I want to create a modal dialog that has more controls than what a standard .NET MessageBox offers you. I've created my own Windows Form that will be called with ShowDialog() to give the modal behavior. However, I'd like to utilize the graphics that come with MessageBox via MesageBoxIcon. Is this possible? Is it also possible to replicate playing the error/warning windows sounds associated with the message box icons (as they are set in the user's windows settings)?
See System.Drawing.SystemIcons class to display the system icons the MessageBox class uses, such as Question, Information and Warning.
e.Graphics.DrawImage(SystemIcons.Question.ToBitmap(), new Point(0, 0));
For the sounds, see the System.Media.SystemSounds class to play the associated sounds.
System.Media.SystemSounds.Asterisk.Play();
MessageBox is provided by the OS I'm afraid. You can extend it, but it requires a lot of work (see this CodeProject article for a tutorial). Your best bet is probably to start again with a control inheriting from Form as you suggest.
To access the icons, it's as simple as using the System.Drawing.SystemIcons class (documentation for that is here.)
Related
I am new to WPF/MVVM and I need to create a single application window.
To clarify, I would like to have a single window with a basic menu, which, depending on the option clicked on that page/window, launches a completely new set of controllers within the same window (completely replacing the menu interface).
Basically, I'd like to be able to replace the content of the menu window, with the content of new user interface, and then to be able to go back to the menu interface again later.
Any directions? Thanks.
PRISM Navigation is the way to go. You can read about PRISM Navigation on MSDN. It provides a good explanation with a lot of code samples. Karl Shifflett also has a couple good blog posts here and here which are helpful.
This question already has answers here:
How to create custom window chrome in wpf?
(5 answers)
Closed 6 months ago.
We are developing a WPF application which uses Telerik's suite of controls and everything works and looks fine. Unfortunately, we recently needed to replace the base class of all our dialogs, changing RadWindow by the standard WPF window (reason is irrelevant to this discussion). In doing so, we ended up having an application which still looked pretty on all developer's computers (Windows 7 with Aero enabled) but was ugly when used in our client's environment (Terminal Services under Windows Server 2008 R2).
Telerik's RadWindow is a standard user control that mimicks a dialog's behaviour so styling it was not an issue. With WPF's Window though, I have a hard time changing its "border". What I mean by "border" here is both the title bar with the icon and the 3 standard buttons (Minimize, Maximize/Restore, Close) and the resize grip around the window.
How can I change the looks of these items:
Title bar color
3 standard buttons
Window's real border color
With round corners if possible.
Those are "non-client" areas and are controlled by Windows. Here is the MSDN docs on the subject (the pertinent info is at the top).
Basically, you set your Window's WindowStyle="None", then build your own window interface. (similar question on SO)
You need to set
WindowStyle="None", AllowsTransparency="True" and optionally ResizeMode="NoResize"
and then set the Style property of the window to your custom window style, where you design the appearance of the window (title bar, buttons, border) to anything you want and display the window contents in a ContentPresenter.
This seems to be a good article on how you can achieve this, but there are many other articles on the internet.
I found a more straight forward solution from #DK comment in this question, the solution is written by Alex and described here with source,
To make customized window:
download the sample project here
edit the generic.xaml file to customize the layout.
enjoy :).
Such statements as “you can't because only Windows can control the non-client area” are not quite true — Windows lets you specify the dimensions of the non–client area.
The downside is this is only possible by calling Windows' kernel methods, and since you're in .NET, which is not native code, you'll need P/Invoke. (Remember, the whole of the Windows Form UI and console application I/O methods are offered as wrappers that make system calls under the hood.) Hence, as documented in MSDN, it is completely possible to use P/Invoke to access those methods that are needed to set up the non–client area.
Update: Simpler than ever!
As of .NET 4.5, you can just use the WindowChrome class to adjust the non-client area. Get started here and here, a guide to changing the window border dimensions. By setting it to 0, you'll be able to implement your custom window border in place of the system's one.
I suggest you to start from an existing solution and customize it to fit your needs, that's better than starting from scratch!
I was looking for the same thing and I fall on this open source solution, I hope it will help.
I need a WPF control that acts like the Panorama control for Windows Phone 7, but I need it for a desktop application.
It will contain a series of panels (or Panorama Items) that the application will be able to slide through horizontally programmatically.
Also, the content inside the panels not currently displayed on the screen will need to be "lazy loaded". In other words, they should be referenced but not loaded or rendered.
Can I somehow adapt the WP7 Panorama control to do this? Or will I have to develop a custom control from scratch to behave similarly to it?
Thank you!
EDIT:
I could probably use a VirtualizingPanel to implement the lazyload behaviour.
MahApps.Metro while still not super mature does allow for the wp7 Panorama control. Demo of how to use a panorama here. I've played with it a little and while its not the most customizable thing out there it gets the job done. Pretty sweet. Also Sacha Barber (Codeproject Demigod) wrote up an article on making your own. Of which I haven't looked at yet but, the guy usually does awesome work. So I'd check that one out as well.
http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/arielbh/archive/2010/10/21/porting-windows-phone-7-s-panorama-control-to-silverlight-4.aspx gives some clues about how do to this.
It suggests using http://phone.codeplex.com/ as your base and then you can use http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=4b281bde-9b01-4890-b3d4-b3b45ca2c2e4 (Microsoft Surface Manipulations and Inertia Sample for Microsoft Silverlight) to run convert get it to respond to touch.
Seems none exist as far as I can see so far.
This blog has started an attempt at making it, so you could work from there to make your own. Be sure to also check out this page which details the creation of an individual panorama item too.
I want to create an automated UI test that will test my syncfusion grid. My problem is that the recorder can't recognize this control (or any syncfusion control). I've searched a lot in the internet but I couldn't find any extension so the recorder will recognize my controls (I'm using WinForms, not WPF!), or at least a way to extend the recorder abilities so syncfusion's controls will be recognized somehow.
Is there any easy way to extend the recorder? Or is there any extension available?
Or maybe can I get the grid object from the WinClient that the recorder generates?
Thanks!
Start your program. Run the Spy++ utility. Type Ctrl+F to start the finder tool and drag the bulls-eye onto your form. Ok, Synchronize and have a look-see at the windows that are visible in the tree. If you see regular Windows Forms controls, like a Button or a Label, but not any of the SyncFusion controls then you've probably found the source of the problem.
Component vendors that try to improve .NET controls typically do so by creating 'window-less' controls. They are not really controls, they don't derive from the Control class and don't have a Handle property. They use the surface of the parent to draw themselves, making them look just like controls. The .NET ToolStripItem classes do this. And this is also the approach WPF uses.
The big advantage is that they render quickly and support all kinds of effects that regular controls can't support, like transparency, rotation and anti-aliased window edges. The big disadvantage is that the kind of tool that you are using suddenly gets noddy and can't find the control back. Because they work by finding the Windows window back on your form, there is no window for them.
This is a hard problem to solve, the 'control' exists only in memory and there's no good way for a tool to find it back. Using Accessibility is about the only other way for such a tool to find a control that I can think of. Which would have to be implemented by the control vendor first, a somewhat obscure feature that gets easily overlooked. You really do need the help of the vendor to find a workaround for this. Shouldn't be a problem, that's why you paid them the big money.
This is Rajadurai from Syncfusion. Thank you for your interest in Syncfusion Products. To make UI Test Automation recognize Syncfusion grids(WinForms), some internal support need to be provided in grid whose implementation is in progress and about to be completed. Please submit an incident through Direct-Trac for any further related inquiries in the following link.
http://www.syncfusion.com/Account/Logon?ReturnUrl=%2fsupport%2fdirecttrac
You can also contact us through support#syncfusion.com. We are happy to assist you.
Regards,
Rajadurai
I have a WPF Composite application and I want to create a customized messagebox, I wondered what project type I should use to create it?
A usercontrol
A WPF Application
A Class Library
I have to then be able to use this MessageBox in other places in my application.
I have to then be able to use this
MessageBox in other places in my
application.
Since you want to share and reuse the component, you should probably not use an application project; it is technically possible to reference an application project from another project, but it's not very idiomatic. So you want a library project instead. In Visual Studio, the Class Library, WPF Custom Control Library and WPF User Control project types are all library projects: the only difference is which system DLL references are set up for you, the initial files generated, and what VS puts on the Add Item menu.
So any of these three options will be fine, but my recommendation would be either WPF User Control Library or WPF Custom Control Library since that will:
automatically include references to
the WPF DLLs; and
set up the Add Item menu to make it easier for
you to add actual controls to the
library in future (since you are
bound to come up with some reusable
controls as well as your message
box, and you may as well stick them
in the same project).
I have implemented a WPF MessageBox fully customizable via standard WPF control templates:
http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/arik/archive/2011/05/26/a-customizable-wpf-messagebox.aspx
Features
The class WPFMessageBox has the exact same interface as the current WPF MessageBox class.
Implemented as a custom control, thus fully customizable via standard WPF control templates.
Has a default control template which looks like the standard MessageBox.
Supports all the common types of message boxes: Error, Warning, Question and Information.
Has the same “Beep” sounds as when opening a standard MessageBox.
Supports the same behavior when pressing the Escape button as the standard MessageBox.
Provides the same system menu as the standard MessageBox, including disabling the Close button when the message box is in Yes-No mode.
Handles right-aligned and right-to-left operating systems, same as the standard MessageBox.
Provides support for setting the owner window as a WinForms Form control.