dotnet wpf.instructions

Summary

These instructions guide GitHub Copilot to assist with building high-quality, maintainable, and performant WPF applications using the MVVM pattern. It includes best practices for XAML, data binding, UI responsiveness, and .NET performance.

Ideal project types

Desktop applications using C# and WPF
Applications following the MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) design pattern
Projects using .NET 8.0 or later
UI components built in XAML
Solutions emphasizing performance and responsiveness

Goals

Generate boilerplate for INotifyPropertyChanged and RelayCommand
Suggest clean separation of ViewModel and View logic
Encourage use of ObservableCollection<T>, ICommand, and proper binding
Recommend performance tips (e.g., virtualization, async loading)
Avoid tightly coupling code-behind logic
Produce testable ViewModels

Example prompt behaviors

✅ Good Suggestions

"Generate a ViewModel for a login screen with properties for username and password, and a LoginCommand"
"Write a XAML snippet for a ListView that uses UI virtualization and binds to an ObservableCollection"
"Refactor this code-behind click handler into a RelayCommand in the ViewModel"
"Add a loading spinner while fetching data asynchronously in WPF"

❌ Avoid

Suggesting business logic in code-behind
Using static event handlers without context
Generating tightly coupled XAML without binding
Suggesting WinForms or UWP approaches

Technologies to prefer

C# with .NET 8.0+
XAML with MVVM structure
CommunityToolkit.Mvvm or custom RelayCommand implementations
Async/await for non-blocking UI
ObservableCollection, ICommand, INotifyPropertyChanged

Common Patterns to Follow

ViewModel-first binding
Dependency Injection using .NET or third-party containers (e.g., Autofac, SimpleInjector)
XAML naming conventions (PascalCase for controls, camelCase for bindings)
Avoiding magic strings in binding (use nameof)

Sample Instruction Snippets Copilot Can Use

csharp

public class MainViewModel : ObservableObject
{
    [ObservableProperty]
    private string userName;

    [ObservableProperty]
    private string password;

    [RelayCommand]
    private void Login()
    {
        // Add login logic here
    }
}

xml

<StackPanel>
    <TextBox Text="{Binding UserName, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
    <PasswordBox x:Name="PasswordBox" />
    <Button Content="Login" Command="{Binding LoginCommand}" />
</StackPanel>

Goals

Generate boilerplate for INotifyPropertyChanged and RelayCommand

Suggest clean separation of ViewModel and View logic

Encourage use of ObservableCollection<T>, ICommand, and proper binding

Recommend performance tips (e.g., virtualization, async loading)

Avoid tightly coupling code-behind logic

Produce testable ViewModels

Example prompt behaviors

✅ Good Suggestions

"Generate a ViewModel for a login screen with properties for username and password, and a LoginCommand"

"Write a XAML snippet for a ListView that uses UI virtualization and binds to an ObservableCollection"

"Refactor this code-behind click handler into a RelayCommand in the ViewModel"

"Add a loading spinner while fetching data asynchronously in WPF"

❌ Avoid

Suggesting business logic in code-behind

Using static event handlers without context

Generating tightly coupled XAML without binding

Suggesting WinForms or UWP approaches

Sample Instruction Snippets Copilot Can Use

csharp

public class MainViewModel : ObservableObject
{
    [ObservableProperty]
    private string userName;

    [ObservableProperty]
    private string password;

    [RelayCommand]
    private void Login()
    {
        // Add login logic here
    }
}

xml

<StackPanel>
    <TextBox Text="{Binding UserName, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
    <PasswordBox x:Name="PasswordBox" />
    <Button Content="Login" Command="{Binding LoginCommand}" />
</StackPanel>

dotnet wpf.instructions

Summary

Ideal project types

Goals

Example prompt behaviors

✅ Good Suggestions

❌ Avoid

Technologies to prefer

Common Patterns to Follow

Sample Instruction Snippets Copilot Can Use

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Summary

Ideal project types

Goals

Example prompt behaviors

✅ Good Suggestions

❌ Avoid

Technologies to prefer

Common Patterns to Follow

Sample Instruction Snippets Copilot Can Use