Shell for WPF

Interact with the Windows shell and/or any custom folder hierarchy

ShellTreeListBox presents a shell folder hierarchy in a tree structure
ShellListView shows the contents of a selected folder using column-based property display
Both controls support customizable tool tips, context menus, multiple image sizes that account for high-DPI scenarios, and in-line renaming

Actipro Shell controls allow for easy folder and file browsing. While the product comes packed with a pre-built implementation for the Windows shell that mimics Windows Explorer, the controls are fully customizable, allowing you to filter or change the folders/files presented. Or build your own shell service to support other files systems, such as the remote side for a FTP client.

All of the UI found in the Shell controls is native WPF, even the context menus. Unlike competitive products with interop-based user interfaces, the Actipro Shell controls don't have any airspace or focus issues, and every bit of UI can be fully-themed or even customized with XAML data templates.

Shell TreeListBox

The ShellTreeListBox control presents a shell folder hierarchy in a tree structure, similar to what you see in the left side of Windows Explorer.

Usage

ShellTreeListBox can be used standalone to build 'Browse for Folder' dialogs or can be paired with other shell controls to build a robust folder browser UI.

Context Menus

Fully-themed default context menus are available for each shell object that mimic the results found in Windows Explorer.

Root Folder

The root tree folder can be easily set to a special Windows folder via an enum value, or to any system path.

Inline Renaming

Rename shell objects inline by pressing F2. A textbox will appear allowing the end user to type in a new name for the shell object.

Shell ListView

The ShellListView control shows the selected folder's contents using one of six distinct layout modes, similar to what you see in the right side of Windows Explorer.

Layout Modes

List

Small Icons

Medium Icons

Large Icons

Extra Large Icons

Details

Thumbnail Display Modes

Thumbnails Off

Thumbnails On

Usage

Use ShellListView standalone to display the contents of a folder, or bind its parent shell folder to a ShellTreeListBox selection to build a powerful file explorer.

Context Menus

Fully-themed default context menus are available for each shell object that mimic the results found in Windows Explorer.

Sorting

Sorting by column is supported. It even accounts for the column's property type (i.e. string, date) when comparing shell objects.

Selection Modes

Single and multi-selection modes are both supported. Keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+A to 'select all' work as well.

Actipro Shell controls make it easy to add folder and file browsing functionality to your applications.

Shell Object Framework

The Shell Object Framework provides a managed way to access a file system shell. Shell objects represent a folder, file, or link from a shell service. For instance, our included Windows shell service implementation creates shell objects to represent the folders, files, and links found on your PC, even the virtual ones like 'This PC.'

The built-in Windows shell service functionality can be customized/extended. Or in other cases, completely custom shell objects and services can be written to support non-Windows shells (i.e. a remote file system in a FTP client).

Controls

This product includes these UI controls, for use in applications built with the WPF platform:

ShellListView

ShellTreeListBox

Explore Other WPF Controls

Next Steps

Free Evaluation

The best way to learn about our UI controls and their features is to download a free trial. This will allow you to see samples, documentation, and integrate them into your own apps.

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Licensing

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Online Documentation

All product documentation topics and a complete API reference are available for browsing on our web site.

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GitHub Repository

Clone our open-source repository on GitHub for the full source of the WPF Controls sample projects and documentation topics.

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NuGet Packages

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