Setting an Elements.Resource Style using BasedOn within a Resource Dictionary - wpf

I have a Resource Dictionary that I am using to define the look-and-feel (style) for my application.
I have just created another Resource Dictionary that contains DataTemplates that I am using on several different screens (and even multiple times within the same screen) to display my business objects.
I would like to change some of the default styles within my DataTemplates so that the controls fit better; however I would like the controls to inherit the same style as the rest of the screen. So, naturally I want to use the BasedOn property for this task.
The problem that I am having is that I'm not sure what to set the BasedOn property to.
For example, in the resource dictionary that contains my styles (called "myStyle.xaml") I have:
<ResourceDictionary xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:primatives="clr-namespace:System.Windows.Controls.Primitives;assembly=PresentationFramework"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<Style TargetType="{x:Type Label}">
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="#F5F5F5" />
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="12"></Setter>
<Setter Property="Width" Value="120"></Setter>
<Setter Property="FontFamily" Value="Arial"></Setter>
</Style>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type TextBox}">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="12"></Setter>
<Setter Property="Width" Value="120"></Setter>
<Setter Property="Height" Value="25"></Setter>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="Black"></Setter>
</Style>
<!-- .... and so on .... -->
</ResourceDictionary>
I am using this resource in the following window:
<Window x:Class="SiteSetupWindow4"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:primatives="clr-namespace:System.Windows.Controls.Primitives;assembly=PresentationFramework"
Title="A Screen">
<Window.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary x:Key="defaultStyleX">
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<ResourceDictionary x:Name="DefaultStyles" Source="Resources/myStyle.xaml" />
<ResourceDictionary x:Name="Templates" Source="Resources/myTemplates.xaml"></ResourceDictionary>
</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
</ResourceDictionary>
</Window.Resources>
Now, I have another Resource Dictionary that contains DataTemplates that I am using within my window. It is called "myTemplates". The style is applied to the DataTemplate as expected; however, I would like to overwrite some aspects of the style within the DataTemplate (Like width for example).
This is what I have tired, however I cannot get the BasedOn property to work...
(myTemplate.xaml)
<ResourceDictionary xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<DataTemplate x:Key="PanelInfo">
<StackPanel>
<StackPanel.Resources>
<Style TargetType="TextBox" BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type TextBox}}">
<Setter Property="Width" Value="120" />
</Style>
<Style TargetType="Label">
<Setter Property="Width" Value="180" />
</Style>
<Style TargetType="ComboBox">
<Setter Property="Width" Value="120" />
</Style>
<StackPanel.Resources>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<Label Content="Type:"></Label>
<ComboBox>
<ComboBoxItem Content="{Binding Path=Type}" IsSelected="True"></ComboBoxItem>
</ComboBox>
<!--...and so on -->
</StackPanel>
</StackPanel>
</ResourceDictionary>
This fails....I have also tried using DynamicResource, but this also fails.
I'm not sure how to get around this.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
-Frinny

I was having the same problem with an extended Button Style.
The ResourceKey= is what solved it for me.
This worked:
<Style x:Name="ButtonVisibility"
TargetType="{x:Type Button}"
BasedOn="{StaticResource ResourceKey={x:Type Button}}">

The way you have BasedOn for a type is correct. This will work in theory as long as, at run time, the style that you are basing it on is merged into the tree correctly. Make sure you have the "myStyles.xaml" merged in correctly. You can check this by removing your style you tried to modify and make sure it displays correctly from your style in "myStyles.xaml."
If it isn't there are a lot of places you can go wrong, but it always helps to try merging the styles in the file you are working on, then work up the tree to see where it's missing.
This utility will help you look at what is happing in the tree at run time.
http://blois.us/Snoop/

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>

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 set a ResourceDictionary to a ContentControl.Content?

In my application, I have a ContentControl and this shows the Content property using DataTemplates.
Right now, I need to pass this DictionaryResource to the content property. So I did this (I'm not sure)
<ContentControl Content="{Binding CurrentViewModel">
<ContentControl.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary Source="/MathematicsBusiness.Infrastructure;component/Resources/ThemeResources.xaml" />
</ContentControl.Resources>
</ContentControl>
And this contain my dictionary:
<ResourceDictionary
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<Style TargetType="TextBlock">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="40" />
<Setter Property="FontFamily" Value="Georgia" />
</Style>
<!--<Style x:Key="TextBlockStyle" TargetType="TextBlock">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="40" />
<Setter Property="FontFamily" Value="Georgia" />
</Style>-->
</ResourceDictionary>
And it works, all the data templates show the textblocks with that style. But if I use the commented style, it does not work. It throws me an error:
Cannot find a Resource with the Name/Key TextBlockStyle
Why is happening that? If the style does not have a Key, it works. But if I set a key, it doesn't work.
If you specify a key without using it, it should not be a problem. My guess is that you are calling TextBlockStyle somewhere else (maybe your visual state or your code).
The error you are having usually happens if you are trying to use the key, but you haven't specified it in your xaml.
Other possible cause is that you are trying to use the key outisde the ContentControl.

How to style heading labels in WPF/Silverlight/XAML?

This seems simple enough, but I'm having difficulty finding an answer.
I have a WPF window that requires use of headings and sub-headings for different areas. Of course I could include the stlying inline for each element, but I'd really like to keep the styling separate. What's the right way to semantically differentiate the various heading / sub-heading / "normal" label classes so that they can be properly styled in a separate XAML document?
Thanks!
You could just set styles for each of the "label classes" you want in a resource dictionary as follows:
<Style x:Key="heading" TargetType="Label">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="24" />
</Style>
<Style x:Key="subHeading" TargetType="Label">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="16" />
</Style>
<Style x:Key="normal" TargetType="Label">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="12" />
</Style>
And then in your views, you would just have to call the resource and use it as follows:
<UserControl.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary>
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<ResourceDictionary
Source="Resources/MyResources.xaml">
</ResourceDictionary>
</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
</ResourceDictionary>
</UserControl.Resources>
<Grid>
<Label Style="{StaticResource heading}" Content="This is a heading!" />
</Grid>

WPF datagrid styling

I want to style a WPF datagrid and it seems to be really easy . As far as I understand I have to have code such as the following:
<Style x:Key="DataGridColumnHeaderStyle" TargetType="{x:Type Custom:DataGridColumnHeader}" >
<Setter Property="Background" Value="#88800080" />
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="White" />
</Style>
But my question is ..where do I place this code and how do I let the datagrid know to use the style above ?
Regards,
S
Put it in the resource of the xaml (local or global). The easiest is to put it in the local resource of the current xaml file:
<Page Name="SomeName"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<Page.Resources>
<Style x:Key="DataGridColumnHeaderStyle" TargetType="{x:Type Custom:DataGridColumnHeader}" >
<Setter Property="Background" Value="#88800080" />
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="White" />
</Style>
</Page.Resources>
<!-- The rest of the xaml -->
</Page>
The best place to put styles is in a resource dictionary, referenced in App.xaml.
Resource dictionary ("StyleResources.xaml" in this example):
<ResourceDictionary
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<Style x:Key="TextBlockRightAlign" TargetType="TextBlock">
<Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Right" />
</Style>
<Style x:Key="TextBlockTitle" TargetType="TextBlock">
<Setter Property="FontSize" Value="20" />
<Setter Property="FontWeight" Value="Bold" />
</Style>
</ResourceDictionary>
Referencing the style dictionary in App.xaml:
<Application.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary>
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<ResourceDictionary Source="StyleResources.xaml"/>
</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<ValueConverters:PriceConverter x:Key="PriceConverter"/>
</ResourceDictionary>
</Application.Resources>
Using the definition in a datagrid (column formatting here, but should work for headers as well):
<data:DataGridTextColumn Header="Charge" Width="100"
Binding="{Binding Charge, Mode=TwoWay, Converter={StaticResource PriceConverter}}"
ElementStyle="{StaticResource TextBlockRightAlign}" />
Note that the element inside the cell is a TextBlock, so you can use a style with a target type of TextBlock.
As for the "Type DataGridColumnHeader was not found": you need a second xml namespace entry since the DataGridColumnHeader is in the System.Windows.Controls.Primitives namespace. You need something like
xmlns:dg="clr-namespace:Microsoft.Windows.Controls.Primitives;assembly=WPFToolkit"
and then reference the new namespace in your style, e.g.
<Style x:Key="DataGridColumnHeaderStyle" TargetType="{x:Type dg:DataGridColumnHeader}" >
Styles usually go:
<UserControl.Resources>
<Style x:Key="DataGridColumnHeaderStyle" TargetType="{x:Type Custom:DataGridColumnHeader}" >
<Setter Property="Background" Value="#88800080" />
<Setter Property="Foreground" Value="White" />
</Style>
</UserControl.Resources>
Use the appropriate container if this isn't within a UserControl you may use "Window" or whatever container you're in.
Also you need to reference it in your datagrid with:
<Custom:DataGrid ColumnHeaderStyle="{StaticResource DataGridColumnHeaderStyle}"/>

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