Crazy XAML Tricks: "Don't Try This at Home!"

I’ve been wrangling XAML since 2006, and sometimes the "best practice" just doesn't cut it. In this session, I will open my vault of forbidden techniques to show you the wildest hacks I’ve used in production.

We’ll look at:

- The Ghost View: Creating an invisible, in-memory copy of a WPF view bound to a live ViewModel—just to scrape a screenshot without scrolling.
- The Impossible Binding: Twisting data contexts in ways they were never meant to bend.
- The Framework Hopper: Exploiting behaviors in WPF that might (or might not) work in WinUI or MAUI.

Come for the horror stories, stay for the clever hacks. These are the tricks I don't endorse but definitely want to show you.

Fast-Track Your AI App: Hands-on with the AI Dev Gallery

Don't start from scratch. The AI Dev Gallery is your cheat sheet for building intelligent Windows applications. In this session, we will demonstrate how to use this powerful open-source tool to find, test, and implement the right local AI model for your needs.

We will cover:

- Model Discovery: Browsing and running models like Phi, Mistral, and Whisper directly from the app.
- Rapid Prototyping: Exporting working C# code and Visual Studio projects for over 25 different AI scenarios.
- UI Best Practices: analyzing the AI Dev Gallery's own source code to learn how to build stunning WinUI interfaces.
- The Local Advantage: Understanding the performance and privacy benefits of running models on the GPU/NPU.

Join us to learn how to move from "concept" to "code" in minutes using the best examples available for Windows development.

Supercharge Your Agents: Custom Tools, MCP, and Microsoft Foundry

Don't let your AI agents live in a silo. Unlock their full potential by connecting them to your data, your APIs, and the web. This session is a practical guide to extending Microsoft Foundry agents using the latest standards.

We will start with a tour of the powerful inbox capabilities—including Code Interpreter and Grounding with Bing—before shifting focus to building your own. You will learn how to leverage the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to create standardized, interoperable tools that your agents can use to perform real work.

Key takeaways:

- Maximize Built-ins: configure Browser Automation and SharePoint integration out of the box.
- Build with MCP: Create custom tools using the Model Context Protocol and OpenAPI.
- Secure the Stack: Manage private tool catalogs and handle credentials safely.
- Optimize Performance: Techniques to ensure your custom tools don't slow down your agent's reasoning loop.

Target Audience:

- AI engineers & developers
- Solution architects
- Platform engineers building internal AI tooling

The Developer’s Guide to Microsoft Foundry: Models, Agents, and SDKs

Unlock the full potential of Microsoft Foundry using your preferred language—whether it's .NET, Python, Java, or JavaScript. This session dives into the code and tools required to build robust AI applications.

We will explore three core pillars of development:

- Models & Fine-Tuning: accessing the latest cloud models, fine-tuning them with your data, or deploying them locally to Windows and Android devices.
- Building Agents: utilizing Foundry Agent Services to maintain conversation state and perform complex tasks.
- Intelligent Retrieval: Integrating Azure AI Search (RAG) and the Image Analysis SDK to give your apps context and vision.

We will also demonstrate the developer experience across the Azure CLI and VS Code, showing you how to streamline your inner loop from prototype to production.

Modern Windows Development: Choosing the Right UI Framework

The Windows development landscape offers more choices than ever. But with options ranging from established stalwarts to modern cross-platform contenders, how do you choose the right stack for your project and team?

In this session, we will navigate the "paradox of choice" facing .NET developers today. We’ll break down the contenders into clear categories:

- The Modern Native: WinUI 3 (Windows App SDK) for the latest Fluent design and native performance.
- The Enterprise Standards: WPF for complex, data-heavy desktop apps, and Windows Forms for rapid utility development.
- The Cross-Platform Giants: .NET MAUI for reaching mobile and desktop from one codebase, and the Uno Platform for taking WinUI to every screen (including Linux and Web).
- The Web Hybrid: Blazor Hybrid for leveraging web skills and assets within a native shell.

We will evaluate these frameworks against critical criteria:

- Platform Reach: Desktop-only vs. Mobile/Web expansion.
- Ecosystem: Control availability, maturity, and third-party support.
- Performance: Startup time, memory footprint, and rendering.
- Developer Experience: XAML vs. HTML/CSS vs. C# Markup.

To ground the theory, we will examine a single sample application implemented across all these frameworks, highlighting code sharing strategies and architectural differences. You will leave with a decision matrix to confidently select the best tool for your next Windows application.

Build Native: The Developer’s Guide to WinUI

Ready to build the next generation of Windows apps? This session is your practical entry point into the Windows App SDK and WinUI. We will move past the theory to discuss the concrete steps required to design, build, and ship a native Windows application.

Key topics include:

- The Toolkit: Setting up your environment and understanding the project structure.
- The UI: Crafting responsive interfaces with XAML and the visual tree.
- The Logic: Structuring your code with the MVVM Toolkit for clean, testable architecture.
- The Ecosystem: Comparing WinUI to WPF and Windows Forms to understand when to use which.
- The Reach: Deploying to the Microsoft Store/WinGet and extending to non-Windows platforms with the Uno Platform.

By the end of the session, you will have the foundation needed to create apps that delight users on modern Windows devices.

Inside Microsoft Learn: Mastering the Open-Source Contribution Workflow

Did you know that Microsoft Learn is one of the largest open-source projects in the world? In this session, you will learn how the Skilling teams at Microsoft manage thousands of articles daily—and how you can join them.

We will demystify the "Docs-as-Code" approach, guiding you through the exact workflow used by internal teams to write, edit, and publish content. You will learn how to:

- Navigate the Repos: Locate the right files within the massive Microsoft Learn GitHub repositories.
- Master the Tools: Use the Learn Markdown extensions to format content and add interactive features like a pro.
- Flow with GitHub: Create issues, submit Pull Requests (PRs), and communicate effectively with Microsoft maintainers.
- Apply the Style: Tips and tricks for writing engaging, accessible content that adheres to Microsoft's style guide.

Whether you want to fix a typo or author a new article, this session will give you the confidence to click "Edit" and make your mark on the learning community.

WinUI 3: Build a Modern Windows App from Scratch

In this hands-on, full-day workshop, you will go from File | New Project to a fully functional Windows desktop application using WinUI 3, the Windows App SDK, and C#.

We will build a complete "Media Collection Manager" to catalog your books, vinyl, and movies. Along the way, you will learn how to leverage the .NET Community Toolkit and Windows Community Toolkit to write cleaner code and build better UIs faster.

Workshop modules include:

- Architecture First: Implementing the MVVM pattern using the MVVM Toolkit and setting up .NET Dependency Injection.
- Data Persistence: Storing your collection locally using SQLite.
- Modern Styling: Incorporating Windows 11 aesthetics with Mica material and custom TitleBars.
- Advanced Navigation: Building a robust navigation service for complex app flows.
- Rich UI Controls: Mastering ListView templating, TeachingTips, and DropdownButtons.

By the end of the day, you will have a working application and the confidence to architect your own modern Windows apps.

Prerequisites:

- A Windows PC (Windows 11 recommended for Mica effects; Windows 10 supported).
- Visual Studio 2022+ with the "Windows App SDK" workload installed.

Microsoft Learn: Building Docs at Scale with GitHub & AI

Ever wonder how Microsoft manages to keep documentation up-to-date for millions of developers worldwide? In this session, I’ll take you behind the scenes of the Content Development team to show you the tools, the workflows, and the chaos of managing one of the world's largest open-source projects.

We will walk through the "Docs-as-Code" lifecycle, demonstrating how we:

- Engineer Content: Use Visual Studio Code and the Learn Authoring Pack to treat documentation like software.
- Collaborate: Manage the flow of thousands of pull requests using GitHub and rigorous git workflows.
- Leverage AI: New! See how we are starting to integrate AI tools to accelerate content creation, improve accuracy, and streamline maintenance.
- Ship It: The journey from a Markdown file on a local machine to a live page on Microsoft Learn.

Whether you are curious about the role of a Content Developer or want to improve your own documentation processes, this session reveals how the experts do it.

Build Beautiful Cross-Platform Apps with Uno Platform

Discover how to leverage the full power of .NET and the Uno Platform to build applications for iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, Windows, and the Web—all from a single codebase. Whether you prefer Windows, Mac, or Linux, this session demonstrates how to use your favorite IDE to create pixel-perfect apps efficiently.

We will explore the flexibility of the Uno Platform ecosystem, including how to:

- Develop your way: Use Visual Studio, VS Code, or JetBrains Rider on any OS.
- Accelerate creation: Launch projects instantly with the Uno Platform Live Wizard.
- Bridge design and code: Seamlessly export Figma designs to XAML or C# Markup.
- Visualize your UI: Utilize Hot Design in the Uno Platform Studio for real-time visual editing.
- Go XAML-free: Build complete UIs using only C# Markup.
- Modernize legacy apps: Convert WinUI projects to cross-platform apps with virtually zero code changes.

Join us for a whirlwind tour of these powerful features and leave ready to build your next app for every platform.

Accelerate .NET MAUI Development with the Community Toolkits

Stop writing boilerplate and start shipping apps. This session focuses on the tools and techniques that make cross-platform development with .NET MAUI fast and efficient.

We will explore a rapid development workflow covering:

- The Stack: Using Visual Studio or VS Code and the .NET MAUI Community Toolkit to streamline UI creation.
- The Architecture: Implementing a clean MVVM pattern with minimal code using the MVVM Toolkit.
- The UI: skipping XAML entirely with C# Markup or bringing in existing CSS.
- The Edge: Running local AI models directly on user devices with Foundry Local (Windows & Android).

Join us to learn how to access native device features and deploy to four platforms from a single, intelligent codebase.

Local AI on Windows: Integrating Phi Silica and Foundry into .NET Apps

Learn how to harness the full potential of the NPU on Windows. This session dives into the code required to bring local AI capabilities to your WinUI and WPF applications using C# and the Windows App SDK.

We will cover the essential APIs and tools:

- Phi Silica: Implementing local text generation and reasoning with the inbox NPU-optimized model.
- Intelligent Media: Adding native OCR, object detection, and image super-resolution to your app.
- Foundry Local: Hosting and interacting with custom local models across different hardware configurations.
- System Integration: Wiring up the User Activity API to support Windows Recall, helping users resume their workflows instantly.

Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the "Microsoft Foundry on Windows" stack and a look at the AI Dev Gallery for production-ready reference code.

PowerToys Tips & Tricks: A Lightning Tour

Discover the open-source utilities that power users love. In this session, we explore the best features of Windows PowerToys designed to streamline the developer experience.

We will cover a curated list of favorites, including:

- Workspaces and FancyZones for window management.
- Advanced Paste for intelligent clipboard handling.
- ZoomIt (Sysinternals) and Mouse Utilities for better presentations.
- Command Palette for keyboard-first search and navigation.
- Awake, Color Picker, and Light Switch for system control.

Whether you are new to PowerToys or looking for the latest features, this session provides the tips you need to customize your Windows experience.

This session works best as a lightning talk, but it can be expanded to a 30- or 40-minute talk by covering the tools in more details.