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I'm asking this question here because after looking around the web for answers, I can't seem to find the answers i'm looking for.

I'm wondering can you easily take a WPF Application you built to run on the desktop, and run it as an XBAP application?

If you can easily do it, is there a resource where I can find out how?

Another question I have is about XBAP Applications in general...Can they be hosted on a web server somewhere, and then somebody accesses it through their browser remotely? Or would I have to create a Silverlight application for this?

Basically is an XBAP accessed remotely, or does it just run on the local machine, but in the browser (Something i'm not sure is that useful)

Dan Harris
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When you run as XBAP you have to decide between full-trust and partial trust. Partial trust limits some of the things, you are allowed to do (e.g. access local storage, printing etc.) Full-trust XBAP can do the same things as an app, but there is a huge problem around signing it (it needs to be signed for users to run it). We (my company) have tried to get that to work last year, but were unable to do it properly with self-signed certs. It proved very tricky and also, there were no resources available for how to approach it. That may have changed by now, though.

It depends with regards to converting it - you need to exchange a few things (e.g. Window should be replaced by Page) and the navigation functions radically different (more as a native web-application with history and so on).

An XBAP application runs in the sandbox on the computer (in partial trust at least), so it is downloaded and run locally (in the browser). This means that unless you make some automatic updating scheme - it will be the old version that is used, next time the user starts it. If he accesses it from the published place - it will be updated and the new version will replace the old.

As for resources - converting it is mostly a matter of copying the old application into a XBAP app - aside from the things above.

Hope this helps.

Goblin
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  • Ah, I was looking for a way to offer a Windows version of the application, intended to have all the services installed within the clients local network.But then also offer a hosted version so the App and Services run on a server somewhere, and they just access the App on the server, via the browser. Looks like XBAP doesn't do what I want – Dan Harris Jul 22 '11 at 19:28
  • Yeah - I would tend to look at ASP.NET MVC or something similar for a job like that. At least you can keep all your domain logic the same between the two (and if you're lucky only switch the UI part of the code). – Goblin Jul 22 '11 at 19:34
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I had looking for this answer around all the web, without success, have you ever obtained the answer to the question about how convert a WPF Client application to a XBAP browser based application? I'm believing that there is not a automatic way, being need a hand work. How explained above, changing windows to pages, navigation ways and some code structure.

Answering the second question, WPF applications are full versatiles, but you will need be able to set the application limits and the trusting police (Full-trust or Partial trust), database polices etc...

Tiago
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