WinForms is a graphical user interface (GUI) framework for building Windows desktop applications and is part of the .NET framework. It's free, open-source and allows developers to create rich client applications that integrate perfectly with other Microsoft technologies.
There are a wide variety of reasons why companies and more specifically, their developer team choose to use the WinForms framework. Here we look at some of them -
Many businesses have existing desktop applications built with WinForms that are still critical to their operations. Rather than completely rewriting these systems due to the cost and/or time involved, they continue to maintain and update them using WinForms.
WinForms has been around since the early 2000s, so many development teams have significant experience with the framework, allowing them to develop and support applications without the need to learn new technologies.
WinForms promotes rapid app development through it's drag-and-drop interface and simple event-driven programming.
For companies already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem using SQL Server, Office, or Active Directory for example, WinForms provides seamless integration, making it easier to build applications that interact with these services.
Continuing to use and maintain WinForms applications can be more cost-effective than migrating to newer frameworks, particularly when the existing applications meet the company’s needs.
Considering WinForms was first released back in 2002, it is still surprisingly widely used when compared with other legacy frameworks. It is largely accepted that WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) was the successor to WinForms. However, in practice, a significant number of developers still favor WinForms and thus, it remains a popular technology despite it's age. In terms of deciding between WPF and WinForms for your application, WPF is better suited for creating visually rich and complex applications, whilst WinForms is a tried and tested option for simpler, stable applications, particularly in environments with existing WinForms expertise.
Looking for expert WinForms developers to maintain, upgrade or build your Windows Forms applications? At Cool Code Company, our UK based developers have extensive experience with this veteran technology so whether you need to maintain your legacy systems in WinForms, develop a new Windows desktop application or need help migrating your WinForms apps to an alternative technology, our team has the expertise to make it happen. Get in touch today to see how we can support your WinForms application development needs!
Q) Can I use WinForms to build a mobile app?
A) No, WinForms was developed to build windows desktop applications.
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