This project contains examples for Silverlight for providing formatting within a text block, either as a behaviour or attached property. I would have liked to create custom control that derived from TextBlock but the class is sealed in Silverlight.
Source code: https://github.com/stevenh77/RichTextBlockExample
<UserControl x:Class="RichTextBlockExample.MainPage"
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"
xmlns:i="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/2010/interactivity"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:RichTextBlockExample"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="300" d:DesignWidth="400">
<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot" Background="White">
<StackPanel>
<TextBlock x:Name="TextBlockUsingBehaviour">
<i:Interaction.Behaviors>
<local:RichTextBlockBehaviour/>
</i:Interaction.Behaviors>
</TextBlock>
<TextBlock x:Name="TextBlockUsingAttachedProperty" local:SupportRichText.RichText="" />
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
namespace RichTextBlockExample
{
public partial class MainPage
{
public MainPage()
{
InitializeComponent();
string output = "Testing <bold>formatted</bold> text <underline>with</underline> a <italic>textblock</italic>";
TextBlockUsingBehaviour.Text = output;
TextBlockUsingAttachedProperty.SetValue(SupportRichText.RichTextProperty, output);
}
}
}
Behaviour
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Windows.Documents;
using System.Windows.Interactivity;
namespace RichTextBlockExample
{
public class RichTextBlockBehaviour : Behavior<TextBlock>
{
private PropertyListener propertyListener;
protected override void OnAttached()
{
base.OnAttached();
propertyListener = new PropertyListener();
propertyListener.ListenForChange("Text", this.AssociatedObject, TextBlock_TextChanged);
}
private void TextBlock_TextChanged(DependencyObject sender, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
var textBlock = sender as TextBlock;
if (textBlock != null)
{
textBlock.Inlines.Clear();
textBlock.Inlines.Add(Traverse(e.NewValue.ToString()));
}
}
protected override void OnDetaching()
{
base.OnDetaching();
}
private static Inline Traverse(string value)
{
// Get the sections/inlines
string[] sections = SplitIntoSections(value);
// Check for grouping
if (sections.Length.Equals(1))
{
string section = sections[0];
string token; // E.g <Bold>
int tokenStart, tokenEnd; // Where the token/section starts and ends.
// Check for token
if (GetTokenInfo(section, out token, out tokenStart, out tokenEnd))
{
// Get the content to further examination
string content = token.Length.Equals(tokenEnd - tokenStart)
? null
: section.Substring(token.Length, section.Length - 1 - token.Length * 2);
switch (token.ToLower())
{
case "<bold>":
return new Run() { Text = content, FontWeight = FontWeights.Bold };
case "<italic>":
return new Run() { Text = content, FontStyle = FontStyles.Italic };
case "<underline>":
return new Run() { Text = content, TextDecorations = TextDecorations.Underline };
case "<linebreak/>":
return new LineBreak();
default:
return new Run() { Text = content };
}
}
else return new Run() { Text = section };
}
else // Group together
{
Span span = new Span();
foreach (string section in sections) span.Inlines.Add(Traverse(section));
return span;
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Examines the passed string and find the first token, where it begins and where it ends.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="value">The string to examine.</param>
/// <param name="token">The found token.</param>
/// <param name="startIndex">Where the token begins.</param>
/// <param name="endIndex">Where the end-token ends.</param>
/// <returns>True if a token was found.</returns>
private static bool GetTokenInfo(string value, out string token, out int startIndex, out int endIndex)
{
token = null;
endIndex = -1;
startIndex = value.IndexOf("<");
int startTokenEndIndex = value.IndexOf(">");
// No token here
if (startIndex < 0) return false;
// No token here
if (startTokenEndIndex < 0) return false;
token = value.Substring(startIndex, startTokenEndIndex - startIndex + 1);
// Check for closed token. E.g. <LineBreak/>
if (token.EndsWith("/>"))
{
endIndex = startIndex + token.Length;
return true;
}
string endToken = token.Insert(1, "/");
// Detect nesting;
int nesting = 0;
int temp_startTokenIndex = -1;
int temp_endTokenIndex = -1;
int pos = 0;
do
{
temp_startTokenIndex = value.IndexOf(token, pos);
temp_endTokenIndex = value.IndexOf(endToken, pos);
if (temp_startTokenIndex >= 0 && temp_startTokenIndex < temp_endTokenIndex)
{
nesting++;
pos = temp_startTokenIndex + token.Length;
}
else if (temp_endTokenIndex >= 0 && nesting > 0)
{
nesting--;
pos = temp_endTokenIndex + endToken.Length;
}
else // Invalid tokenized string
return false;
}
while (nesting > 0);
endIndex = pos;
return true;
}
/// <summary>
/// Splits the string into sections of tokens and regular text.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="value">The string to split.</param>
/// <returns>An array with the sections.</returns>
private static string[] SplitIntoSections(string value)
{
List<string> sections = new List<string>();
while (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
{
string token;
int tokenStartIndex, tokenEndIndex;
// Check if this is a token section
if (GetTokenInfo(value, out token, out tokenStartIndex, out tokenEndIndex))
{
// Add pretext if the token isn't from the start
if (tokenStartIndex > 0) sections.Add(value.Substring(0, tokenStartIndex));
sections.Add(value.Substring(tokenStartIndex, tokenEndIndex - tokenStartIndex));
value = value.Substring(tokenEndIndex); // Trim away
}
else
{
// No tokens, just add the text
sections.Add(value);
value = null;
}
}
return sections.ToArray();
}
}
}
Attached Property
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Documents;
namespace RichTextBlockExample
{
public class SupportRichText
{
public static string GetRichText(DependencyObject obj)
{
return (string)obj.GetValue(RichTextProperty);
}
public static void SetRichText(DependencyObject obj, string value)
{
obj.SetValue(RichTextProperty, value);
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty RichTextProperty =
DependencyProperty.RegisterAttached(
"RichText",
typeof(string),
typeof(SupportRichText),
new PropertyMetadata("", RichTextChanged));
private static Inline Traverse(string value)
{
// Get the sections/inlines
string[] sections = SplitIntoSections(value);
// Check for grouping
if (sections.Length.Equals(1))
{
string section = sections[0];
string token; // E.g <Bold>
int tokenStart, tokenEnd; // Where the token/section starts and ends.
// Check for token
if (GetTokenInfo(section, out token, out tokenStart, out tokenEnd))
{
// Get the content to further examination
string content = token.Length.Equals(tokenEnd - tokenStart)
? null
: section.Substring(token.Length, section.Length - 1 - token.Length * 2);
switch (token.ToLower())
{
case "<bold>":
return new Run() { Text = content, FontWeight = FontWeights.Bold };
case "<italic>":
return new Run() { Text = content, FontStyle = FontStyles.Italic };
case "<underline>":
return new Run() { Text = content, TextDecorations = TextDecorations.Underline };
case "<linebreak/>":
return new LineBreak();
default:
return new Run() { Text = content };
}
}
else return new Run() { Text = section };
}
else // Group together
{
Span span = new Span();
foreach (string section in sections) span.Inlines.Add(Traverse(section));
return span;
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Examines the passed string and find the first token, where it begins and where it ends.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="value">The string to examine.</param>
/// <param name="token">The found token.</param>
/// <param name="startIndex">Where the token begins.</param>
/// <param name="endIndex">Where the end-token ends.</param>
/// <returns>True if a token was found.</returns>
private static bool GetTokenInfo(string value, out string token, out int startIndex, out int endIndex)
{
token = null;
endIndex = -1;
startIndex = value.IndexOf("<");
int startTokenEndIndex = value.IndexOf(">");
// No token here
if (startIndex < 0) return false;
// No token here
if (startTokenEndIndex < 0) return false;
token = value.Substring(startIndex, startTokenEndIndex - startIndex + 1);
// Check for closed token. E.g. <LineBreak/>
if (token.EndsWith("/>"))
{
endIndex = startIndex + token.Length;
return true;
}
string endToken = token.Insert(1, "/");
// Detect nesting;
int nesting = 0;
int temp_startTokenIndex = -1;
int temp_endTokenIndex = -1;
int pos = 0;
do
{
temp_startTokenIndex = value.IndexOf(token, pos);
temp_endTokenIndex = value.IndexOf(endToken, pos);
if (temp_startTokenIndex >= 0 && temp_startTokenIndex < temp_endTokenIndex)
{
nesting++;
pos = temp_startTokenIndex + token.Length;
}
else if (temp_endTokenIndex >= 0 && nesting > 0)
{
nesting--;
pos = temp_endTokenIndex + endToken.Length;
}
else // Invalid tokenized string
return false;
}
while (nesting > 0);
endIndex = pos;
return true;
}
/// <summary>
/// Splits the string into sections of tokens and regular text.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="value">The string to split.</param>
/// <returns>An array with the sections.</returns>
private static string[] SplitIntoSections(string value)
{
var sections = new List<string>();
while (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
{
string token;
int tokenStartIndex, tokenEndIndex;
// Check if this is a token section
if (GetTokenInfo(value, out token, out tokenStartIndex, out tokenEndIndex))
{
// Add pretext if the token isn't from the start
if (tokenStartIndex > 0) sections.Add(value.Substring(0, tokenStartIndex));
sections.Add(value.Substring(tokenStartIndex, tokenEndIndex - tokenStartIndex));
value = value.Substring(tokenEndIndex); // Trim away
}
else
{
// No tokens, just add the text
sections.Add(value);
value = null;
}
}
return sections.ToArray();
}
private static void RichTextChanged(DependencyObject sender, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
string value = e.NewValue as string;
TextBlock textBlock = sender as TextBlock;
if (textBlock != null) textBlock.Inlines.Add(Traverse(value));
}
}
}
Property Listener
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Data;
namespace RichTextBlockExample
{
public class PropertyListener
{
/// <summary>
/// Listens for changes to dependency properties on a given FrameworkElement calls a callback on property change.
/// Usage example: PropertyListener.ListenForChange("IsBusy", BusyIndicator, (d,e) => DoStuff())
/// (may cause memory leaks)
/// </summary>
public void ListenForChange(string propertyName, FrameworkElement element, PropertyChangedCallback callback)
{
var b = new Binding(propertyName) { Source = element };
var prop = DependencyProperty.RegisterAttached(
"ListenAttached" + propertyName,
typeof(object),
typeof(Control),
new PropertyMetadata(callback));
element.SetBinding(prop, b);
}
}
}
