#1,187 – Using an ItemContainerStyle to Change Items in an ItemsControl

One common use when defining a new ItemContainerStyle for an ItemsControl is to do something special with either the currently selected item or the item that the mouse is currently over.  The default template used as an ItemContainerStyle for a ListBox, for example, changes the background and border for both the selected item and the item that the mouse is currently over.

Below is an example where we change the FontWeight for the currently selected item (to SemiBold) and make the item larger, using a transform.  This method uses a trigger to change several properties.

        <Style x:Key="FocusVisual">
            <Setter Property="Control.Template">
                <Setter.Value>
                    <ControlTemplate>
                        <Rectangle Margin="2" SnapsToDevicePixels="true" Stroke="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.ControlTextBrushKey}}" StrokeThickness="1" StrokeDashArray="1 2"/>
                    </ControlTemplate>
                </Setter.Value>
            </Setter>
        </Style>
        <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.MouseOver.Background" Color="#1F26A0DA"/>
        <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.MouseOver.Border" Color="#a826A0Da"/>
        <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Background" Color="#3DDADADA"/>
        <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedInactive.Border" Color="#FFDADADA"/>
        <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Background" Color="#3D26A0DA"/>
        <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Item.SelectedActive.Border" Color="#FF26A0DA"/>
        
        <Style x:Key="lbDefaultItemContainerStyle" TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
            <Setter Property="SnapsToDevicePixels" Value="True"/>
            <Setter Property="Padding" Value="4,1"/>
            <Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="{Binding HorizontalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}"/>
            <Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment" Value="{Binding VerticalContentAlignment, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}"/>
            <Setter Property="Background" Value="Transparent"/>
            <Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="Transparent"/>
            <Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="1"/>
            <Setter Property="FocusVisualStyle" Value="{StaticResource FocusVisual}"/>
            <Setter Property="Template">
                <Setter.Value>
                    <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type ListBoxItem}">
                        <Border x:Name="Bd" BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}" BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}" SnapsToDevicePixels="true">
                            <ContentPresenter HorizontalAlignment="{TemplateBinding HorizontalContentAlignment}" SnapsToDevicePixels="{TemplateBinding SnapsToDevicePixels}" VerticalAlignment="{TemplateBinding VerticalContentAlignment}"/>
                        </Border>
                        <ControlTemplate.Triggers>
                            <MultiTrigger>
                                <MultiTrigger.Conditions>
                                    <Condition Property="IsMouseOver" Value="True"/>
                                </MultiTrigger.Conditions>
                                <Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.MouseOver.Background}"/>
                                <Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.MouseOver.Border}"/>
                                <Setter Property="LayoutTransform">
                                    <Setter.Value>
                                        <ScaleTransform ScaleX="1.5" ScaleY="1.5"/>
                                    </Setter.Value>
                                </Setter>
                                <Setter Property="FontWeight" Value="SemiBold"/>
                            </MultiTrigger>
                            <MultiTrigger>
                                <MultiTrigger.Conditions>
                                    <Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive" Value="False"/>
                                    <Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="True"/>
                                </MultiTrigger.Conditions>
                                <Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Background}"/>
                                <Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedInactive.Border}"/>
                            </MultiTrigger>
                            <MultiTrigger>
                                <MultiTrigger.Conditions>
                                    <Condition Property="Selector.IsSelectionActive" Value="True"/>
                                    <Condition Property="IsSelected" Value="True"/>
                                </MultiTrigger.Conditions>
                                <Setter Property="Background" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Background}"/>
                                <Setter Property="BorderBrush" TargetName="Bd" Value="{StaticResource Item.SelectedActive.Border}"/>
                            </MultiTrigger>
                            <Trigger Property="IsEnabled" Value="False">
                                <Setter Property="TextElement.Foreground" TargetName="Bd" Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.GrayTextBrushKey}}"/>
                            </Trigger>
                        </ControlTemplate.Triggers>
                    </ControlTemplate>
                </Setter.Value>
            </Setter>
        </Style>
    </Window.Resources>

The resulting behavior looks like this: