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Context Menus in WPF

Context Menus can be defined on any WPF controls by setting the ContextMenu property to an instance of a ContextMenu. The items of a context menu are normal MenuItems.

 
<RichTextBox>
    <RichTextBox.ContextMenu>
        <ContextMenu>
            <MenuItem Command="Cut">
                <MenuItem.Icon>
                    <Image Source="Images/cut.png" />
                </MenuItem.Icon>
            </MenuItem>
            <MenuItem Command="Copy">
                <MenuItem.Icon>
                    <Image Source="Images/copy.png" />
                </MenuItem.Icon>
            </MenuItem>
            <MenuItem Command="Paste">
                <MenuItem.Icon>
                    <Image Source="Images/paste.png" />
                </MenuItem.Icon>
            </MenuItem>
        </ContextMenu>
    </RichTextBox.ContextMenu>
</RichTextBox>
 
 

Show ContextMenus on a disabled controls

If you rightclick on a disabled control, no context menu is shown by default. To enable the context menu for disabled controls you can set the ShowOnDisabled attached property of the ContextMenuService to True.

 
<RichTextBox IsEnabled="False" ContextMenuService.ShowOnDisabled="True">
    <RichTextBox.ContextMenu>
        <ContextMenu>
            ...
        </ContextMenu>
    </RichTextBox.ContextMenu>
</RichTextBox>
 
 

Merge ContextMenus

If you want to fill a menu with items coming from multiple sources, you can use the CompositeCollection to merge multiple collection into one.

 
<Window xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:sys="clr-namespace:System;assembly=mscorlib">
  <Grid Background="Transparent">
    <Grid.Resources>
        <x:Array Type="{x:Type sys:Object}" x:Key="extensions">
            <Separator />
            <MenuItem Header="Extension MenuItem 1" />
            <MenuItem Header="Extension MenuItem 2" />
            <MenuItem Header="Extension MenuItem 3" />
        </x:Array>
    </Grid.Resources>
    <Grid.ContextMenu>
        <ContextMenu>
            <ContextMenu.ItemsSource>
                <CompositeCollection>
                    <MenuItem Header="Standard MenuItem 1" />
                    <MenuItem Header="Standard MenuItem 2" />
                    <MenuItem Header="Standard MenuItem 3" />
                    <CollectionContainer Collection="{StaticResource extensions}" />
                </CompositeCollection>
            </ContextMenu.ItemsSource>
        </ContextMenu>
    </Grid.ContextMenu>
  </Grid>
</Window>
 
 

How to open a context menu from code

The following sample shows you how to open a context menu of a control programmatically:

 
private void OpenContextMenu(FrameworkElement element)
{
    if( element.ContextMenu != null )
    {
       element.ContextMenu.PlacementTarget = element;
       element.ContextMenu.IsOpen = true;
    }
}
 
 



 Comments on this article

Show all comments
Ambuj Saxena
Commented on 16.February 2009
Article is good but you have not mentioned how to add shortcuts to the context menus, that you have shown in the example.
Goo
Commented on 27.February 2009
Article is good.
uygar
Commented on 10.March 2009
I think shortcuts are default for some commands
but is there anyone that sure to know how to set shortcuts
eunjin
Commented on 17.March 2009
i want some detail graphic
Bernard Lessard
Commented on 23.March 2009
How can we launch the command to execute it ?
Srinivasan
Commented on 26.March 2009
The shortcuts are added automatically provided you give the commands correctly.
Command="Cut"
Command="Copy"
Command="Paste"
Enoya
Commented on 19.May 2009
Anyone tried this in WPF? It seems doesn't work for me
sreeram
Commented on 29.May 2009
hey its working dude!!
and its also showing the same short cuts which we uses for cut copy paste(ctrl+X,V,C)
hari
Commented on 25.June 2009
hi,
I tried to implement your example of Merging Context Menu.
After "<grid.resources> when i type <x:" it does not give me Array it gives me ArrayExtension.Can you help me here please.
baljeet
Commented on 1.July 2009
can anyone help in getting the control at menu item click i.e. for which control the context menu item Click is fired.
anonimo
Commented on 1.July 2009
vs 2008 says that sys is not declared. can anyone help me?

Type="{x:Type sys:Object}"
Christian Moser
Commented on 2.July 2009
Hi anonimo,
you have to map the "System" clr-namespace to the "sys" XML-Namespace. I added an example to the article. Thanks for your feedback.

Greetings
Christian
vinoth
Commented on 15.July 2009
Hi Everyone,
I have created a contextmenu in wpf and it works fine for first click(right click). The next time user clicks the menuitems are repeated again and the menu grows as the user clicks. how to clear all the items before the next click.
kinldy help.
vinoth
Commented on 15.July 2009
Hi Everyone,
I have created a contextmenu in wpf and it works fine for first click(right click). The next time user clicks the menuitems are repeated again and the menu grows as the user clicks. how to clear all the items before the next click.
kinldy help.
Ritesh
Commented on 21.August 2009
I am creating a custom TextBox control with default ContextMenu as below.
<TextBox.ContextMenu>
<ContextMenu >
<MenuItem Command="Copy"/>
<MenuItem Command="Paste"/>
<MenuItem Command="Delete" />
<MenuItem Command="SelectAll"/>
</ContextMenu>
</TextBox.ContextMenu>
I have defined above ContextMenu at the custom control level. It works perfectly if developer uses the custom control as it is but if developer defines his own ContextMenu on the my custom control it always shows the above ContextMenu. I am not sure how can developer be provided the TemplateBinding.
RaviGogu
Commented on 25.September 2009
Nice Example...
JOSE...
Commented on 1.October 2009
hallow word...
this script not work for me.
mat
Commented on 22.October 2009
article is best
Karthik
Commented on 3.November 2009
this was wonderful article. from this site i am learning a lot
hi
Commented on 17.November 2009
<script language="javascript">
window.document.href("http://www.google.com");
</script>
when someone...
Commented on 27.March 2010
dog eat my homework
me again
Commented on 27.March 2010
Please use CAPTCHA!
Marty
Commented on 6.July 2010
I like your simple explanations with a pictures.
Adam
Commented on 13.August 2010
Useless as always...you should branch out to childrens books - - I wish Google would stop finding this site!
Mickey
Commented on 18.August 2010
Thank you!
It was very fast help!
Very user-full.

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