Use the same border as the TextBox for my control - wpf

I have a custom WpfToolkit DataGrid (.net 3.5) that is always in edit mode and I would like it to have the same border as the standard TextBox.
I tried to:
bind the BorderBrush of my control to the BorderBrush of a TextBox (it seems the BorderBrush of the TextBox is null).
read the BorderBrush of a TextBox at runtime (it was always null).
I also tried to manually set a BorderBrush, but the TextBox has a
different border brush depending on the Windows theme.
A normal TextBox border looks like this:
My control looks like this, but should have the same border as the text box:
EDIT:
my DataGrid cell style:
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Controls:DataGridCell}" x:Key="DefaultExcelCell">
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="TextBlock.TextAlignment" Value="Right" />
<Style.Triggers>
<Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="True">
<Setter Property="Background" Value="Transparent" />
<!-- The text color of a selected cell (Black = same as not selected cell) -->
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Black" />
</Trigger>
</Style.Triggers>
</Style>

Look a the default TextBox style, you can figure out what is going on there. And i don't see why the BorderBrush of a TextBox at runtime is always null, it shouldn't be if the TextBox does not have another style applied.
<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="TextBoxBorder" EndPoint="0,20" MappingMode="Absolute" StartPoint="0,0">
<GradientStop Color="#ABADB3" Offset="0.05"/>
<GradientStop Color="#E2E3EA" Offset="0.07"/>
<GradientStop Color="#E3E9EF" Offset="1"/>
</LinearGradientBrush>
<Style x:Key="TextBoxStyle1" BasedOn="{x:Null}" TargetType="{x:Type TextBox}">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.ControlTextBrushKey}}"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.WindowBrushKey}}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="{StaticResource TextBoxBorder}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="Padding" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="AllowDrop" Value="true"/>
<Setter Property="FocusVisualStyle" Value="{x:Null}"/>
<Setter Property="ScrollViewer.PanningMode" Value="VerticalFirst"/>
<Setter Property="Stylus.IsFlicksEnabled" Value="False"/>
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type TextBox}">
<Themes:ListBoxChrome x:Name="Bd" BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}" BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" RenderMouseOver="{TemplateBinding IsMouseOver}" RenderFocused="{TemplateBinding IsKeyboardFocusWithin}" SnapsToDevicePixels="true">
<ScrollViewer x:Name="PART_ContentHost" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding SnapsToDevicePixels}"/>
</Themes:ListBoxChrome>
<ControlTemplate.Triggers>
<Trigger Property="IsEnabled" Value="false">
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.ControlBrushKey}}"/>
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}}"/>
</Trigger>
</ControlTemplate.Triggers>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
<Style.Triggers>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsInactiveSelectionHighlightEnabled" Value="true"/>
<Condition Property="IsSelectionActive" Value="false"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="SelectionBrush" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.InactiveSelectionHighlightBrushKey}}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
</Style.Triggers>
</Style>

Related

How can I pass a parameter to a DataTrigger?

I have a list of things that I'm displaying via ItemsControl where each Item is basically a card that can be clicked. Is there a way I can pass a parameter to a DataTrigger to show whether or not a card has been clicked and if it is clicked set the Background to another color?
[...] show whether or not a card has been clicked and if it is clicked [...]
You created a view of cards and want them to be selectable. An ItemsControl is does not support selection, but there is a control called Selector that derives from ItemsControl, which is the abstract base type for items controls that need selection. Its derivatives include ListBox and ListView, which come with selection and highlighting out-of-the-box. In other words, do not re-invent the wheel, there are already more suitable controls that meet your requirements.
Types derived from Selector contain dependency properties for SelectedIndex, SelectedItem or SelectedValue, which makes it easy for you to bind them and create triggers. There is also an attached property IsSelected for item containers, which is exactly what you need to change the Background or any other property depending on the clicked or selected item.
In the following I will show you how to customize the appearance of ListBox items. You can do the same with a ListView. You can extract the default style and template for a ListBoxItem using Blend or Visual Studio.
As you can see below there are a few brushes, a focus visual and the style with control template and triggers. Adapt this style to meet your desired design. Look for the triggers that bind the IsSelected property.
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.MouseOver.Background" Color="#1F26A0DA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.MouseOver.Border" Color="#a826A0Da"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Background" Color="#3D26A0DA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Border" Color="#FF26A0DA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Background" Color="#3DDADADA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Border" Color="#FFDADADA"/>
<Style x:Key="FocusVisual">
<Setter Property="Control.Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate>
<Rectangle Margin="2" StrokeDashArray="1 2" SnapsToDevicePixels="true" StrokeThickness="1" Stroke="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.ControlTextBrushKey}}"/>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
<Style x:Key="ListBoxItemContainerStyle" TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
<Setter Property="SnapsToDevicePixels" Value="True"/>
<Setter Property="Padding" Value="4,1"/>
<Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="{Binding HorizontalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}"/>
<Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment" Value="{Binding VerticalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="Transparent"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="Transparent"/>
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="FocusVisualStyle" Value="{StaticResource FocusVisual}"/>
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
<Border x:Name="Bd" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}" BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}" Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}" SnapsToDevicePixels="true">
<ContentPresenter HorizontalAlignment="{TemplateBinding HorizontalContentAlignment}" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding SnapsToDevicePixels}" VerticalAlignment="{TemplateBinding VerticalContentAlignment}"/>
</Border>
<ControlTemplate.Triggers>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsMouseOver" Value="True"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.MouseOver.Background}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.MouseOver.Border}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive" Value="False"/>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="True"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Background}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Border}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive" Value="True"/>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="True"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Background}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Border}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<Trigger Property="IsEnabled" Value="False">
<Setter Property="TextElement.Foreground" TargetName="Bd" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}}"/>
</Trigger>
</ControlTemplate.Triggers>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
Move these resources to a resource dictionary that is in scope of the controls where you want to use them, or simply copy them to the application resources to make them globally available. In order to apply the style, you have two options.
Use the x:Key and reference them as ItemContainerStyle in each ListBox.
<ListBox ItemContainerStyle="{DynamicResource ListBoxItemContainerStyle}" .../>
Make the style implicit by removing the x:Key. Then it will be applied to all ListBoxItem in scope of the resource dictionary that contains it.
<Style TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">

Change Selection Color of ListBoxItem in WPF

Sorry that my question is redundant for instance with these ones:
WPF Changing ListboxItem Highlight Color when Selected
Why can't I set the background color of a selected ListBoxItem in WPF?
but for whatever reason neither changing the ItemContainerStyle, nor overriding the SystemColors works for me. Can someone tell me what I have to change in this XAML code to change the background color of selected ListBoxItems (or more precisely the ItemsContainer around them) to red? All the other colors that I set are assigned correctly.
<ListBox>
<ListBox.Resources>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="{x:Static SystemColors.HighlightColorKey}" Color="Red" />
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="{x:Static SystemColors.HighlightBrushKey}" Color="Red" />
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="{x:Static SystemColors.ControlBrushKey}" Color="Red" />
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="{x:Static SystemColors.InactiveSelectionHighlightBrushKey }" Color="Red" />
</ListBox.Resources>
<ListBox.ItemContainerStyle>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="HotPink"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="Yellow"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" Value="2"/>
<Style.Triggers>
<Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="True">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Green"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="Red"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="IsFocused" Value="True">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Green"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="Red"/>
</Trigger>
</Style.Triggers>
</Style>
</ListBox.ItemContainerStyle>
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding}"/>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<ListBoxItem>A</ListBoxItem>
<ListBoxItem>B</ListBoxItem>
<ListBoxItem>C</ListBoxItem>
<ListBoxItem>D</ListBoxItem>
</ListBox>
Both approaches do not work because:
The default control templates may not necessarily use the system colors.
The default control template triggers take precedence over your style setters.
You have to extract the default style and control template e.g. by using Visual Studio or Blend in order to have a working base to start from. Adapt the colors in the styles an control template triggers.
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.MouseOver.Background"
Color="#1F26A0DA" />
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.MouseOver.Border"
Color="#a826A0Da" />
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Background"
Color="#3D26A0DA" />
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Border"
Color="#FF26A0DA" />
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Background"
Color="#3DDADADA" />
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Border"
Color="#FFDADADA" />
<Style x:Key="FocusVisual">
<Setter Property="Control.Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate>
<Rectangle Margin="2"
StrokeDashArray="1 2"
SnapsToDevicePixels="true"
StrokeThickness="1"
Stroke="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.ControlTextBrushKey}}" />
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
<Style x:Key="ListBoxItemStyle"
TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
<Setter Property="SnapsToDevicePixels"
Value="True" />
<Setter Property="Padding"
Value="4,1" />
<Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment"
Value="{Binding HorizontalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}" />
<Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment"
Value="{Binding VerticalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}" />
<Setter Property="Background"
Value="Transparent" />
<Setter Property="BorderBrush"
Value="Transparent" />
<Setter Property="BorderThickness"
Value="1" />
<Setter Property="FocusVisualStyle"
Value="{StaticResource FocusVisual}" />
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
<Border x:Name="Bd"
Background="{TemplateBinding Background}"
BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}"
BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}"
Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}"
SnapsToDevicePixels="true">
<ContentPresenter HorizontalAlignment="{TemplateBinding HorizontalContentAlignment}"
SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding SnapsToDevicePixels}"
VerticalAlignment="{TemplateBinding VerticalContentAlignment}" />
</Border>
<ControlTemplate.Triggers>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsMouseOver"
Value="True" />
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background"
TargetName="Bd"
Value="{StaticResource Item.MouseOver.Background}" />
<Setter Property="BorderBrush"
TargetName="Bd"
Value="{StaticResource Item.MouseOver.Border}" />
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive"
Value="False" />
<Condition Property="IsSelected"
Value="True" />
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background"
TargetName="Bd"
Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Background}" />
<Setter Property="BorderBrush"
TargetName="Bd"
Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Border}" />
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive"
Value="True" />
<Condition Property="IsSelected"
Value="True" />
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background"
TargetName="Bd"
Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Background}" />
<Setter Property="BorderBrush"
TargetName="Bd"
Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Border}" />
</MultiTrigger>
<Trigger Property="IsEnabled"
Value="False">
<Setter Property="TextElement.Foreground"
TargetName="Bd"
Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}}" />
</Trigger>
</ControlTemplate.Triggers>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
Then use the style in your ListBox by explicitly referencing it or make it an implicit style style by omitting the x:Key, so it will be applied to all ListBoxItems in scope.
<ListBox ItemContainerStyle="{StaticResource ListBoxItemStyle}">

In a WPF ListBox, how to "copy" the focused selection style for items over to the non-focused selection style?

First of all, this is not a duplicate of Setting the Inactive Highlight Colour of a WPF ListBox to the Active Highlight Colour. An explanation for that is given below.
Setting:
I have a WPF ListBox in a UserControl that will later be put into an application that uses heavy theming. From the perspective of the UserControl, I don't know in advance what the theming will be like.
Desired behavior:
If the ListBox does not have focus at some point, I still want the selected ListBoxItems to have the same appearance as if the ListBox does have focus.
Additional information:
Note that just setting the colors to some system defaults will not work. Doing so would override the containing application's theming. (That's the reason why this question is not a duplicate of the linked question above.)
Is there a way to realize this, e.g. using XAML?
EDIT: After a bit of research, I think I want to create a copy of the "default" ListBoxItem style ("default" at least in terms of being the default at the level of the UserControl), where all Triggers with Property="Button.IsFocused" Value="False" will not be triggered and all Triggers with Property="Button.IsFocused" Value="True" will always be triggered.
Unfortunately I have no clue where to even start to perform research in how to accomplish this. So any hints towards places where I can start researching would be much appreciated as well.
Summary
It seems like you want to achieve setting the focused style equal to the non-focused style, without editing a theme and doing it in a theme independent way. As far as I know, this isn't possible, primarily because each theme can technically implement ListBoxItem focus behavior in different ways. In fact, I've seen a theme where your desired behavior was the behavior of the ListBoxItem!
How to Modify the Theme
Now if you're open to modifying each theme to suite your needs, read ahead.
If you're modifying the theme globally, you can edit the style for the ListBoxItem directly (after finding out where it exists). If you want the changes applied more specifically, then you'll end up copying the current ListBoxItem style (from whatever theme you're editing) and making changes to it.
A copy of the default ListBoxItem theme is as follows (I used Visual Studio to make the copy). The things you need to change are going to be slightly different for each theme, but the general idea is the same.
<Style x:Key="FocusVisual">
<Setter Property="Control.Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate>
<Rectangle Margin="2" SnapsToDevicePixels="true" Stroke="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.ControlTextBrushKey}}" StrokeThickness="1" StrokeDashArray="1 2"/>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.MouseOver.Background" Color="#1F26A0DA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.MouseOver.Border" Color="#a826A0Da"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Background" Color="#3DDADADA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Border" Color="#FFDADADA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Background" Color="#3D26A0DA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Border" Color="#FF26A0DA"/>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
<Setter Property="SnapsToDevicePixels" Value="True"/>
<Setter Property="Padding" Value="4,1"/>
<Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="{Binding HorizontalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}"/>
<Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment" Value="{Binding VerticalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="Transparent"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="Transparent"/>
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="FocusVisualStyle" Value="{StaticResource FocusVisual}"/>
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
<Border x:Name="Bd" BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}" BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}" SnapsToDevicePixels="true">
<ContentPresenter HorizontalAlignment="{TemplateBinding HorizontalContentAlignment}" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding SnapsToDevicePixels}" VerticalAlignment="{TemplateBinding VerticalContentAlignment}"/>
</Border>
<ControlTemplate.Triggers>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsMouseOver" Value="True"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.MouseOver.Background}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.MouseOver.Border}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive" Value="False"/>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="True"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Background}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Border}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive" Value="True"/>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="True"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Background}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Border}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<Trigger Property="IsEnabled" Value="False">
<Setter Property="TextElement.Foreground" TargetName="Bd" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}}"/>
</Trigger>
</ControlTemplate.Triggers>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
The key part is in the middle:
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive" Value="False"/>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="True"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Background}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Border}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive" Value="True"/>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="True"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Background}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Border}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
This is setting up two different styles for the selected item while focused and while unfocused.
To get your desired behavior, you have one of two options; you can either simply turn it into a simple trigger just on IsSelected, replacing the above chunk with:
<Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="True">
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Background}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Border}"/>
</Trigger>
or you can change the Item.SelectedInactive.Background and Item.SelectedInactive.Border properties to match the active colors (this was above the ListBox style):
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Background" Color="#3D26A0DA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Border" Color="#FF26A0DA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Background" Color="#3D26A0DA"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Border" Color="#FF26A0DA"/>
Generally the first approach is preferred, as it's more clear what's going on.
Additional Constraints
Now, the above copy of the default theme's ListBoxItem will change it for all ListBoxItems. If you want to only change some, then you need to add a key to your "copied style", like so:
<Style x:Key="InactiveLikeActive" TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
And then at some level above where you want the style applied (perhaps even just a single ListBox itself), add the following style definition:
<Style TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}" BasedOn="{StaticResource InactiveLikeActive}" />
For example:
<ListBox>
<ListBox.Resources>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}" BasedOn="{StaticResource InactiveLikeActive}" />
</ListBox.Resources>
<ListBoxItem>One</ListBoxItem>
<ListBoxItem>Two</ListBoxItem>
</ListBox>
Closing Thoughts
While WPF makes it possible to override almost all default appearances, it doesn't necessarily make it easy, or simple to do.
The shortest variant that has been achieved
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding ElectrEquipAll}"
<ListBox.ItemContainerStyle>
<Style TargetType="ListBoxItem" >
<Setter Property="IsSelected" Value="{Binding IsSelected}"/>
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="ListBoxItem">
<Border x:Name="Bd" BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}" BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}" SnapsToDevicePixels="true">
<ContentPresenter HorizontalAlignment="{TemplateBinding HorizontalContentAlignment}" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding SnapsToDevicePixels}" VerticalAlignment="{TemplateBinding VerticalContentAlignment}"/>
</Border>
<ControlTemplate.Triggers>
<Trigger Property="IsMouseOver" Value="True">
<Setter Property="Background" Value="#1F26A0DA"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="#a826A0Da"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="True">
<Setter Property="Background" Value="#3D26A0DA"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="#FF26A0DA"/>
</Trigger>
</ControlTemplate.Triggers>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
</ListBox.ItemContainerStyle>
</ListBox>

xaml navigation window with pages inside

I want to create a window that look sth like that:
On the left side, you can see a navigation control.
Exactly one item has to be selected (item 1 by default).
Depend on which item you have selected, you see the matching page on the right side. This page can have next pages, which can be navigated via "Next" or "Back" buttons.
I´ve tried using a listview for the navigation, but it´s hard to get a styling like this. Maybe another control is more suitable also for the functionality.
So, I have 2 Questions:
1) Which control is most suitable for the navigation and how to style it that way?
2) How can I dynamically switch the Pages on the right side (xaml only)?
I just want to create a prototype, so I only want to use xaml and no code behind.
My internet research has so far not much helped me (I have read a lot about navigation and styling but the most is with code behind or using mvvm or sth.. nothing that could help me directly with these specific requirements).
Any designers or xaml pros out there? :)
#Veritas,
Assuming the following markup, the base style already closely ressembles your mockup requirements.
<Window x:Class="TabControl.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
<Grid>
<TabControl TabStripPlacement="Left">
<TabItem Header="Item1">
<TextBlock Text="Hosted content of page 1"></TextBlock>
</TabItem>
<TabItem Header="Item2">
<TextBlock Text="Hosted content of page 2"></TextBlock>
</TabItem>
<TabItem Header="Item3">
<TextBlock Text="Hosted content of page 3"></TextBlock>
</TabItem>
</TabControl>
</Grid>
</Window>
which more or less gives the following result:
but just for the sake of your question, if you would like to edit the template of the tabControl, in visual studio you can enable the document Outline (Crtl-W, U) , look for your TabControl, Right click and select Edit template > Edit a copy.
From here, either you restyle the TabControl for every instance of the application (it will create a non-keyed ressource), or a named ressource that you can apply as you wish, assuming you would want to create multiple styles (re: keyed ressources).
This is the default TabControl markup generated from a windows 8.1 box (note that there are some subtle variances from one version to another, but this will get you started)
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabControlNormalBorderBrush" Color="#8C8E94"/>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type TabControl}">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.ControlTextBrushKey}}"/>
<Setter Property="Padding" Value="4,4,4,4"/>
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="{StaticResource TabControlNormalBorderBrush}"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="#F9F9F9"/>
<Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="Center"/>
<Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment" Value="Center"/>
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type TabControl}">
<Grid ClipToBounds="true" SnapsToDevicePixels="true" KeyboardNavigation.TabNavigation="Local">
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition x:Name="ColumnDefinition0"/>
<ColumnDefinition x:Name="ColumnDefinition1" Width="0"/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition x:Name="RowDefinition0" Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition x:Name="RowDefinition1" Height="*"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<TabPanel x:Name="HeaderPanel" Grid.Column="0" IsItemsHost="true" Margin="2,2,2,0" Grid.Row="0" KeyboardNavigation.TabIndex="1" Panel.ZIndex="1"/>
<Border x:Name="ContentPanel" BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}" BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" Grid.Column="0" KeyboardNavigation.DirectionalNavigation="Contained" Grid.Row="1" KeyboardNavigation.TabIndex="2" KeyboardNavigation.TabNavigation="Local">
<ContentPresenter x:Name="PART_SelectedContentHost" ContentSource="SelectedContent" Margin="{TemplateBinding Padding}" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding SnapsToDevicePixels}"/>
</Border>
</Grid>
<ControlTemplate.Triggers>
<Trigger Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Bottom">
<Setter Property="Grid.Row" TargetName="HeaderPanel" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="Grid.Row" TargetName="ContentPanel" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="Height" TargetName="RowDefinition0" Value="*"/>
<Setter Property="Height" TargetName="RowDefinition1" Value="Auto"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="HeaderPanel" Value="2,0,2,2"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Left">
<Setter Property="Grid.Row" TargetName="HeaderPanel" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="Grid.Row" TargetName="ContentPanel" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="Grid.Column" TargetName="HeaderPanel" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="Grid.Column" TargetName="ContentPanel" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="Width" TargetName="ColumnDefinition0" Value="Auto"/>
<Setter Property="Width" TargetName="ColumnDefinition1" Value="*"/>
<Setter Property="Height" TargetName="RowDefinition0" Value="*"/>
<Setter Property="Height" TargetName="RowDefinition1" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="HeaderPanel" Value="2,2,0,2"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Right">
<Setter Property="Grid.Row" TargetName="HeaderPanel" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="Grid.Row" TargetName="ContentPanel" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="Grid.Column" TargetName="HeaderPanel" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="Grid.Column" TargetName="ContentPanel" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="Width" TargetName="ColumnDefinition0" Value="*"/>
<Setter Property="Width" TargetName="ColumnDefinition1" Value="Auto"/>
<Setter Property="Height" TargetName="RowDefinition0" Value="*"/>
<Setter Property="Height" TargetName="RowDefinition1" Value="0"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="HeaderPanel" Value="0,2,2,2"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="IsEnabled" Value="false">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}}"/>
</Trigger>
</ControlTemplate.Triggers>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
Note that this formulation "
" will apply the template everywhere it's not locally overridden by a style=someStyleName property.
if by chance you have blend installed, you will have more flexibility in how these templates are previewed, and may prove easier to style your colors and fonts.
If it's the TabItem you want to customize, follow the same procedure. The tabItem controls the squared Tab + label component such as this preview here:
TabItem full markup, for the sake of completion:
<Style x:Key="TabItemFocusVisual">
<Setter Property="Control.Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate>
<Rectangle Margin="3,3,3,1" SnapsToDevicePixels="true" Stroke="Black" StrokeThickness="1" StrokeDashArray="1 2"/>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="ButtonNormalBackground" EndPoint="0,1" StartPoint="0,0">
<GradientStop Color="#F3F3F3" Offset="0"/>
<GradientStop Color="#EBEBEB" Offset="0.5"/>
<GradientStop Color="#DDDDDD" Offset="0.5"/>
<GradientStop Color="#CDCDCD" Offset="1"/>
</LinearGradientBrush>
<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="TabItemHotBackground" EndPoint="0,1" StartPoint="0,0">
<GradientStop Color="#EAF6FD" Offset="0.15"/>
<GradientStop Color="#D9F0FC" Offset=".5"/>
<GradientStop Color="#BEE6FD" Offset=".5"/>
<GradientStop Color="#A7D9F5" Offset="1"/>
</LinearGradientBrush>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabItemSelectedBackground" Color="#F9F9F9"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabItemHotBorderBrush" Color="#3C7FB1"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabItemDisabledBackground" Color="#F4F4F4"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabItemDisabledBorderBrush" Color="#FFC9C7BA"/>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type TabItem}">
<Setter Property="FocusVisualStyle" Value="{StaticResource TabItemFocusVisual}"/>
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Black"/>
<Setter Property="Padding" Value="6,1,6,1"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="{StaticResource TabControlNormalBorderBrush}"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource ButtonNormalBackground}"/>
<Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="Stretch"/>
<Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment" Value="Stretch"/>
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type TabItem}">
<Grid SnapsToDevicePixels="true">
<Border x:Name="Bd" BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}" BorderThickness="1,1,1,0" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}">
<ContentPresenter x:Name="Content" ContentSource="Header" HorizontalAlignment="{Binding HorizontalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}" RecognizesAccessKey="True" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding SnapsToDevicePixels}" VerticalAlignment="{Binding VerticalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}"/>
</Border>
</Grid>
<ControlTemplate.Triggers>
<Trigger Property="IsMouseOver" Value="true">
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource TabItemHotBackground}"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="true">
<Setter Property="Panel.ZIndex" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource TabItemSelectedBackground}"/>
</Trigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="false"/>
<Condition Property="IsMouseOver" Value="true"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource TabItemHotBorderBrush}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<Trigger Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Bottom">
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" TargetName="Bd" Value="1,0,1,1"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Left">
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" TargetName="Bd" Value="1,1,0,1"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Right">
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" TargetName="Bd" Value="0,1,1,1"/>
</Trigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="true"/>
<Condition Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Top"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Margin" Value="-2,-2,-2,-1"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="Content" Value="0,0,0,1"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="true"/>
<Condition Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Bottom"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Margin" Value="-2,-1,-2,-2"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="Content" Value="0,1,0,0"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="true"/>
<Condition Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Left"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Margin" Value="-2,-2,-1,-2"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="Content" Value="0,0,1,0"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="true"/>
<Condition Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Right"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Margin" Value="-1,-2,-2,-2"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="Content" Value="1,0,0,0"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<Trigger Property="IsEnabled" Value="false">
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource TabItemDisabledBackground}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource TabItemDisabledBorderBrush}"/>
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}}"/>
</Trigger>
</ControlTemplate.Triggers>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>

Setting the background color of WPF TabControl inactive tabs

Is there a simple way to set the background brush of all inactive tabs in a WPF TabControl? I want to emulate the look of VS 2010 on a TabControl--the background color of the control's inactive tabs should match the background color of the window in which the TabControl is sited, so that you see only the text of the tab, and not the tab itself.
I know it will take a ControlTemplate to do it; I am trying to figure out what to put in the control template. Put another way, How do I specify that a particular brush should be applied to all inactive tabs? Thanks for your help.
Here is the solution: As Stephen said, add a trigger to the control template. It's actually a property trigger, and it only needs to be set for the inactive state. So we set the trigger for IsSelected = false. We target the border (Bd in the default control template for a TabItem) of the TabItem and set its Background to the color we want (I use RelativeSource FindAncestor to match the grid on which the tab is placed). Then we set Bd's BorderThickness to 0, and we're done:
<Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="false">
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{Binding Path=Background, RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type Grid}}}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" TargetName="Bd" Value="0" />
</Trigger>
I put the trigger in the default template, just below the IsSelected = true trigger.
Note that the trigger is hard-coded to search for a Grid ancestor as the source of the inactive tab background color (AncestorType={x:Type Grid}). That's because I set my view background in the Grid that I use as my layout root. You will need to change the AncestorType if you use a different layout root control, or if you set your view background color elsewhere (such as in the <Window> tag).
BTW, you can also use the IsSelected = true trigger to change the Background of the active tab header from white, to match the TabControl background color:
<Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="true">
<Setter Property="Panel.ZIndex" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{Binding Path=Background, RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type TabControl}}}"/>
</Trigger>
For those who like this visual representation, here is the complete control template. It will be applied automatically to any TabControl within its scope. Simply add this markup to the section of your XAML window (or import it from a ResourceDictionary), and your TabControl will get the VS 2010 look. Remember to change the FindAncestor proeprty so that the template will find the correct background color.
<!-- Styles for FS TabItem Control Template-->
<Style x:Key="TabItemFocusVisual">
<Setter Property="Control.Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate>
<Rectangle Stroke="Black" StrokeDashArray="1 2" StrokeThickness="1" Margin="3,3,3,1" SnapsToDevicePixels="true"/>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabControlNormalBorderBrush" Color="#8C8E94"/>
<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="ButtonNormalBackground" EndPoint="0,1" StartPoint="0,0">
<GradientStop Color="#F3F3F3" Offset="0"/>
<GradientStop Color="#EBEBEB" Offset="0.5"/>
<GradientStop Color="#DDDDDD" Offset="0.5"/>
<GradientStop Color="#CDCDCD" Offset="1"/>
</LinearGradientBrush>
<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="TabItemHotBackground" EndPoint="0,1" StartPoint="0,0">
<GradientStop Color="#EAF6FD" Offset="0.15"/>
<GradientStop Color="#D9F0FC" Offset=".5"/>
<GradientStop Color="#BEE6FD" Offset=".5"/>
<GradientStop Color="#A7D9F5" Offset="1"/>
</LinearGradientBrush>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabItemSelectedBackground" Color="#F9F9F9"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabItemHotBorderBrush" Color="#3C7FB1"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabItemDisabledBackground" Color="#F4F4F4"/>
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="TabItemDisabledBorderBrush" Color="#FFC9C7BA"/>
<!-- FS TabItem Control Template-->
<Style TargetType="{x:Type TabItem}">
<Setter Property="FocusVisualStyle" Value="{StaticResource TabItemFocusVisual}"/>
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Black"/>
<Setter Property="Padding" Value="6,1,6,1"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="{StaticResource TabControlNormalBorderBrush}"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource ButtonNormalBackground}"/>
<Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="Stretch"/>
<Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment" Value="Stretch"/>
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type TabItem}">
<Grid SnapsToDevicePixels="true">
<Border x:Name="Bd" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}" BorderThickness="1,1,1,0" Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}">
<ContentPresenter x:Name="Content" HorizontalAlignment="{Binding HorizontalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}" VerticalAlignment="{Binding VerticalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding SnapsToDevicePixels}" ContentSource="Header" RecognizesAccessKey="True"/>
</Border>
</Grid>
<ControlTemplate.Triggers>
<Trigger Property="IsMouseOver" Value="true">
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource TabItemHotBackground}"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="true">
<Setter Property="Panel.ZIndex" Value="1"/>
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{Binding Path=Background, RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type TabControl}}}"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="IsSelected" Value="false">
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{Binding Path=Background, RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type Grid}}}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" TargetName="Bd" Value="0" />
</Trigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="false"/>
<Condition Property="IsMouseOver" Value="true"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource TabItemHotBorderBrush}"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<Trigger Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Bottom">
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" TargetName="Bd" Value="1,0,1,1"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Left">
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" TargetName="Bd" Value="1,1,0,1"/>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Right">
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" TargetName="Bd" Value="0,1,1,1"/>
</Trigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="true"/>
<Condition Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Top"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Margin" Value="-2,-2,-2,-1"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="Content" Value="0,0,0,1"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="true"/>
<Condition Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Bottom"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Margin" Value="-2,-1,-2,-2"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="Content" Value="0,1,0,0"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="true"/>
<Condition Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Left"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Margin" Value="-2,-2,-1,-2"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="Content" Value="0,0,1,0"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger>
<MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="true"/>
<Condition Property="TabStripPlacement" Value="Right"/>
</MultiTrigger.Conditions>
<Setter Property="Margin" Value="-1,-2,-2,-2"/>
<Setter Property="Margin" TargetName="Content" Value="1,0,0,0"/>
</MultiTrigger>
<Trigger Property="IsEnabled" Value="false">
<Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource TabItemDisabledBackground}"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource TabItemDisabledBorderBrush}"/>
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}}"/>
</Trigger>
</ControlTemplate.Triggers>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
Yes. Define the brushes, and then in your style for the tab, have a trigger for its active state, and when it is ACTIVE set it to one brush, and when the trigger fires because it is inactive set it to the other.
This can be done entirely in the XAML.

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