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Read for 10 minutes · 18 november 2016
earlierblog thingsI share my naivety, first attempt at putting together a toggle button that changes content when pressed. For example...
mineoriginal methodis to avoid ugly xaml and write some C# classes and bind state and behavior in minimal xaml.
This is the normal light bonding technique, usingINotifyPropertyChangedIt's great for binding viewsModelhowever for View it is much more elegant to implement it in xaml.
While this is the wrong way to create views, it's good to learn why these techniques are needed to create view models.
After completing this assignment, I began the reconstruction to integrate the concepts I had learned along the way.
The code behind the minimized view
First I removed all CLR components that needed to be replaced. This leaves a much simpler structure...
While I still need automation because I have one button that works from another, the view is much simpler now. Thisstatic buttondude just got onechoicesharmonyoriginal stateproperty, not requiredINotifyPropertyChangedBecause no dynamic binding is needed: the value is copied once by the xaml parser.
The goal now is to implement all the UI behavior in the xaml.
Styles, trigger rules and control patterns
WPF provides all the functionality needed to customize the appearance of standard controlsStyles and standards.
AstyleBasically an object with a number of setters that are run on the consuming control to set its properties. It also includes triggers that call setters based on certain status events.
So let's add a style trigger to change the content and appearance of the button when it's selected.
Disappointing: It doesn't work.
priority
There are a few questions:
- The content is defined in the tag, this overrides any settings in the style
- The button already has a default behavior where it changes color when selected, so this should be overridden.
The first one is easy to fix, just remove the tag content and add a setter for the default (unchecked) state in the style.
Ok, fixed the content section...
The second question is a bit like a can of worms. All controls are equipped with acontrol patternAnd there is no way to suppress specific aspects of the behavior defined therein. Each property is set to a specific value by a specific eventcontrol pattern, override the styles and values defined in the tag. As you can see,squareBackground color is one of them. The only way to change this is to create a customcontrol patternAll existing behaviors are supported, as well as required customizations.
Note 1: Any tag rules set to a style whose ControlTemplate has the same property set to the same event will be ignored. This is due to command priority. according toMSDN, Style tag rules override ControlTemplate tag rules. However, the behavior I observed is the exact opposite.
Note 2: At the time of writing it is not possible to override any part of the ControlTemplate, you must create a template from scratch and be responsible for any related behavior.
custom control template
That said, it's actually pretty easy to grab a copy of the default template and edit it. In VS 2013, go to the properties panel (select the button in the xaml) and click on the mysterious little box to the right of the template properties under Misc. Then select Convert to new source and a copy of the template will be written to the Window.Resources section of the xaml. It also places a reference to the template in the markup. You can then view and adjust the trigger as you please - in this casesquare.
as explainedhere, the template must have rootframe-elementBy default, this is the outline. It seems that the root acts as a proxy for the target in the template, so if you want to set it upDossierbutton properties, you can set themDossierAttributes of the root element of the template. You can see it in the trigger above.
Anyway, okay: it works.
Visual Studio adds the template to the window source dictionary and gives it ax: keyvanToggleButtonControlTemplate1he bonded with merole modelToggleButton properties.
Let's get a little more creative and add more colors and shadows to the template. add some firstLinear Gradient BrushObject in the window's resource dictionary, such as...
consumentenbron
Note that we have to give this one ax: keyto meet the needs of the dictionary. We can now bind to it from styles, templates or button tags.
To generalize it, we can also add some colored objects and use them in a style like this...
Also in template activations...
This also works...
multiple irritations
One subtlety to note is that when the button is selected, the color does not change with mouse placement. It is like that becausesquaretrigger nathe mouseDismissed by order of report. This means that the latter takes precedence, hence the problem. that's exactly itmultiple triggersdesigned to cope. We just need to add a trigger to process when both conditions are true.
This gives us the behavior we are looking for...
polymorphism
The content of the button is hard coded in xaml so far, what if we want to generalize it to arbitrary content with two states?
One strategy for doing this is to pass a collection tocontentsproperties of the control, then use the index on the template to select the one we need based on the rule we're triggering. we have to movecontentscaused bystyleEntercontrol patternto make it work, because we need to set the Control property on the tag, which will override the style and usageon a stringProperties for displaying content. Moving the tag line to the template resolves the issue.
Well, first we have to write onestatic buttonA class that contains content options...
We can then create an instance of the static button in code behind the window.
Now we just need to figure out the best way to bind it to the xaml.
relative use of resources
We can arrangedata frameThe window itself useddatacontext = this;However, in the code behind, this violates the MVVM principle of maintaining the DataContext for the display model. So we need to find another way to reference the CLR framework in the xaml. This can be done using the RelativeSource connection. I made it a bit dry by storing the RelativeSource object in the window resource dictionary.
We can then bind to this StaticResource to point to the POCOstatic buttonGoal.
Note that we are referring to the Options propertystatic buttonthis is alist.If we run the application now, the contents of the button will be(collect)In both states, because this is the default settingon a stringcollect behaviour. The next step is to move the trigger to the template and enter the correct value.
So now the styling is much simpler and the template has additional triggers to manage content switching.
oh i forgot to addoriginal stateThe button properties...
So let's see if the options and initial state work by modifying the example...
And behold, it works.
To complete the specification, we need to add one more button to control another one remotely.
respectively automated
First, change the Grid element to Stack Panel and adjust the orientation and margins. Then add a regular button. Next, we need to add the display model to the project and create an instance of it, passing the reference to the target button for checking. To reference the button created in the xaml, we need to add this oneNameproperty.
The display model contains the code for the automation target...
It uses a class called ToggleAutomation which has a class calledGodThis works on the target button.
We just need to pass a toggle button to the constructor, instantiate it, and add it to thewindow.DataContextsimplify binding.
Next, we add a Command property to the remote button and pass a reference to itself as a parameter.
It works...
Heredity and polymorphism
However, the new button doesn't suit our visual style, so let's fix that by giving it the samestyle……
Except, that doesn't work becausetarget typeFor styles and templates, the current setting isswitch buttonTo solve this, we use the common ancestor of buttons and set the targetbutton base.You may have noticed that I useattribute = "Toggle button.square"on the previous model. This allows us to handle properties that are not shared by the siblings of the class.
This provides the static remote button graphics, but still has the default mouse placement behavior. It would be great if we could solve this problem with the same template. We need to pass a list to the content, but in this case we don'tsquareproperty. The loose, easy solution is to pass a collection that contains everything in the first element and what you want in the second. This works well for me! So we just make a second onestatic buttonGive the remote a name and refer to the contents of the button on the remote.
Then for some final adjustments I create a different background color for the selected state and adjust the colors a bit to make it make sense: I just use the same colormouse == falseBut with less saturation. I also added such a multi-triggertypeThe situation is always the same.
Well, it's not going to win any design awards, but as a learning exercise I think it's good.
The next thing I'm going to figure out is how to use a static button class to wrap the template in a separate dll to clean up as much of the xaml as possible.
FAQs
How to use custom control in WPF? ›
Create a new WPF project and then right-click on your solution and select Add > New Item... It will open the following window. Now select Custom Control (WPF) and name it MyCustomControl. Click the Add button and you will see that two new files (Themes/Generic.
How do I get the template of control in WPF? ›In the WPF designer, select the relevant control, or place the mouse cursor on the relevant control in the XAML. Press F4 to open the Properties Window. Open the Miscellaneous category to find the Template property, or type Template in the search field at the top of the Window.
What is the difference between data template and control template in WPF? ›A ControlTemplate will generally only contain TemplateBinding expressions, binding back to the properties on the control itself, while a DataTemplate will contain standard Binding expressions, binding to the properties of its DataContext (the business/domain object or view model).
What is an example of a custom control? ›An example of a custom control is a clock control that duplicates the appearance and behavior of an analog clock.
What is the difference between WPF custom control and WPF user control? ›A customControl can be styled and templated and best suited for a situation when you are building a Control Library. On the contrary, a UserControl gives you an easy way to define reusable chunk of XAML which can be reused widely in your application and when you don't need to use it as a Control Library .
What is a control template in WPF? ›Controls in Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) have a ControlTemplate that contains the visual tree of that control. You can change the structure and appearance of a control by modifying the ControlTemplate of that control.
What are triggers in WPF? ›The WPF styling and templating model enables you to specify triggers within your Style. Essentially, triggers are objects that enable you to apply changes when certain conditions (such as when a certain property value becomes true , or when an event occurs) are satisfied.
How many types of triggers are there in WPF? ›Basically, there are 3 types of triggers, they are: Property Trigger. Data Trigger. Event Trigger.
How to create WPF web application step by step? ›- Open Visual Studio.
- Select Create a new project.
- In the Search for templates box, type wpf, and then press Enter .
- In the code language dropdown, choose C# or Visual Basic.
- In the templates list, select WPF Application and then select Next. ...
- In the Configure your new project window, do the following:
- Site templates.
- Snippets.
- Navigation templates.
- App templates.
- Form templates.
- Page content templates.
- Content builder element templates.
- Widget templates.
What is a template and what are the advantages of using a template? ›
Templates are pre-formatted documents designed to create commonly used document types such as letters, fax forms, or envelopes. Some of the advantages of using templates are: Templates simplify the creation of documents.
What is the difference between macro and function template? ›The primary difference between templates and macros is the type of tasks they automate. Templates automate the process of creating a new document, while macros automate repetitive tasks within an existing document or application.
What is the purpose of custom control? ›What are customs controls? Customs are primarily responsible for the supervision of international trade. Customs controls are acts performed by Customs to ensure compliance with the legislation governing the entry and exit of goods from and to customs territory.
Why would you use custom controls? ›Custom controls give you the flexibility to set and define the specific request and response elements (e.g., request header, response body, etc.) and the preferred action used to handle them. You can create multiple custom controls and use them within the same AppProtection profile.
What are two examples of a custom? ›- Ceremonies is a class of customary, collective action.
- In some countries bowing to older people is polite and respectful.
- In some countries it is okay to burp while eating food.
- In some countries you take your shoes off before entering the house.
- In some places they sit on the floor and eat.
The Closing event raises immediately after Close() is called or user tried to close the window, and can be handled to cancel window closure. The Closed raises after the window closed and cannot be cancelled.
What is the difference between auto and * in WPF? ›Auto means that a column is given as much width as the elements within it require. The width of * sized columns is calculated by allocating space for the Auto , and fixed width columns, and then dividing up the remaining space.
What are third party controls for WPF? ›Third-party controls are those which are not created by Microsoft but are created by some individual or company by using WPF User Control or Custom Control. Telerik and DevExpress are the most popular companies for creating third-party controls.
What are the 3 kinds of design templates? ›- The office doc template. Examples of office doc templates include: Slide decks, letterhead, agreements, and policy templates. ...
- The digital template. Examples of digital templates include: Online advertisements, email banners, social banners, social posts. ...
- The print template.
A UserControl is a self-contained composite control, with parts individually editable in the designer, and is best used if you need to see your components and manage them in the designer. A ControlTemplate, on the other hand, will not expose its components for manipulation in the designer (although it will be visible).
What is the difference between rendering thread and UI thread in WPF? ›
The rendering thread effectively runs hidden in the background while the UI thread receives input, handles events, paints the screen, and runs application code. Most applications use a single UI thread, although in some situations it is best to use several.
How to create a user control in WPF C#? ›- 1.1/ create a new folder called “controls” (or any other name if you don't like to call it control)
- 1.2/ create a usercontrol in the controls folder by selecting “add” and “UserControl(WPF)…”
- 2.1/ set the control size in the editor.
- 2.2/ add the controls to the usercontrol.
You can also set the content of a control to a string by putting the text between the opening and closing tags of the control, rather than in an attribute. You can use either the attribute or the content between the XAML tags to set the content of a ContentControl. Setting both for the same control is invalid.
What are the three types of triggers? ›There are different types of triggers: internal, external, and sensory triggers.
What is the difference between behavior and trigger in WPF? ›Triggers allow us to conditionally make actions within XAML, whereas Behaviors allow to modify and increment the default behavior of any control. Behaviors : Behaviors are meant to extend the View you apply them to far beyond the normal use.
What are triggers in workflow? ›Workflow triggers are events that cause a workflow to run. These events can be: Events that occur in your workflow's repository. Events that occur outside of GitHub and trigger a repository_dispatch event on GitHub.
What is the purpose of a template? ›A template is a form, mold or pattern used as a guide to make something. Here are some examples of templates: Website design. Creating a document.
When should you use templates? ›Templates are the perfect solution when you need to get a course or product update out quickly. They apply best learning practices: Templates provide a natural way to organize information, which helps learners avoid content overload for example.
What is the first step to creating a template? ›Click the File tab, and then click New. Under Available templates, click New from existing. Click a template or a document that is similar to the one that you want to create, and then click Create New. Make the changes you want to the margin settings, page size and orientation, styles, and other formats.
What is the difference between property trigger and event trigger? ›Property Trigger: Applied based on control's property, such as IsMouseOver: value sets true is a mouse is over the control. Data Trigger: Applied based on binded data. Event Trigger: Applied based on an event, such as ButtonClick.
What are the different types of triggers? ›
- AFTER INSERT Trigger. This trigger is invoked after the insertion of data in the table.
- AFTER UPDATE Trigger. ...
- AFTER DELETE Trigger. ...
- BEFORE INSERT Trigger. ...
- BEFORE UPDATE Trigger. ...
- BEFORE DELETE Trigger.
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a free and open-source graphical subsystem (similar to WinForms) originally developed by Microsoft for rendering user interfaces in Windows-based applications.
What are the basic concepts of WPF? ›WPF provides a comprehensive set of application-development features that include Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML), controls, data binding, layout, 2D and 3D graphics, animation, styles, templates, documents, media, text, and typography.
What is WPF good for? ›Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a UI framework that creates desktop client applications. The WPF development platform supports a broad set of application development features, including an application model, resources, controls, graphics, layout, data binding, documents, and security.
What is the difference between WPF application and Windows forms? ›WPF allows developers to create event-driven rich client applications for usage on the Windows operating system. WPF can be used to develop and design both Windows applications and web applications while WinForms can only be used to develop and design Windows applications.
What is the difference between a website and a template? ›Most templates are created for speed of execution, not for creating the results that you need. The difference between a template-based and a custom website, is that most template-based websites do not use proper code. Instead they use a system called a “visual builder.”
What are 4 different materials you would make a template from? ›Stencils and templates can be made from various types of paper, wood, metal, or plastic materials. Because plastic is durable, light, flexible, and moisture resistant, it far outperforms other materials for most stencil and template applications.
What are two advantages of using layout templates? ›- It saves you money, now and in the future! ...
- A great option for those who want a quick website built. ...
- Easy setup, packed with features and lots of choices.
- You lack in originality.
- Relying on templates to put together your projects, means you don't get the benefits of learning the ins and outs of the software you're using.
- The customization options can be limited, restricting what you can do with your files.
The disadvantages of Template Method patterns are as follows: Debugging and understanding the sequence of flow in the Template Method pattern can be confusing at times. You may end up implementing a method that shouldn't be implemented or not implementing an abstract method at all.
What is the difference between template and design template? ›
Templates create repeatable patterns for developers to follow. They have customized formats and structures that are then coded and filled in with content during the development phase. Design templates are meant to illustrate how most content for the website or application should be formatted and visualized.
What is the difference between polymorphism and template function? ›By definition polymorphism provides code reusability, and templates in some sense allows the user to use the same code by providing generic programming with different data types.
Is it better to use a macro or a function? ›Speed versus size The main benefit of using macros is faster execution time. During preprocessing, a macro is expanded (replaced by its definition) inline each time it's used. A function definition occurs only once regardless of how many times it's called.
What is the difference between function overloading and templates? ›overloading is used when we have various functions , doing SIMILAR operations . template is used when we have various functions , doing IDENTICAL operations . There is very big differnce between "SIMILAR" and "IDENTICAL".
How do I add custom controls to my WPF toolbox? ›To add custom controls to Visual Studio, create a new project (ASP.NET Web Forms, WPF, or WinForms) and open the designer. The toolbox items will only be visible in the designer window. If the toolbox is not visible, click the View menu, and then select the Toolbox option. Now, the toolbox will be displayed.
How to use custom control in C#? ›- Syntax.
- Inheriting Windows Forms Controls.
- Inheriting the Control Class.
- Inheriting the UserControl Class.
You can also set the content of a control to a string by putting the text between the opening and closing tags of the control, rather than in an attribute. You can use either the attribute or the content between the XAML tags to set the content of a ContentControl. Setting both for the same control is invalid.
What is WPF control template? ›Controls in Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) have a ControlTemplate that contains the visual tree of that control. You can change the structure and appearance of a control by modifying the ControlTemplate of that control.
How do I create a WPF setup file? ›- Go to Extensions → Manage extensions.
- In the left menu, select Online →Visual Studio Marketplace.
- Search for Microsoft Visual Studio Installer Project in the list of extensions.
- Select the extension and press the Download button.
- On your computer, go to IFTTT.com.
- At the top right, click your username New Applet. If This.
- Search for "Google Assistant v2".
- Click Google Assistant v2 .
- Choose a trigger.
- Complete the trigger fields.
- Click Create trigger.
How do I run a custom command? ›
Right-click the server group, server, file, or directory and select Run Custom Command from the pop-up menu. The Command Selection dialog box opens. Select the command you want to execute or enter text into the text box at the top.
What is the difference between custom control and user control in C#? ›User controls are better suited for developing reusable UI components that can be used across different applications, whereas custom controls are better for creating UI components particular to a single application.
Which control is used to create custom controls? ›ASP.NET allows the users to create controls. These user defined controls are categorized into: User controls. Custom controls.
What is the difference between content control and content presenter WPF? ›What is difference between ContentControl and ContentPresenter? ContentControl is a base class for controls that contain other elements and have a Content-property (for example, Button). ContentPresenter is used inside control templates to display content.
How to create popup in WPF? ›- <Popup Margin="10,10,0,13" Name="Popup1" HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="194" Height="200" IsOpen="True">
- <TextBlock Name="McTextBlock" Background="LightBlue"> This is popup text </TextBlock>
- </Popup>
DataTemplate is about the presentation of data and is one of the many features provided by the WPF styling and templating model. For an introduction of the WPF styling and templating model, such as how to use a Style to set properties on controls, see the Styling and Templating topic.