LightSwitch vs WinForms

Question

What is the difference between Visual Studio LightSwitch and WinForms? Why we should choose one over the other?

Update: I understand that LightSwitch is an application framework. May be the better question is, how a LighSwitch application compares to a windows forms application built with Composite Application Block (CAB)

Answer 1

Lightswitch is a template driven application development environment for Visual Studio. It creates Silverlight applications that use a View-Model architecture, using Entity Framework and RIA services for data access.

The applications can be run locally on the desktop with a local data store, or with a data store on a server, or run in a browser with a data store on a server.

The Lightswitch framework includes designers to create and manage most aspects of an business application such as:

• Data model with validation and relationships
• Screens
• Menus
• Queries
• As of Beta 1, there is no built-in reporting engine

It's scope remains to be seen, but I believe it's targeted for development of corporate in-house applications, such as CMS systems, billing systems, etc. and also line-of-business applications, small and large scale.

WinForms or Windows Forms is the graphical API for .NET that lets you create user interfaces with forms and controls, etc. It's not a complete application development framework.

This thread compares LightSwitch to building line-of-business applications in Silverlight today:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/lightswitchgeneral/thread/3f6161b6-33a3-4b6a-a4d8-ea693d6ba273

This video gives a high-level overview of LightSwitch http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/us/details/74ed35cb-709b-46f7-8b21-2f681965ed0b

Answer 2

Sorry Carlos, but LightSwitch does not generate either WinForms, or WebForms projects. The only official client technology is a Silverlight client, whether it is a web application, or a desktop (OOB) application.

In the very early days, I believe the client was originally WPF, but that was changed to SilverLight some time ago.

While LS does "generate" code, it does so for its own use, not for consumption external to LS.

Answer 3

One imortant distinction between Lightswitch and Composite Application Block UI, is that CAB has been retired and is no longer developed.

Reference: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa480450.aspx