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ComboBox ControlTemplate Example

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Controls in Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) have a ControlTemplate that contains the visual tree of that control. You can change the structure and appearance of a control by modifying the ControlTemplate of that control. There is no way to replace only part of the visual tree of a control; to change the visual tree of a control you must set the Template property of the control to its new and complete ControlTemplate.

This topic shows the ControlTemplate of the WPF ComboBox control.

This topic contains the following sections.

  • Prerequisites
  • ComboBox ControlTemplate Example
  • Related Topics

Prerequisites

To run the examples in this topic, you should understand how to write WPF applications. For more information, see Get Started Using Windows Presentation Foundation. You should also understand how styles are used in WPF. For more information, see Styling and Templating.

ComboBox ControlTemplate Example

While this example contains all of the elements that are defined in the ControlTemplate of a ComboBox by default, the specific values should be thought of as examples.

<ControlTemplate x:Key="ComboBoxToggleButton" TargetType="ToggleButton">
  <Grid>
    <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
      <ColumnDefinition />
      <ColumnDefinition Width="20" />
    </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
    <Border
      x:Name="Border" 
      Grid.ColumnSpan="2"
      CornerRadius="2"
      Background="{StaticResource NormalBrush}"
      BorderBrush="{StaticResource NormalBorderBrush}"
      BorderThickness="1" />
    <Border 
      Grid.Column="0"
      CornerRadius="2,0,0,2" 
      Margin="1" 
      Background="{StaticResource WindowBackgroundBrush}" 
      BorderBrush="{StaticResource NormalBorderBrush}"
      BorderThickness="0,0,1,0" />
    <Path 
      x:Name="Arrow"
      Grid.Column="1"     
      Fill="{StaticResource GlyphBrush}"
      HorizontalAlignment="Center"
      VerticalAlignment="Center"
      Data="M 0 0 L 4 4 L 8 0 Z"/>
  </Grid>
  <ControlTemplate.Triggers>
    <Trigger Property="ToggleButton.IsMouseOver" Value="true">
      <Setter TargetName="Border" Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource DarkBrush}" />
    </Trigger>
    <Trigger Property="ToggleButton.IsChecked" Value="true">
      <Setter TargetName="Border" Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource PressedBrush}" />
    </Trigger>
    <Trigger Property="IsEnabled" Value="False">
      <Setter TargetName="Border" Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource DisabledBackgroundBrush}" />
      <Setter TargetName="Border" Property="BorderBrush" Value="{StaticResource DisabledBorderBrush}" />
      <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{StaticResource DisabledForegroundBrush}"/>
      <Setter TargetName="Arrow" Property="Fill" Value="{StaticResource DisabledForegroundBrush}" />
    </Trigger>
  </ControlTemplate.Triggers>
</ControlTemplate>

<ControlTemplate x:Key="ComboBoxTextBox" TargetType="TextBox">
  <Border x:Name="PART_ContentHost" Focusable="False" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" />
</ControlTemplate>

<Style x:Key="{x:Type ComboBox}" TargetType="ComboBox">
  <Setter Property="SnapsToDevicePixels" Value="true"/>
  <Setter Property="OverridesDefaultStyle" Value="true"/>
  <Setter Property="ScrollViewer.HorizontalScrollBarVisibility" Value="Auto"/>
  <Setter Property="ScrollViewer.VerticalScrollBarVisibility" Value="Auto"/>
  <Setter Property="ScrollViewer.CanContentScroll" Value="true"/>
  <Setter Property="MinWidth" Value="120"/>
  <Setter Property="MinHeight" Value="20"/>
  <Setter Property="Template">
    <Setter.Value>
      <ControlTemplate TargetType="ComboBox">
        <Grid>
          <ToggleButton 
            Name="ToggleButton" 
            Template="{StaticResource ComboBoxToggleButton}" 
            Grid.Column="2" 
            Focusable="false"
            IsChecked="{Binding Path=IsDropDownOpen,Mode=TwoWay,RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}}"
            ClickMode="Press">
          </ToggleButton>
          <ContentPresenter
            Name="ContentSite"
            IsHitTestVisible="False" 
            Content="{TemplateBinding SelectionBoxItem}"
            ContentTemplate="{TemplateBinding SelectionBoxItemTemplate}"
            ContentTemplateSelector="{TemplateBinding ItemTemplateSelector}"
            Margin="3,3,23,3"
            VerticalAlignment="Center"
            HorizontalAlignment="Left" />
          <TextBox x:Name="PART_EditableTextBox"
            Style="{x:Null}" 
            Template="{StaticResource ComboBoxTextBox}" 
            HorizontalAlignment="Left" 
            VerticalAlignment="Center" 
            Margin="3,3,23,3"
            Focusable="True" 
            Background="Transparent"
            Visibility="Hidden"
            IsReadOnly="{TemplateBinding IsReadOnly}"/>
          <Popup 
            Name="Popup"
            Placement="Bottom"
            IsOpen="{TemplateBinding IsDropDownOpen}"
            AllowsTransparency="True" 
            Focusable="False"
            PopupAnimation="Slide">
            <Grid 
              Name="DropDown"
              SnapsToDevicePixels="True"                
              MinWidth="{TemplateBinding ActualWidth}"
              MaxHeight="{TemplateBinding MaxDropDownHeight}">
              <Border 
                x:Name="DropDownBorder"
                Background="{StaticResource WindowBackgroundBrush}"
                BorderThickness="1"
                BorderBrush="{StaticResource SolidBorderBrush}"/>
              <ScrollViewer Margin="4,6,4,6" SnapsToDevicePixels="True">
                <StackPanel IsItemsHost="True" KeyboardNavigation.DirectionalNavigation="Contained" />
              </ScrollViewer>
            </Grid>
          </Popup>
        </Grid>
        <ControlTemplate.Triggers>
          <Trigger Property="HasItems" Value="false">
            <Setter TargetName="DropDownBorder" Property="MinHeight" Value="95"/>
          </Trigger>
          <Trigger Property="IsEnabled" Value="false">
            <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{StaticResource DisabledForegroundBrush}"/>
          </Trigger>
          <Trigger Property="IsGrouping" Value="true">
            <Setter Property="ScrollViewer.CanContentScroll" Value="false"/>
          </Trigger>
          <Trigger SourceName="Popup" Property="Popup.AllowsTransparency" Value="true">
            <Setter TargetName="DropDownBorder" Property="CornerRadius" Value="4"/>
            <Setter TargetName="DropDownBorder" Property="Margin" Value="0,2,0,0"/>
          </Trigger>
          <Trigger Property="IsEditable"
               Value="true">
            <Setter Property="IsTabStop" Value="false"/>
            <Setter TargetName="PART_EditableTextBox" Property="Visibility"    Value="Visible"/>
            <Setter TargetName="ContentSite" Property="Visibility" Value="Hidden"/>
          </Trigger>
        </ControlTemplate.Triggers>
      </ControlTemplate>
    </Setter.Value>
  </Setter>
  <Style.Triggers>
  </Style.Triggers>
</Style>

The above example uses one or more of the following resources:

<!-- Fill Brushes -->

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="NormalBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="0,1">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#FFF" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#CCC" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="HorizontalNormalBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="1,0">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#FFF" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#CCC" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="LightBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="0,1">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#FFF" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#EEE" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="HorizontalLightBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="1,0">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#FFF" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#EEE" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="DarkBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="0,1">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#FFF" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#AAA" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="PressedBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="0,1">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#BBB" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#EEE" Offset="0.1"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#EEE" Offset="0.9"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#FFF" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<SolidColorBrush x:Key="DisabledForegroundBrush" Color="#888" />

<SolidColorBrush x:Key="DisabledBackgroundBrush" Color="#EEE" />

<SolidColorBrush x:Key="WindowBackgroundBrush" Color="#FFF" />

<SolidColorBrush x:Key="SelectedBackgroundBrush" Color="#DDD" />

<!-- Border Brushes -->

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="NormalBorderBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="0,1">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#CCC" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#444" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="HorizontalNormalBorderBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="1,0">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#CCC" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#444" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="DefaultedBorderBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="0,1">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#777" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#000" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="PressedBorderBrush" StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="0,1">
  <GradientBrush.GradientStops>
    <GradientStopCollection>
      <GradientStop Color="#444" Offset="0.0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#888" Offset="1.0"/>
    </GradientStopCollection>
  </GradientBrush.GradientStops>
</LinearGradientBrush>

<SolidColorBrush x:Key="DisabledBorderBrush" Color="#AAA" />

<SolidColorBrush x:Key="SolidBorderBrush" Color="#888" />

<SolidColorBrush x:Key="LightBorderBrush" Color="#AAA" />

<!-- Miscellaneous Brushes -->
<SolidColorBrush x:Key="GlyphBrush" Color="#444" />

<SolidColorBrush x:Key="LightColorBrush" Color="#DDD" />

For the complete sample, see Styling with ControlTemplates Sample.

See Also

Concepts

ComboBoxItem ControlTemplate Example
Guidelines for Designing Stylable Controls

Other Resources

ControlTemplate Examples