Should a WPF application be written in C++/CLI or C#?

Question

WPF applications are, at its core, managed applications? Right? So, I have to choose between using managed C++ or managed C#. I experimented with managed C++ years ago. It seemed to be not quite be ready for primetime. I'm guessing Microsoft has put more effort into managed C# than managed C++. So, it seems like using managed C# is the best alternative between the two. Is this the case? What experiences have you had with WPF in either language? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Managed C++ has been replaced by C++/CLI, and "managed C#" is just C#.

I would strongly recommend you to use C# for a new project, and use C++/CLI only when needed. C# has a better support, has a larger user base, and is easier to work with inside Visual Studio 2010.

Additionally, keep in mind that C++ and C++/CLI are two different languages. For my first .Net project, I chose C++/CLI because I already knew C++, and this was a very bad idea: the learning curve from C++ to C++/CLI is similar to learning C# from C++: don't fall into that trap.

Answer 2

C++/CLI was only really made to support writing interop layers between unmanaged code (i.e. native C/C++) and managed code. For "heavy lifting", you should definitely use C# (or VisualBasic.NET).

Answer 3

You can use managed C++ for your backend but, on inspection, VS (I'm using 2010 Ultimate) doesn't have any in-built templates for a C++ WPF application - only C# or VB.

I'm sure you could force it to work if you wanted to, but I'd suggest you use C#.