WPF and initial focus

Question

It seems that when a WPF application starts, nothing has focus.

This is really weird. Every other framework I\'ve used does just what you\'d expect: puts initial foc

Answer 1

This works, too:

<Window FocusManager.FocusedElement="{Binding ElementName=SomeElement}">

   <DataGrid x:Name="SomeElement">
     ...
   </DataGrid>
</Window>

Answer 2

I also faced the same problem. I had three text boxes inside canvas container and wanted the first text box to be focused when the user control opens. WPF code followed MVVM pattern. I created a separate behavior class for focusing the element and binded it to my view like this.

Canvas behavior code

public  class CanvasLoadedBehavior : Behavior<Canvas>
{
    private Canvas _canvas;
    protected override void OnAttached()
    {
        base.OnAttached();
        _canvas = AssociatedObject as Canvas;
        if (_canvas.Name == "ReturnRefundCanvas")
        {

            _canvas.Loaded += _canvas_Loaded;
        }


    }

    void _canvas_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
        FocusNavigationDirection focusDirection = FocusNavigationDirection.Next;

        // MoveFocus takes a TraveralReqest as its argument.
        TraversalRequest request = new TraversalRequest(focusDirection);
        UIElement elementWithFocus = Keyboard.FocusedElement as UIElement;
        if (elementWithFocus != null)
        {
            elementWithFocus.MoveFocus(request);
        }

    }

}

Code for view

<Canvas  Name="ReturnRefundCanvas" Height="200" Width="1466" DataContext="{Binding RefundSearchViewModel}">
                <i:Interaction.Behaviors>
                    <b:CanvasLoadedBehavior />
                </i:Interaction.Behaviors>
                <uc:Keyboard Canvas.Left="973" Canvas.Top="111" ToolTip="Keyboard" RenderTransformOrigin="-2.795,9.787"></uc:Keyboard>
                <Label  Style="{StaticResource Devlbl}" Canvas.Left="28" Content="Return and Refund Search" Canvas.Top="10" />
                <Image Height="30" Width="28" Canvas.Top="6" Canvas.Left="5" Source="pack://application:,,,/HomaKiosk;component/images/searchF.png">
                    <Image.OpacityMask>
                        <ImageBrush ImageSource="pack://application:,,,/HomaKiosk;component/images/searchF.png"/>
                    </Image.OpacityMask>
                </Image>

                <Separator Height="4" Canvas.Left="6" Margin="0" Canvas.Top="35" Width="1007"/>

                <ContentControl Canvas.Top="45" Canvas.Left="21"
                    ContentTemplate="{StaticResource ErrorMsg}"
                    Visibility="{Binding Error, Converter={c:StringNullOrEmptyToVisibilityConverter}}" 
                    Content="{Binding Error}" Width="992"></ContentControl>

                <Label  Style="{StaticResource Devlbl}" Canvas.Left="29" Name="FirstName" Content="First Name" Canvas.Top="90" />
                <wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox  Style="{StaticResource AutoComp}" Height="32" Canvas.Left="33" ToolTip="First Name"  Canvas.Top="120" Width="205"                     Padding="10,5" TabIndex="1001"
                    VerticalAlignment="Top"

                    Watermark=""
                    IconPlacement="Left"
                    IconVisibility="Visible"
                    Delay="100"

                    Text="{Binding FirstName, Mode=TwoWay, TargetNullValue=''}" 
                    Provider="{Binding FirstNameSuggestions}">
                    <wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox.ItemTemplate>
                        <DataTemplate>
                            <Border Padding="5">
                                <StackPanel Orientation="Vertical">
                                    <TextBlock Text="{Binding}"
                   FontWeight="Bold" />
                                </StackPanel>
                            </Border>
                        </DataTemplate>
                    </wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox.ItemTemplate>
                </wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox>

                <Label Style="{StaticResource Devlbl}" Canvas.Left="250" Content="Last Name" Canvas.Top="90" />
                <wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox  Style="{StaticResource AutoComp}" Height="32" ToolTip="Last Name" Canvas.Left="250"  Canvas.Top="120" Width="205" Padding="10,5"  TabIndex="1002"
                    VerticalAlignment="Top"
                    Watermark=""
                    IconPlacement="Left"
                    IconVisibility="Visible"
                    Delay="100"
                   Text="{Binding LastName, Mode=TwoWay, TargetNullValue=''}" 
                    Provider="{Binding LastNameSuggestions}">
                    <wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox.ItemTemplate>
                        <DataTemplate>
                            <Border Padding="5">
                                <StackPanel Orientation="Vertical">
                                    <TextBlock Text="{Binding}"
                   FontWeight="Bold" />
                                </StackPanel>
                            </Border>
                        </DataTemplate>
                    </wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox.ItemTemplate>
                </wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox>

                <Label Style="{StaticResource Devlbl}" Canvas.Left="480" Content="Receipt No" Canvas.Top="90" />
                             <wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox  Style="{StaticResource AutoComp}" Height="32" ToolTip="Receipt No" Canvas.Left="480"  Canvas.Top="120" Width="205" Padding="10,5"  TabIndex="1002"
                    VerticalAlignment="Top"
                    Watermark=""
                    IconPlacement="Left"
                    IconVisibility="Visible"
                    Delay="100"
                    Text="{Binding ReceiptNo, Mode=TwoWay, TargetNullValue=''}" 
                    Provider="{Binding ReceiptIdSuggestions}">
                    <wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox.ItemTemplate>
                        <DataTemplate>
                            <Border Padding="5">
                                <StackPanel Orientation="Vertical" >
                                    <TextBlock Text="{Binding}"
                   FontWeight="Bold">

                                    </TextBlock>
                                </StackPanel>
                            </Border>
                        </DataTemplate>
                    </wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox.ItemTemplate>
                    <i:Interaction.Behaviors>
                        <b:AllowableCharactersTextBoxBehavior RegularExpression="^[0-9]+$" MaxLength="15" />
                    </i:Interaction.Behaviors>
                </wpf:AutoCompleteTextBox>
                <!--<Label Style="{StaticResource Devlbl}" Canvas.Left="710" Content="Duration" Canvas.Top="79" />-->
                <!--<ComboBox AllowDrop="True" Canvas.Left="710" ToolTip="Duration" Canvas.Top="107" Width="205" TabIndex="1004"
                    Style="{StaticResource CommonComboBox}"      
                    ItemsSource="{Binding Durations}" DisplayMemberPath="Description" SelectedValuePath="Id" SelectedValue="{Binding SelectedDate, Mode=TwoWay}">

                </ComboBox>-->

                <Button Content="Search" Style="{StaticResource MyButton}" ToolTip="Search" 
                    Canvas.Top="116" Canvas.Left="710" Cursor="Hand" 
                    Command="{Binding SearchCommand}" TabIndex="2001">
                </Button>
                <Button Content="Clear" Style="{StaticResource MyButton}"  ToolTip="Clear"
                    Canvas.Top="116" Canvas.Left="840" Cursor="Hand" 
                    Command="{Binding ClearCommand}" TabIndex="2002">
                </Button>
                <Image Height="25" Width="25" Canvas.Top="175" Canvas.Left="25" Source="pack://application:,,,/HomaKiosk;component/images/chkpending.png"/>
                <Label  Style="{StaticResource LegendLbl}" Canvas.Left="50" Content="Check Returned and Payment Pending" Canvas.Top="178" />
                <Image Height="25" Width="25" Canvas.Top="175" Canvas.Left="300" Source="pack://application:,,,/HomaKiosk;component/images/chkrepaid.png"/>
                <Label  Style="{StaticResource LegendLbl}" Canvas.Left="325" Content="Repaid" Canvas.Top="178" />
                <Image Height="25" Width="25" Canvas.Top="175" Canvas.Left="395" Source="pack://application:,,,/HomaKiosk;component/images/refund.png"/>
                <Label  Style="{StaticResource LegendLbl}" Canvas.Left="415" Content="Refunded" Canvas.Top="178" />
                 </Canvas>

Answer 3

Above solution was not working as expected for me, I've changed slightly the behavior proposed by Mizipzor as following:

From this part

if ((bool)args.NewValue)
        {
            control.Loaded += (sender, e) =>
                   control.MoveFocus(new TraversalRequest(FocusNavigationDirection.Next));
        }

To this

if ((bool)args.NewValue)
        {
            control.Loaded += (sender, e) => control.Focus();
        }

ANd I'm not attaching this behavior to Window or UserControl, but to control I want to focus initially, e.g.:

<TextBox ui:FocusBehavior.InitialFocus="True" />

Oh, sorry for different naming I'm using InitialFocus name for the attached property.

And this is working for me, maybe it could help someone else.

Answer 4

After having a 'WPF Initial Focus Nightmare' and based on some answers on stack, the following proved for me to be the best solution.

First, add your App.xaml OnStartup() the followings:

EventManager.RegisterClassHandler(typeof(Window), Window.LoadedEvent,
          new RoutedEventHandler(WindowLoaded));

Then add the 'WindowLoaded' event also in App.xaml :

void WindowLoaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
        var window = e.Source as Window;
        System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(100);
        window.Dispatcher.Invoke(
        new Action(() =>
        {
            window.MoveFocus(new TraversalRequest(FocusNavigationDirection.First));

        }));
    }

The threading issue must be use as WPF initial focus mostly fails due to some framework race conditions.

I found the following solution best as it is used globally for the whole app.

Hope it helps...

Oran

Answer 5

A minimal version of Mizipzor's answer for C# 6+.

public static class FocusBehavior
{
    public static readonly DependencyProperty GiveInitialFocusProperty =
        DependencyProperty.RegisterAttached(
            "GiveInitialFocus",
            typeof(bool),
            typeof(FocusBehavior),
            new PropertyMetadata(false, OnFocusFirstPropertyChanged));

    public static bool GetGiveInitialFocus(Control control) => (bool)control.GetValue(GiveInitialFocusProperty);
    public static void SetGiveInitialFocus(Control control, bool value) => control.SetValue(GiveInitialFocusProperty, value);

    private static void OnFocusFirstPropertyChanged(DependencyObject obj, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs args)
    {
        var control = obj as Control;

        if (control == null || !(args.NewValue is bool))
            return;

        if ((bool)args.NewValue)
            control.Loaded += OnControlLoaded;
        else
            control.Loaded -= OnControlLoaded;
    }

    private static void OnControlLoaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) => ((Control)sender).MoveFocus(new TraversalRequest(FocusNavigationDirection.Next));
}

Use in your XAML:

<Window local:FocusBehavior.GiveInitialFocus="True" />

Answer 6

Had same problem solved it with simple solution: In the main window:

  <Window ....
        FocusManager.FocusedElement="{Binding ElementName=usercontrolelementname}"
         ... />

In the user control:

private void UserControl_GotFocus_1(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            targetcontrol.Focus();
            this.GotFocus -= UserControl_GotFocus_1;  // to set focus only once
        }