Path Class
Microsoft Silverlight will reach end of support after October 2021. Learn more.
Draws a series of connected lines and curves. The line and curve dimensions are declared through the Data property, and can be specified either with a Path-specific mini-language, or with an object model.
Inheritance Hierarchy
System.Object
System.Windows.DependencyObject
System.Windows.UIElement
System.Windows.FrameworkElement
System.Windows.Shapes.Shape
System.Windows.Shapes.Path
Namespace: System.Windows.Shapes
Assembly: System.Windows (in System.Windows.dll)
Syntax
'Declaration
Public Class Path _
Inherits Shape
public class Path : Shape
<Path .../>
The Path type exposes the following members.
Properties
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
.gif "Public property") .gif "Supported by Silverlight for Windows Phone") |
ActualHeight | Gets the rendered height of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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ActualWidth | Gets the rendered width of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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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.) |
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CacheMode | Gets or sets a value that indicates that rendered content should be cached when possible. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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Clip | Gets or sets the Geometry used to define the outline of the contents of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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Cursor | Gets or sets the cursor image that displays while the mouse pointer is over a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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Data | Gets or sets a Geometry that specifies the shape to be drawn. |
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DataContext | Gets or sets the data context for a FrameworkElement when it participates in data binding. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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DesiredSize | Gets the size that this UIElement computed during the measure pass of the layout process. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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Dispatcher | Gets the Dispatcher this object is associated with. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
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Effect | Gets or sets the pixel shader effect to use for rendering this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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Fill | Gets or sets the Brush that specifies how to paint the interior of the shape. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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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.) |
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GeometryTransform | Gets a value that represents a Transform that is applied to the geometry of a Shape prior to when it is drawn. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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Height | Gets or sets the suggested height of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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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.) |
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IsHitTestVisible | Gets or sets whether the contained area of this UIElement can return true values for hit testing. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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Language | Gets or sets localization/globalization language information that applies to a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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Margin | Gets or sets the outer margin of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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MaxHeight | Gets or sets the maximum height constraint of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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MaxWidth | Gets or sets the maximum width constraint of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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MinHeight | Gets or sets the minimum height constraint of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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MinWidth | Gets or sets the minimum width constraint of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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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.) |
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Opacity | Gets or sets the degree of the object's opacity. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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OpacityMask | Gets or sets the brush used to alter the opacity of regions of this object. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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Parent | Gets the parent object of this FrameworkElement in the object tree. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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Projection | Gets or sets the perspective projection (3-D effect) to apply when rendering this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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RenderSize | Gets the final render size of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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RenderTransform | Gets or sets transform information that affects the rendering position of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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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.) |
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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.) |
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Stretch | Gets or sets a Stretch enumeration value that describes how the shape fills its allocated space. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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Stroke | Gets or sets the Brush that specifies how the Shape outline is painted. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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StrokeDashArray | Gets or sets a collection of Double values that indicate the pattern of dashes and gaps that is used to outline shapes. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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StrokeDashCap | Gets or sets a PenLineCap enumeration value that specifies how the ends of a dash are drawn. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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StrokeDashOffset | Gets or sets a Double that specifies the distance within the dash pattern where a dash begins. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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StrokeEndLineCap | Gets or sets a PenLineCap enumeration value that describes the Shape at the end of a line. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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StrokeLineJoin | Gets or sets a PenLineJoin enumeration value that specifies the type of join that is used at the vertices of a Shape. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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StrokeMiterLimit | Gets or sets a limit on the ratio of the miter length to half the StrokeThickness of a Shape element. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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StrokeStartLineCap | Gets or sets a PenLineCap enumeration value that describes the Shape at the start of a Stroke. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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StrokeThickness | Gets or sets the width of the Shape stroke outline. (Inherited from Shape.) |
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Style | Gets or sets an instance Style that is applied for this object during rendering. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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Tag | Gets or sets an arbitrary object value that can be used to store custom information about this object. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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Triggers | Gets the collection of triggers for animations that are defined for a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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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.) |
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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.) |
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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.) |
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Width | Gets or sets the width of a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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Methods
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
.gif "Public method") |
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.) |
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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.) |
.gif "Protected method") |
ArrangeOverride | Provides the behavior for the Arrange pass of Silverlight layout. Classes can override this method to define their own Arrange pass behavior. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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CaptureMouse | Sets mouse capture to a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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CheckAccess | Determines whether the calling thread has access to this object. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
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ClearValue | Clears the local value of a dependency property. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
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Equals(Object) | Determines whether the specified Object is equal to the current Object. (Inherited from Object.) |
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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.) |
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FindName | Retrieves an object that has the specified identifier name. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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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.) |
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GetBindingExpression | Retrieves the BindingExpression for a dependency property where a binding is established. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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GetHashCode | Serves as a hash function for a particular type. (Inherited from Object.) |
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GetType | Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.) |
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GetValue | Returns the current effective value of a dependency property from a DependencyObject. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
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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.) |
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InvalidateMeasure | Invalidates the measurement state (layout) for a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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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.) |
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MeasureOverride | Provides the behavior for the Measure pass of Silverlight layout. Classes can override this method to define their own Measure pass behavior. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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MemberwiseClone | Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.) |
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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.) |
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OnCreateAutomationPeer | When implemented in a derived class, returns class-specific AutomationPeer implementations for the Silverlight automation infrastructure. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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ReadLocalValue | Returns the local value of a dependency property, if a local value is set. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
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ReleaseMouseCapture | Removes mouse capture from a UIElement. After this call, typically no object holds mouse capture. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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RemoveHandler | Removes the specified routed event handler from this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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SetBinding | Attaches a binding to a FrameworkElement, using the provided binding object, and returns a BindingExpressionBase for possible later use. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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SetValue | Sets the local value of a dependency property on a DependencyObject. (Inherited from DependencyObject.) |
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ToString | Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object.) |
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TransformToVisual | Returns a transform object that can be used to transform coordinates from the UIElement to the specified object. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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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 | |
|---|---|---|
.gif "Public event") |
BindingValidationError | Occurs when a data validation error is reported by a binding source. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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DataContextChanged | Occurs when the data context for this element changes. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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DoubleTap | Occurs when a DoubleTap gesture is committed while over this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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DragEnter | Occurs when the input system reports an underlying drag event with this element as the target. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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DragLeave | Occurs when the input system reports an underlying drag event with this element as the origin. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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DragOver | Occurs when the input system reports an underlying drag event with this element as the potential drop target. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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Drop | Occurs when the input system reports an underlying drop event with this element as the drop target. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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GotFocus | Occurs when a UIElement receives focus. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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Hold | Occurs when a Hold gesture is committed while over this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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KeyDown | Occurs when a keyboard key is pressed while the UIElement has focus. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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KeyUp | Occurs when a keyboard key is released while the UIElement has focus. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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LayoutUpdated | Occurs when the layout of the Silverlight visual tree changes. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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Loaded | Occurs when a FrameworkElement has been constructed and added to the object tree. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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LostFocus | Occurs when a UIElement loses focus. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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LostMouseCapture | Occurs when the UIElement loses mouse capture. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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ManipulationCompleted | Occurs when a manipulation and inertia on the UIElement is complete. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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ManipulationDelta | Occurs when the input device changes position during a manipulation. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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ManipulationStarted | Occurs when an input device begins a manipulation on the UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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MediaCommand | Occurs when a button is pressed on a remote control. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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MouseEnter | Occurs when the mouse (or a stylus) enters the bounding area of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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MouseLeave | Occurs when the mouse (or the stylus) leaves the bounding area of a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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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.) |
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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.) |
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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.) |
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MouseRightButtonDown | Occurs when the right mouse button is pressed while the mouse pointer is over a UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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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.) |
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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.) |
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SizeChanged | Occurs when either the ActualHeight or the ActualWidth properties change value on a FrameworkElement. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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Tap | Occurs when a Tap gesture is committed while over this UIElement. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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TextInput | Occurs when a UI element gets text in a device-independent manner. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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TextInputStart | Occurs when a UI element initially gets text in a device-independent manner. (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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TextInputUpdate | Occurs when text continues to be composed via an input method editor (IME). (Inherited from UIElement.) |
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Unloaded | Occurs when this object is no longer connected to the main object tree. (Inherited from FrameworkElement.) |
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.gif "Public field")
.gif "Static member")
Remarks
Fundamentally, a Path is a Shape. But the Path can be used to create much more complex two-dimensional graphics than the other Shapes are capable of. The Path object can draw closed or open shapes, lines, and curves. For a description of the shapes that the Path element supports, see the Data property.
A Path supports two parallel techniques for declaring its contents: as an object model using discrete geometries declared in markup or code, or as a mini-language declared in markup. The geometry object model can use the GeometryGroup as data in order to specify a composite of multiple geometries. For details, see Geometries. The mini-language is analogous to a pathing language output used in some graphics tools. For more information on using the mini-language definition format for Path in markup, see Path Markup Syntax.
.gif "Note") Note: |
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Performance Note: For best performance, avoid explicitly setting the Width and Height of a Path. Setting the Width and Height results in additional stretching, which has a performance cost. Instead, rely on the explicitly set coordinates of the Path and its contained data to control its shape and position. In effect, the Path will have a natural height/width, although those values are not reported to the object model. For more information, see Stretch. |
Deriving From Path
As of Silverlight 5, the Path class can be subclassed. In previous versions, it was sealed.
By deriving from Path, you can create custom shapes. Deriving from Shape directly is not useful, because the class does not have any virtuals or other extensible mechanisms for defining its visuals. But Path has Data. By specifying a value for Data you can supply the necessary visuals for any custom shape that can be described by a geometry, or even by the Path.Data "mini-language" as described in the topic Path Markup Syntax.
Existing shapes in Silverlight all have properties for Width and Height, because shapes derive from FrameworkElement. Some shapes, for example Ellipse, use Width and Height to basically declare their dimensions and modify the internally generated visual shape. Other shapes, particularly Path, use properties other than Width and Height to declare specifics of the visual, although Width and Height could still be set and might result in an effective scale transform. When you derive from Path you could choose to go with either model:
Use initialization logic to generate the necessary geometry for your custom shape, which you then set as the Path.Data. Width and Height are used as information for this initial geometry. Also make sure to run that same logic in an ArrangeOverride implementation on the custom shape, to account for run time changes to Width and Height
Use initialization logic to generate the necessary geometry based on your own class-specific properties that influence the custom shape. Account for changes both to these custom properties and to Width and Height as part of an ArrangeOverride implementation.
Note that a custom shape derived from Path would still have an open, settable Path.Data. You could either warn against setting that value directly in your custom class, or could potentially shadow Path.Data and give it a no-op behavior.
Examples
The following example uses a Path to draw an ellipse.
An EllipseGeometry drawn at (50,50)
.png "Yellow circle")
<Canvas>
<Path Fill="Gold" Stroke="Black" StrokeThickness="1">
<Path.Data>
<EllipseGeometry Center="50,50" RadiusX="50" RadiusY="50" />
</Path.Data>
</Path>
</Canvas>
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.