MSDN > Documentation > APIs > WinRT > UI

WinRT UI APIs

The Windows Runtime (WinRT) UI APIs provide a comprehensive set of tools and components for building modern, visually rich, and highly interactive user interfaces for Windows applications. These APIs enable developers to create seamless experiences across different devices and form factors.

Core UI Controls

WinRT offers a wide range of built-in controls that form the foundation of your application's UI. These controls are designed to be flexible, customizable, and accessible.

Common Controls

Control Description
Button Represents a clickable button.
TextBox Allows users to enter and edit text.
TextBlock Displays read-only text.
Image Displays image content.
ListView Displays a collection of items.
GridView Displays items in a grid layout.
ToggleSwitch Provides a binary on/off state.
Note: Many controls support data binding, allowing seamless integration with your application's data models.

Layout and Panel Controls

Arrange and position your UI elements effectively using WinRT's layout panels. These panels provide robust mechanisms for creating responsive and adaptive layouts.

Layout Panels

Panel Description
StackPanel Arranges children in a single line, either horizontally or vertically.
Grid Defines rows and columns to arrange elements in a grid structure.
Canvas Allows absolute positioning of child elements.
RelativePanel Positions elements relative to each other or the panel itself.
Border Adds a border around a single child element.
Tip: Use RelativePanel for creating responsive layouts that adapt well to different screen sizes.

Input Handling

WinRT provides extensive support for handling user input, including touch, mouse, keyboard, and pen interactions.

Key events such as PointerPressed, PointerMoved, PointerReleased, Tapped, DoubleTapped, RightTapped, and Holding are available for most UI elements.

// Example: Handling a button click buttonElement.addEventListener('click', (event) => { console.log('Button was clicked!'); }); // Example: Handling pointer events myCanvas.addEventListener('pointermoved', (event) => { // Log pointer coordinates console.log(`Pointer moved to: X=${event.clientX}, Y=${event.clientY}`); });

Styling and Templating

Customize the appearance of your UI elements using XAML styles, templates, and resources. WinRT's styling capabilities allow for consistent branding and rich visual effects.

Key concepts include:

  • Resources: Define reusable objects like colors, brushes, and styles.
  • Templates: Customize the visual structure of controls (e.g., ControlTemplate, DataTemplate).
  • Visual States: Define different visual representations of a control based on its state (e.g., normal, pressed, disabled).
Tip: Utilize ResourceDictionary to manage all your application-wide styles and resources in a centralized location.

Animation and Visual Effects

Bring your UI to life with engaging animations and visual effects. WinRT provides powerful animation APIs to create smooth transitions, visual feedback, and dynamic user experiences.

Explore APIs like:

  • Storyboard
  • KeyFrameAnimation
  • Transitions (e.g., FadeInThemeAnimation, SlideFromLeftThemeAnimation)
// Example: Simple fade-in animation const element = document.getElementById('myElement'); if (element) { element.style.opacity = 0; setTimeout(() => { element.style.transition = 'opacity 0.5s ease-in'; element.style.opacity = 1; }, 100); }

Accessibility

Ensure your applications are usable by everyone by leveraging WinRT's built-in accessibility features.

Key properties include:

  • AutomationProperties.Name: Provides a name for accessibility tools.
  • AutomationProperties.HelpText: Offers descriptive help text.
  • AutomationProperties.AutomationId: A unique identifier for automation purposes.
Important: Always consider accessibility when designing and implementing your UI. This enhances user experience for a broader audience.