FluidMoveBehaviour in Silverlight

Question

I'm trying to use FluidMoveBehaviour from the Dynamic Layout and Styles presentation at MIX 2010 in combination with MVVM (Caliburn.Micro).

The Master/Detail behavior is what I'm after. It isn't working and I would like to find out what's happening behind the curtains to see why Silverlight is not picking it up.

How can I debug the FluidMoveBehaviour?

Answer 1

Because the FluidMoveBehavior is so encapsulated and because the source code is not available, the only recourse when it is not working as expected is trial and error. Even worse, the feature is conceptually very opaque and the implications of what will happen if you change the settings are not at all clear initially.

Your best hope of getting the master/detail scenario to work (the most complicated one) is to create a very small example, get it working, and gradually reintroduce your code until it is fully integrated.

There are other working examples besides the MIX10 demo. I recommend reading and re-reading Mike Taulty's explanation until the feature is less opaque:

• Blend Bits 14: Fluid Movement

Notice how he approaches the problem gradually and with little test programs. That is how to avoid wasting time trying to use a "black box" feature.

Anyway, the promise of "effortless interactivity" might ring rather hollow right about now. It is perhaps a lesson for other behavior developers: how will the clients debug it when it isn't working? The answer: give them the tools, like configurable logging. When it's not working, the silence is unbearable.