Collapse/Expand Groupboxes

Question

I have the following XAML, in which there are three group boxes stacked. In the header of those groupboxes are checkboxes.

What I'd like to achieve : when I check/uncheck a box, I'd like the corresponding groupbox to slowly expand/collapse, with a smooth animation.

I'm trying this in Blend 4 but am quite a newbie. Any help on how to achieve this ? In particular, can the animation be self-contained in the XAML ?

UPDATE : This seems to come close , but I don't quite get it

XAML Designer

<UserControl
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
    xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
    mc:Ignorable="d"
    x:Class="WpfControlLibrary1.MainControl"
    x:Name="MultiVol">
        <StackPanel x:Name="LayoutRoot" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch">
            <GroupBox Margin="8,0" BorderBrush="#FF88B1D8">
                <GroupBox.Header>
                    <WrapPanel>
                    <CheckBox IsChecked="True" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
                    <Label Content="Volatility" Background="#00000000" Foreground="#FF0033FF" FontWeight="Bold" FontFamily="/WpfControlLibrary1;component/Fonts/#Tahoma" /> 
                    </WrapPanel>
                </GroupBox.Header>
                <UniformGrid Columns="2">
                    <Label Content="Spots"></Label>
                    <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
                    <Label Content="Hist. references" />
                    <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
                    <Label Content="Tenors" />
                    <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />

                </UniformGrid>
            </GroupBox>
            <GroupBox  Margin="8,0" BorderBrush="#FF88B1D8">
                <GroupBox.Header>
                    <WrapPanel>
                    <CheckBox IsChecked="True" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
                    <Label Content="Skew" Background="#00000000" Foreground="#FF0033FF" FontWeight="Bold" FontFamily="/WpfControlLibrary1;component/Fonts/#Tahoma" />   
                    </WrapPanel>
                </GroupBox.Header>
                <UniformGrid Columns="2">
                    <Label Content="Spot Intervals"></Label>
                    <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
                    <Label Content="Hist. references" />
                    <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
                    <Label Content="Tenors" />
                    <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
                    <Label Content="Compute 'Power'" />
                    <CheckBox IsChecked="False" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
                </UniformGrid>
            </GroupBox>
            <GroupBox Margin="8,0" BorderBrush="#FF88B1D8">
                <GroupBox.Header>
                    <WrapPanel>
                    <CheckBox IsChecked="True" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
                    <Label Content="Term structure" Background="#00000000" Foreground="#FF0033FF" FontWeight="Bold" FontFamily="/WpfControlLibrary1;component/Fonts/#Tahoma" /> 
                    </WrapPanel>
                </GroupBox.Header>
                <UniformGrid Columns="2">
                    <Label Content="Spots" />
                    <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
                    <Label Content="Tenors" />
                    <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
                </UniformGrid>
            </GroupBox> 
        </StackPanel>
</UserControl>

Allan Chua · Accepted Answer · 2012-01-30T15:28:01.963

Just edited the first group box in your simple code:

    <GroupBox Margin="8,0" BorderBrush="#FF88B1D8" Height="150">
        <GroupBox.Resources>
            <Style TargetType="GroupBox">
                <Style.Triggers>
                    <EventTrigger RoutedEvent="CheckBox.Unchecked">
                        <BeginStoryboard>
                            <Storyboard>
                                <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetProperty="Height" Duration="0:0:.2"  To="30" />
                            </Storyboard>
                        </BeginStoryboard>
                    </EventTrigger>
                    <EventTrigger RoutedEvent="CheckBox.Checked">
                        <BeginStoryboard>
                            <Storyboard>
                                <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetProperty="Height" Duration="0:0:.2" />
                            </Storyboard>
                        </BeginStoryboard>
                    </EventTrigger>
                </Style.Triggers>
            </Style>
        </GroupBox.Resources>
        <GroupBox.Header>
            <WrapPanel>
                <CheckBox IsChecked="True" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
                <Label Content="Volatility" Background="#00000000" Foreground="#FF0033FF" FontWeight="Bold" />
            </WrapPanel>
        </GroupBox.Header>
        <UniformGrid Columns="2">
            <Label Content="Spots"></Label>
            <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
            <Label Content="Hist. references" />
            <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
            <Label Content="Tenors" />
            <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />

        </UniformGrid>
    </GroupBox>

If you want to have this on a single group box you could place the Style Element inside this code

<GroupBox.Resources>
  <!--Style Inside HEre-->
</GroupBox.Resources>

to implement it on a single group box.

Another suggestion is created a Style inside the stack panel and add a key to it:

    <StackPanel.Resources>
        <Style TargetType="GroupBox" x:Key="groupBoxStyle">
            <Style.Triggers>
                <EventTrigger RoutedEvent="CheckBox.Unchecked">
                        <BeginStoryboard>
                            <Storyboard>
                                <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetProperty="Height" Duration="0:0:.2"  To="30" />
                            </Storyboard>
                        </BeginStoryboard>
                </EventTrigger>
                <EventTrigger RoutedEvent="CheckBox.Checked">
                    <BeginStoryboard>
                        <Storyboard>
                            <DoubleAnimation Storyboard.TargetProperty="Height" Duration="0:0:.2" />
                        </Storyboard>
                    </BeginStoryboard>
                </EventTrigger>
            </Style.Triggers>
        </Style>
    </StackPanel.Resources>

then attached it to the style of the groupbox:

    <GroupBox Margin="8,0" Height="150" BorderBrush="Transparent" Style="{StaticResource groupBoxStyle}">
        <GroupBox.Header>
            <WrapPanel>
                <CheckBox IsChecked="True" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
                <Label Content="Volatility" Background="#00000000" Foreground="#FF0033FF" FontWeight="Bold" />
            </WrapPanel>
        </GroupBox.Header>
        <Border BorderBrush="Black" BorderThickness="2">
        <UniformGrid Columns="2">
            <Label Content="Spots"></Label>
            <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
            <Label Content="Hist. references" />
            <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
            <Label Content="Tenors" />
            <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
        </UniformGrid>
        </Border>
    </GroupBox>

this approach will be more useful when you want to implement this on the future to multiple groupboxes

In Case you want to handle the checkbox and unchecked event you could use this code

    <GroupBox Margin="8,0" Height="150" BorderBrush="Transparent" Style="{StaticResource groupBoxStyle}" CheckBox.Checked="CheckBox_Checked" CheckBox.Unchecked="CheckBox_Unchecked">
        <GroupBox.Header>
            <WrapPanel>
                <CheckBox x:Name="chkHeader" IsChecked="True" VerticalAlignment="Center" />
                <Label Content="Volatility" Background="#00000000" Foreground="#FF0033FF" FontWeight="Bold" />
            </WrapPanel>
        </GroupBox.Header>
        <Border BorderBrush="Black" BorderThickness="2">
        <UniformGrid Columns="2">
            <Label Content="Spots"></Label>
            <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
            <Label Content="Hist. references" />
            <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
            <Label Content="Tenors" />
            <TextBox AcceptsReturn="False" AcceptsTab="True" AllowDrop="True" IsTabStop="True" />
        </UniformGrid>
        </Border>
    </GroupBox>

and add this in the code behind:

    private void CheckBox_Checked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
        if ((e.OriginalSource as CheckBox).Name != "chkHeader")
        {
            e.Handled = true;
        }
    }

    private void CheckBox_Unchecked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
        if ((e.OriginalSource as CheckBox).Name != "chkHeader")
        {
            e.Handled = true;
        }
    }

However, how to specify from="Auto" ? At the moment the default values make it a little weird — BuZz, Jan 30 '12 at 14:09
Also, how to get a smaller timespan ? I tried 0:0:0.5 and 0:0:0:1, both lead to exceptions — BuZz, Jan 30 '12 at 14:13
@jeromeG you have to specify it like this for 20% of a second 0:0:.2 :) — Allan Chua, Jan 30 '12 at 14:15
Okay, that's cool. Still, I'm a little annoyed by the "to=150", as this is not necessarily my initial height — BuZz, Jan 30 '12 at 14:26
Yet another question... :) How do I do if I want to set this event on one of my groupboxes only? — BuZz, Jan 30 '12 at 14:29
@jeromeG I think im wrong for my earlier comment. try to remove the To="150". Thanks for your question and I've learned that not setting To Value will Set this to a value of Auto — Allan Chua, Jan 30 '12 at 14:30
If it works for you, that means some other checkboxes are causing troubles (I only posted a piece of my control initially). What is the code to insert manually in one groupbox only ? So that it doesnt affect other groupboxes ? I think that will be my solution. — BuZz, Jan 30 '12 at 14:49
There's a bit of a problem with this, you trigger on all checkbox events, if the GroupBox contains a Checkbox that will also collapse the GroupBox. — H.B., Jan 30 '12 at 15:03
Hi, Just added code for handling the checkbox events inside the group box — Allan Chua, Jan 30 '12 at 15:14
@Allan Chua: Thanx for your answer. But I had a bug with the mentioned procedure. I am using a combobox in groupbox. In the groupbox when i click the combobox to open and then again click it to minimize the combobox, the groupbox also get minimized. Can u please help me in regards? — , Feb 15 '13 at 21:24

score 5 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:24

5

You probably should use an Expander for this (that's what they are for) and animate that.

If you don't like the look re-template them, you can make them look like a group-box.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:24

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answered Jan 30 '12 at 13:29

H.B.

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Collapse/Expand Groupboxes

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