UWP - How to convert a ResourceDictionary XAML Style to C#

Question

I am trying to create a C# version of a XAML Style, but I'm struggling to add the ContentPresenter/ContentTemplate and VisualStateManagers. Surely this shouldn't be difficult, but it is proving so.

E.g. how would I create a C# version of this..

<ResourceDictionary xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
    <Style TargetType="Button">
        <Setter Property="Background" Value="{ThemeResource SystemControlBackgroundBaseLowBrush}" />
        <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="{ThemeResource SystemControlForegroundBaseHighBrush}" />
        <Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="{ThemeResource SystemControlForegroundTransparentBrush}" />
        <Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="0,0,0,2" />
        <Setter Property="Padding" Value="12,8,12,8" />
        <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Left" />
        <Setter Property="VerticalAlignment" Value="Center" />
        <Setter Property="FontFamily" Value="{ThemeResource ContentControlThemeFontFamily}" />
        <Setter Property="FontWeight" Value="Normal" />
        <Setter Property="FontSize" Value="{ThemeResource TextStyleLargeFontSize}" />
        <Setter Property="UseSystemFocusVisuals" Value="False" />
        <Setter Property="Template">
            <Setter.Value>
                <ControlTemplate TargetType="Button">
                    <Grid x:Name="RootGrid"
                          Background="{TemplateBinding Background}">
                        <Border x:Name="FocusOuterRectangle"
                                Margin="-3,-3,0,0"
                                BorderBrush="{ThemeResource SystemControlForegroundTransparentBrush}"
                                BorderThickness="3,3,3,1">
                            <ContentPresenter x:Name="ContentPresenter"
                                              Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}"
                                              HorizontalContentAlignment="{TemplateBinding HorizontalContentAlignment}"
                                              VerticalContentAlignment="{TemplateBinding VerticalContentAlignment}"
                                              BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}"
                                              BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}"
                                              Content="{TemplateBinding Content}"
                                              ContentTemplate="{TemplateBinding ContentTemplate}"
                                              ContentTransitions="{TemplateBinding ContentTransitions}"
                                              FontSize="{TemplateBinding FontSize}"
                                              TextWrapping="WrapWholeWords" />
                        </Border>
                        <VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
                            <VisualStateGroup x:Name="CommonStates">
                                <VisualState x:Name="Normal">
                                    <Storyboard>
                                        <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="ContentPresenter"
                                                                       Storyboard.TargetProperty="Background">
                                            <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0"
                                                                    Value="{StaticResource myButtonBrush}" />
                                        </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                                        <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="ContentPresenter"
                                                                       Storyboard.TargetProperty="BorderBrush">
                                            <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0"
                                                                    Value="{StaticResource myBlackBrush}" />
                                        </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                                        <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="ContentPresenter"
                                                                       Storyboard.TargetProperty="Foreground">
                                            <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0"
                                                                    Value="{StaticResource myWhiteBrush}" />
                                        </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                                        <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="FocusOuterRectangle"
                                                                       Storyboard.TargetProperty="BorderBrush">
                                            <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0"
                                                                    Value="{StaticResource SystemControlForegroundTransparentBrush}" />
                                        </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                                        <PointerUpThemeAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="RootGrid" />
                                    </Storyboard>
                                </VisualState>
                                <VisualState x:Name="PointerOver">
                                    <Storyboard>
                                        <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="ContentPresenter"
                                                                       Storyboard.TargetProperty="Background">
                                            <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0"
                                                                    Value="{StaticResource myButtonHoverBrush}" />
                                        </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                                        <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="ContentPresenter"
                                                                       Storyboard.TargetProperty="BorderBrush">
                                            <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0"
                                                                    Value="{StaticResource myBlackBrush}" />
                                        </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                                        <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="ContentPresenter"
                                                                       Storyboard.TargetProperty="Foreground">
                                            <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0"
                                                                    Value="{StaticResource myWhiteBrush}" />
                                        </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                                        <ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetName="FocusOuterRectangle"
                                                                       Storyboard.TargetProperty="BorderBrush">
                                            <DiscreteObjectKeyFrame KeyTime="0"
                                                                    Value="{StaticResource SystemControlForegroundTransparentBrush}" />
                                        </ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
                                        <PointerUpThemeAnimation Storyboard.TargetName="RootGrid" />
                                    </Storyboard>
                                </VisualState>
                            </VisualStateGroup>
                        </VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
                    </Grid>
                </ControlTemplate>
            </Setter.Value>
        </Setter>
    </Style>
</ResourceDictionary>

So far I've got this:

var style = new Style();
style.TargetType = typeof(Button);
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.BackgroundProperty, Brushes.MyButtonBrush));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.ForegroundProperty, Brushes.MyWhiteBrush));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.BorderBrushProperty, Brushes.MyBlackBrush));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.BorderThicknessProperty, new Thickness(0, 0, 0, 2)));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.PaddingProperty, new Thickness(12, 8, 12, 8)));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.HorizontalAlignmentProperty, HorizontalAlignment.Left));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.VerticalAlignmentProperty, VerticalAlignment.Center));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.FontFamilyProperty, FontFamily.XamlAutoFontFamily));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.FontWeightProperty, FontWeights.Normal));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.FontSizeProperty, TextStyleLargeFontSize));
style.Setters.Add(new Setter(Button.UseSystemFocusVisualsProperty, false));

var controlTemplate = new ControlTemplate { TargetType = typeof(Button) };

var contentPresenter = new ContentPresenter
{
    Name = "ContentPresenter",
    Padding = new Thickness(0, 0, 0, 2),
    HorizontalContentAlignment = HorizontalAlignment.Left,
    VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Center,
    BorderBrush = Brushes.MyBlackBrush,
    BorderThickness = new Thickness(0, 0, 0, 2),
    FontSize = TextStyleLargeFontSize,
    TextWrapping = TextWrapping.WrapWholeWords
};

But I'm unsure how to add the ContentPresenter to the ControlTemplate, or to create a Grid that contains the ContentPresenter. Then I'm unsure how to begin creating the VisualStateGroups etc.

Many thanks for any help.

Answer 1

I don't think it is possible to write equivalent code in the code-behind. In WPF the ControlTemplate had a VisualTree property that allowed to set it in code-behind and you also could use FrameworkElementFactory to create subclasses of FrameworkTemplate such as ControlTemplate or DataTemplate, but these options were incomplete and didn't provide all of the XAML flexibility. Instead, you can use the XamlReader class to parse XAML code from a string at runtime. This way you may be able to create it in code-behind, but I don't see many reasons for doing so over just using the XAML code you already have.