How to: Specify HandoffBehavior Between Storyboard Animations

This example shows how to specify handoff behavior between storyboard animations. The HandoffBehavior property of BeginStoryboard specifies how new animations interact with any existing ones that are already applied to a property.

Example

The following example creates two buttons that enlarge when the mouse cursor moves over them and become smaller when the cursor moves away. To create this effect, the example uses two event triggers, each one having a corresponding storyboard.

Both buttons use a BeginStoryboard object and set its HandoffBehavior property. The example sets one event trigger to Compose, which causes new and existing animations to combine together by appending the new animations to the end of the composition chain. The example sets the other event trigger with the default HandoffBehavior value of SnapshotAndReplace, which causes the new animation to immediately replace the existing one.

<Page 
  xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" 
  xmlns:x="https://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
  <Page.Resources>
    <!-- This Style specifies mouseover and mouseout behaviors. The button gets larger when
    the cursor moves over it and smaller when the cursor moves away. Note that the same Properties
    (ScaleX and ScaleY) are being targeted by both animations. The BeginStoryboard for each animation
    uses a HandoffBehavior of "Compose" which causes the old animation to interpolate more gradually into
    the new one. -->
    <Style x:Key="ButtonWithCompose" TargetType="{x:Type Button}">
      <Setter Property="Button.RenderTransform">
        <Setter.Value>
          <ScaleTransform CenterX="50" CenterY="50" ScaleX="1" ScaleY="1" />
        </Setter.Value>
      </Setter>
      <Style.Triggers>
        <EventTrigger RoutedEvent="Mouse.MouseEnter">
          <EventTrigger.Actions>
            <BeginStoryboard >
              <Storyboard>
                <DoubleAnimation Duration="0:0:2" Storyboard.TargetProperty="RenderTransform.ScaleX" To="3"  />
                <DoubleAnimation Duration="0:0:2" Storyboard.TargetProperty="RenderTransform.ScaleY" To="3"  />
              </Storyboard>
            </BeginStoryboard>
          </EventTrigger.Actions>
        </EventTrigger>
        <EventTrigger RoutedEvent="Mouse.MouseLeave">
          <EventTrigger.Actions>
            <BeginStoryboard HandoffBehavior="Compose">
              <Storyboard>
                <DoubleAnimation Duration="0:0:2" Storyboard.TargetProperty="RenderTransform.ScaleX" />
                <DoubleAnimation Duration="0:0:2" Storyboard.TargetProperty="RenderTransform.ScaleY" />
              </Storyboard>
            </BeginStoryboard>
          </EventTrigger.Actions>
        </EventTrigger>
      </Style.Triggers>
    </Style>
    <!-- For this button style, BeginStoryboard uses the default HandoffBehavior of "SnapShotAndReplace" -->
    <Style x:Key="ButtonWithSnapShotAndReplace" TargetType="{x:Type Button}">
      <Setter Property="Button.RenderTransform">
        <Setter.Value>
          <ScaleTransform CenterX="50" CenterY="50" ScaleX="1" ScaleY="1" />
        </Setter.Value>
      </Setter>
      <Style.Triggers>
        <EventTrigger RoutedEvent="Mouse.MouseEnter">
          <EventTrigger.Actions>
            <BeginStoryboard >
              <Storyboard>
                <DoubleAnimation Duration="0:0:2" Storyboard.TargetProperty="RenderTransform.ScaleX" To="3"  />
                <DoubleAnimation Duration="0:0:2" Storyboard.TargetProperty="RenderTransform.ScaleY" To="3"  />
              </Storyboard>
            </BeginStoryboard>
          </EventTrigger.Actions>
        </EventTrigger>
        <EventTrigger RoutedEvent="Mouse.MouseLeave">
          <EventTrigger.Actions>
            <BeginStoryboard>
              <Storyboard>
                <DoubleAnimation Duration="0:0:2" Storyboard.TargetProperty="RenderTransform.ScaleX" />
                <DoubleAnimation Duration="0:0:2" Storyboard.TargetProperty="RenderTransform.ScaleY" />
              </Storyboard>
            </BeginStoryboard>
          </EventTrigger.Actions>
        </EventTrigger>
      </Style.Triggers>
    </Style>
  </Page.Resources>
  <Canvas>
    <Button Style="{StaticResource ButtonWithSnapShotAndReplace}" Canvas.Top="200" Canvas.Left="200" Width="100" Height="100">
      SnapShotAndReplace
    </Button>
    <Button Style="{StaticResource ButtonWithCompose}" Canvas.Top="200" Canvas.Left="400" Width="100" Height="100">
      Compose
    </Button>
  </Canvas>
</Page>

See Also

Reference

BeginStoryboard
HandoffBehavior

Concepts

Animation Overview

Other Resources

Animation and Timing
Animation and Timing How-to Topics
Animation and Timing Samples