Building WinUI Apps with C# First Patterns and AI Assisted Workflows | OD854
Chris Anderson explains how WinUI is evolving for modern Windows app development, focusing on emerging C#-first UI patterns, how experimental work like Microsoft UI Reactor informs the platform’s direction, and how these approaches fit alongside the XAML-based apps teams ship today.
Overview
This Build 2026 session covers how WinUI (as the production UI framework for Windows apps) is adapting to developer needs like faster iteration, clearer control flow, and workflows that pair well with AI-assisted coding.
Key themes from the session description and chapter list:
- Core platform improvements
- Ongoing focus on performance, quality, and bug fixes.
- New UI controls
- Upcoming controls called out include DataGrid and charting.
- Open source and transparency
- Emphasis on public repo workflows and open source visibility.
- Long-term direction and migration
- Microsoft’s stated commitment to WinUI as a long-term framework.
- Discussion of platform feature gaps and migration plans.
- C#-first UI patterns and experimentation
- How emerging C#-first patterns can improve productivity.
- Introduction of the experimental Microsoft UI Reactor framework and a demo focused on a code-first approach.
- AI-assisted workflows
- How these patterns and tooling trends align with AI-assisted coding workflows.