IoC Container for WPF application

Question

I'd like to start using IoC Container in an existing WPF application.
I need good performance, but from what I read, performance is really not an issue with most containers.
What I need most is a very easy to use container, that can be easily integrated into my app. I read recommendations about StructureMap (and the syntax looks great), but in their site it seems that there were no updates in the last 3 years, so I'm having some doubts about it.

Please provide recommendations with basic usage code samples (initialization + usage).

Edit
I'm not looking for a complete framework. I only need the IoC container ability, so many other alternatives exist. The last relevant discussion I found here is a few years old and I'd like to refresh it.

Answer 1

The answer really depends on personal preference and the details of your use case. Anyway, after using Unity, MEF (I know, not a real IoC container) and writing some individual solutions, I am now using Autofac and like it a lot. It is very easy to dig into and continuously reveals its advantages the longer you use it. It provides a fluent interface and is fast, compared to other frameworks (btw: The performance of your container can be a very important issue, depending on what you want to do). For usage and samples of Autofac see the link above.

Why I like it:

• Easy to get into
• Fluent interface
• Supports open generics
• Supports assembly scanning
• Interoperability with MEF and other frameworks
• Fast enough (Performance comparison of IoC containers)

Still, this is personal choice and there are other good solutions around, which might even be better for your special case.

And, more or less off-topic, I can recommend this article, especially the second half, for general considerations. It helped me a lot. So, just in case:

Article by Martin Fowler

Answer 2

Structuremap aint dead.

We are using it for our new green field project, and when v3 is out we may migrate to it. ATM using 2.6.4.

Answer 3

Your question is a shopping-list type question so it won't stay open long.

There are a number of IoC type frameworks, some of which require declarative or programmatic manipulation to do their work, some of which use code semantics to wire things up.

I would suggest you start with Unity¹ until you get into the swing of things, then look to branch out into some of the more exotic frameworks when you can appreciate the differences between them.

¹ Here is a good recent intro article: Visual Studio magazine: Creating Modularity with WPF, Prism and Unity