Styling GridSplitter wpf C#

Question

i want to style my GridSplitter like adding dots on it (as found on http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa970265.aspx).

i also want to change gridsplitter color on mouseOver, or apply Aero Theme.

<Style x:Key="GridSplitterStyle1" TargetType="{x:Type GridSplitter}">
  <Setter Property="Background"
          Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.ControlBrushKey}}"/>
  <Setter Property="PreviewStyle">
    <Setter.Value>
      <Style>
        <Setter Property="Control.Template">
          <Setter.Value>
            <ControlTemplate>
              <Rectangle Fill="#80000000"/>
            </ControlTemplate>
          </Setter.Value>
        </Setter>
      </Style>
    </Setter.Value>
  </Setter>
  <Setter Property="Template">
    <Setter.Value>
      <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type GridSplitter}">
        <Border Background="{TemplateBinding Background}"
                BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}"
                BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}"/>
      </ControlTemplate>
    </Setter.Value>
  </Setter>
</Style>

<!--Theme-->
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
  <ResourceDictionary 
   Source="/RibbonControlsLibrary;component/Themes/Office2007Blue.xaml" />
</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>

<GridSplitter x:Name="gridSplitterTreeNodes" Width="10"
              BorderThickness="1,0" Cursor="SizeWE"
              RenderTransformOrigin="-1.2,0.507" ShowsPreview="True" 
              Style="{DynamicResource GridSplitterStyle1}">
  <GridSplitter.Background>
    <LinearGradientBrush EndPoint="0.5,1" StartPoint="0.5,0">
      <GradientStop Color="#FFE3EFFF" Offset="0"/>
      <GradientStop Color="#FFAFD2FF" Offset=".45"/>
    </LinearGradientBrush>
  </GridSplitter.Background>
</GridSplitter>

Goliard

Giving you sample code... not posting whole code because it is too big – Goliard

I really don't think so that down voters should know any thing about it. They just don't understand due to their lack of knowledge :p – Goliard

Answer 1

<GridSplitter x:Name="gridSplitterTreeNodes" Width="5" BorderThickness="1,0" 
     Cursor="SizeWE" RenderTransformOrigin="-1.2,0.507" ShowsPreview="True"
     Style="{DynamicResource GridSplitterStyle1}">
  <GridSplitter.Background>
    <ImageBrush ImageSource="Images\gripDots.png" TileMode="FlipXY" 
                Stretch="UniformToFill"/>
  </GridSplitter.Background>
</GridSplitter>

You can also save image from Msnd Microsoft to get the same effect, More Info

Goliard

Not sure what that "picture" is supposed to be.. the broken image link is pointing to an actual MSDN page. I know this is an old answer, but feel free to fix the link anyway (with stack.imgur uploader?). – Upheld

Answer 2

Mostly for my own future reference, here is a vertical grid splitter that has the rounded shape of a button (but doesn't react to mouseover properly):

<GridSplitter Grid.Column="1" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" HorizontalAlignment="Center" Width="8">
    <GridSplitter.Template>
        <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type GridSplitter}">
            <Grid>
                <Button Content="⁞" />
                <Rectangle Fill="#00FFFFFF" />
            </Grid>
        </ControlTemplate>
    </GridSplitter.Template>
</GridSplitter>

A horizontal splitter could just use "····" as the Button's Content.

Barone

This looks easy and very clean! – Midkiff

Thanks for this. I ended up using "▌▌▌▌▌▌" as the content for a horizontal splitter, which IMHO looks a bit better than "····". – Medico

Answer 3

Another way of adding a 'gripper' button/graphic to a GridSplitter, without losing mouse events, would be to use a simple label on top of the splitter.

    <GridSplitter Grid.Column="1" Width="5" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Background="Gray"/>

    <Label Grid.Column="1" Content="⁞" Foreground="White" VerticalAlignment="Center" FontSize="26" FontWeight="Bold" IsHitTestVisible="False"/>

Making sure the GridSplitter and Label are in the same Column, and that IsHitTestVisible=False is set in the Label.

Throwaway

Answer 4

For a different type of style you can do the below.

Produces a nice overlaping style. The Gridsplitter overlaps both the left and right content.

<Grid>
     <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
         <ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
         <ColumnDefinition Width="1"/>
         <ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
     </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>

     <Border Grid.Column="0" Background="#777"/>

     <GridSplitter
         Grid.Column="1"
         HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" 
         ResizeDirection="Columns"
         ResizeBehavior="PreviousAndNext"
         Panel.ZIndex="2">
           <GridSplitter.Template>

               <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type GridSplitter}">

                   <Grid>
                        <Rectangle IsHitTestVisible="False" Fill="Black"/>
                        <Border
                           Background="White"
                           Width="25" Height="25" c 
                           CornerRadius="25" Margin="-13 0">
                           <Path Stroke="Black" StrokeThickness="0.5" Width="17" Height="7" Data="m 4.4549201,1048.4664 -4.33056515,1.9095 4.33056515,1.9094 0,-3.8189 z m 3.0901599,0 0,3.8189 4.330565,-1.9094 -4.330565,-1.9095 z m -3.2239449,0.2053 0,3.4083 -3.86518514,-1.7041 3.86518514,-1.7042 z m 3.3577349,0 3.865185,1.7042 -3.865185,1.7041 0,-3.4083 z" Stretch="Fill"/>
                        </Border>
                   </Grid>

                </ControlTemplate>

                </GridSplitter.Template>

     </GridSplitter>

     <Border Grid.Column="2" Background="#777"/>

</Grid>

Sample Output

Constantin

Answer 5

In response to Burton Radons's answer, I personally prefer the styling:

<GridSplitter
  Width="8"
  HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
  VerticalAlignment="Stretch">

  <GridSplitter.Template>
    <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type GridSplitter}">
      <Grid>
        <TextBlock
          HorizontalAlignment="Center"
          VerticalAlignment="Center"
          Text="⁞" />
        <Rectangle Fill="#00FFFFFF" />
      </Grid>
    </ControlTemplate>
  </GridSplitter.Template>
</GridSplitter>

This implementation produces the same aesthetic effect whilst also maintaining functionality.

Fluorescence