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Document Formatting (XAML)

  • 2 minutes to read

XAML markup has a complex structure that can be difficult to understand. CodeRush can format any XAML document to improve code readability and layout.

#How to Format an XAML Document

  1. Place the caret into a XAML document.

    Note

    The blinking cursor shows the caret’s position at which the Code Formatter is available.

    <Window
            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:dxm="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/map"
            x:Class="MyWpfApplication.MainWindow" mc:Ignorable="d" 
            Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
    <Grid> <Grid>
        <dxm:MapControl> 
            <dxm:ImageLayer> <dxm:OpenStreetMapDataProvider/> </dxm:ImageLayer> 
        </dxm:MapControl>
    </Grid> </Grid>
    </Window>
    
  2. Press the Ctrl + . or Ctrl + ~ shortcut to invoke the Code Actions menu.
  3. Select Format Document from the menu.

After execution, the indentation of each tag corresponds to its folding level.

<Window x:Class="MyWpfApplication.MainWindow"
        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:dxm="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/map"
        Height="350"
        Width="525"
        mc:Ignorable="d"
        Title="MainWindow">

    <Grid>
        <Grid>
            <dxm:MapControl>
                <dxm:ImageLayer>
                    <dxm:OpenStreetMapDataProvider />
                </dxm:ImageLayer>
            </dxm:MapControl>
        </Grid>
    </Grid>

</Window>

#Configuration

You can configure formatting of a XAML document on the Editor | XAML | Formatting options page.

Config_XAML_Formatting

#Document Formatting Options

  • Attribute Formatting - configures in which cases and how to break apart the element attributes.
  • Attribute Reordering - switches Attribute Reordering on and off, and configures attribute order.
  • Element Formatting - configures multiple aspects of XAML element formatting.
  • Element Reordering - enables or disables the Grid, Canvas, and Setter sorting.
  • Element Spacing and Text Lines Spacing - uses Visual Studio’s Element Spacing formatting options. You can override these settings, for example, to use the CodeRush’s “Place empty lines between elements in text content” option.

    XAML_Spacing

  • Markup Extension Formatting - configures the formatting options for XAML markup extensions.

    XAML_Markup Extension

See Also