Windowscommunitytoolkit: [Feature] Shadow Receiver XAML Helpers

[michael-hawker]

Describe the problem this feature would solve

To use the new Shadow API in XAML without code-behind. See blog here for more examples.

Describe the solution

A way to make it easier to use shadows in apps via XAML. Initial Proposal example:

<Grid x:Name="BgGrid" …>
 <ex:ShadowExt.Receivers>
   <ex:ShadowExt.Receiver Source="{StaticResource BgGridShadow}">
   <ex:ShadowExt.Receiver Source="{StaticResource HeroImageShadow}">
 </ex:ShadowExt.Receivers>
...
</Grid>

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[niels9001]

Yes please! The ThemeShadow is super powerful and creates super nice effects, but it's hard to use. This would really simplify stuff and useable for DataTemplates as well!

[michael-hawker]

@niels9001 we just got this to work on my dev stream! 🎉🎉🎉

Have a proof of concept that I'll need to create a PR for the toolkit for and test in other scenarios, but basically we have this syntax now for setting up Shadows, it's super nice 🦙❤:

    <Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot">
        <Grid.Resources>
            <ThemeShadow x:Key="BackgroundGridShadow">
                <ex:ShadowExtensions.CastTo>
                    <ex:Surface Target="{x:Bind BackgroundGrid}"/>
                </ex:ShadowExtensions.CastTo>
            </ThemeShadow>

            <ThemeShadow x:Key="PoolShadow">
                <ex:ShadowExtensions.CastTo>
                    <ex:Surface Target="{x:Bind BackgroundGrid}"/>
                    <ex:Surface Target="{x:Bind BedroomGrid}"/>
                    <ex:Surface Target="{x:Bind LoungeGrid}"/>
                </ex:ShadowExtensions.CastTo>
            </ThemeShadow>
        </Grid.Resources>

        <Grid x:Name="BackgroundGrid"/>

        <Grid HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center">
            <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
                <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
                <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
            </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
            <Grid x:Name="BedroomGrid" Background="White" Grid.Column="0" Width="255" Height="124" Shadow="{StaticResource BackgroundGridShadow}" Translation="0,0,8">
                <Image Source="ms-appx:///Assets/BedRoom.jfif" Stretch="UniformToFill"/>
            </Grid>
            <Grid x:Name="LoungeGrid" Background="White" Grid.Column="2" Width="255" Height="124" Margin="-48,0,0,0" Shadow="{StaticResource BackgroundGridShadow}"
                  Translation="0,0,32">
                <Image Source="ms-appx:///Assets/Lounge.jfif" Stretch="UniformToFill"/>
            </Grid>
            <Grid x:Name="PoolGrid" Background="White" 
                  Grid.Column="1" Width="320" Height="156"
                  Shadow="{StaticResource PoolShadow}"
                  Translation="0,0,64">
                <Image Source="ms-appx:///Assets/Pool.jfif" Stretch="UniformToFill"/>
            </Grid>
        </Grid>
    </Grid>

Still have to test with transitions and data templates and such, but seems like a promising start. Let me know if this syntax seems good to you too!

[niels9001]

Great stuff :)! This is super helpful!!!

[michael-hawker]

6.1 is already pretty heavy, and I have a few other bits to focus on with higher priority. However, I think the secondary theme of our 7.0 release can be Animations and Composition helpers, including this one and maybe some others. :)

[niels9001]

@michael-hawker Just wanted to check, is this feature still on the roadmap for 7.0? That should drop in August/September if I recall correctly?

[michael-hawker]

@niels9001 this is indeed something we have on the 7.0 roadmap as high-priority, though we haven't set a specific release date yet. I think I said I'd be figuring out the date by Aug/Sept. 😋 Main reason is we haven't dug into evaluating the scope of work on the tech-debt called out in our release plan, that'll start happening at the end of August.

I have my prototype code that I did on stream for this a while back which I should upload somewhere. After UnoConf, I'll have be shifting focus back to clean-up and these shadow features. I'd like to try and improve DropShadowPanel as well to work more like the ThemeShadow helper I made, if its possible too.

[michael-hawker]

From F8R on Discord:

After some testing, it's turn out to remove the Shadow effect just set caster CasterElement.Shadow = null.
Using SharedShadow.Receivers.Remove(UIRecieverElement) will not.
It may not what I expected, I can't remove one or more shadow using SharedShadow.Receivers.Remove(UIRecieverElement).

Set CasterElement.Shadow = null, it will remove all shadow.