New Features of Silverlight 5

ArticleDirectory

• Binding and related
• Graphics
• Media
• Text
• Operating System Integration
• Productinetworking and Performance
• Controls
• Other
• Why weren't these all in the initial list?
• Learn more

Several of you have asked for a more complete list of the features that are new or improved in Silverlight 5, especially those new to the RC. here is my mostly complete list of major features. I haven't added the tons of fixes and improvements, but maintained a focus on major features. (I say "mostly complete" so I have an out when I later realize I forgot something .)

Binding and related

• Icustomtypeprovider (see Alexander Rusina's post)
• Custom Markup extensions
• Ancestor relativesource binding
• Implicit data templates
• Binding in style setters
• Datacontextchanged event (new since beta)
• Propertychanged now an updatesourcetrigger option (new since beta)

Graphics

• XNa 3D API
• Improved graphics Stack
• 3D render targets (new since beta)
• XNa 3D built-in effects (new since beta)
• 3D surface composition settings (new since beta)
• 3D Multi-sample anti-aliasing (new since beta)

Media

• Low-latency sound using xNa soundeffect and soundeffectinstance
• Hardware Decoding of H.264 Media
• Variable Speed playback and trick-Play (new since beta)
• Remote Control and media command (KEYS) Support (new since beta)

Text

• Text tracking and leading
• Linked and multi-column text
• OpenType support (new since beta)
• Pixel snapped text and textoptions (new since beta)

Operating System Integration

• P/invoke (new since beta) (also: My printer Enum example)
• Multiple windows
• Unrestricted File System Access in full trust
• Full trust in-Browser
• Default filename in savefiledialog and openfiledialog (new since beta)
• 64 bit browser support for Windows (new since beta)
• Power awareness for media apps (keep the PC alive while a movie is playing, for example) (new since beta)

Productinetworking and Performance

• Network latency improvements
• Databinding debugging
• Parser performance improvements
• Multi-core JIT for improved start-up time

Controls

• Double and N-click support
• Pivotviewer (new since beta)
• ComboBox type-ahead/incremental search

Other

• In-browser html
• Postscript vector printing (new since beta)
• Tasks from TPL (new since beta)
• C # covariance and contravariance

Why weren't these all in the initial list?

My initial list only had a few key features listed. some, such as tasks and covariance/contravariance made it into Silverlight without me realizing it. for the most part, I got the feature list by checking with the product team and by trolling our specs repository.

So how does stuff make it in without it being on a master Silverlight list? That's easy. deleteams at Microsoft contribute to Silverlight either directly, or through other things such as the core CLR, framework, and C # language. since Silverlight shares much of that Code, cool and exciting features make it in without showing up in a Silverlight feature list. a great example of this is tasks from TPL. the right people did know those features made it in (people actually writing code, the testers etc .), I just hadn't noticed it. it's not a conspiracy to keep the TPL folks down, trust me

Learn more

Attributes of these features are supported ented on http://silverlight.net/learnvia an increasing number of tutorials.

In addition to that, if you're looking for a one-stop shop for learning Silverlight 5, consider my book Silverlight 5 in action, to be released in print near the end of this year. it's currently in meap, with purchasers able to download chapters as I make them available.

 

 

Http://10rem.net/blog/2011/09/04/the-big-list-of-whats-new-or-improved-in-silverlight-5