Layout in WPF

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Layout in WPF

• Rujchai Ung-arunyawee
• Department of Computer Engineering
• Khon Kaen University

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Layout History

• .NET 1.0
• Coordinate-based layout only
• Anchoring and Docking
• .NET 2.0
• Coordinate-based layout is standard
• Flow-based layout is optional
• FlowLayoutPanel and TableLayoutPanel
• .NET 3.0 and greater
• Flow-based layout is standard
• Coordinate-based layout is optional
• Developers can now create resolution-independent,
  size-independent interfaces that scale well on
  different monitors.

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The WPF Layout Philosophy

• WPF window can hold only a single element.
• You need to place a container in your window and
  then add other elements to that container.
• Elements (like controls) should not be explicitly
  sized.
• Elements do not indicate their position with
  screen coordinates.
• Layout containers can be nested.

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The Layout Containers

• All the WPF layout containers are panels
• Panel class has 3 public properties Background,
  Children, and IsItemHost.

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Name Description
StackPanel Places elements in a horizontal or vertical stack. This layout container is typically used for small sections of a larger, more complex window.
WrapPanel Places elements in a series of wrapped lines. In horizontal orientation, the WrapPanel lays items out in a row from left to right and then onto subsequent lines. In vertical orientation, the WrapPanel lays out items in a top-to-bottom column and then uses additional columns to fit the remaining items.
DockPanel Aligns elements against an entire edge of the container.
Grid Arranges elements in rows and columns according to an invisible table. This is one of the most flexible and commonly used layout containers.
UniformGrid Places elements in an invisible table but forces all cells to have the same size. This layout container is used infrequently.
Canvas Allows elements to be positioned absolutely using fixed coordinates. This layout container is the most similar to traditional Windows Forms, but it doesnt provide anchoring or docking features. As a result, its an unsuitable choice for a resizable window unless youre willing to do a fair bit of work.
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StackPanel

• one of the simplest layout containers
• simply stacks its children in a single row or
  column.

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Arrange elements horizontally
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Layout Properties Alignment
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Layout Properties Margin

• To make an extra space between elements
• Same margin for all sides
• Different margins for each side of a control in
  the order left, top, right, bottom

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How Margins are combined
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Element Properties Padding

• Inserts space between the edges of the control
  and the edges of the content

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WrapPanel
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DockPanel
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Nesting Layout Containers
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Grid

• The most powerful layout container in WPF
• Used by Visual Studio when creating a new XAML
  file.
• Separates elements into an invisible grid of rows
  and columns
• More than one element can be placed in a single
  cell
• Element may itself be another layout container
  that organizes its own group of contained
  controls Nesting Layout.

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Creating a Grid-based layout

• 2-step process
• First, choose the number of columns and rows
  that you want

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Creating a Grid-based layout

• Second, place individual elements into a cell
  using the attached Row and Column properties
• You can place more than one element into a cell
• If you dont specify the Grid.Row or Grid.Column
  property, the Grid assumes that its 0.

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Example Grid
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Sizing Rows and Columns

• The Grid supports three sizing strategies
• Absolute sizes
• Automatic sizes
• Proportional sizes

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Spanning Rows and Columns

• Make an element stretch over several cells
• There are 2 attached properties
• Grid.RowSpan
• Grid.ColumnSpan
• Examples

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The Sample Dialog
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Splitter

• In WPF, Splitter bars are represented by the
  GridSplitter class and are a feature of the Grid
• Provides the ability to resize rows or columns
• Always resizes entire rows or columns (not single
  cells)
• The GridSplitter must be placed in a Grid cell
• Horizontal splitter resizes rows
• Set HorizontalAlignment to Stretch and
  VerticalAlignment to Center
• Vertical splitter resizes columns
• Set VerticalAlignment to Stretch and
  HorizontalAlignment to Center

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Multiple splitters

• A Grid usually contains no more than a single
  GridSplitter
• Use Nested Grid, each Grid has its own
  GridSplitter

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UniformGrid

• Simply set the Rows and Columns properties to set
  its size
• Each cell is always the same size

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Canvas
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Z-Order

• To control how they are layered by setting the
  attached Canvas.ZIndex property when there are
  more than one overlapping elements.
• By default, all elements have the same ZIndex 0
• When having the same ZIndex, elements are
  displayed on the order theyre defined in the
  XAML
• With Zindex setting, the higher ZIndex elements
  always appear over the lower ZIndex elements

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Z-Order in Code-Behind

• Useful if you need to change the position of an
  element Programmatically.
• Call Canvas.SetZIndex()
• Pass in the element you want to modify and the
  new ZIndex you want to apply.

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InkCanvas
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InkCanvas EditingMode
Name Description
Ink This is the default mode. When the user draws with the mouse or stylus, a stroke is drawn.
Select To select an element, the user must click it or drag a selection lasso around it. Once an element is selected, it can be moved, resized, or deleted.
GestureOnly Draw stroke annotations but pays attention to specific predefined gestures
InkAndGesture The InkCanvas allows the user to draw stroke annotations and also recognizes predefined gestures.
EraseByStroke The InkCanvas erases a stroke when its clicked.
EraseByPoint The InkCanvas erases a portion of a stroke (a point in a stroke) when that portion is clicked.
None The InkCanvas ignores mouse and stylus input.
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InkCanvas Select Mode
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