Vista - CustomControl and controlTemplate

I want to write a custom control which has a (dependency ?) property which
is an enum type, e.g. enum:.

public enum LookKindOfMyCustomControl
{
TwoRectanglesAndALine,
TwoEllipsesAndARectangle,
ThreeEllipsesAndTwoRectangles
}

(Just an example, the idea is that each of the items in the enumerator list
represents composite shapes, GeometryGroups, PathGeometry or similar which
is not easily represented as a parameterized "thing").

How can I best present this with a default style/template for the custom
control ?
By setting a particular ControlTemplate based on change of the property ?
How would the syntax be ?
Better done in code ? (but what about if an application wants to override
the look of the control ?)

Hi,

It's relatively easy to do if you use a Style trigger. For example (out
of the top of my head)

<Control.Style>

<Style TargetType="{x:Type Control}">

<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<!--Do something-->
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>

<Style.Triggers>
<DataTrigger Binding="{Binding MyLookAndFeel}"
Value="TwoRectanglesAndALine">
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<!--Do something-->
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</DataTrigger>
<DataTrigger Binding="{Binding MyLookAndFeel}"
Value="TwoEllipsesAndARectangle">
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<!--Do something-->
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</DataTrigger>
<DataTrigger Binding="{Binding MyLookAndFeel}"
Value="ThreeEllipsesAndTwoRectangles">
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<!--Do something-->
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</DataTrigger>
</Style.Triggers>

</Style>

</Control.Style>

To know if your property (which I named here MyLookAndFeel) must be a
DependencyProperty, you must know if the value may change during
runtime. If it's a DP, a change during runtime will be applied to the
control. If it's a normal (CLR) property, the value will be loaded when
the control is loaded, but subsequent changes will not be applied.

Greetings,
Laurent


Eager wrote:--
Laurent Bugnion [MVP ASP.NET]
Software engineering, Blog: http://www.galasoft.ch
PhotoAlbum: http://www.galasoft.ch/pictures
Support children in Calcutta: http://www.calcutta-espoir.ch

Thanks a lot Laurent

I guess this means that XAML does not have something similar to a switch
statement (C#), but only if statements which will all be executed (the
trigger elements).


"Laurent Bugnion, MVP" <galasoft-lb@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:usDj1nOAIHA.1204@xxxxxx

Hi,

Eager wrote::-) I think that if you try to compare XAML to C#, you're going to have
long, sleepless nights. It's really a very different paradigm.

That said, you're right, in the sense that the triggers will all be
evaluated, but in that particular case, only one will be applied.

Greetings!
Laurent
--
Laurent Bugnion [MVP ASP.NET]
Software engineering, Blog: http://www.galasoft.ch
PhotoAlbum: http://www.galasoft.ch/pictures
Support children in Calcutta: http://www.calcutta-espoir.ch