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TextBox Styles and Templates

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This topic describes the styles and templates for the TextBox control. You can modify the default ControlTemplate to give the control a unique appearance. For more information, see Customizing the Appearance of an Existing Control by Using a ControlTemplate.

TextBox Parts

The following table lists the named parts for the TextBox control.

Part

Type

Description

ContentElement

FrameworkElement

A visual element that can contain a FrameworkElement. The text of the TextBox is displayed in this element

TextBox States

The following table lists the visual states for the TextBox control.

VisualState Name

VisualStateGroup Name

Description

Normal

CommonStates

The default state.

MouseOver

CommonStates

The mouse pointer is positioned over the control.

Disabled

CommonStates

The control is disabled.

ReadOnly

CommonStates

The user cannot change the text in the TextBox.

Focused

FocusStates

The control has focus.

Unfocused

FocusStates

The control does not have focus.

Valid

ValidationStates

The control is valid.

InvalidFocused

ValidationStates

The control is not valid but has focus.

InvalidUnfocused

ValidationStates

The control is not valid and does not have focus.

Default Style and Template

The following properties of the TextBox control are not used in its default template. However, you can modify the default template and use template binding to set these properties.

The following shows the XML namespace mapping that you have to specify when you work with styles and templates.

<!-- XML Namespace mapping. -->
xmlns:vsm="clr-namespace:System.Windows;assembly=System.Windows"
xmlns:sys="clr-namespace:System;assembly=mscorlib"
NoteNote:

The default templates still specify the vsm: XML namespace mapping for the VisualStateManager element for legacy reasons. You can however, use the VisualStateManager element without specifying the vsm: mapping.

The following XAML shows the default style and template for the TextBox control.

<Style TargetType="TextBox">
    <Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="1"/>
    <Setter Property="Background" Value="#FFFFFFFF"/>
    <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="#FF000000"/>
    <Setter Property="Padding" Value="2"/>
    <Setter Property="BorderBrush">
      <Setter.Value>
        <LinearGradientBrush EndPoint="0.5,1" StartPoint="0.5,0">
          <GradientStop Color="#FFA3AEB9" Offset="0"/>
          <GradientStop Color="#FF8399A9" Offset="0.375"/>
          <GradientStop Color="#FF718597" Offset="0.375"/>
          <GradientStop Color="#FF617584" Offset="1"/>
        </LinearGradientBrush>
      </Setter.Value>
    </Setter>
    <Setter Property="Template">
      <Setter.Value>
        <ControlTemplate TargetType="TextBox">
          <Grid x:Name="RootElement">
            <vsm:VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
              <vsm:VisualStateGroup x:Name="CommonStates">
                <vsm:VisualState x:Name="Normal"/>
                <vsm:VisualState x:Name="MouseOver">
                  <Storyboard>
                    <ColorAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="MouseOverBorder" Storyboard.TargetProperty="(Border.BorderBrush).(SolidColorBrush.Color)" To="#FF99C1E2" Duration="0"/>
                  </Storyboard>
                </vsm:VisualState>
                <vsm:VisualState x:Name="Disabled">
                  <Storyboard>
                    <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="DisabledVisualElement" Storyboard.TargetProperty="Opacity" To="1" Duration="0"/>
                  </Storyboard>
                </vsm:VisualState>
                <vsm:VisualState x:Name="ReadOnly">
                  <Storyboard>
                    <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="ReadOnlyVisualElement" Storyboard.TargetProperty="Opacity" To="1" Duration="0" />
                  </Storyboard>
                </vsm:VisualState>
              </vsm:VisualStateGroup>
              <vsm:VisualStateGroup x:Name="FocusStates">
                <vsm:VisualState x:Name="Focused">
                  <Storyboard>
                    <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="FocusVisualElement" Storyboard.TargetProperty="Opacity" To="1" Duration="0"/>
                  </Storyboard>
                </vsm:VisualState>
                <vsm:VisualState x:Name="Unfocused">
                  <Storyboard>
                    <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="FocusVisualElement" Storyboard.TargetProperty="Opacity" To="0" Duration="0"/>
                  </Storyboard>
                </vsm:VisualState>
              </vsm:VisualStateGroup>
              <vsm:VisualStateGroup x:Name="ValidationStates">
                <vsm:VisualState x:Name="Valid"/>
                <vsm:VisualState x:Name="InvalidUnfocused">
                  <Storyboard>
                    <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="ValidationErrorElement" Storyboard.TargetProperty="Visibility">
                      <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0">
                        <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
                          <Visibility>Visible</Visibility>
                        </DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
                      </DiscreteObjectKeyFrame>
                    </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                  </Storyboard>
                </vsm:VisualState>
                <vsm:VisualState x:Name="InvalidFocused">
                  <Storyboard>
                    <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="ValidationErrorElement" Storyboard.TargetProperty="Visibility">
                      <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0">
                        <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
                          <Visibility>Visible</Visibility>
                        </DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
                      </DiscreteObjectKeyFrame>
                    </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                    <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="validationTooltip" Storyboard.TargetProperty="IsOpen">
                      <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0">
                        <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
                          <sys:Boolean>True</sys:Boolean>
                        </DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
                      </DiscreteObjectKeyFrame>
                    </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                  </Storyboard>
                </vsm:VisualState>
              </vsm:VisualStateGroup>
            </vsm:VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
            <Border x:Name="Border" BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}" CornerRadius="1" Opacity="1" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}">
                <Grid>
                <Border x:Name="ReadOnlyVisualElement" Opacity="0" Background="#5EC9C9C9"/>
                <Border x:Name="MouseOverBorder" BorderThickness="1" BorderBrush="Transparent">
                  <ScrollViewer x:Name="ContentElement" Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}" BorderThickness="0" IsTabStop="False"/>
                </Border>
              </Grid>
            </Border>
            <Border x:Name="DisabledVisualElement" Background="#A5F7F7F7" BorderBrush="#A5F7F7F7" BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}" Opacity="0" IsHitTestVisible="False"/>
            <Border x:Name="FocusVisualElement" BorderBrush="#FF6DBDD1" BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}" Margin="1" Opacity="0" IsHitTestVisible="False"/>
            <Border x:Name="ValidationErrorElement" BorderThickness="1" CornerRadius="1" BorderBrush="#FFDB000C" Visibility="Collapsed">
              <ToolTipService.ToolTip>
                <ToolTip x:Name="validationTooltip" Template="{StaticResource ValidationToolTipTemplate}" Placement="Right" 
                         PlacementTarget="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}}"
                         DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}}">
                  <ToolTip.Triggers>
                    <EventTrigger RoutedEvent="Canvas.Loaded">
                      <EventTrigger.Actions>
                        <BeginStoryboard>
                          <Storyboard>
                            <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="validationTooltip" Storyboard.TargetProperty="IsHitTestVisible">
                              <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0">
                                <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
                                  <sys:Boolean>true</sys:Boolean>
                                </DiscreteObjectKeyFrame.Value>
                              </DiscreteObjectKeyFrame>
                            </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                          </Storyboard>
                        </BeginStoryboard>
                      </EventTrigger.Actions>
                    </EventTrigger>
                  </ToolTip.Triggers>
                </ToolTip>
              </ToolTipService.ToolTip>
              <Grid Width="12" Height="12" HorizontalAlignment="Right" Margin="1,-4,-4,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Background="Transparent">
                <Path Margin="1,3,0,0" Data="M 1,0 L6,0 A 2,2 90 0 1 8,2 L8,7 z" Fill="#FFDC000C"/>
                <Path Margin="1,3,0,0" Data="M 0,0 L2,0 L 8,6 L8,8" Fill="#ffffff"/>
              </Grid>
            </Border>
          </Grid>
        </ControlTemplate>
      </Setter.Value>
    </Setter>
  </Style>

The default ControlTemplate for TextBox references the ControlTemplate for ValidationTooltip. The following XAML shows the ControlTemplate for ValidationTooltip that you must specify when you work with the TextBox control template:

<ControlTemplate x:Key="ValidationToolTipTemplate">
      <Grid x:Name="Root" Margin="5,0" RenderTransformOrigin="0,0" Opacity="0">
          <Grid.RenderTransform>
              <TranslateTransform x:Name="xform" X="-25"/>
          </Grid.RenderTransform>
          <vsm:VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
              <vsm:VisualStateGroup Name="OpenStates">
                  <vsm:VisualStateGroup.Transitions>
                      <vsm:VisualTransition GeneratedDuration="0"/>
                      <vsm:VisualTransition To="Open" GeneratedDuration="0:0:0.2">
                          <Storyboard>
                              <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="xform" Storyboard.TargetProperty="X" To="0" Duration="0:0:0.2">
                                  <DoubleAnimation.EasingFunction>
                                      <BackEase Amplitude=".3" EasingMode="EaseOut"/>
                                  </DoubleAnimation.EasingFunction>
                              </DoubleAnimation>
                              <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="Root" Storyboard.TargetProperty="Opacity" To="1" Duration="0:0:0.2"/>
                          </Storyboard>
                      </vsm:VisualTransition>
                  </vsm:VisualStateGroup.Transitions>
                  <vsm:VisualState x:Name="Closed">
                      <Storyboard>
                          <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="Root" Storyboard.TargetProperty="Opacity" To="0" Duration="0"/>
                      </Storyboard>
                  </vsm:VisualState>
                  <vsm:VisualState x:Name="Open">
                      <Storyboard>
                          <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="xform" Storyboard.TargetProperty="X" To="0" Duration="0"/>
                          <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="Root" Storyboard.TargetProperty="Opacity" To="1" Duration="0"/>
                      </Storyboard>
                  </vsm:VisualState>
              </vsm:VisualStateGroup>
          </vsm:VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>

          <Border Margin="4,4,-4,-4" Background="#052A2E31" CornerRadius="5"/>
          <Border Margin="3,3,-3,-3" Background="#152A2E31" CornerRadius="4"/>
          <Border Margin="2,2,-2,-2" Background="#252A2E31" CornerRadius="3"/>
          <Border Margin="1,1,-1,-1" Background="#352A2E31" CornerRadius="2"/>

          <Border Background="#FFDC000C" CornerRadius="2"/>
          <Border CornerRadius="2">
              <TextBlock 
                  UseLayoutRounding="false" 
                  Foreground="White" Margin="8,4,8,4" MaxWidth="250" TextWrapping="Wrap" Text="{Binding (Validation.Errors)[0].ErrorContent}"/>
          </Border>
      </Grid>
  </ControlTemplate>