exposed skin...

Having been a programmer for almost 30 years, I know you guys at Microsoft can't fix stuff if we can't describe the precise steps we followed to generate a crash.  But at the same time, you have to understand that when we're working, we're going fast and furious, and when a crash does happen, it takes our brains a few minutes to catch up with what happened, and long before that happens, we're more than just a little angry that something has managed to crash the IDE.

By "crash", I mean that the IDE just freezes, and clicking aroundd in the window results in a "Visual Studio is busy" error coming up in the system tray.  The only way out of this is to use task manager to force the IDE to close.  I think some of the problems are because VS2008 simply doesn't know how to gracefully recover from trying to modify read-only files. For other things, sometimes just trying to save a modified XAML file crashes the system. More times than I want to talk about, I end up having to use an EXTERNAL EDITOR in order to modify a XAML file because the IDE has gone brain-dead on me.

What operating system? It doesn't appear to matter. I was using XP (both 32- and 64-bit), Vista (both 32-and 64-bit), and now Windows 7 (64-bit). IT DOESN'T MATTER. Doing WPF development *will * crash/hang the IDE eventually.  More specifically, working on the interface of a WPF app will eventually crash/freeze the IDE.  In fact, as long as we don't touch the interface of our application, the IDE is almost stable. 

I say "almost" because at some point, the IDE will simply crash to the desktop if I right-click a project in a solution and select "Properties" in the menu.  It will also eventually do the same thing if I try to update or remove a service reference.  The only workaround I know of for this is to delete the solution .SUO file before restarting the IDE after a crash.

Yes, I've applied the hot fixes. Yes, I'm working on VS2008 SP1 and .Net 3.5 SP1, and yes, my OS has all updates applied.

And what do we get from Microsoft? VS2010, with an interface written using the evil that is WPF.  The net result of THAT decision is a painfully slow interface that robs us of some usability features that we enjoyed in VS2008, yet we still have interface bugs being carried over from VS2008.

Oh, and while I'm here, I want to complain about not being able to use the MSDN subscriber download pages because of the subscription I have - Expression Pro.  You see, I do WPF code.  In order to do WPF code, Microsoft CONTINUES to respond to questions with "Use Expression Blend, and do this and do that...".  Why?  Because Visual Studio ain't worth a d*mn and they know it. 

Well, Expression Blend isn't provided with any of the more reasonably-priced MSDN subscriptions, so I have to get Expression Pro.  Yes, I spent $1000 of my own money to get it, and I was told after doing so that I'm not really a MSDN subscriber. WTF? It's listed on the MSDN subscription level comparison page, but it's not really a MSDN subscription.  The only other subscription level that has Expression Blend in it is more than TWICE the cost of the Expression Pro package.  What we - as developers - need, is a MSDN level that gives us Visual Studio Pro, Expression Blend (since MS doesn't seem to be willing to give us the features we need in VS), and Windows. Period. 

Someone in Redmond needs to be slapped around until they realize they're not fulfilling the needs of developers.