AvalonDock is a powerful open-source library that provides a rich set of features and customization options for building sophisticated docking applications in WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation). The library comes with a plethora of features that make it easy to create complex layouts, dock and undock panels, rearrange and resize them on the fly, and perform various other actions using simple mouse gestures or keyboard shortcuts.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the various features and customization options of AvalonDock and see how they can be used to build powerful docking applications.

1. Layout management

The first and foremost feature of AvalonDock is its powerful layout management system. This system allows you to create complex layouts with multiple docking windows, floating windows, and tabbed windows that can be docked, undocked, or rearranged in any manner you like. The layout management system also provides various options for customizing the appearance and behavior of the docking windows, including the ability to customize the title bar, show or hide the close button, hide or show the title, and so on.

2. Drag-and-drop support

Another great feature of AvalonDock is its drag-and-drop support. This feature allows you to drag-and-drop panels from one dock site to another, rearrange them on the fly, resize them by dragging their edges, or even create new windows by dragging panels out of their dock site. The drag-and-drop support is implemented using simple mouse gestures, making it easy to use and intuitive for end-users.

3. Keyboard shortcuts

AvalonDock also provides extensive keyboard shortcut support. You can use keyboard shortcuts to perform various actions like docking windows, undocking windows, closing windows, moving windows, and so on. The keyboard shortcuts can be customized to your liking using the Options dialog box or by modifying the keyboard settings in your operating system.

4. Customization options

AvalonDock has a wealth of customization options that allow you to tailor its appearance and behavior to suit your needs. You can customize the appearance of the docking windows by changing their backgrounds, borders, and fonts. You can also customize the behavior of the docking windows by setting various options like the minimum and maximum size, the dock site size, the tab width, the tab alignment, and so on.

5. MVVM support

AvalonDock provides excellent support for Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) patterns. You can easily data-bind your view models to the docking windows, allowing you to create dynamic and data-driven docking applications. You can also use the built-in Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) framework to implement sophisticated interactions between the docking windows and the data they display.

6. Persistence

Finally, AvalonDock provides built-in persistence support, allowing you to save and restore the layout of your docking windows between application runs. You can also customize the persistence framework to store additional data about the state of your docking windows, making it easy to restore them to their previous state at any time.

Conclusion

AvalonDock is a powerful open-source library that provides a rich set of features and customization options for building sophisticated docking applications in WPF. The library comes with a wealth of features that make it easy to create complex layouts, dock and undock panels, rearrange and resize them on the fly, and perform various other actions using simple mouse gestures or keyboard shortcuts. It also provides excellent support for Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) patterns, making it easy to create dynamic and data-driven docking applications. If you're in the market for a powerful docking library, AvalonDock is well worth checking out.