WPF Apps running within WPF Apps

Question

I would like to run a shell window manager kiosk-style WPF app that is full screen and contains in it other WPF apps.

Each WPF app is a project of it's own in my VS solution, what are the best practices for loading an instance of the other apps into my shell app and (preferably) confine them to certain bounds within the window manager.

Answer 1

I would try to rethink your design.

Instead of trying to load "other WPF Applications", it would be far simpler to load Windows, or potentially even better, UserControls, from the other assemblies (projects/solutions) and display them directly within your Application.

Extensibility like this can be accomplished fairly easily via MEF, which is built into the framework. This would allow you to define contracts that can be loaded dynamically in your main application, and used to build the functionality as needed.