Make a Custom Window (inherit from <Window>)

Question

How can I make a custom Window?

I want build a custom Windows to give him custom Properties.

And make based on myCustomWindow other CustomWindows.

And this Windows shold be visible in the FormsDesigner.

 

Answer 1

The answer to my support request to Microsoft:

Xaml does not support visual inheritance.  Xaml provides the complete element tree for a class, and there is no defined way to merge two trees together.  I also don’t think I’d use templating for this.  I think instead I would use user controls and create a control that defined the common parts of the Window and use that control on every subsequent window.  I managed to make this work.  I created a “WindowSurface” control that derived from UserControl.  It has the following XAML and code:

 

<UserControl 
  xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
  xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
  x:Class="CiderWindowsApplication31.WindowSurface" FlowDirection="RightToLeft" >
   <DockPanel LastChildFill="True">
    <StackPanel   DockPanel.Dock="Bottom" Orientation="Horizontal">
      <Button>Cancel</Button>
      <Button>OK</Button>
    </StackPanel>
    <ContentControl Name="surfaceContent"></ContentControl>
  </DockPanel>
</UserControl>

using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Data;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Documents;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System.Windows.Shapes;
using System.Windows.Markup; 

namespace CiderWindowsApplication31 {

    /// <summary>
    /// Interaction logic for Window1.xaml
    /// </summary>

    [ContentProperty("SurfaceContent")]
    public partial class WindowSurface : UserControl {

        public WindowSurface()
            : base() {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        public object SurfaceContent {
            get { return surfaceContent.Content; }
            set { surfaceContent.Content = value ; }
        }
    }
}

Next, I placed this control on a Window like this:

<Window 
  xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
  xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
  xmlns:l="clr-namespace:CiderWindowsApplication31" 
  x:Class="CiderWindowsApplication31.Window1"
  Title="Main Window">
  <l:WindowSurface>
    <Grid>
      <Button Margin="143,102,55,111" Name="button1"  >Button</Button>
    </Grid>
  </l:WindowSurface>
</Window>

Once I did this, I can add controls to the “surface” area of the user control 

Answer 2

I think you just introduce an extra complexity to the UserControl by adding the "SurfaceContent" property, why not directly use Content property instead.
And what do you mean by "Xaml does not support visual inheritance"?

Sheva

Answer 3

I use VS2005 SP1 + WPF-Extensions and have developed following Window...

<Window x:Class="VitoWindow"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    Title="Custom Window" Height="327" Width="546"
    >
    <Grid>        
    </Grid>
</Window>

In another Window I wants to “inherit” this Window (and some other XAML-Controls like a button)...

<v:VitoWindow
      xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
      xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
      xmlns:v="clr-namespace:CustomControlLibrary;assembly=CustomControlLibrary"
      xml:lang="de-DE" x:Class="Window1" x:Name="Window" Title="VitoWindow"
      Width="640" Height="480"
      xmlns:d=http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2006
      mlns:mc=http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006
      mc:Ignorable="d">
     <Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot">
            <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                 <ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
            </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
            <v:VitoButton Margin="138.288,62,315.712,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Height="54" Content="VitoButton" d:LayoutOverrides="HorizontalAlignment"/>
      </Grid>
</v:VitoWindow>

...but he gets... 

Warning           1          'CustomControlLibrary.VitoWindow' cannot be the root of a XAML file because it was defined using XAML. Line 2 Position 2. Window1.xaml  2          2            CustomWindow

And THIS is not supported in XAML! 

I tried on this way to give the Original Window some Custom Properties and Methods

Horst

Answer 4

For current bit of WPF, you cannot subclass from xaml generated class, but you can work around this by doing something like the following:
First off, create an custom WPF control library project, and then declare your custom window this way:

namespace CustomControlLib

{

    public class CustomWindow : Window

    {

        static CustomWindow()

        {

            DefaultStyleKeyProperty.OverrideMetadata(typeof(CustomWindow), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(typeof(CustomWindow)));

        }

    }

}

In the Themes\generic.xaml file:

<ResourceDictionary xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"

    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"

    xmlns:cc ="clr-namespace:CustomControlLib"

    >

  <Style TargetType="{x:Type cc:CustomWindow}">

    <Setter Property="AllowsTransparency" Value="True"/>

    <Setter Property="WindowStyle" Value="None"/>

    <Setter Property="Template">

      <Setter.Value>

        <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type cc:CustomWindow}">

          <Border BorderBrush="Green" BorderThickness="1" CornerRadius="10">

            <AdornerDecorator>

              <ContentPresenter

                 ContentTemplate="{TemplateBinding ContentControl.ContentTemplate}"

                 Content="{TemplateBinding ContentControl.Content}" />

            </AdornerDecorator>

          </Border>

        </ControlTemplate>

      </Setter.Value>

    </Setter>

  </Style>

</ResourceDictionary>

Then you can optionally do something like this in the AssemblyInfo.cs:

[assembly: XmlnsDefinition("http://schemas.sheva.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation", "CustomControlLib")]

Lastly, create a WPF application project, and declare the window this way:

<cc:CustomWindow x:Class="CustomWindowDemo.Window1"

    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"

    xmlns:cc="http://schemas.sheva.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" 

    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"

    Title="CustomWindowDemo" Height="300" Width="300"

    >

  <Grid>

    <Button Content="This is a custom window" Margin="5"/>

  </Grid>

</cc:CustomWindow>

Just compile and run this, it works perfectly. and you can actually specify additional DPs to your CustomWindow class.

Sheva

Answer 5

  Zhou Yong this inheritance method is ok. Already i use to this method but my problem that,

 

I have an example BasePage, BrowseBasePage, and SearcherBrowseBasePage. These is my framework pages

 

BrowseBasePage inherit BasePage and SearcherBrowseBasePage inherit BrowseBasePage

 

after than i create a new page is MyBrowsePage and this page inherit SearcherBrowseBasePage

 

i can code behind inheritance. But i can't visual inheritance although use Zhou Yong's visual inheritance method

 

Can i do this inheritance.

 

can you help me? 

 

Thanks

Answer 6

Zhou Yong I have a question. In Class library Dolphin.Windows.dll I have declare class:

namespace Dolphin.Windows
{
    public class Window : System.Windows.Window
    {
        public Window():base()
        {
        }
    }
}

In this project in AssemblyInfo.cs I have:

[assembly: System.Windows.Markup.XmlnsDefinition("http://schemas.mk-system.pl/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation", "Dolphin.Windows")]

I want using Dolphin.Windows.Window in project Mirage. In Main.xaml.cs I set:

namespace Mirage.Main
{
    public partial class WinMain : Dolphin.Windows.Window
    {
        public WinMain()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }
    }
}

And in Main.xaml"

<dolphin:Window
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    x:Class="Mirage.Main.WinMain"
    xmlns:dolphin="http://schemas.mk-system.pl/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    Title="Mirage"
    Width="800"
    Height="600"
    MinWidth="800"
    MinHeight="600"
    >
</dolphin:Window>

When I compile project I have error:

Error    1    Invalid XmlnsDeclaration occurs in assembly 'Mirage, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null'. XmlnsDeclaration references a namespace 'Dolphin.Windows' that is not in the assembly.    D:\Application C#\Mirage\Mirage\Main\WinMain.xaml    1    1    Mirage

And:

Error    2    The type 'dolphin:Window' was not found. Verify that you are not missing an assembly reference and that all referenced assemblies have been built.    D:\Application C#\Mirage\Mirage\Main\WinMain.xaml    1    2    Mirage

What is wrong?

Answer 7

'Dolphin.Windows' that is not in the assembly.

i think its looking in the wrong location.

xmlns:dolphin="http://schemas.mk-system.pl/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
should be:
xmlns:dolphin="clr-namespace:Dolphin.Windows;assembly=Dolphin.Windows"

<dolphin:Window  will now work.
x:Class="Mirage.Main.WinMain"  should reference your partial class the xaml will inherit from.

---

leblanc

Answer 8

When I instal VS C# 2008 SP 1 I have error in xaml file, when I use:
xmlns:dolphin="clr-namespace:Dolphin.Windows;assembly=Dolphin.Windows"

Project compile OK, but in designer i have error. When I project run in computer where is not SP 1 project compile OK and designer work OK. I think this error is in computer where is SP 1.

This is a bug in SP 1?