ControlDesigner for WPF custom controls.

Question

Greetings .

 

I'm working on a custom WPF user control which acts like a button (and surprisingly inherits Button).

However, my button has some limitations for designtime (The size is constant, the color scheme is

pre-defined in an enumeration etc..).

Therefore, I want people who use my control in design time, to be able to do only things I allow.

In WinForms, I could create myself a MyButtonDesigner : ControlDesigner, and override the

PostFilterProperties method and there remove unwanted properties (or add/change etc..).

 

Unfortrantly, I could not find a replacement to the System.Windows.Forms.Design.ControlDesigner

class for WPF...

Is there any solution out there?

  

Code Snippet displaying what I am looking for, written for WinForm ..

 public class MyButtonDesigner : System.Windows.Forms.Design.ControlDesigner
 {
 
  public MyButtonDesigner()
  {
  }

  protected override void PostFilterProperties( IDictionary properties )
  {
   properties.Remove( "ForeColor" );
   properties.Remove( "Size" );
  }
 }

 

Best Regards,

Doron. 

Answer 1

I'll accept also any other solution for treating WPF objects on design time ..

 

This includes:

1. Catching and handling events on design enviroment (e.g. VS or Expression Blend).

2. Overriding design-time properties (as posted on my opening message in this thread).

3. Adding smart tags (Binding DesignerActionList) to WPFs

etc..

 

This whole set of practices (creating custom controls for Avalon/WinFX) seems to be missing...

I wonder why there is no article for WPF such as this: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/37899azc.aspx

 

 

 

P.S

I've posted this thread in microsoft.public.windows.developer.winfx.avalon newsgroup also.

Answer 2

Even i am looking to use equivalent of ControlDesigner for  my UserControl in WPF.

Any idea?

 

Thanks.

Answer 3

Just findout that "ActivityDesigner" class will do the job.

 

Thanks.

Answer 4

Hi Doron,

I know it's a pretty old post but did you find a way to do thing you wanted to ??

I'm currently looking for a way to add smarttag to WPF custom controls...and other thing like those you describe ; any return greatly appreciated !!

Thanks,

---

Marc.