New window in Silverlight out-of-browser application - silverlight

In a Silverlight application that doesn't run in a browser, is it possible to create a new top-level window? Or at least a child window?
I found some solution using the ChildWindow class, but even though my project is configured for Silverlight 4, that class can not be found.
I have a UserControl (XAML file) that I want to show as a new window. Using a tab control is not really an option unfortunately as the user has to be able to arrange windows to see more than one at once.
Any suggestions?

ChildWindow is part of the SDK, you need to add the System.Windows.Controls.dll to access the ChildWindow type.
I'm not sure you can get the ChildWindow to do what you are expecting. A ChildWindow is designed to present a window in a modal manner. However this modal behaviour is really a function of the ChildWindow template. It is possible to re-template to remove the modal behaviour. However I've never tried to manipulate multiple child windows. You could give it a go, the big question would be what happens if you close Child windows in a different order in which they were created?
In order to use a ChildWindow to present your UserControl it would probably be best for you to derive from ChildWindow, instead of UserControl. You may even find it would ultimately be better for you create base class between your specific Xaml and ChildWindow where you would put code that is common to all your windows.
I might be worth you noting the Silverlight 5 will support multiple windows.

Related

Adding WPF Windows to an XNA Game Project

I'm creating an experimental game (which would eventually become a map editor for a game) and I'd like to include a WPF window in the same project which would communicate with the game logic. This is not another render-xna-game-in-wpf-window question, I've read tons of those, I want to spawn a seperate WPF window independent from the XNA game window, but in the same program, in the same project. When I click Add Item and select WPF, all it gives me as an option is a User Control, no window or any other options etc. I've tried referencing PresentationCore but no lock either, am I missing something? I am not super with interoperability, so forgive me if what I tried is stupid. I also don't want "hacky" solutions (like creating a window and a borderless control and setting their location same etc) if it can't be done just tell it so, but I'm sure there is a relatively "clean" way of doing it since they'll be completely seperate, think of it like a very simple MVC: M Game Logic, V XNA Window, C WPF Window. And don't offer me Forms, I know how to go with forms, but I want WPF, I just work with WPF/XAML and WPF style controls more easily.
Being able to add a Window from the Add Item menu is controlled by a Visual Studio project type GUID. Have you tried to create the window xaml and cs files manually (or create it in another, test solution and Add Existing file)? Or just create a Window instance in code and show that? Also, Window is in PresentationFramework, not PresentationCore.

Window vs User Control

Is there a difference between window and user control? It seems to me that these two are exactly the same. So which one should I use and when?
(I tried googling this phrase and I couldn't find anything)
A Window is as the name suggests a window, it can be closed, minimized, resized etc. This should be quite intuitive.
A UserControl on the other hand is a composite component/module which can be placed inside other controls and is itself made up of controls (possibly even other UserControls), the main use for UserControls is reusability, encapsulation and loose coupling, some applications can be broken up into a set of UserControls of which each one provides a certain functionality.[citation needed]
We make user control if we want to reuse it. As name says User Control it means some control like grid,combo box like that.If i need same grid on 3-4 windows then i will prefer to make it as User Control.If it is not reusable i will define my grid in the required window.At last you paste your user control on some window.
Conclusion :- If you want to reuse the control then make it as a user control otherwise define it in required window.
A window is managed by the OS and is placed on the desktop.
A UserControl is managed by wpf and is placed in a Window or in another UserControl.
Applcations could be created by have a single Window and displaying lots of UserControls in that Window.
wpf window is a Win32 window, but user control is just something of wpf, not a Win32 window.
I presume you refer to the windows forms. Usually they are classified as user controls and custom controls - same stands for web forms as well. For more information you can refer to these links control vs user control in winforms and over view of user controls and custom contorls.

How to add a WPF window to a WinForms App

I'm creating a HUD window for inspecting biz entities in my WinForms application.
I wanted to have a completely different style of window (minimize the content area and showing only the TitleBar, no system buttons, etc) so I created a WPF application for this.
The problem is that I want this Window to 'live' inside my WinForms application. I can't just add the WPF as an OwnedForm or set the main Form as the Owner of the WPF window.
So, how can achive this?
EDIT: Thanks to pst I found the answer. Here is the snippet:
System.Windows.Forms.Integration.ElementHost.EnableModelessKeyboardInterop(_inspector);
WindowInteropHelper inspectorHelper = new WindowInteropHelper(_inspector);
inspectorHelper.Owner = this.Handle;
_inspector.Show();
A WPF Window has a Win32-window handle/context.
See WindowInteropHelper. You can use this with Win32 (or perhaps there is WinForms support?) to set the owner window of the WPF Window. Be aware the handle does not exist until the "source initialized" (?) event.
However, using just WinForms, you may be able to customize the titlebar as much as you need (you can overwrite the drawing itself via Win32, and I think you lose all the control boxes without going this far).
There are lots of google results on this topic if you use the correct keywords.

Have a wpf window inside another wpf window

Is there a way to host a WPF window inside another WPF window. I have a couple of somewhat complex forms in place. But now to simplify things I am trying to merge a few of them as tabpages inside one 'Dashboard' form.
Please note that I am not trying to host a Windows Form, but another WPF window
If you want tabpages, why not use a TabControl with UserControls inside ? If you need to transform one of these tabs to a floating window, just put the UserControl in a new Window...
Can I answer this question with another question; why would you not create them as controls rather than other WPF windows, that you want to host in the main WPF window?
a bit late on this, but I guess with WindowsForms interop you can put in WPF a WinForms control host and in that host put a WinForms control that hosts the handle of a WPF window
I think what you're asking for is MDI, Multiple Document Interface. Something like this might help.
Do note, however, that the MDI paradigm is largely shunned these days. There are usually better ways to achieve the same functionality.
I think you want to hosting contents of WPF Window1.xaml (page1.xaml) inside within another WPF Window.
Well...you can use Navigation. Instead running window1.xaml contents inside tab then you can work with your data inside Navigation. Navigation can run within WPF Window Application. You just design your form / UI in page1.xaml.
one another..MDI old and rusty. We want clear of top window nowadays.

Mixing MFC and WPF: Modal Dialogs

I'm adding C# WPF dialogs to an existing C++ MFC app, using a C++/CLI interface layer. I've got things working, except I'm having a problem with modality. For example:
MFC app shows a WPF dialog using ShowDialog. Works as expected.
That WPF dialog shows a MFC dialog using DoModal. The WPF dialog is hidden behind the base C++ app, and is not disabled unless I manually change IsEnabled. Not ideal, but it works.
Now, that MFC dialog is closed. Now for some reason the base MFC app is enabled, when it should still be disabled due to the WPF dialog not having been closed. That's bad, as it now allows the user to do crazy things while the WPF dialog is still open.
I have a feeling that it would work better if I could set parent dialogs correctly. But so far I havent been able to set an MFC dialog's parent as a WPF dialog, or vice versa. And, I don't even know if that'd fix it.
Any ideas?
When opening a CDialog, the trick is to use a WindowsInteropHelper to get the parent WPF dialog's HWND. Then, you can use CWnd::Attach to wrap that HWND in a CWnd class to pass to the CDialog's constructor.
The problem I had was that I already had the CDialog constructed., but not yet displayed. The various versions of SetParent can only be used if your target child window already has a valid handle. I had to write a new function in my CDialog class to set m_wndParent, which is what it uses as the parent when it finally creates the dialog. Then everything works great!
Somehow creating WPF dialogs from MFC dialogs "just works". It's magic.
When showing the WPF dialog, are you using the HwndSource class to wrap the WPF window? If so, you may be able to ::SetParent the WPF window as well as use the HwndSource.Handle property to set the sub-child's parent.

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