Table of Contents

Selector Overlay

Dock includes a document/tool selector overlay that lets users switch between dockables with the keyboard. The overlay is part of the DockControl template and is driven by DockSettings gestures.

Default shortcuts

  • Document selector: Ctrl+Tab
  • Tool selector: Ctrl+Alt+Tab

These defaults come from DockSettings.DocumentSelectorKeyGesture and DockSettings.ToolSelectorKeyGesture.

Enable or customize

DockSettings.SelectorEnabled = true;
DockSettings.DocumentSelectorKeyGesture = new KeyGesture(Key.Tab, KeyModifiers.Control);
DockSettings.ToolSelectorKeyGesture = new KeyGesture(Key.Tab, KeyModifiers.Control | KeyModifiers.Alt);

When the selector is open:

  • Tab / Shift+Tab cycles items
  • Arrow keys move selection
  • Enter activates the selected item
  • Esc closes the overlay
  • Releasing the modifier keys commits the current selection

Control what appears

Dockable base classes implement IDockSelectorInfo. Use it to hide items or change labels:

public class OutputTool : Tool
{
    public OutputTool()
    {
        ShowInSelector = false;
    }
}

public class DocumentViewModel : Document
{
    public DocumentViewModel()
    {
        SelectorTitle = "README.md";
    }
}

Programmatic control

DockControl implements IDockSelectorService so you can open or close the overlay in code:

if (dockControl is IDockSelectorService selector)
{
    selector.ShowSelector(DockSelectorMode.Documents);
    // ...
    selector.HideSelector();
}

Overlay control properties

The overlay itself is a DockSelectorOverlay control in the DockControl template. It exposes:

  • IsOpen - Toggles visibility and the :open pseudo class.
  • Items - The DockSelectorItem list rendered by the overlay.
  • SelectedItem - The currently highlighted selector item.
  • Mode - Documents or Tools, shown in the header.
  • PART_ItemsList - ListBox template part used for selector navigation and UI automation selection/scroll delegation. Keep this part in custom templates for full reader support.

These properties are primarily used by the template but can be styled or replaced in a custom theme.

Automation behavior

DockSelectorOverlayAutomationPeer exposes:

  • AutomationControlType.List
  • IExpandCollapseProvider for open/close
  • ISelectionProvider for current selector entry
  • IScrollProvider delegated to the internal ListBox
  • IValueProvider (read-only selected title)

Automation events raised by DockSelectorOverlayAutomationPeer:

  • ExpandCollapsePatternIdentifiers.ExpandCollapseStateProperty when IsOpen changes.
  • SelectionPatternIdentifiers.SelectionProperty and ValuePatternIdentifiers.ValueProperty when SelectedItem changes.
  • AutomationElementIdentifiers.NameProperty when Mode changes (for mode-specific selector name).
  • ChildrenChanged when Items is replaced.

Reader compatibility notes:

  • IValueProvider.SetValue is intentionally unsupported (read-only contract).
  • Selection and scroll providers are delegated to PART_ItemsList, so they stay compatible with default list automation behavior.

Ordering and selection

The selector is ordered by the most recently activated dockables. Dock tracks activation order inside DockControl, so frequently used documents and tools appear first.

For related settings see Dock settings.

For UI automation peer behavior and accessibility contract details, see Accessibility and UI automation.

Edit this page