Custom Themes

AvalonDock’s theme system is based on WPF resource dictionaries, making it straightforward to create custom themes that match your application’s branding.

---

Approach 1: DictionaryTheme (Quickest)

The simplest way to create a custom theme is to modify an existing theme’s brushes in a resource dictionary and wrap it with DictionaryTheme:

Step 1: Create a Resource Dictionary

Create a XAML resource dictionary with your custom brushes:

<!-- Themes/MyCustomTheme.xaml -->
<ResourceDictionary xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
                    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">

    <!-- Merge the base theme as a starting point -->
    <ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
        <ResourceDictionary Source="/AvalonDock.Themes.Arc;component/DarkBrushs.xaml" />
    </ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>

    <!-- Override specific brushes -->
    <!-- Add your custom brush overrides here -->

</ResourceDictionary>

Step 2: Apply in Code

var resourceDict = new ResourceDictionary
{
    Source = new Uri("pack://application:,,,/MyApp;component/Themes/MyCustomTheme.xaml")
};

dockManager.Theme = new DictionaryTheme(resourceDict);

---

Approach 2: Custom Theme Class

For a more structured approach, create a class that inherits from Theme:

Step 1: Create the Theme Class

using AvalonDock.Themes;
using System;
using System.Windows;

public class MyCustomTheme : Theme
{
    public override Uri GetResourceUri()
    {
        return new Uri(
            "/MyApp;component/Themes/MyCustomDockTheme.xaml",
            UriKind.Relative);
    }
}

Step 2: Create the Resource Dictionary

Create the full theme resource dictionary at Themes/MyCustomDockTheme.xaml. Start by copying the XAML from one of the built-in themes and modifying it.

Step 3: Apply the Theme

dockManager.Theme = new MyCustomTheme();

Or in XAML:

<avalonDock:DockingManager.Theme>
    <local:MyCustomTheme />
</avalonDock:DockingManager.Theme>

---

Key Brush Resources

When customizing themes, these are the most commonly overridden brush resources:

Resource Key	Controls
Tab backgrounds	Document and anchorable tab colors
Tab foregrounds	Tab text colors
Pane headers	Tool window title bar backgrounds
Grip colors	Drag grip indicators
Border brushes	Panel and tab borders
Selection highlights	Active/selected tab highlights
Auto-hide tab brushes	Side tab colors
Floating window backgrounds	Floating window chrome

The easiest way to discover all available brush keys is to examine the XAML source of the built-in themes in the repository.

---

Combining with Application Themes

AvalonDock themes only style the docking controls. For a consistent application look, combine your AvalonDock theme with a full WPF theming library:

• MahApps.Metro — Modern Metro-style theming
• MLib — Lightweight theming companion for AvalonDock
• MUI — Modern UI framework

These libraries will theme standard WPF controls (buttons, textboxes, etc.) while AvalonDock handles the docking chrome.