WPF VB.NET Property Exposure Template

This guide shows how to expose a property from a WPF UserControl using a DependencyProperty in VB.NET.

Also see the article titled "How to Expose Properties to a Form"

Template Code

Place this inside your UserControl's code-behind (.xaml.vb) file:

' 1. Register the DependencyProperty
Public Shared ReadOnly MyPropertyProperty As DependencyProperty =
    DependencyProperty.Register("MyProperty", GetType(String), GetType(MyControlClass), New PropertyMetadata(String.Empty))
' 2. Create the CLR wrapper
Public Property MyProperty As String
    Get
        Return CType(GetValue(MyPropertyProperty), String)
    End Get
    Set(value As String)
        SetValue(MyPropertyProperty, value)
    End Set
End Property

How to Customize

• MyProperty: Replace with your desired property name (e.g., LabelText).
• String: Replace with the data type you want (e.g., Boolean, Brush).
• MyControlClass: Replace with the name of your UserControl class (e.g., ReadOnlyField).

Bind in XAML

Inside your UserControl’s XAML file, bind to the property like this:

<Label Content="{Binding MyProperty, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=UserControl}}" />

Set the Property When Using the Control

In the parent control or window where you use your UserControl, set the property like this:

<local:MyControlClass MyProperty="Your Value Here" />

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Tip: If you're using MVVM, you can bind the exposed property to your ViewModel for full data binding support.