How to make a TextBox with a Button inside in WPF?

Question

I'd like to make a TextBox with a Button inside, something like a DatePicker, but not exactly. Or can it be a ComboBox inside the TextBox, so you can switch the mode of the TextBox.

Can you help me?

Answer 1

The correct method of doing this is to use a control template on the textbox. Something like below. I used this inside a class that inherits from textbox and called it ButtonBox. I then inherit others from this such as DateBox, DateTimeBox, SqlServerConnectBox etc.

    xmlns:mwt="clr-namespace:Microsoft.Windows.Themes;assembly=PresentationFramework.Aero"

<TextBox.Template>
    <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type TextBoxBase}">
        <mwt:ListBoxChrome 
            Background="{TemplateBinding Panel.Background}"
            BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding Border.BorderBrush}"
            BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding Border.BorderThickness}"
            RenderMouseOver="{TemplateBinding UIElement.IsMouseOver}"
            RenderFocused="{TemplateBinding UIElement.IsKeyboardFocusWithin}"
            Name="Bd"
            SnapsToDevicePixels="True">

            <DockPanel>
                <Button DockPanel.Dock="Right" Name="myButton" Padding="3,0" Click="myButton_Click">...</Button>
                <ScrollViewer Name="PART_ContentHost" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding UIElement.SnapsToDevicePixels}"></ScrollViewer>
            </DockPanel>
        </mwt:ListBoxChrome>
        <ControlTemplate.Triggers>
            <Trigger Property="UIElement.IsEnabled">
                <Setter Property="Panel.Background" TargetName="Bd">
                    <Setter.Value>
                        <DynamicResource ResourceKey="{x:Static SystemColors.ControlBrushKey}" />
                    </Setter.Value>
                </Setter>
                <Setter Property="TextElement.Foreground">
                    <Setter.Value>
                        <DynamicResource ResourceKey="{x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}" />
                    </Setter.Value>
                </Setter>
                <Trigger.Value>
                    <s:Boolean>False</s:Boolean>
                </Trigger.Value>
            </Trigger>
        </ControlTemplate.Triggers>
    </ControlTemplate>
</TextBox.Template>

Edit: I've change the method I was using so that it inherits from control and not textbox. This works well because the control just consists of a border, a textbox and a button. I was getting focus issues with the above solution. This is new template, I have called my control a ButtonBox

<Style TargetType="{x:Type local:ButtonBox}">
    <Setter Property="Border.BorderThickness" Value="1"></Setter>
    <Setter Property="Border.BorderBrush">
        <Setter.Value>
            <LinearGradientBrush StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="0,20" MappingMode="Absolute">
                <LinearGradientBrush.GradientStops>
                    <GradientStop Color="#FFABADB3" Offset="0.05" />
                    <GradientStop Color="#FFE2E3EA" Offset="0.07" />
                    <GradientStop Color="#FFE3E9EF" Offset="1" />
                </LinearGradientBrush.GradientStops>
            </LinearGradientBrush>
        </Setter.Value>
    </Setter>
    <Setter Property="Control.Template">
        <Setter.Value>
            <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type local:ButtonBox}">
                <mwt:ListBoxChrome 
                    Background="{TemplateBinding Panel.Background}"
                    BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding Border.BorderThickness}"
                    BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding Border.BorderBrush}"
                    RenderMouseOver="{TemplateBinding UIElement.IsMouseOver}"
                    RenderFocused="{TemplateBinding UIElement.IsKeyboardFocusWithin}"
                    Name="Bd"
                    SnapsToDevicePixels="True">
                    <DockPanel>
                        <Button
                            DockPanel.Dock="Right"
                            Name="PART_Button"
                            Height="0"
                            Style="{x:Null}"
                            Margin="0"
                            Padding="3,0"
                            Content="{TemplateBinding local:ButtonBox.ButtonContent}"
                            IsTabStop="False">                                
                        </Button>
                        <TextBox
                            BorderBrush="{x:Null}"
                            BorderThickness="0"
                            Margin="0"
                            Name="PART_ContentHost"
                            IsReadOnly="{TemplateBinding TextBox.IsReadOnly}"
                            Text="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}, Mode=TwoWay, Path=Text}">                                
                        </TextBox>
                        <!-- ScrollViewer Name="PART_ContentHost" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding UIElement.SnapsToDevicePixels}" Margin="1"></ScrollViewer -->
                    </DockPanel>
                </mwt:ListBoxChrome>
                <ControlTemplate.Triggers>
                    <Trigger Property="UIElement.IsEnabled">
                        <Setter Property="Panel.Background" TargetName="Bd">
                            <Setter.Value>
                                <DynamicResource ResourceKey="{x:Static SystemColors.ControlBrushKey}" />
                            </Setter.Value>
                        </Setter>
                        <Setter Property="TextElement.Foreground">
                            <Setter.Value>
                                <DynamicResource ResourceKey="{x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}" />
                            </Setter.Value>
                        </Setter>
                        <Trigger.Value>
                            <s:Boolean>False</s:Boolean>
                        </Trigger.Value>
                    </Trigger>
                </ControlTemplate.Triggers>
            </ControlTemplate>
        </Setter.Value>
    </Setter>
    <Setter Property="IsTabStop" Value="False"></Setter>
</Style>

Answer 2

I created a textbox control and added this It seems to work, but not the ideal situation cos it recreates another textbox.

<TextBox.Template>
 <ControlTemplate>
        <Grid>
            <Grid.ColumnDefinitions></Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
            <TextBox Grid.Column="0"></TextBox>
            <Button HorizontalAlignment="Right" Width="25" Grid.Column="1">
            </Button>
        </Grid>         
    </ControlTemplate>
</TextBox.Template>