Feature Request: Add ConnectedAnimation Support

[ORRNY]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe

Description:

Problem Statement

WPF UI currently lacks support for ConnectedAnimation, a powerful visual continuity feature that is part of the Fluent Design System in UWP/WinUI. Connected animations provide smooth visual transitions between UI elements across different views or pages, significantly improving user experience by maintaining visual context and helping users track their interactions.

Proposed Feature

I would like to propose adding ConnectedAnimation support to WPF UI, similar to what's available in UWP/WinUI through the ConnectedAnimationService API.

Key API requirements:

• ConnectedAnimationService.GetForCurrentView() - Get animation service for current window
• PrepareToAnimate(string key, UIElement source) - Prepare source element for animation
• GetAnimation(string key) - Retrieve prepared animation
• TryStart(UIElement destination) - Start animation to destination element

Use Cases

• Smooth transitions between list items and detail views
• Navigation between pages with shared elements
• Gallery-to-detail view transitions
• Any scenario requiring visual continuity between views

Implementation References

There are existing WPF implementations that could serve as inspiration:

1. WPF Implementation by walterlv: https://blog.walterlv.com/post/connected-animation-of-wpf.html

   • Provides a complete working implementation using AdornerLayer
   • Includes source code and examples
   • Demonstrates the core concept and API design

2. Stack Overflow Discussion: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/53789331/how-can-i-use-connected-animation-in-wpf-app-like-uwp

   • Community discussion about implementing this feature in WPF

Expected Benefits

• Better UX: Provides visual continuity and guidance for users
• Modern Design: Aligns with Fluent Design System principles
• Feature Parity: Brings WPF UI closer to UWP/WinUI capabilities
• Developer Experience: Familiar API for developers coming from UWP/WinUI

Example Usage

// Prepare animation on source page
var service = ConnectedAnimationService.GetForCurrentView(this);
service.PrepareToAnimate("imageTransition", sourceImage);

// Navigate to new page/view

// Start animation on destination page
var animation = service.GetAnimation("imageTransition");
animation?.TryStart(destinationImage);

Additional Context

This feature would be particularly valuable for modern WPF applications that want to provide polished, fluid user experiences. It's a key component of Fluent Design and would significantly enhance the visual appeal of applications built with WPF UI.

Describe the solution you'd like

I would like to propose adding support for ConnectedAnimation, similar to what exists in UWP/WinUI. This would allow for seamless transitions between pages or elements, enhancing the user experience with smooth visual continuity. Ideally, it should offer a simple API to start and synchronize animations between source and destination elements during navigation.

Describe alternatives you've considered

I have explored community discussions and articles, such as https://blog.walterlv.com/post/connected-animation-of-wpf.html and this StackOverflow thread: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/53789331/how-can-i-use-connected-animation-in-wpf-app-like-uwp. Some workarounds exist, but they are not as straightforward or robust as the native UWP/WinUI implementation.

Additional context

Integrating a ConnectedAnimation-like feature would be a significant improvement for WPFUI. The resources linked above provide inspiration and possible approaches for implementation. This would make WPFUI even more attractive for developers looking for a modern user experience.