Develop Reference

XAML element fill all remaining space

I have a WPF application and I'm trying to get the elements positioned correctly. There are just four elements, so it should be pretty straight-forward, but I just can't get it working.
One wrinkle is that the window resizes itself to (about) the size of the desktop window when it appears, so it doesn't have a fixed size.
The elements are supposed to be stacked from top to bottom, so a Stack Panel seemed natural. But The third element has to take up all the remaining space that the top two and bottom ones don't. No matter what I tried, it either took up too much space, or too little. I could only seem to get it working if I gave it a concrete pixel size which, as explained above, won't work.
The latest thing I've tried is a Dock Panel. While it looks correct in the Visual Studio designer, when executed, the third element--a Canvas--completely covers the bottom element.
My XAML:
<DockPanel>
<Button x:Name="btnClose" DockPanel.Dock="Top" Content="X"
HorizontalAlignment="Right" Margin="0,5,5,0" VerticalAlignment="Top"
Width="Auto" Height="Auto" Background="Black"
Foreground="White" Click="btnClose_Click"/>
<Label x:Name="lblTitle" DockPanel.Dock="Top" Content="My Title"
HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="Auto"
Foreground="White" FontWeight="Bold" FontSize="22"/>
<Label x:Name="lblControls" DockPanel.Dock="Bottom" Content="Placeholder"
HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Bottom" Width="Auto"
Height="Auto" Foreground="White" FontWeight="Bold" FontSize="22"/>
<Border x:Name="CanvasBorder" BorderBrush="White" BorderThickness="5" >
<Canvas x:Name="cvsChart" Grid.Row="0" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="Auto">
</Canvas>
</Border>
</DockPanel>
Any idea about how to get that Canvas to stretch and fill all the space the other three don't take?
UPDATE
Since #Peter Duniho pretty much proved to me that the code worked, I tried an experiment and removed the resizing code I have in place for when the window appears. Taking it out, the window appears absolutely correctly. This is what I do to resize it to (mostly) the desktop size:
public const int WINDOW_OFFSET = 10;
...
int screenWidth = (int)System.Windows.SystemParameters.PrimaryScreenWidth;
int screenHeight = (int)System.Windows.SystemParameters.PrimaryScreenHeight;
// center this window in desktop
Width = screenWidth - WINDOW_OFFSET;
Height = screenHeight - WINDOW_OFFSET;
Left = WINDOW_OFFSET/2;
Top = WINDOW_OFFSET/2;
So I did some poking around, and found a comment here on the 'Stack that said to get the WorkArea instead of the PrimaryScreenHeight. I tried that and voila!, the whole application window appears.
int screenWidth = (int)System.Windows.SystemParameters.WorkArea.Width;
int screenHeight = (int)System.Windows.SystemParameters.WorkArea.Height;
As it turns out, the bottom row was displaying, I just couldn't see it because it appeared below the bottom of the screen. Now I can see it, and I'm back to development heaven!
Thanks to everyone for their input!

There are a number of possible approaches to this. One of the most straightforward is to contain your elements in a Grid and set all but the third row height to Auto:
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition/>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Button x:Name="btnClose" Content="X" Grid.Row="0"
HorizontalAlignment="Right" Margin="0,5,5,0" VerticalAlignment="Top"
Width="Auto" Height="Auto" Background="Black"
Foreground="White" Click="btnClose_Click"/>
<Label x:Name="lblTitle" Content="My Title" Grid.Row="1"
HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="Auto"
Foreground="White" FontWeight="Bold" FontSize="22"/>
<Label x:Name="lblControls" Content="Placeholder" Grid.Row="3"
HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Bottom" Width="Auto"
Height="Auto" Foreground="White" FontWeight="Bold" FontSize="22"/>
<Border x:Name="CanvasBorder" BorderBrush="White" BorderThickness="5" Grid.Row="2">
<Canvas x:Name="cvsChart" Grid.Row="0" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="Auto">
</Canvas>
</Border>
</Grid>
The default setting for a grid's row definition height is "*", which says to distribute all of the remaining space among all the rows with that setting. With only one row using that setting, it gets all of the leftover space.
This produces a window that looks like this:
(I set the window background to Gray so that your white text and border would be visible.)
Another option would in fact be to use DockPanel. It appears to me that the main problem in your attempt is that you set the lblControls element to DockPanel.Dock="Bottom" when it should be Top instead. When I change it to Top, it seems to work fine for me.
Based on your comment below, it seems you actually did want lblControls to be set to DockPanel.Dock="Bottom", and in fact the code you posted seems to also do what you want. It's not clear to me what is different from what the code you posted does and what you want it to do. It would be better if you would provide a good Minimal, Complete, and Verifiable code example that reliably reproduces the problem.

Remove the vertical alignment of the Canvas

WPF How do I make a Border width expand to fill available space in a DockPanel

I have a custom control ButtonRow which will end up going into a different control.
It is very simple, it has one Border, on label and one button.
I need to make it so that the border will extend its width to fill up to where the button is.
This is not happening as you can see in the below image:
The XAML can be found below. I have tried fiddling about with the horizontal alignment of both he label and the border, but they will only ever re-size to fit the text content of the label.
I know there are existing question with very similar problems and names, but none have needed to do quite the same thing or have helped me solve my problem.
I have tried using a StackPanel in horizontal alignment but all it did was make the button go next to the border.
How can I make the border expand to fill the available space?
<Grid>
<DockPanel Height="Auto" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Margin="0" Name="dockPanel1" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="Auto">
<Border BorderBrush="#FFDADFE1" Background="#FFECF0F1" BorderThickness="1" Height="20" Name="bdrFilter" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch">
<Label Content="Filter..." FontStyle="Italic" Foreground="#FF6C7A89" Height="20" Name="lblFilter" Padding="5,0" HorizontalContentAlignment="Stretch" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" />
</Border>
<Button Style="{StaticResource FlatButtonStyle}" Content="+" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Right" Name="btnAddFilter" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="20" Foreground="#FF6C7A89" ForceCursor="True" BorderBrush="{x:Null}" />
</DockPanel>
</Grid>
(The button style does not affect its alignment or any other relevant properties)

A DockPanel is not the correct Panel to use for this requirement... like a StackPanel, it does not resize its contents. Instead, just use a regular Grid (which also uses less resources than a DockPanel):
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition />
<ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Border BorderBrush="#FFDADFE1" Background="#FFECF0F1" BorderThickness="1"
Height="20" Name="bdrFilter" VerticalAlignment="Top">
<Label Content="Filter..." FontStyle="Italic" Foreground="#FF6C7A89"
Height="20" Name="lblFilter" Padding="5,0" />
</Border>
<Button Grid.Column="1" Content="+" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Right"
Name="btnAddFilter" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="20" Foreground="#FF6C7A89"
ForceCursor="True" BorderBrush="{x:Null}" />
</Grid>
Please see the Panels Overview page on MSDN for more information about the different Panels in WPF.

This might help you out. Setting LastChildFill=True inside a DockPanel does exactly what the name suggests.

Enlarging image in WPF

I have a WPF application which checks for new images in a certain parent directory, and if there are new images, it switches the currently displayed images (I have 6 images).
I would like to add a feature which will allow a user to click on one of the images, and upon that click, a 'new' window will appear, showing that image enlarged, and another click anywhere on the screen will quit this enlargement and put the focus back to the other (6) images.
Is that possible? I tried googling zoom image wpf but found only mouse-drag related solutions.
I also tried using viewport but that didn't to work so well either.
Update - XAML
<Grid Grid.Row="0">
<GroupBox x:Name="AccuracyGraphsGroupBox" Header="Accuracy" Foreground="Red">
<Grid >
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="0.5*" />
<ColumnDefinition Width="0.5*" />
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Image Grid.Column="0" Width="Auto" Height="Auto" Stretch="Fill" x:Name="AccuracyPicBox" MouseUp="AccuracyPicBox_OnMouseUp"></Image>
<Image Grid.Column="1" Width="Auto" Height="Auto" Stretch="Fill" x:Name="AccuracyPerioPicBox" MouseUp="AccuracyPerioPicBox_OnMouseUp"></Image>
</Grid>
</GroupBox>
</Grid>

As the guys mentioned in the comments, your best bet is to use a ToolTip to popup your full size image. There is a slight problem with data binding the Image.Source value from the original Image in your ToolTip, because they are not part of the normal UI visual tree and exist in their own tree. However, we can overcome this by using the ToolTip.PlacementTarget property:
<Image Name="Image" Source="/WpfApplication1;component/Images/Tulips.jpg" Height="100"
Stretch="Uniform">
<Image.ToolTip>
<ToolTip DataContext="{Binding PlacementTarget,
RelativeSource={RelativeSource Self}}">
<Border BorderBrush="Black" BorderThickness="1" Margin="5,7,5,5">
<Image Source="{Binding Source}" Stretch="None" />
</Border>
</ToolTip>
</Image.ToolTip>
</Image>
Of course, you could just use the same Binding Path in both Image.Source properties, but I never like repeating code.

WPF controls do not align

NOTE: This is one of the first time I'm using WPF.
I am trying to align a certain control, let's say a button for now, in the bottom right corner. But when I debug my application, it misses 8 pixels to the bottom and right. I will attach 2 pictures to show you what happens.
How do I keep the button in place?
My XAML code:
<Window x:Class="Plugin_Manager.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="Plugin Manager" Height="350" Width="525" Loaded="Window_Loaded_1">
<Grid x:Name="GridMain">
<Button Content="Refresh" Margin="432,288,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Width="75"/>
<ListView HorizontalAlignment="Left" Height="273" Margin="10,10,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="497">
<ListView.View>
<GridView>
<GridViewColumn/>
</GridView>
</ListView.View>
</ListView>
</Grid>

If you choose to use Grid layout you should try to avoid placing objects via Margin. Margin should be used to create buffer around an object, not move it to a specific point in the window. Use the layout manager's power to your advantage!
Here is a Grid example that does what you are looking for.
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="*" />
<RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<ListView Grid.Row="0" />
<Button Grid.Row="1" HorizontalAlignment="Right" Content="Push Me" />
</Grid>
I would also read up on Layout Manager in WPF. There are several; each having its own advantages & disadvantages.
Here is a DockPanel version.
<DockPanel>
<Button DockPanel.Dock="Bottom" HorizontalAlignment="Right" Content="Push Me" />
<ListView />
</DockPanel>
To create your buffer between the button and the window chrome you could do a few different things:
<Grid Margin="10"> will apply a 10 pixel space between all content and the window chrome on all side.
<Grid Margin="0,0,10,10"> would indent all content, but only on the right & bottom.
<Grid Margin="10,0,10,10"> indents all around, except the top (I commonly do this one, with a different margin value).
<Button Margin="0,0,10,10"> would indent only the button from the chrome (this is the direct answer to your comment question).
Replace the Grid above with DockPanel for the second example, or whatever other Layout Manager you are using.
A usability side note: Your confirmation buttons (I'm assuming your button will be an Ok/Cancel type button) should not be indented differently from the rest of your content. All controls that butt up against the right margin should do so at the same point (i.e., you can draw a vertical line down the right side of them all).
So, using your question's example: your button should not be indented 10 pixels to the right while your list box is not. Keeping things lined up will improve the overall look to your application.
(this ends my "usability and look-and-feel is important" side note) :)

<Button VerticalAlignment="Bottom" HorizontalAlignment="Right" Margin="5"/>

Some code example will help. Try using the alignment in xaml for your button as shown below. Ensure that the margins on the button are 0.
<Button Margin="0" HorizontalAlignment="Right" VerticalAlignment="Bottom"/>
Looking at the sample code, it is your margins and the alignment you have that are probably causing that.
Just some pointers that may help. Instead of using large margins to align the controls, I find it much easier to work with Column and Row definitions on the grid. This way you can align your controls using the grid and they will size properly as you resize your window. I attached an example in hopes it helps in your new adventures with WPF!
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="150"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="150"/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition/>
<RowDefinition/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<TextBlock Grid.Column="0" Grid.Row="0" Text="Version Date" Margin="3" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
<TextBlock Grid.Column="0" Grid.Row="1" Text="{Binding DateSubmitted}" Margin="3"/>
<TextBlock Grid.Column="1" Grid.Row="0" Text="Report" Margin="3" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
<TextBlock Grid.Column="1" Grid.Row="1" Text="{Binding ReportName}" Margin="3"/>
</Grid>

WPF: How to load lots of large images fast into wrappanel?

I have about 45 decently large images (about 680x1000) that need to be loaded into a simple user control (rounded backborder with fill, image, textblock, and 2 side rectangles) and then displayed in a wrappanel. Virtualizing won't really help here since the images are to be all visible at program load.
I know inside of the BitmapImage init i can set the decodepixel width, which does help a little, however id like to load them all as full size since i want to be able resize the images with a slider without losing quality (this part works fast for the most part). I know one possibility would be to set the decodewidth to be some number which i set as the max viewable size could help.
I tried the multithreaded approach found in How do I load images in the background? (first answer), however it caused the program to take a LOT longer to load!
Any ideas?
Current load code:
BitmapImage bmp = new BitmapImage();
bmp.BeginInit();
//bmp.DecodePixelWidth = 400;
bmp.UriSource = new Uri(file.FullName);
bmp.EndInit();
bmp.Freeze();
images.Add(bmp);
Sample XAML code:
<Border x:Name="backBorder" Background="Black" Padding="2" Margin="3" CornerRadius="3,3,4,4"
BorderBrush="Black" BorderThickness="1"
MouseEnter="backBorder_MouseEnter" MouseLeave="backBorder_MouseLeave" MouseLeftButtonUp="backBorder_MouseLeftButtonUp" >
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition />
<RowDefinition Height="16" />
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition />
<ColumnDefinition Width="15" />
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Image x:Name="imageBox" Stretch="Fill" Width="{Binding Path=ImageWidth, ElementName=me}" Height="{Binding Path=ImageHeight, ElementName=me}" />
<Border x:Name="backRatingBorder" Grid.Column="1" Margin="3,0,0,0" BorderBrush="Blue" Background="White" BorderThickness="1"/>
<Border x:Name="frontRatingBorder" Grid.Column="1" Margin="3,0,0,0" BorderBrush="Blue" Background="LightBlue" BorderThickness="1" VerticalAlignment="Bottom" Height="50"/>
<TextBlock x:Name="textBlock" Grid.Row="1" Grid.ColumnSpan="2" TextAlignment="Center" Background="Transparent" Foreground="White" FontFamily="Segoe UI" FontWeight="SemiBold" FontSize="12" />
</Grid>
</Border>
.
UPDATE:
Well i ended up making it more responsive by running the load image loop in a single background worker. After each image is loaded, Dispacher.Invoke is called to create the wrap item. After playing with it for a while i got it to show each item as it is created in the same time it took before.

If you're happy with the overall performance, just the loading of the images, you could try this Multithreaded UI tutorial. I managed to get it to work quite easily, but if you're loading all the images in a loop it won't update the visual until you've finished loading all of the images. The UI is responsive during this time, however, as all the loading is on a separate thread.
Alternativly, if you're loading all your images in a loop then you could try an improved version of Windows Forms DoEvents method (scroll down to the example). You'd call this after loading each image and it will give the UI a chance to update itself (process user interaction etc). This is the approach I used when loading map tiles for my project and is easier than the first.