Microsoft has released .NET Framework 4.7, which bundles several changes to produce a release greater than the sum of its parts. Launching in conjunction with the Windows 10 Creators Update, this release focuses on UI enhancements, improved cryptography support and general performance improvements. In making this announcement, Microsoft's Rich Lander states .NET Framework 4.7 supports .NET Standard 1.6 today and will support .NET Standard 2.0 once it ships later this year.
High DPI support has come to Windows Forms applications, as long as those applications are running on Windows 10 Creators Update. In order to take advantage of the new HDPI features, a developer must specifically configure their application to enable support for them. Once enabled, applications will benefit from a better layout on HDPI screens, the use of high-resolution icons, and appropriate behavior when being moved across monitors of different DPIs. Lander is asking for feedback as to what areas of Windows Forms should be targeted for improvement in the future on GitHub.
Controls benefitting from the HPDI refinements include the calendar control, ListBox control, and the exception message box. Windows Forms applications can now respond when the DPI changes after launch thanks to three new events:
- Control.OnDpiChangedBeforeParent
- Control.OnDpiChangedAfterParent
- Form.DPIChanged
According to Microsoft's Merrie McGaw, an application targeting .NET Framework 4.7 will ultimately be able to run on Windows 7 through Windows 10. However, applications using the enhanced WinForms HDPI will need to be run on Windows 10 Creators Update to benefit from the new HDPI support.
WPF applications will benefit from the addition of WPF touch & stylus support. Similar to the HDPI changes, developers must choose to enable this support over the default Windows Ink Services Platform (WISP). ClickOnce applications running on 4.7 will benefit from automatic detection of a corrupted application store. If corruption occurs, ClickOnce applications will attempt to correct this and reinstall themselves without developer or admin attention.
.NET Framework 4.7 support for older versions of Windows will be provided in the near future, but Microsoft has not provided any indication as to the timing of these releases. The supported operating systems include Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 – Windows Server 2016.
Full release notes for all the changes and bug fixes are available for complete details.