Override default styling in WPF TextBox, based on PresentationFramework.Aero

Question

I want to use the Aero textbox styling, but still override some properties. I try to accomplish this by:

<ResourceDictionary     xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"     xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">      <ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>         <ResourceDictionary Source="/PresentationFramework.Aero, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, ProcessorArchitecture=MSIL;component/themes/aero.normalcolor.xaml" />     </ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>      <Style x:Key="{x:Type TextBox}" TargetType="{x:Type TextBox}" BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type TextBox}}">         <Setter Property="Margin" Value="2" />         <Setter Property="Padding" Value="2" />     </Style> </ResourceDictionary> 

However, this results in a StackOverflowException when starting my app. When I remove the reference to PresentationFramework.Aero, this works but I get the default OS styling, which makes the app ugly. ;)

So, in effect: if I want to override some style on all my textboxes I cannot get the Aero look. If I want the Aero look, I cannot override any styling. Deadlock.

Any way to solve this?

Answer 1

It seems to work if you put the Style as a lower-level resource, instead of in the same ResourceDictionary:

<Grid xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">     <Grid.Resources>         <ResourceDictionary>             <ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>                 <ResourceDictionary Source="/PresentationFramework.Aero, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=Neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, ProcessorArchitecture=MSIL;component/themes/aero.normalcolor.xaml"/>             </ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>         </ResourceDictionary>     </Grid.Resources>     <Border BorderBrush="Blue" BorderThickness="3">         <Border.Resources>             <Style TargetType="{x:Type TextBox}" BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type TextBox}}">                 <Setter Property="Margin" Value="2" />                 <Setter Property="Padding" Value="2" />             </Style>         </Border.Resources>         <TextBox />     </Border> </Grid> 

Answer 2

Unlike the code in accepted answer this one allows using resource dictionary for styles. Shamelessly stolen from http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/wpf/thread/3c66adb7-fd26-40c7-8404-85f6fefbd392/ answered by Vivien Ruitz

<!--App.xaml-->         <ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>              <ResourceDictionary Source="/MyAppli;component/Resources/Themes/StyleDictionary.xaml"/>               <ResourceDictionary Source="/MyAppli;component/Resources/Themes/ApplyStyleDictionary.xaml"/>               ...           </ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>   <!--StyleDictionary.xaml-->         <ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>              <ResourceDictionary Source="/PresentationFramework.Aero;V3.0.0.0;31bf3856ad364e35;component/themes/aero.normalcolor.xaml" />          </ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>          <Style x:Key="ButtonStyleToApply" TargetType="Button" BasedOn="{StaticResource {x:Type Button}}" >              ...  <!--Extend the aero style here-->         </Style>   <!--ApplyStyleDictionary.xaml-->         <Style TargetType="Button" BasedOn="{StaticResource ButtonStyleToApply}"/>