Styling Buttons for Universal Windows Apps in XAML - TechNet Article - US (English) (2023)

Built-in XAML controls for Windows apps are great, but sometimes you need morefashionable.XAML style to the rescue!

The two pink buttons have exactly the same properties, but one is the default style and the other is a custom style. They look completely different due to the flexibility of XAML styles. This almost 3D masterpiece still leftweakenwhen you click. to tell you how...

What are XML Styles?

XAML controls have properties, such as background color or border shape, viacharacteristicglass. If you want more flexibility with your controls, you can create a style that lets you choose which common features and visuals to keep and which to customize.

What does this article cover?

In this article, we'll introduce the basics of XAML styling by creating the pretty 3D button above from scratch.

This technique works with any XAML-based Windows Store or Windows Phone app, including Universal Apps.

Step 1: Emulate Webster and Create a Dictionary

Create a new project, then create a new Resource Dictionary and callmy button style:

A1 Right click on your project and select Add new item...

2 Select Resource dictionary, give it a name and click Add

You now have onemybuttonstyles.xamlat your project. Double-click the new file to open it in the Visual Studio code editor. All your style code will be placed in this file.

We start by setting the name and target type of the style. The target is the type of user interface element that can be configured (aknob), and the name provides a unique identifier for the style.

Add this code after the namespace and before closinginscription:

reddenmybuttonstyles.xaml, then openapplication.xamland add the pairmybuttonstyles.xamlAs a merged dictionary:

<application.source>
<source dictionary>
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<source dictionary bron="My Button Styles.xaml"/>
ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
source dictionary>
application.source>

Referring to the dictionary file in App.xamlens ensures that your styles are available for every button in the app.

Step 2: Make the button

Visual Studio doesn't allow visual editing of source dictionary elements, so we create a button on the page, assign our new style, and then use that button to help with formatting.

Openhomepage.xamlAnd add a control button anywhere on the page.

Change the style of this button tomy button style:

1. Select the button control (either by clicking it in the page designer or by clicking the code in the code editor).

2. insidecharacteristicwindow, scroll down and expand itDifferent types ofGroup the properties and click on the small square next to itstyle:

   

3. to electLocal Resources | My button styles:

Now you've applied your style to the button (although your style is empty, so the button looks like a regular button). make the button a reasonable size and fit itcontentsproperty, like this:

Changes to the style are reflected in the button, but changes you make to the button do not affect the style - the button is an instance of the button control with the style MyButtonStyle.

Step 3: Start Button Template

almybuttonstyles.xaml, add the following code betweeninscription:

positiveDefine a property. The above rules define the default for styles andelement is where the actual template content is placed. In this case we usetag to create the layout of the control. Save the file and you will noticeAt homeNow it is empty because you have defined a control template but have not put anything in it yet.

control pattern

Our template uses a grid andtext block(for labels).

paste itinscription:

<rooster>
See Also
Storing and retrieving images using the MVVM pattern in WPF C# - Microsoft QA
<content presenter>
<text block
font family="{TemplateBinding FontFamily}"
choose accent color="{TemplateBinding Foreground}"
text="{Binding inhoud, RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=TemplateParent}}"
lettertypegrootte="{TemplateBinding FontSize}"
perspective="{TemplateBinding Foreground}"
Horizontal alignment="center"
vertical alignment="center"
high="auto"
width="auto"/>
content presenter>
rooster>

Now your button styles have a grid containing them.

The ContentPresenter presents content, which can be anything from text to a list of complex objects.

you may not be familiartemplate binding.template bindingThey bind properties to values ​​in the template, which means they bind to properties in the templatecharacteristicThe table that controls attendance. thereforefont familyProperties are tied to the selected font, etc. Text binding is different becausecontentsbehaves differently than default properties, such asDossierofhighHowever, that is beyond the scope of this article, so let's move on.

Step 4: Competition Button Template

The button still looks like it came out of the box, but that's okay. We're ready to make it fun with some XAML tricks...

We will create a raised 3D effect by superimposing three identical shapes in different colors.

In XAML, objects are drawn in the order they appear in code, with later drawn elements appearing on top of previously drawn elements.

To create the shadow, we'll add the buttonDossiercolor, and then we draw the same shape on top, but place itblack translucentThis has the effect of darkening the image below (assuming you applied black cellophane over the first image). Then we draw a third shape above the shadow, but slightly higher on the screen, andlook,A 3D button.

This is the grid we will be using:

The dark layer is drawn on lines 2 and 3, and the top layer is drawn on lines 1 and 2. The order of the layers in the code matters because the transparent black layer should come before the bottom layer and the top layer should be above it. come . This gives us the following result:

We create grid rows with relative dimensions so that the buttons always keep their proportions. The top and bottom rows have a height of "1*" and the middle row has a height of "7*".

to replacecode insideExclude the following:

<rooster>
<rooster>
<Grid.RowDefinities>
<row definition/>
<row definition high=“7*”/>
<row definition/>
Grid.RowDefinities>
<rooster x: name="rooster" gain=“0” Grid.RowSpan="2" grid.rows="1">
<Limitation
contourborstel="{TemplateBinding Background}"
edge thickness="1"
angular radius="6"
Dossier="{TemplateBinding Background}"/>
<Limitation Dossier="Black" opacity=“0,25” contourborstel="Black" angular radius="6"/>
rooster>
<rooster gain=“0” grid.rows=“0” Grid.RowSpan="2">
<Limitation
contourborstel="{TemplateBinding Background}"
edge thickness="1"
angular radius="6"
Dossier="{TemplateBinding Background}"/>
<content presenter>
<text block
font family="{TemplateBinding FontFamily}"
choose accent color="{TemplateBinding Foreground}"
lettertypegrootte="{TemplateBinding FontSize}"
perspective="{TemplateBinding Foreground}"
Horizontal alignment="center"
vertical alignment="center"
high="auto"
width="auto"
text="{Binding inhoud, RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=TemplateParent}}"/>
content presenter>
rooster>
rooster>
rooster>

save the changes.

I'll point out things that may be unfamiliar:

• ItLimitationelement has aangular radiusproperty, which gives the button rounded corners. Change the value to make the corners rounder or rounder.
• The black border must match the dark border exactly, otherwise the dimming effect will not match properly.
• You can change the opacity of the black outline for darker or lighter shadow effects.

check your progress

Openhomepage.xamlThe button still looks generic. Select your button and change its properties to try out the new style. Give it a background color, a foreground (text), set the background color of the page, change the buttoncontentsText and fonts. Your button should look like this, raised and shaded:

Nice!

Step 5: Click

Now your button looks great, run your app and click it. As you may have guessed, clicking the button doesn't do anything (since you haven't coded it to do anything), you'll also notice that it doesn't look like a button at all. The button should respond when pressed!

We'll be using Blend to animate the button because it's a great tool for this kind of thing.

• right clickhomepage.xamlIn Visual Studio Solution Explorer and selectMixed opening...(Save your file if prompted by Visual Studio).

Blend openshomepage.xamlFrom here you can directly edit the button's template (i.e. style). In the left panel (or button on the drawing surface), right-click the button and selectEdit Template | Edit Current...

You are now directly editing your style template.

to electconditioninscription:

States determine how a control looks or moves under different conditions. For example, our button should appear underwater when clicked.

ClickAdd status groupbutton to create a state group, then rename the created group to "CommonStates":

Clickadd stateknobthreeThree situations arise at the same time. Rename the three states to "Normal", "PointerOver" and "Pressed":

althoughpointer tostate is the same as normal and we need to include it so that the button returns to its normal state after being pressed, even though the mouse cursor is still on the button. You can remove this mode to see the difference for yourself.

We want to move the position of this surface to the next grid row. insidecharacteristicChange it in the right paneSerievalue from0reach1and pressEnterApply the changes. You will see that the button now appears "pressed" and the top layer has been moved to a darker area to simulate pressing a 3D button.

Click on the little red dot to turn off the recording function:

Save all files (Ctrl-Shift-S) and go back to Visual Studio. Visual Studio will detect that you have made changes and prompt you to reload the file. So do this.

Now run your app again and the button will click when clicked!

what's next

test button. You can format each button, change the font and size of the text, use different colors, and more. Note that when you change the color of the button, the shadow at the bottom automatically becomes dominant (Dossier) colour.

Here are a few ways you can try this example:

• Replace the button text with an image.
• Inverts the 3D "orientation" of the button.
• Adds a light tint to the button when the mouse moves over it.
• Try designing different types of controls.

full code

Below is the full code for the button style, including the code generated by Blend when creating the visual state in the designer. Be sure to add a reference to it as it is a resource dictionary. Better to refer to itapplication.xamlto make sure it is throughout the app.

<source dictionary
xmlns=url://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation
xmlns:x=url//schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml
xmlns:local="Usage: Test Control">
<style target type="knob" x: key="My Button Styles">
<positive property="role model">
<specified value>
<control pattern>
<rooster>
<VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
<visual status group x: name="Commonwealth">
<visual state x: name="normal"/>
<visual state x: name="type">
<Storyboard>
<Using ObjectAnimationKeyFrames storyboard.TargetProperty="(raster.rows)" storyboard.TargetName="rooster">
<Discrete object keyframes critical moment=“0”>
<DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
<x: integer 32>1x: integer 32>
DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
Discrete object keyframes>
Using ObjectAnimationKeyFrames>
Storyboard>
visual state>
<visual state x: name="pointer to"/>
visual status group>
VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
<rooster>
<Grid.RowDefinities>
<row definition/>
<row definition high=“7*”/>
<row definition/>
Grid.RowDefinities>
<rooster gain=“0” Grid.RowSpan="2" grid.rows="1">
<Limitation
contourborstel="{TemplateBinding Background}"
edge thickness="1"
angular radius="6"
Dossier="{TemplateBinding Background}"/>
<Limitation Dossier="Black" opacity=“0,25” contourborstel="Black" angular radius="6"/>
rooster>
<rooster x: name="rooster" gain=“0” grid.rows=“0” Grid.RowSpan="2">
<Limitation
contourborstel="{TemplateBinding Background}"
edge thickness="1"
angular radius="6"
Dossier="{TemplateBinding Background}"/>
<content presenter>
<text block
font family="{TemplateBinding FontFamily}"
choose accent color="{TemplateBinding Foreground}"
lettertypegrootte="{TemplateBinding FontSize}"
perspective="{TemplateBinding Foreground}"
Horizontal alignment="center"
vertical alignment="center"
high="auto"
width="auto"
text="{Binding inhoud, RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=TemplateParent}}"/>
content presenter>
rooster>
rooster>
rooster>
control pattern>
specified value>
positive>
style>
source dictionary>