Microsoft Development Services

.NET Smart Client WinForm Apps

Microsoft smart clients are a blend of the ease of use of MS Office desktop applications, the performance of client server applications and the wide reach of the internet. Smart client applications are built on the MS SQL Server / .NET platform which imparts the necessary stability that is required in such applications. The advantage of smart client applications is that they are automatically maintained and enable real time SQL Database access directly over the internet.

Smart client application development involves two distinct components:

• A thin client application to be installed locally
• The actual application hosted on a Web Server

Silicus Experience

Silicus has expertise and experience using the .NET framework and the .Net compact framework along with the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and WinForms developing for creating Microsoft smart client applications for online / offline usage, work on multiple devices and stand out for their distinct image.

The .Net framework and .Net compact framework solves DLL versioning conflicts and simplifies the deployment of smart client applications.

Using Windows Forms provides the user with a powerful library of UI components, composite UI application blocks and an easy to use forms designer for generating the UI in smart client applications.

Silicus has experience taking care of all aspects and issues related to smart client development. Some of the issues are:

• Enabling offline processing
• Ensuring data security
• Ensuring user connectivity to the application over low bandwidth

Silicus Smart Client Development Services

Smart clients vary greatly in design and implementation, both in application requirements and in the number of scenarios and environments in which they can be used. Silicus smart client development services span over the following target areas - Windows smart client applications, Office smart client applications and Mobile smart client applications. Silicus has extensive experience designing smart client application to target one or more of these platforms, depending on the role of the user and the functionality required.

Windows smart client applications

A Windows smart client application is suitable in situations where an application needs to be deployed and accessed as a familiar desktop-type application. These types of applications typically provide the majority of their functionality themselves but can integrate with or coordinate other applications when appropriate.

Silicus has developed smart client applications using Windows Forms to provide a familiar Windows-style user interface, where the application itself provides much of the functionality and does not rely on another application to provide the main user interface. Such smart clients can range from simple applications deployed over HTTP to very sophisticated applications.

Office smart client applications

Microsoft Office System 2003 provides a useful platform on which to build smart client applications, especially in an enterprise setting. With an Office smart client solution, you can integrate data sources, accessed through Web services, with the features of Word 2003, Excel 2003, InfoPath 2003, or other Office applications to develop smart client solutions.

Such Office smart client applications can become an integrated part of an organization's information management cycle, not just static containers for document data. They can provide context-sensitive data as the user works within a document, as well as workflow and task guidance, data analysis, collaboration, reporting, and presentation features that turn data exposed by Web services into useful information.

Mobile smart client applications

Mobile smart clients are applications that run on smart devices - Pocket PCs, Smartphones, and other small form factor devices such as set-top boxes. These applications are developed using the .NET Compact Framework, which is a subset of the full .NET Framework. The .NET Compact Framework has many of the features of the full .NET Framework, supports XML, and consumes Web services. It is optimized for use on small form factor devices, and it includes the Windows Forms designer for developing the user interface.

Silicus has experience using the Visual Studio.NET Smart Device Projects along with the .NET compact framework to develop mobile smart client applications.

Technologies Used

• Frameworks
• .NET
• .NET compact

• Extensions
• WinForms
• WPF
• Visual Studio.Net Smart Device Projects

Why Silicus?

Silicus is intimately aware of all aspects related to smart client application development. Our expert team of developers is experienced in technologies such as C# form, windows form, net forms, VB.NET winform and smart client factory. We have designed and developed smart client applications focused on performance.

Some of the areas we take special care of to ensure application performance are:

• Data caching
• Network communications
• Threading
• Transactions
• Optimizing application start up time
• Managing available resources
• Optimizing windows forms performance
• Image handling
• Performance tuning