The patterns & practices team has several deliverables for building composite applications. The following list highlights the scenarios where you should consider using each:

If you need to develop a composite Windows Forms application, consider using Smart Client Software Factory:
- It leverages the most mature platform.
- It offers a good development and debugging experience (including tooling, control support, drag and drop, and rapid application development experience).
- It includes code generation (this is provided with guidance package support and recipes).
- It includes capabilities for occasionally connected clients.

If you need to develop a composite Windows Forms application with islands of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) content, consider using Smart Client Software Factory and WPF interop:
- It can be leveraged with an existing Smart Client Software Factory infrastructure.
- It includes guidance automation (in the form of guidance package support and recipes).

If you want to migrate an existing Composite UI Application Block application to WPF, consider using WPFCAB in the SCSFContrib CodePlex project:
- It allows building pure WPF-based applications with the Composite UI Application Block.
- It can be leveraged with an existing Smart Client Software Factory infrastructure, except for views.
- It is not maintained or owned by the patterns & practices team; instead, it is supported by community.
- It is a literal port of Composite UI Application Block to WPF and not optimized to take advantage of WPF.
- It does not include guidance automation.

If you want to create a composite application with WPF or upgrade an existing WPF application to a composite application, use Composite Application Guidance for WPF:
- It targets WPF composite application development.
- It is designed for best use WPF capabilities.
- It includes a lightweight library—you can choose the library capabilities you want to include.
- It integrates with existing applications and libraries.
- It does not include guidance automation.

Last Friday, we published the release candidate version of the Composite Application Guidance for WPF…