Question

 I am going to develop my own window where I'll have my own Caption Buttons 

(Minimize, Maximize, Restore and Close) and all the properties related to these
buttons and can add any control at the title position of the window.

Suggest me the way how I’ll proceed for it please……

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

My suggestion is NOT to do it. This is not needed in WPF.

Simply change the Window template and you’ll get what you ask.

Edit:
Here is an example.

<ResourceDictionary 
    x:Class="MyNamespace.StyleWindow"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
    <LinearGradientBrush x:Key="BackgroundBrush" StartPoint="0.5,1" EndPoint="0.5,0">
        <GradientStop Color="#FFEBECEE" Offset="1"/>
        <GradientStop Color="#FFC2C7CD" Offset="0"/>
    </LinearGradientBrush>
    <Style TargetType="{x:Type Border}" x:Key = "MainBorder">
        <Setter Property="Background" Value="#CACDD6" />
        <Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="#395984" />
        <Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="0.25" />
        <!--<Setter Property="CornerRadius" Value="10"/>-->
        <Setter Property="Padding" Value="0" />
    </Style>
    <Style TargetType="{x:Type Button}" x:Key="TitleWindowButton">
        <Setter Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource BackgroundBrush}" />
        <Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="0" />
        <Setter Property="Height" Value="25" />
        <Setter Property="Width" Value="25" />
    </Style>
    <Style x:Key="WindowStyle" TargetType="{x:Type Window}">
        <Setter Property="AllowsTransparency" Value="False" />
        <Setter Property="WindowStyle" Value="None" />
        <Setter Property="Background" Value="Transparent" />
        <Setter Property="ResizeMode" Value="CanResizeWithGrip" />
        <Setter Property="Template">
            <Setter.Value>
                <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type Window}">
                    <Grid>

                        <Border Width="Auto" Height="Auto" Style="{StaticResource MainBorder}" >
                            <DockPanel   
                  HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Background="Transparent" VerticalAlignment="Stretch">
                                <Border Height="28" Name="border2" BorderThickness="0,0,0,1" BorderBrush="DarkGray" Background="{StaticResource BackgroundBrush}"
                    MouseLeftButtonDown="OnMouseLeftButtonDown" DockPanel.Dock="Top">
                                    <Grid Name="grid1">
                                        <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                                            <ColumnDefinition Width="22" />
                                            <ColumnDefinition Width="176*" />
                                            <ColumnDefinition Width="75" />
                                        </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>

                                        <DockPanel HorizontalAlignment="Right" Grid.Column="2">
                                            <Button Style="{StaticResource TitleWindowButton}" Name="m_btnMinimine" Click="m_btnMinimine_Click">
                                                <Image Source="Images/min.png"></Image>
                                            </Button>
                                            <Button Style="{StaticResource TitleWindowButton}" Name="m_btnMaximine" Click="m_btnMaximine_Click">
                                                <Image Source="Images/max.png"></Image>
                                            </Button>
                                            <Button Style="{StaticResource TitleWindowButton}" Name="m_btnClose" Click="m_btnClose_Click">
                                                <Image Source="Images/close.png"></Image>
                                            </Button>
                                        </DockPanel>
                                        <Image Source="{Binding Path=Icon, Mode=OneWay, RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}}" />
                                        <Label Grid.Column="1">
                                            <ContentPresenter ContentSource="Title" RecognizesAccessKey="True" />
                                        </Label>
                                    </Grid>
                                </Border>

                                <AdornerDecorator>
                                    <ContentPresenter />
                                </AdornerDecorator>
                            </DockPanel>

                        </Border>

                        <Line MouseDown="OnSizeNorth" Name="lnSizeNorth" Stroke="Transparent"   
              Cursor="SizeNS" X1="10" X2="{TemplateBinding ActualWidth}"
              Y1="1" Y2="1" StrokeThickness="2"  />

                        <Line MouseDown="OnSizeSouth" Name="lnSizeSouth" Stroke="Transparent" VerticalAlignment="Bottom" 
                   Cursor="SizeNS" X1="1" X2="{TemplateBinding ActualWidth}" 
                  Y1="{TemplateBinding ActualHeight}" Y2="{TemplateBinding ActualHeight}" StrokeThickness="2" />
                        <Line MouseDown="OnSizeWest" Name="lnSizeWest" Stroke="Transparent"
                  Cursor="SizeWE" X1="1" X2="1" Y1="1" Y2="{TemplateBinding ActualHeight}"  StrokeThickness="2" />
                        <Line MouseDown="OnSizeEast" Name="lnSizeEast" Stroke="Transparent" HorizontalAlignment="Right" 
                  Cursor="SizeWE" X1="{TemplateBinding ActualWidth}" 
              X2="{TemplateBinding ActualWidth}" Y1="1" Y2="{TemplateBinding ActualHeight}"  StrokeThickness="2" />

                        <Rectangle MouseDown="OnSizeNorthWest" Name="rectSizeNorthWest" Cursor="SizeNWSE" Fill="Transparent" Width="5" Height="5" VerticalAlignment="Top" HorizontalAlignment="Left" />
                        <Rectangle MouseDown="OnSizeNorthEast" Name="rectSizeNorthEast" Cursor="SizeNESW" Fill="Transparent" Width="5" Height="5" VerticalAlignment="Top" HorizontalAlignment="Right" />
                        <Rectangle MouseDown="OnSizeSouthWest" Name="rectSizeSouthWest" Cursor="SizeNESW" Fill="Transparent" Width="5" Height="5" VerticalAlignment="Bottom" HorizontalAlignment="Left" />
                        <Rectangle MouseDown="OnSizeSouthEast" Name="rectSizeSouthEast" Cursor="SizeNWSE" Fill="Transparent" Width="5" Height="5" VerticalAlignment="Bottom" HorizontalAlignment="Right" />

                    </Grid>
                </ControlTemplate>
            </Setter.Value>

        </Setter>
    </Style>
</ResourceDictionary>

You need the 3 images for the min / max / normal / close buttons (referenced in the images as Images/min.png, Images/max.png, Images/normal.png, Images/close.png).

Compiling the resource dictionary gives a MyNamespace.StyleWindow class which you can complement with event handlers:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Windows.Interop;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;
using System.Windows.Controls;

namespace MyNamespace {
    public partial class StyleWindow {
        private void m_btnClose_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
            Window window = ((FrameworkElement)sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (window != null)
            {
                window.Close();
            }
        }

        private void m_btnMaximine_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
            Window window = ((FrameworkElement)sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (window != null)
            {
                BitmapImage bitmap = new BitmapImage();

                if (window.WindowState == WindowState.Maximized) {
                    window.WindowState = WindowState.Normal;
                    bitmap.BeginInit();
                    bitmap.UriSource = new Uri(@"Images/max.PNG", UriKind.Relative);
                    bitmap.EndInit();
                    ((sender as Button).Content as Image).Source = bitmap;
                } else {
                    window.WindowState = WindowState.Maximized;
                    bitmap.BeginInit();
                    bitmap.UriSource = new Uri(@"Images/normal.PNG", UriKind.Relative);
                    bitmap.EndInit();
                    ((sender as Button).Content as Image).Source = bitmap;
                }
            }
        }

        private void m_btnMinimine_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
            Window window = ((FrameworkElement)sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (window != null)
            {
                window.WindowState = WindowState.Minimized;
            }
        }

        private void OnMouseLeftButtonDown(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e)
        {
            Window window = ((FrameworkElement)sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (window != null)
            {
                window.DragMove();
            }

        }

        #region sizing event handlers

        void OnSizeSouth(object sender, System.Windows.Input.MouseButtonEventArgs e) {
            Window wnd = ((FrameworkElement) sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (wnd != null) {
                WindowInteropHelper helper = new WindowInteropHelper(wnd);
                DragSize(helper.Handle, SizingAction.South);
            }
        }

        void OnSizeNorth(object sender, System.Windows.Input.MouseButtonEventArgs e) {
            Window wnd = ((FrameworkElement) sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (wnd != null) {
                WindowInteropHelper helper = new WindowInteropHelper(wnd);
                DragSize(helper.Handle, SizingAction.North);
            }
        }

        void OnSizeEast(object sender, System.Windows.Input.MouseButtonEventArgs e) {
            Window wnd = ((FrameworkElement) sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (wnd != null) {
                WindowInteropHelper helper = new WindowInteropHelper(wnd);
                DragSize(helper.Handle, SizingAction.East);
            }
        }

        void OnSizeWest(object sender, System.Windows.Input.MouseButtonEventArgs e) {
            Window wnd = ((FrameworkElement) sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (wnd != null) {
                WindowInteropHelper helper = new WindowInteropHelper(wnd);
                DragSize(helper.Handle, SizingAction.West);
            }
        }

        void OnSizeNorthWest(object sender, System.Windows.Input.MouseButtonEventArgs e) {
            Window wnd = ((FrameworkElement) sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (wnd != null) {
                WindowInteropHelper helper = new WindowInteropHelper(wnd);
                DragSize(helper.Handle, SizingAction.NorthWest);
            }
        }

        void OnSizeNorthEast(object sender, System.Windows.Input.MouseButtonEventArgs e) {
            Window wnd = ((FrameworkElement) sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (wnd != null) {
                WindowInteropHelper helper = new WindowInteropHelper(wnd);
                DragSize(helper.Handle, SizingAction.NorthEast);
            }
        }

        void OnSizeSouthEast(object sender, System.Windows.Input.MouseButtonEventArgs e) {
            Window wnd = ((FrameworkElement) sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (wnd != null) {
                WindowInteropHelper helper = new WindowInteropHelper(wnd);
                DragSize(helper.Handle, SizingAction.SouthEast);
            }
        }

        void OnSizeSouthWest(object sender, System.Windows.Input.MouseButtonEventArgs e) {
            Window wnd = ((FrameworkElement) sender).TemplatedParent as Window;
            if (wnd != null) {
                WindowInteropHelper helper = new WindowInteropHelper(wnd);
                DragSize(helper.Handle, SizingAction.SouthWest);
            }
        }


        #endregion

        #region P/Invoke and helper method

        const int WM_SYSCOMMAND = 0x112;
        const int SC_SIZE = 0xF000;


        [DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto)]
        static extern IntPtr SendMessage(IntPtr hWnd, uint Msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam);

        void DragSize(IntPtr handle, SizingAction sizingAction) {
            if (System.Windows.Input.Mouse.LeftButton == System.Windows.Input.MouseButtonState.Pressed) {
                SendMessage(handle, WM_SYSCOMMAND, (IntPtr) (SC_SIZE + sizingAction), IntPtr.Zero);
                SendMessage(handle, 514, IntPtr.Zero, IntPtr.Zero);
            }
        }

        #endregion

        #region helper enum

        public enum SizingAction {
            North = 3,
            South = 6,
            East = 2,
            West = 1,
            NorthEast = 5,
            NorthWest = 4,
            SouthEast = 8,
            SouthWest = 7
        }
    }
        #endregion
}

This resource should be globally available. You can reference it in XAML like this:

…

In my project, the designer tended to choke on this reference (maybe because it was a WinForms project with a main body made up of WPF elements). Because of this, we had to set the style programmatically, in the code-behind, in the window constructor:

Style = (Style) FindResource(Constants.DEFAULT_WINDOW_STYLE);

with a constant declaration with the value “WindowStyle”.

Here is the result (I apologize for the empty content, but it is confidential):

I did not say it was pretty…