Ink Control Comparison with Managed API

Now that you understand the design goals of the API as well as what it does and does not provide, you may be wondering whether one of the Ink controls might be suitable for your application. Fear not help is on the way in the form of a stress-free flowchart tailored to aid your decision making (Figure 3-13). The controls are discussed in more detail in Chapter 8, but for now their basic features are contrasted with the managed API in Table 3-5.

A key point when deciding whether to use the managed API or the Ink controls is that the decision is not truly either/or. The Ink controls are usable from managed code and indeed expose portions of the managed API. So in a sense the question is really whether an Ink control supplies all the features and flexibility that you need. If not, the managed API usually offers a more direct way to implement your design.

figure 3-13 the simplified choice between using the managed api or the ink controls is depicted by a set of boxes and arrows.

Figure 3-13. The simplified choice between using the managed API or the Ink controls is depicted by a set of boxes and arrows.

Table 3-5. Differences Between Controls and the Managed API
Function	Managed API	InkEdit Control	InkPicture Control
Captures ink		Available only when running on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.	Available only when running on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
Recognizes ink		Available only when running on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
Allows editing of ink appearance		Available only when running on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.	Available only when running on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
Natively supports erasing			Available only when running on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
Accepts input from arbitrary window
Character-based text editing
Automatic conversion of ink to text
Maps gestures to text (space, return, backspace)
Scales ink to match text font height
Handles images

For most features involving digital ink, you ll find that the managed API provides the power and flexibility required to build applications for the Tablet PC. However, as shown in Figure 3-13 and Table 3-5, the Ink controls may be ideal if your needs match well with the particular usage scenarios they were designed to address. The Ink controls will be covered in more depth in Chapter 7.