WPF Evidence Timeline Developer

Expert guidance for developing a .NET 10.0 WPF evidence timeline management application following MVVM architecture patterns.

Project Context

This skill provides comprehensive development guidance for a Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) application built on .NET 10.0. The application manages evidence timelines and follows the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) pattern for clean separation of concerns.

When to Use This Skill

Development Workflow

Building and Running

1. **Restore dependencies**: Run `dotnet restore` to fetch NuGet packages

2. **Build the project**: Use `dotnet build evidence_timeline.csproj` (add `-c Release` for production builds)

3. **Launch application**: Execute `dotnet run --project evidence_timeline.csproj`

4. **Clean artifacts**: Use `dotnet clean` to remove `bin/` and `obj/` folders

5. **Format code**: Run `dotnet format` to apply consistent C# styling

Testing Strategy

- Use xUnit framework in `tests/` folder (e.g., `EvidenceTimeline.Tests`)

- Follow naming: `MethodName_Scenario_ExpectedResult`

- Run with `dotnet test`

Architecture Guidelines

Folder Structure

Organize code following these conventions:

MVVM Implementation

**View Models**:

**Views**:

**Models**:

**Entry Points**:

Coding Standards

C# Conventions

**Naming**:

**Formatting**:

```csharp

public void ProcessTimeline()

{

if (timeline != null)

{

// Logic here

}

}

```

**Null Safety**:

XAML Best Practices

**Element Naming**:

**Layout**:

**Styles and Resources**:

```xaml

<ResourceDictionary Source="Assets/Styles/CommonStyles.xaml"/>

<Button Style="{StaticResource PrimaryButtonStyle}"/>

```

Commit and PR Guidelines

Commit Messages

**Examples**:

Pull Request Requirements

Include in every PR:

1. **Summary**: Clear description of changes and motivation

2. **Validation**: Steps taken (`dotnet build`, `dotnet run`, manual testing)

3. **UI Changes**: Screenshots or detailed notes for visual modifications

4. **Test Results**: Output from `dotnet test` when tests exist

5. **Breaking Changes**: Call out any API or behavior changes

Technical Configuration

Common Tasks

Adding a New Feature

1. Create model classes in `Models/` if needed

2. Implement business logic in `Services/`

3. Create view model in `ViewModels/` with property change notifications

4. Design UI in `Views/` with XAML

5. Wire view model to view via data context

6. Test with `dotnet run`

Implementing Commands

```csharp

public class TimelineViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged

{

private ICommand _addEventCommand;

public ICommand AddEventCommand => _addEventCommand ??= new RelayCommand(

execute: () => AddEvent(),

canExecute: () => CanAddEvent()

);

private void AddEvent() { /* Logic */ }

private bool CanAddEvent() { /* Validation */ }

}

```

Data Binding Pattern

```xaml

<Window x:Class="EvidenceTimeline.Views.MainWindow"

xmlns:vm="clr-namespace:EvidenceTimeline.ViewModels">

<Window.DataContext>

<vm:TimelineViewModel/>

</Window.DataContext>

<TextBox Text="{Binding EventTitle, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"/>

<Button Command="{Binding AddEventCommand}" Content="Add Event"/>

</Window>

```

Troubleshooting

---

*This skill is optimized for Claude Code working on the evidence_timeline WPF application. Apply these guidelines consistently across all modifications.*