Controls and Dialog Boxes
Microsoft Silverlight will reach end of support after October 2021. Learn more.
Silverlight provides a rich library of controls and dialog boxes that support user interface (UI) development. Some of these controls have a visual representation; others function as the container for other controls or content, such as images and media.
The following is an alphabetical list of the common Silverlight controls and dialog boxes that are made available with the Silverlight runtime and SDK. Click the control link to see the class library documentation for the control. The documentation typically includes code examples, a running sample, an illustration, and links to additional topics. If you are using the Silverlight SDK and the Silverlight Tools for Visual Studio 2010, most of these controls will appear in the Visual Studio Toolbox.
Most of these controls are available as part of the Silverlight runtime, but some of the controls are part of the Silverlight libraries in the Silverlight SDK. The last column of the following tables specifies whether the control is available as a part of the runtime or the Silverlight SDK. For more information about the Silverlight SDK, see Silverlight Tools.
For a list of controls by feature area, see Controls by Function.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O,
P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
A
Provides a text box for user input and a drop-down that contains possible matches based on the input in the text box. |
Silverlight SDK |
B
C
Provides a graphical UI for the user to select a date. It displays dates one month at a time, and provides the ability to scroll from month to month or switch to a yearly view. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
Provides a surface to display child elements at specific coordinates in the canvas. A canvas can contain one or more UIElement objects. For more information, see Silverlight Layout System. |
Runtime |
|
Enables the user to select (check) or clear (uncheck) an option. The CheckBox can have three states: checked, unchecked, and indeterminate. Use a CheckBox to give the user an option, such as true/false or yes/no, or to select from a list of options. The CheckBox is a ContentControl. |
Runtime |
|
Provides a window that can be displayed over a parent window and blocks interaction with the parent window. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
Represents a selection control that combines a non-editable text box and a popup. The popup contains a list box that enables users to select an item from a list. |
Runtime |
|
Represents a control with a single piece of content of any type. Many controls derive from ContentControl and can contain objects, such as a Button or a Panel. |
Runtime |
D
Provides a flexible way to display a collection of data in rows and columns. The built-in column types include a text box column, a check box column, and a template column for hosting custom content. The built-in row type includes a drop-down details section that you can use to display additional content under the cell values. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
Provides a user interface for paging through a collection of data that implements IPagedCollectionView. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
Enables a user to select a date by either typing it into a TextBox or by using a drop-down Calendar. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
Displays a description and tracks error state for an associated control. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
|
(Silverlight 5) |
Defines an area where 3-D content can be composed and rendered. |
Runtime |
G
Provides a surface composed of rows and columns to display child elements. You define the rows and columns for a Grid, then assign objects to a specific row or column in the grid. You can optionally display gridlines. For more information, see Silverlight Layout System. |
Runtime |
|
Enables the user to redistribute space between the rows or columns of a Grid control. It represents a graphical element that the user can "grab" and drag. The direction and manner in which a GridSplitter distributes space is determined by the attached properties governing its alignment and the row or column properties of the Grid. |
Silverlight SDK |
H
Represents a control that contains a collection of items and a header. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
Represents a button control that displays a hyperlink. When clicked, the HyperlinkButton enables users to visit a Web page in the same Web application or a Web page that is external to the current application. |
Runtime |
I
Displays an image in PNG or JPEG format. The Image control displays indexed images with 1, 4 or 8 bit color-depth or true color images with 24 or 32 bit color-depth. |
Runtime |
|
Provides a drawing surface to support Tablet PC features. InkPresenter derives from canvas and can display one or more UIElement objects and strokes. |
Runtime |
L
Displays a caption, required field indicator, and validation error indicator for an associated control. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
Contains a collection of items. You can populate the control by binding it to a data source or displaying unbound items. The list box is an items control, which means that you can populate it with items that contain text or other controls. |
Runtime |
M
Hosts audio or video content. A MediaElement control provides a rectangular region that can display video on its surface, or plays audio if no video is present. |
Runtime |
|
Enables users to open a multi-resolution image that can be scaled and repositioned for detailed viewing. The MultiScaleImage is for use with the Deep Zoom technology. |
Runtime |
O
Represents an open file dialog box that enables a user to select one or more files. |
Runtime |
P
Encapsulates content that can be navigated to by a Frame. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
Used to input sensitive or private information in a single line and non-wrapping text area. You cannot view the actual text and can only view the characters that represent the content. |
Runtime |
|
|
(Silverlight 5) |
Displays lots of data at the same time in a way that is easily consumable by the user. Users can browse the data in such a way that helps them see the trends and quickly find information that they need. |
Silverlight SDK |
Overlays content on top of existing content. A Popup control is useful for temporarily displaying information that accomplishes a particular task. A popup control will always appear on top of existing content, unless another popup is opened on top of it. |
Runtime |
|
Indicates the progress of an operation. You can use this control to show generic progress or progress that changes according to a value. |
Runtime |
R
Enables a user to select a single option from a group of options. You group RadioButton controls by putting them inside a parent or by setting the GroupName property on each RadioButton to a particular group. When grouped, each RadioButton control is mutually exclusive. |
Runtime |
|
Represents a button that raises its click event repeatedly from when the button is pressed until it is released. A RepeatButton control contains properties that specify the delay before clicks repeat and the interval between clicks. |
Runtime |
|
|
(Silverlight 5) |
Provides a control for displaying rich text. Supports formatted text, hyperlinks, images, and other rich content. |
Runtime |
|
(Silverlight 4 or later) |
Represents a rich text editing control that supports formatted text, hyperlinks, inline images, and other rich content. |
Runtime |
S
Provides a dialog box that enables the user to specify options for saving a file. |
Runtime |
|
Provides a scroll bar that has a sliding Thumb whose position corresponds to a value. The ScrollBar control can be oriented horizontally or vertically. |
Runtime |
|
Encapsulates a piece of content, providing up to two ScrollBar controls to scroll a viewport over the content. The ScrollViewer control enables you to set the size of the viewport relative to the content and to set whether the horizontal and vertical ScrollBar controls appear. |
Runtime |
|
Lets the user select from a range of values by moving a Thumb control along a track. |
Runtime |
|
Provides a surface to display child elements in a line; either horizontally or vertically. For more information, see Silverlight Layout System. |
Runtime |
T
Provides a tabbed interface for displaying elements. Child elements are hosted in a TabItem. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
Displays small amounts of text content. You can set the content of a TextBlock by using the Text property. Alternatively, you can set the Inlines property to a collection of Inline objects, such as Run or LineBreak objects. |
Runtime |
|
Used to obtain input from the user or to display text. The text box control is generally used for editable text, although it can also be set to read-only. Text boxes can display multiple lines and wrap text to the size of the control. |
Runtime |
|
Provides a control that can switch states. Typically used as a base class for other controls such as the CheckBox control. |
Runtime |
|
Provides the user with information about an element in the UI using a popup window. |
Runtime |
|
Represents a control that displays hierarchical data. |
Silverlight SDK |
V
Displays a summary of the validation errors on a form. |
Silverlight SDK |
|
|
(Silverlight 4 or later) |
Provides a control that can stretch or scale its content to fill the available space. |
Runtime |
Provides a stack panel control that arranges content that is visible on the screen, creating additional UI items as needed. |
Runtime |
W
|
(Silverlight 4 or later) |
Provides a surface for displaying HTML content when the application is hosted outside the browser or in a Silverlight 5 trusted in-browser application. |
Runtime |