Question

I am trying to create a user interface using XAML. However, the file is quickly becoming very large and difficult to work with. What is the best way for splitting it across several files.

I would like to be able to set the content of an element such as a ComboBox to an element that is defined in a different xaml file (but in the same VS project).

thanks

Answer 1

You can split a large user interface by defining UserControls.

Right-click on the solution tree, choose Add->New Item… then User Control. You can design this in the normal way.

You can then reference your usercontrol in XAML using a namespace declaration. Let’s say you want to include your UserControl in a Window. In the following example I’ve added a UserControl named ‘Foo’ to the namespace ‘YourCompany.Controls’:

<Window x:Class='YourCompany.MainWindow'     xmlns='http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation'     xmlns:x='http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml'     xmlns:Controls='clr-namespace:YourCompany.Controls'>    <Controls:Foo ... /> 

For your specific example, you would make use of your usercontrol in a combobox by defining a DataTemplate that displayed the data within your usercontrol.