Migrate VB.NET 2.0 Winform to 3.5 WPF

Question

Is it possible to migrate a VB.NET Winform solution to a 3.5 WPF solution. If so, any suggestions how to do it?

Thanks in advance! JFV

Answer 1

Microsoft is doing everything for us so that we have to throw away everything we've written 2 years ago. According to Josh Smith,

Is there a way to convert Winforms application to a WPF application?

No. Those two UI platforms are very different and there is no app which converts a WinForms app to a WPF app. Of course, this will not prevent you from reusing any business/DAL/logging/Ioc/etc libraries you use in WinForms.

However, you might want to check out this, quite basic but functional WinForms->XAML converter, written by Rob Relyea from WPF & Xaml Language Team.

According to him, "We (Microsoft) haven't built a real converter because we think most people will not just move over controls, but often will rethink their application as they move it. We'd love feedback..."

Also, you might want to check out Guidance for migrating an app from Windows Forms to WPF, also by Rob Relyea.

Answer 2

Straight answer is a big No.

If you want to take all the real power of the new platform, you need to rebuild the entire Win forms UI side and most of the associated code for effective data binding and User experience. Your DataLayer can be reused fully in WPF.

You can check plenty of questions asked on the same

What is the easiest way to upgrade a large C# winforms app to WPF

What are the bigger hurdles to overcome migrating from Winforms to WPF?