Inherit style from control's default style - wpf

The title says it all. How do I apply a custom style on a DataGrid's column header while still inheriting the default style values for the properties that I do not override? I have already tried the method given in this SO post, but it doesn't seem to work in my case. My column header looks slightly different than the default. Here's my XAML:
<Style TargetType="DataGridColumnHeader" BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type DataGridColumnHeader}}">
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="Black" />
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="0,0,1,0" />
</Style>
Here's the output:
As you can see, the left column (this has custom style) has no padding, unlike the right column that has default style. Any clues?
(I can of course set padding in my style to get the look I want; I just need to know why didn't it inherit the padding from the default control style).
Sample code to reproduce the bug
<Window x:Class="Window1"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="Window1" Height="300" Width="300">
<Grid>
<DataGrid AutoGenerateColumns="False">
<DataGrid.Columns>
<DataGridTextColumn Width="100" Header="No Padding">
<DataGridTextColumn.HeaderStyle>
<Style TargetType="DataGridColumnHeader" BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type DataGridColumnHeader}}">
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="Black" />
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="0,0,1,0" />
</Style>
</DataGridTextColumn.HeaderStyle>
</DataGridTextColumn>
<DataGridTextColumn Width="100" Header="Padding" />
</DataGrid.Columns>
</DataGrid>
</Grid>
</Window>

I used Blend to check Template of DataGridColumnHeader. I have noticed that in the Template is used DataGridHeaderBorder which derives from Border.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.windows.themes.datagridheaderborder(v=vs.110).aspx
There is remark "If the Background or BorderBrush properties are set on the DataGrid, the rendering reverts back to the default Border implementation." and it explains your problem.
DataGridHeaderBorder overrides OnRender method and renders header differently depending on whether the Background or BorderBrush is null or not. In one case OnRender method adds Padding and in the second case doesn't add. http://referencesource.microsoft.com/#PresentationFramework.Aero/DataGridHeaderBorder.cs,257

Related

How to make an exception for Application.Resources style in a specific Grid.Resources

I am doing small WPF app for my own using Visual Studio, C#, .NET Standard and WPF in this specific project.
I have defined style for all TextBlocks and TextBoxes in Applications.Resources like below.
<Application.Resources>
<Style TargetType="TextBox">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="10"/>
</Style>
<Style TargetType="TextBlock">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="10"/>
</Style>
</Application.Resources>
Then in main window I have a grid which contains some buttons.
<Grid>
<Grid.Resources>
<Style TargetType="Button">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="50" />
</Style>
<Style TargetType="TextBlock">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="50"/>
</Style>
</Grid.Resources>
<Button Grid.Column="0" Content="DASHBOARD" Command="local:CustomCommands.ShowDashboard"/>
</Grid>
I would like to set for the textblocks/textboxes in this specific buttons a wider font.
I tried for many different syntax but could not manage it. I tried also do define x:Key for this style in Grid.Resources and use it in this specific Button control. This wasn't work either.
Can anyone let me know which way should I let know my application that text in this buttons would have bigger font size?
The TextBlock created for string contents by the ContentPresenter inside the Button template doesn't apply the locally-defined resources, i.e. those in your Grid.
The easiest way to solve your problem would be to explicitly define a TextBlock as the Button's content.
<Grid>
<Grid.Resources>
<Style TargetType="TextBlock">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="50"/>
</Style>
</Grid.Resources>
<Button Grid.Column="0" Command="local:CustomCommands.ShowDashboard">
<TextBlock Text="DASHBOARD" />
</Button>
</Grid>

Why style targettype has to be rebinded back to the original properties?

I am referring to the code block here, on Data triggers
<Window x:Class="WpfTutorialSamples.Styles.StyleDataTriggerSample"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="StyleDataTriggerSample" Height="200" Width="200">
<StackPanel HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center">
<CheckBox Name="cbSample" Content="Hello, world?" />
<TextBlock HorizontalAlignment="Center" Margin="0,20,0,0" FontSize="48">
<TextBlock.Style>
<Style TargetType="TextBlock">
<Setter Property="Text" Value="No" />
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Red" />
<Style.Triggers>
<DataTrigger Binding="{Binding ElementName=cbSample, Path=IsChecked}" Value="True">
<Setter Property="Text" Value="Yes!" />
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Green" />
</DataTrigger>
</Style.Triggers>
</Style>
</TextBlock.Style>
</TextBlock>
</StackPanel>
</Window>
To me, from programming language design point of view, the line <Style TargetType="TextBlock"> is completely unnecessary, because it is already nested inside the <TextBlock>, so of course whatever setter property should be applied to the TextBlock type. So why need the line <Style TargetType="TextBlock">?
Can <Style TargetType> be of other type except TextBlock?
So why need the line ?
A Style may be defined as a resource, i.e. not inline, and if doesn't have a TargetType specified, how is the XAML parser supposed to be able to parse it and set the properties specified by the setters? It can't. Or at least it doesn't.
Just because you can define a Style inline you are still creating an instance of the exact same class that may be used as a (global) resource and then setting a TargetType is indeed required.
Can be of other type except TextBlock?
No, apart from a type that is derived from TextBlock. If you specify another type you will get an exception at runtime when the BAML (the compiled XAML) is parsed.
You could use any class TextBlock derives from (for example FrameworkElement).
If you implement your own CustomizedTextBlock for example you are able to use styles defined for TextBlock in your project.
You find an example for this here.

Stop child from inheriting parent Style in TabControls

In my WPF application i have a TabControl that i am binding to a style i created:
On my View:
<TabControl Grid.Row="6" Style="{DynamicResource SideBarTabControl}">
On a separate ResourceDictionary:
<Style x:Key="SideBarTabControl" TargetType="{x:Type TabControl}" BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type TabControl}}" >
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="{DynamicResource TitleFontSize}"/>
</Style>
So far so good, things work as expected. The problem is that now all the children of this TabControl, such as a ListView inside a TabItem, is also getting the same FontSize as the TabControl, instead of the default.
I thought that by specifying TargetType="{x:Type TabControl}" i would stop the style from being applied to children of different types. What i'm looking for is to actually stop it from affecting EVERYTHING BUT the component that explicitly inherited the style. So how can this be done? I think i am missing something simple...
If i override the font size in my ListView it works, but this means i have to do it for every child, which might become very cumbersome.
I have read this and other questions but i can't find the answer i'm looking for:
Is it possible to set a style in XAML that selectively affects controls?
This is working for me. The part that's doing the work is TabControl.ItemContainerStyle. It applies a font size only to the header content.
<TabControl>
<TabControl.ItemContainerStyle>
<Style
TargetType="TabItem"
BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type TabItem}}"
>
<Setter Property="HeaderTemplate">
<Setter.Value>
<DataTemplate>
<ContentControl
TextElement.FontSize="20"
Content="{Binding Header, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=TabItem}}"
/>
</DataTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
</TabControl.ItemContainerStyle>
<TabItem Header="Foo">
<Label Content="Bar" />
</TabItem>
<TabItem Header="Baz">
<Label Content="Bar" />
</TabItem>
</TabControl>
You cannot stop it, it's not the style causing this unwanted trickle-down effect you want rid of; it's just how WPF controls work.
What you will have to do to stop this is write another style for your tab items to intercept the one being inherited from the TabControl.
I suggest writing this style inside your existing TabControl style, inside the Style.Resources tag like so:
<Style x:Key="SideBarTabControl" TargetType="{x:Type TabControl}" BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type TabControl}}" >
<Style.Resources>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type TabItem}">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="9001"/>
<!-- Any other setters you want for TabItems -->
</Style>
</Style.Resources>
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="{DynamicResource TitleFontSize}"/>
</Style>
By making a style inside your other style's resources, it will be carried with it, and by not specifying any x:Key for the TabItem style - it will apply it to any TabItem not ordered to have a specific style, becoming the default style for any TabItem you make inside the TabControl now.

How to extend instead of overriding WPF Styles

I want to use custom theme in my application and as far as I know I can accomplish this by using resource dictionary and referencing it in App.xaml. Styles would override the defaults like this:
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Label">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Green" />
</Style>
Now as I guess the default Label style is overriden with same values but all my label fonts are green. The problem starts when I want to style one label somewhere again. When I want to change some other property in my Grid like this
<Grid.Resources>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Label">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="28" />
</Style>
</Grid.Resources>
All labels inside my grid are losing their foreground color and have default one again (didn't I override defaults in previous step?). After some tries I found out that to do this properly i have to add another property to Style declaration BasedOn={StaticResource {x:Type Label}}" and it works. This is kind of weird for me because now I will have to repeat same BasedOn code in whole app and this is not how styling works - this should be done automatically! For example in HTML + CSS styles are inherited and merged and in WPF they are replaced...
Notice that when I don't use any styles controls still get their look from somehwere (System Themes?). How can I tell them to look for defaults somewhere else so without any additional code on styles they will think that they should be green by default?
Is there any way I can automate setting BasedOn property? Or maybe there is a better to do this overally?
I had the same problem. I used Zack's answer and improved it like following so if you don't specify a style the overridden default is still taken in account. It's basically what you would have done but just once in the ResourceDictionary.
<Window x:Class="TestWpf.RandomStuffWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="Random Stuff Window">
<Window.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary>
<!-- Default Label style definition -->
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Label}">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Green" />
</Style>
<!-- Extending default style -->
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Label}"
x:Key="LargeGreenForegroundLabel"
BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type Label}}">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="28" />
</Style>
</ResourceDictionary>
</Window.Resources>
<StackPanel>
<Button Click="Button_Click">Click</Button>
<Label Content="GreenForegroundLabel" /> <!-- Uses default style -->
<Label Style="{StaticResource LargeGreenForegroundLabel}"
Content="LargeGreenForegroundLabel" />
</StackPanel>
</Window>
Wpf has different levels of styles, that are applied in order of global > local. A style set directly on a control will override a style set globally, like in your example. I was trying to find a list of all the different places that a control looks for its styles but I cannot find one at the moment. As far as I know, you will have to use the BasedOn property to inherit a style and not completely override the properties of that style with the style you set locally.
Here is an example of a resource dictionary that has styles based on another style, so that you don't have do repeat the BasedOn binding over and over, you can just set the style on the specific element you want to have that style.
<Window x:Class="TestWpf.RandomStuffWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="Random Stuff Window">
<Window.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Label}"
x:Key="GreenForegroundLabel">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Green" />
</Style>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Label}"
x:Key="LargeGreenForegroundLabel"
BasedOn="{StaticResource GreenForegroundLabel}">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="28" />
</Style>
</ResourceDictionary>
</Window.Resources>
<StackPanel>
<Button Click="Button_Click">Click</Button>
<Label Style="{StaticResource GreenForegroundLabel}"
Content="GreenForegroundLabel" />
<Label Style="{StaticResource LargeGreenForegroundLabel}"
Content="LargeGreenForegroundLabel" />
</StackPanel>
</Window>

How to define all textblock elements the same color

We are using global styles definitions for most of the types. We define then in the app.xaml file. When using TextBlock it is a problem to define a foreground color because it changes all the controls using TextBlock (Button's content color for example).
How can we define a global style which will act only on specific TextBlock usages?
current problematic usage:
<Style TargetType={x:Type TextBlock}>
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Red"/>
</Style>
Since I don't think there is a way to differentiate “your” TextBlocks and those that are part of other controls, your options are quite limited.
You could create named Style and add Style="{StaticResource coloredTextBlock}" or Foreground="{StaticResource textBlockColor}" to all TextBlocks. This would be quite tedious and non-DRY.
You could create your own type that inherits from TextBlock and style that. This has some of the disadvantages of the above solution (you have to remember doing that). But it has much less repetition.
This is because ContentPresenter creates a TextBlock for a string content, and since that TextBlock isn't in the visual tree, it will lookup to Application level resource. And if you define a style for TextBlock at Application level, then it will be applied to these TextBlock within ControlControls.
A workaround is to define a DataTemplate for System.String, where we can explicitly use a default TextBlock to display the content. You can place that DataTemplate in the same dictionary you define the TextBlock style so that this DataTemplate will be applied to whatever ContentPresenter effected by your style.
Add this to your Application resources and it should work for you -
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type system:String}">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding}">
<TextBlock.Resources>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type TextBlock}"/>
</TextBlock.Resources>
</TextBlock>
</DataTemplate>
Declare a namespace in your xaml, if not referred already -
xmlns:system="clr-namespace:System;assembly=mscorlib"
EDIT : Check this sample where its working..
<Style TargetType="{x:Type TextBlock}">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Red"/>
</Style>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type system:String}">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding}">
<TextBlock.Resources>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type TextBlock}"/>
</TextBlock.Resources>
</TextBlock>
</DataTemplate>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Button}">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Yellow"/>
</Style>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Label}">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Blue"/>
</Style>
Just provide a x:key in the style, like:
<Style x:Key="stRedTextBlock" TargetType={x:Type TextBlock}>
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Red"/>
</Style>
and mention the key in the TextBlock control style, where ever you require this particular TextBlock style, like:
<TextBlock Name="textBlock1" Style="{StaticResource stRedTextBlock}" />

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