ListBox control design guidelines for Windows Phone
[ This article is for Windows Phone 8 developers. If you’re developing for Windows 10, see the latest documentation. ]
A ListBox control presents a selection of values or items.
ListBox control
This topic contains the following sections.
Appearance and action
A ListBox control presents a fixed-sized scrolling selector of items. Users can swipe a finger vertically to scroll up or down with inertia through the items in the list. Users tap the control to select an item in the list.
When a ListBox control is scrolling, a small scroll bar appears at the right-hand side of the screen. This scroll bar is used as an indicator of the user’s relative location within the list of items.
Standard use
Use a ListBox control to preserve screen real estate when you want to present a long list of words, numbers, or visual elements from which the user is expected to choose.
Choosing the right control
Use a ListBox control when the user has to choose from eight or more items. If a ListBox control presents users with four or fewer items, replace it with grouped RadioButton controls.
A ListBox control presents its list of items vertically. If you want to present items on a list horizontally, particularly if the items are graphics or photos, consider the ScrollViewer control.
Design guidelines
Use a ListBox control for presenting a long list of options in a clean and active way, but note that a list can be too long. Consider using a table view for more than a few dozen items. Also remember to:
Use strong sans-serif typefaces, make list item text at least 12 pixels in height, and make sure that the text is legible from all angles and sizes.
Reserve illumination, effects, animations, or other ornamentation for touch feedback or selected states. Items in ListBox controls should have a strong visual reaction when users touch them.