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Asked: 2026-05-11T02:59:36+00:00

So I’m coming at WPF from a HTML perspective. I just want to put

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So I’m coming at WPF from a HTML perspective.

I just want to put a TextBox on my Window like this:

<Grid>     <TextBox Name='theName' /> </Grid>

Turns out that the TextBox is then HUGE, covers the whole window. (!)

Ok, that’s not what I want, but I don’t want to define the EXACT size either since I know Height and Width should be flexible, so I try:

<TextBox Name='theName' Width='Auto' Height='Auto'/>

Same thing. So I try:

<TextBox Name='theName'      HorizontalAlignment='Stretch'      VerticalAlignment='Stretch'/>

Same thing. So I just hard code the sizes:

<TextBox Name='theName' Width='100' Height='20'/>

Which I know is not a good programming practice in WPF.

So, what how do you tell TextBox to ‘display default sizes for the font size being used’?

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1 Answer

  1. You can take Bryan’s example even a bit further. By specifying a specific alignment that isn’t stretch and further constrain the TextBox so that it won’t expand beyond a certain size. eg:

    <Grid x:Name='LayoutRoot'>         <TextBox HorizontalAlignment='Left' VerticalAlignment='Top' Text='TextBox' TextWrapping='Wrap'          MinWidth='15' MinHeight='20' MaxWidth='500' MaxHeight='50'/> </Grid>

    You can take it even further by setting up rows/columns inside the Grid and constraining them in various fashions. As you’re coming from an HTML background, think of it like using a table to control layout. Remember that you can also nest other container objects (i.e. StackPanels, WrapPanels, other Grids, etc…).

    The challenge with XAML and the WPF/Silverlight controls is that they a very flexible, so you’ve got to get a handle on all the options and how they affect layout.

    Good luck. I’m going through this exact same thing now.

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