Article
11/18/2011

Canvas Class

Microsoft Silverlight will reach end of support after October 2021. Learn more.

Defines an area within which you can explicitly position child objects by using coordinates that are relative to the area.

Inheritance Hierarchy

System.Object
  System.Windows.DependencyObject
    System.Windows.UIElement
      System.Windows.FrameworkElement
        System.Windows.Controls.Panel
          System.Windows.Controls.Canvas
            System.Windows.Controls.InkPresenter

Namespace: System.Windows.Controls
Assembly: System.Windows (in System.Windows.dll)

Syntax

'Declaration
Public Class Canvas _
    Inherits Panel

public class Canvas : Panel

<Canvas ...>
  oneOrMoreUIElements
</Canvas>

XAML Values

oneOrMoreUIElements
One or more object elements that derive from the UIElement class. Object elements defined here become members of the Children collection.

The Canvas type exposes the following members.

Constructors

	Name	Description
	Canvas	Initializes a new instance of the Canvas class.

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Properties

	Name	Description
	ActualHeight	Gets the rendered height of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	ActualWidth	Gets the rendered width of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	AllowDrop	Gets or sets a value that determines whether this UIElement can be a drop target for purposes of Silverlight drag-and-drop operations. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Background	Gets or sets a Brush that is used to fill the panel. (Inherited from Panel.)
	CacheMode	Gets or sets a value that indicates that rendered content should be cached when possible. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Children	Gets the collection of child elements of the panel. (Inherited from Panel.)
	Clip	Gets or sets the Geometry used to define the outline of the contents of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Cursor	Gets or sets the cursor image that displays while the mouse pointer is over a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	DataContext	Gets or sets the data context for a FrameworkElement when it participates in data binding. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	DesiredSize	Gets the size that this UIElement computed during the measure pass of the layout process. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Dispatcher	Gets the Dispatcher this object is associated with. (Inherited from DependencyObject.)
	Effect	Gets or sets the pixel shader effect to use for rendering this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	FlowDirection	Gets or sets the direction that text and other user interface elements flow within any parent element that controls their layout. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Height	Gets or sets the suggested height of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	HorizontalAlignment	Gets or sets the horizontal alignment characteristics that are applied to a FrameworkElement when it is composed in a layout parent, such as a panel or items control. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	IsHitTestVisible	Gets or sets whether the contained area of this UIElement can return true values for hit testing. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	IsItemsHost	Gets a value that indicates whether this Panel is a container for UI items that are generated by an ItemsControl. (Inherited from Panel.)
	Language	Gets or sets localization/globalization language information that applies to a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Margin	Gets or sets the outer margin of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	MaxHeight	Gets or sets the maximum height constraint of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	MaxWidth	Gets or sets the maximum width constraint of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	MinHeight	Gets or sets the minimum height constraint of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	MinWidth	Gets or sets the minimum width constraint of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Name	Gets or sets the identifying name of the object. When a XAML processor creates the object tree from XAML markup, run-time code can refer to the XAML-declared object by this name. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Opacity	Gets or sets the degree of the object's opacity. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	OpacityMask	Gets or sets the brush used to alter the opacity of regions of this object. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Parent	Gets the parent object of this FrameworkElement in the object tree. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Projection	Gets or sets the perspective projection (3-D effect) to apply when rendering this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	RenderSize	Gets the final render size of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	RenderTransform	Gets or sets transform information that affects the rendering position of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	RenderTransformOrigin	Gets or sets the origin point of any possible render transform declared by RenderTransform, relative to the bounds of the UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Resources	Gets the locally defined resource dictionary. In XAML, you can establish resource items as child object elements of a frameworkElement.Resources property element, through XAML implicit collection syntax. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Style	Gets or sets an instance Style that is applied for this object during rendering. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Tag	Gets or sets an arbitrary object value that can be used to store custom information about this object. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Triggers	Gets the collection of triggers for animations that are defined for a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	UseLayoutRounding	Gets or sets a value that determines whether rendering for the object and its visual subtree should use rounding behavior that aligns rendering to whole pixels. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	VerticalAlignment	Gets or sets the vertical alignment characteristics that are applied to a FrameworkElement when it is composed in a parent object such as a panel or items control. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Visibility	Gets or sets the visibility of a UIElement. A UIElement that is not visible does not render and does not communicate its desired size to layout. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Width	Gets or sets the width of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)

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Attached Properties

	Name	Description
	Left	Gets or sets the distance between the left side of an object and the left side of its parent Canvas.
	Top	Gets or sets the distance between the top of an element and the top of its parent Canvas.
	ZIndex	Gets or sets the z-order rendering behavior of objects in a Canvas.

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Methods

	Name	Description
	AddHandler	Adds a routed event handler for a specified routed event, adding the handler to the handler collection on the current element. Specify handledEventsToo as true to have the provided handler be invoked for routed event that had already been marked as handled by another element along the event route. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Arrange	Positions child objects and determines a size for a UIElement. Parent objects that implement custom layout for their child elements should call this method from their layout override implementations to form a recursive layout update. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	ArrangeOverride	Provides the behavior for the "arrange" pass of Silverlight layout. (Overrides FrameworkElement.ArrangeOverride(Size).)
	CaptureMouse	Sets mouse capture to a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	CheckAccess	Determines whether the calling thread has access to this object. (Inherited from DependencyObject.)
	ClearValue	Clears the local value of a dependency property. (Inherited from DependencyObject.)
	Equals(Object)	Determines whether the specified Object is equal to the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
	Finalize	Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before the Object is reclaimed by garbage collection. (Inherited from Object.)
	FindName	Retrieves an object that has the specified identifier name. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	GetAnimationBaseValue	Returns any base value established for a Silverlight dependency property, which would apply in cases where an animation is not active. (Inherited from DependencyObject.)
	GetBindingExpression	Retrieves the BindingExpression for a dependency property where a binding is established. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	GetHashCode	Serves as a hash function for a particular type. (Inherited from Object.)
	GetLeft	Gets the value of the Left attached property for a given object.
	GetTop	Gets the value of the Top attached property for a given object.
	GetType	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.)
	GetValue	Returns the current effective value of a dependency property from a DependencyObject. (Inherited from DependencyObject.)
	GetZIndex	Gets the value of the ZIndex attached property for a given object.
	InvalidateArrange	Invalidates the arrange state (layout) for a UIElement. After the invalidation, the UIElement will have its layout updated, which will occur asynchronously. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	InvalidateMeasure	Invalidates the measurement state (layout) for a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Measure	Updates the DesiredSize of a UIElement. Typically, objects that implement custom layout for their layout children call this method from their own MeasureOverride implementations to form a recursive layout update. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MeasureOverride	Provides the behavior for the "measure" pass of Silverlight layout. (Overrides FrameworkElement.MeasureOverride(Size).)
	MemberwiseClone	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
	OnApplyTemplate	When overridden in a derived class, is invoked whenever application code or internal processes (such as a rebuilding layout pass) call ApplyTemplate. In simplest terms, this means the method is called just before a UI element displays in an application. For more information, see Remarks. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	OnCreateAutomationPeer	When implemented in a derived class, returns class-specific AutomationPeer implementations for the Silverlight automation infrastructure. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	ReadLocalValue	Returns the local value of a dependency property, if a local value is set. (Inherited from DependencyObject.)
	ReleaseMouseCapture	Removes mouse capture from a UIElement. After this call, typically no object holds mouse capture. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	RemoveHandler	Removes the specified routed event handler from this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	SetBinding	Attaches a binding to a FrameworkElement, using the provided binding object, and returns a BindingExpressionBase for possible later use. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	SetLeft	Sets the value of the Left attached property for a given object.
	SetTop	Sets the value of the Top attached property for a given object.
	SetValue	Sets the local value of a dependency property on a DependencyObject. (Inherited from DependencyObject.)
	SetZIndex	Sets the value of the ZIndex attached property for a given object.
	ToString	Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object.)
	TransformToVisual	Returns a transform object that can be used to transform coordinates from the UIElement to the specified object. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	UpdateLayout	Ensures that all positions of child objects of a UIElement are properly updated for layout. (Inherited from UIElement.)

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Events

	Name	Description
	BindingValidationError	Occurs when a data validation error is reported by a binding source. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	DataContextChanged	Occurs when the data context for this element changes. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	DoubleTap	Occurs when a DoubleTap gesture is committed while over this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	DragEnter	Occurs when the input system reports an underlying drag event with this element as the target. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	DragLeave	Occurs when the input system reports an underlying drag event with this element as the origin. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	DragOver	Occurs when the input system reports an underlying drag event with this element as the potential drop target. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Drop	Occurs when the input system reports an underlying drop event with this element as the drop target. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	GotFocus	Occurs when a UIElement receives focus. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Hold	Occurs when a Hold gesture is committed while over this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	KeyDown	Occurs when a keyboard key is pressed while the UIElement has focus. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	KeyUp	Occurs when a keyboard key is released while the UIElement has focus. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	LayoutUpdated	Occurs when the layout of the Silverlight visual tree changes. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Loaded	Occurs when a FrameworkElement has been constructed and added to the object tree. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	LostFocus	Occurs when a UIElement loses focus. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	LostMouseCapture	Occurs when the UIElement loses mouse capture. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	ManipulationCompleted	Occurs when a manipulation and inertia on the UIElement is complete. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	ManipulationDelta	Occurs when the input device changes position during a manipulation. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	ManipulationStarted	Occurs when an input device begins a manipulation on the UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MediaCommand	Occurs when a button is pressed on a remote control. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MouseEnter	Occurs when the mouse (or a stylus) enters the bounding area of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MouseLeave	Occurs when the mouse (or the stylus) leaves the bounding area of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MouseLeftButtonDown	Occurs when the left mouse button is pressed (or when the tip of the stylus touches the tablet) while the mouse pointer is over a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MouseLeftButtonUp	Occurs when the left mouse button is released (or the tip of the stylus is removed from the tablet) while the mouse (or the stylus) is over a UIElement (or while a UIElement holds mouse capture). (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MouseMove	Occurs when the coordinate position of the mouse (or stylus) changes while over a UIElement (or while a UIElement holds mouse capture). (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MouseRightButtonDown	Occurs when the right mouse button is pressed while the mouse pointer is over a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MouseRightButtonUp	Occurs when the right mouse button is released while the mouse pointer is over a UIElement. However, this event will only be raised if a caller marks the preceding MouseRightButtonDown event as handled; see Remarks. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	MouseWheel	Occurs when the user rotates the mouse wheel while the mouse pointer is over a UIElement, or the UIElement has focus. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	SizeChanged	Occurs when either the ActualHeight or the ActualWidth properties change value on a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)
	Tap	Occurs when a Tap gesture is committed while over this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	TextInput	Occurs when a UI element gets text in a device-independent manner. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	TextInputStart	Occurs when a UI element initially gets text in a device-independent manner. (Inherited from UIElement.)
	TextInputUpdate	Occurs when text continues to be composed via an input method editor (IME). (Inherited from UIElement.)
	Unloaded	Occurs when this object is no longer connected to the main object tree. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.)

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Fields

	Name	Description
	LeftProperty	Identifies the Left attached property.
	TopProperty	Identifies the Top attached property.
	ZIndexProperty	Identifies the ZIndex attached property.

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Remarks

A Canvas is one of the Panel elements that enable layout. Each child object is rendered within the Canvas area. You control the positioning of objects inside the Canvas by specifying x and y coordinates. These coordinates are in pixels. The x and y coordinates are often specified by using the Canvas.Left and Canvas.Top attached properties. Canvas.Left specifies the object's distance from the left side of the containing Canvas (the x-coordinate), and Canvas.Top specifies the object's distance from the top of the containing Canvas (the y-coordinate).

Note:
Because absolute positioning does not take into account the size of the browser window or browser resizing, using Grid or StackPanel as a container is often a better choice. For more information, see Silverlight Layout System.

You can nest Canvas objects. When you nest objects, the coordinates used by each object are relative to its immediate containing Canvas.

Each child object must be a UIElement. In XAML, you declare child objects as object elements that are the inner XML of a Canvas object element. In code, you can manipulate the collection of Canvas child objects by getting the collection that is accessed by the Children property.

You can nest Canvas objects, because a Canvas is a type of UIElement.

In many cases, a Canvas is used solely as a container for other objects and does not have any visible properties. A Canvas is not visible if any of the following conditions are true:

The Height property is equal to 0.
The Width property is equal to 0.
The Background property is equal to nulla null reference (Nothing in Visual Basic).
The Opacity property is equal to 0.
The Visibility property is equal to Visibility.Collapsed.
One of the ancestor objects of the Canvas is not visible.

Examples

The following example shows how to position a rectangle 30 pixels from the left and 30 pixels from the top of a Canvas.

<Canvas Width="640" Height="480" Background="White">
    <Rectangle Canvas.Left="30" Canvas.Top="30" 
               Fill="red" Width="200" Height="200" />
</Canvas>

The preceding example produces output that is similar to the following illustration.

Positioning a rectangle inside the Canvas

Rectangle positioned 30 down and 30 over.

In the following example, the root (white) Canvas contains a nested (blue) Canvas that has Canvas.Left and Canvas.Top properties of 30. The nested blue Canvas contains a red rectangle that also has Canvas.Left and Canvas.Top values of 30. This creates the effect of a red rectangle bordered by a blue rectangle. This same layout could be achieved using a Border object.

<Canvas Width="300" Height="300" Background="White">
    <Canvas Width="250" Height="250" Canvas.Left="30" 
            Canvas.Top="30" Background="blue">

        <Rectangle Canvas.Left="30" Canvas.Top="30" 
                   Fill="red" Width="200" Height="200" />
    </Canvas>
</Canvas>

The preceding example produces output that is similar to the following illustration.

Nested objects

One rectangle inside another.

Version Information

Silverlight

Supported in: 5, 4, 3

Silverlight for Windows Phone

Supported in: Windows Phone OS 7.1, Windows Phone OS 7.0

Platforms

For a list of the operating systems and browsers that are supported by Silverlight, see Supported Operating Systems and Browsers.

Thread Safety

Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

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