Dock

Dock FAQ

This page answers common questions that come up when using Dock.

Focus management

Why does the active document lose focus when I load a saved layout?

After deserializing a layout you need to restore the last active and focused dockables. Call DockState.Restore with the root dock once the layout has been assigned to DockControl:

var layout = _serializer.Load<IDock?>(stream);
if (layout is { })
{
    dock.Layout = layout;
    _dockState.Restore(layout); // restores active and focused dockables
}

DockState tracks focus changes at runtime and can reapply them after a layout is loaded.

Serialization pitfalls

Deserialization fails with unknown types

DockSerializer relies on DockableLocator to map identifiers to your view models. Register all custom dockables before loading:

ContextLocator = new Dictionary<string, Func<object?>>
{
    ["Document1"] = () => new MyDocument(),
    ["Tool1"] = () => new MyTool(),
};
DockableLocator = new Dictionary<string, Func<IDockable?>>
{
    ["Document1"] = () => new MyDocument(),
    ["Tool1"] = () => new MyTool(),
};

If a dockable cannot be resolved the serializer will return null.

What is DockableLocator and ContextLocator?

DockableLocator is a dictionary of functions that create view models. The serializer and factory query it using the identifiers stored in a layout to recreate dockables at runtime. ContextLocator works the same way but returns objects that become the DataContext of the views. Populate both dictionaries when initializing your factory so that Dock can resolve your custom documents and tools.

Are dock Ids unique?

No. The Id string on a dockable acts as a lookup key for DockSerializer. When a document dock is split or cloned the factory copies the source Id so that both docks resolve to the same view model type when a layout is deserialized. If you need to distinguish individual document docks, store a separate unique identifier on your view models.

Other questions

Floating windows appear in the wrong place

Override CreateWindowFrom in your factory to configure new windows when a dockable is floated. This allows you to center windows or set their dimensions.

public override IHostWindow CreateWindowFrom(IDockWindow source)
{
    var window = base.CreateWindowFrom(source);
    window.Width = 800;
    window.Height = 600;
    window.Position = new PixelPoint(100, 100);
    return window;
}

Can I give a tool a fixed size?

Set MinWidth and MaxWidth (or the height equivalents) on the tool view model. When both values are the same the tool cannot be resized. DockManager has a PreventSizeConflicts flag which stops docking tools together if their fixed sizes are incompatible.

Pinned tools show up on the wrong side

When a tool is pinned the framework looks at the Alignment of its containing ToolDock. If no alignment is specified the dock defaults to Left, which can make right–hand panels collapse to the left when pinned. Set Alignment to Right, Left, Top or Bottom depending on where the dock should live:

new ToolDock
{
    VisibleDockables = CreateList<IDockable>(myTool),
    Alignment = Alignment.Right
};

Can I cancel switching the active dockable or closing a dock?

Dock currently raises ActiveDockableChanged only after the active dockable has been updated, so the change cannot be cancelled. Likewise there is no pre-close event for dockables. The only cancellable closing hook is WindowClosing, which is fired when a host window is about to close. Set the Cancel property on the event arguments to keep the window open:

factory.WindowClosing += (_, args) =>
{
    if (!CanShutdown())
    {
        args.Cancel = true; // prevents the window from closing
    }
};

Cancelling individual dockables is not supported.

How do I disable undocking or drag-and-drop?

Set the attached DockProperties.IsDragEnabled property to false on your DockControl (or parent window) to prevent dockables from being dragged. You can also disable drop targets with DockProperties.IsDropEnabled:

<Window xmlns:dockSettings="clr-namespace:Dock.Settings;assembly=Dock.Settings"
        dockSettings:DockProperties.IsDragEnabled="False"
        dockSettings:DockProperties.IsDropEnabled="False">
    <DockControl />
</Window>

Dockables may still be floated programmatically unless their CanFloat property is set to false.

For a general overview of Dock see the documentation index.

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