WPF Custom Form

Hi I am a attempting to make a custom form base class completely coded(without xaml) that can be used for new items in my projects.

The problem is, when i configure a new window item to extend this custom window type the XAML editor still looks the same as always... I imagine that I somehow have to specify where the design time editable region is... but I have no idea how to do this and google has been no help so far...

Attached is my custom form code, I realise it may have ineffciencies at the moment :) so apologies, but if you could help me understand how to resolve this problem it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Xavier.

// Usage:
<m:BasicDialog x:Class="CustomFormResearch.MainWindow"
             xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
             xmlns:m="clr-namespace:CustomFormResearch" Title="Hello World">
    
</m:BasicDialog>



//custom form code

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Interop;
using System.Windows.Media.Effects;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System.Windows;
using System;

namespace CustomFormResearch
{
    public class BasicDialog:Window
    {
        public string DialogTitleCaption = "BasicDialog";

        public const int HT_CAPTION = 0x2;
        public const int WM_NCLBUTTONDOWN = 0xA1;

        public BasicDialog()
        {
            InitializeBase();
        }

        [DllImportAttribute("user32.dll")]
        public static extern bool ReleaseCapture();

        [DllImportAttribute("user32.dll")]
        public static extern int SendMessage(IntPtr hWnd,
                                             int Msg, int wParam, int lParam);

        public void InitializeBase()
        {
            #region Component Declarations
            ///
            ///Component Declarations
            ///
            DropShadowEffect dseStaticGlowText;
            DropShadowEffect dseGlowInEffect;

            Setter str_txtblk_dseSetter;

            Style syl_txtblk_GlowStyle;

            Grid grdMainDialogGrid;
            Border bdrTitleBar;
            TextBlock txtblkTitleBar;
            Grid grdDialogGrid;
            Border bdrFooter;
            StackPanel spDialogOptions;
            #endregion
            #region Effects
            ///
            /// dseStaticGlowEffect
            /// 
            dseStaticGlowText = new DropShadowEffect();
            dseStaticGlowText.BlurRadius = 5;
            dseStaticGlowText.Color = Colors.White;
            dseStaticGlowText.RenderingBias = RenderingBias.Quality;
            dseStaticGlowText.ShadowDepth = 0;
            ///
            /// dseGlowInEffect
            /// 
            dseGlowInEffect = new DropShadowEffect();
            dseGlowInEffect.BlurRadius = 5;
            dseGlowInEffect.Color = Colors.White;
            dseGlowInEffect.RenderingBias = RenderingBias.Quality;
            dseGlowInEffect.ShadowDepth = 0;
            #endregion
            #region setters
            ///
            ///str_txtblk_dseSetter
            ///
            str_txtblk_dseSetter = new Setter(TextBox.EffectProperty, dseGlowInEffect);
            #endregion
            #region Styles
            ///
            ///syl_txtblk_GlowStyle
            ///
            syl_txtblk_GlowStyle = new Style(typeof(TextBlock));
            syl_txtblk_GlowStyle.Setters.Add(str_txtblk_dseSetter);
            #endregion
            #region WindowResources
            ///
            /// Window Resources
            ///
            this.Resources.Add("StaticGlowText", dseStaticGlowText);
            this.Resources.Add("GlowInEffect", syl_txtblk_GlowStyle);
            #endregion
            #region Title Bar Configuration
            ///
            /// txtblkTitleBar
            /// 
            txtblkTitleBar = new TextBlock();
            txtblkTitleBar.Name = "txtblkTitleBar";
            txtblkTitleBar.Text = DialogTitleCaption;
            txtblkTitleBar.VerticalAlignment = System.Windows.VerticalAlignment.Stretch;
            txtblkTitleBar.HorizontalAlignment = System.Windows.HorizontalAlignment.Stretch;
            txtblkTitleBar.FontSize = 14;
            txtblkTitleBar.MouseDown += new MouseButtonEventHandler(txtblkTitleBar_MouseDown);
            txtblkTitleBar.Effect = new DropShadowEffect()
            {
                ShadowDepth = 0,
                Color = Colors.White,
                BlurRadius = 3,
                RenderingBias = RenderingBias.Quality
            };
            ///
            /// bdrTitleBar
            ///
            bdrTitleBar = new Border();
            bdrTitleBar.BorderBrush = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.White);
            bdrTitleBar.BorderThickness = new Thickness(0, 0, 0, 1);
            bdrTitleBar.Height = 44;
            bdrTitleBar.Name = "bdrTitleBar";
            bdrTitleBar.VerticalAlignment = System.Windows.VerticalAlignment.Top;
            bdrTitleBar.Padding = new Thickness(50, 15, 0, 0);
            bdrTitleBar.Child = txtblkTitleBar;
            #endregion
            #region DialogGrid
            ///
            /// grdDialogGrid
            ///
            grdDialogGrid = new Grid();
            grdDialogGrid.Margin = new Thickness(0, 50, 0, 47);
            grdDialogGrid.Height = 414;
            grdDialogGrid.VerticalAlignment = System.Windows.VerticalAlignment.Stretch;
            grdDialogGrid.Name = "grdDialogGrid";
            #endregion
            #region DialogFooter
            ///
            /// spDialogOptions
            /// 
            spDialogOptions = new StackPanel();
            spDialogOptions.Name = "spDialogOptions";
            spDialogOptions.VerticalAlignment = System.Windows.VerticalAlignment.Stretch;
            spDialogOptions.HorizontalAlignment = System.Windows.HorizontalAlignment.Right;
            spDialogOptions.Orientation = Orientation.Horizontal;
            spDialogOptions.FlowDirection = System.Windows.FlowDirection.RightToLeft;
            spDialogOptions.Margin = new Thickness(0, 10, 7, 0);
            spDialogOptions.Width = 965;
            ///
            /// bdrFooter
            ///
            bdrFooter = new Border();
            bdrFooter.Name = "bdrFooter";
            bdrFooter.BorderBrush = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.White);
            bdrFooter.BorderThickness = new Thickness(0, 1, 0, 0);
            bdrFooter.Height = 41;
            bdrFooter.VerticalAlignment = System.Windows.VerticalAlignment.Bottom;
            bdrFooter.Child = spDialogOptions;
            #endregion
            #region Main Dialog Grid
            ///
            /// grdMainDialogGrid
            /// 
            grdMainDialogGrid = new Grid();
            grdMainDialogGrid.Name = "grdMainDialogGrid";
            grdMainDialogGrid.VerticalAlignment = System.Windows.VerticalAlignment.Stretch;
            grdMainDialogGrid.HorizontalAlignment = System.Windows.HorizontalAlignment.Stretch;
            grdMainDialogGrid.Children.Add(bdrTitleBar);
            grdMainDialogGrid.Children.Add(grdDialogGrid);
            grdMainDialogGrid.Children.Add(bdrFooter);
            #endregion
            #region BasicDialog
            ///
            /// BasicDialog
            ///
            this.Background = new SolidColorBrush((Color)new ColorConverter().ConvertFrom("#FF141414"));
            this.Foreground = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.White);
            this.Height = 550;
            this.Width = 1000;
            this.WindowStartupLocation = System.Windows.WindowStartupLocation.CenterOwner;
            this.Title = DialogTitleCaption;
            this.WindowStyle = System.Windows.WindowStyle.None;
            this.UseLayoutRounding = false;
            this.KeyUp += new KeyEventHandler(Window_KeyUp);
            this.Content = grdMainDialogGrid;
            #endregion
        }

        private void txtblkTitleBar_MouseDown(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e)
        {
            if (e.LeftButton == MouseButtonState.Pressed)
            {
                ReleaseCapture();
                SendMessage(new WindowInteropHelper(this).Handle, WM_NCLBUTTONDOWN, HT_CAPTION, 0);
            }
        }

        private void Window_KeyUp(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
        {
            if (e.Key == Key.Escape)
                this.Close();
        }
    }
}

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