I had this cool idea to add some throbbing action to my GelButton menu items in XAML. I wanted them to subtly pulse when hovered over. Turns out, it's harder than I thought! I've learned some limitations in XAML (May CTP): you can't start/stop storyboards from triggers, apply a single animation to all controls of a type, and TargetID is deprecated in favor of TargetName. Points 1 & 2 are especially problematic as they blur the lines between UI and application logic. I'm going to look for workarounds and see if others have solutions. Might even post my (probably wrong) ideas on how things should work.
I've been experimenting with the Microsoft Avalon CTP (Community Technology Preview) Framework and wanted to share a simple XAML menu example. This example demonstrates how to create a custom style for menu items to make them look like GelButtons. Initially, I tried using a ControlTemplate but later realized a HeaderTemplate within the style was the correct approach. The XAML code provided creates a menu with styled menu items, showcasing how to customize the appearance and behavior of menu items in Avalon.
A quick follow-up to my last post about the XAML menu example: It no longer uses the Animated Gel Button animation, and the GelButton code modification I mentioned actually came from a different page on the same site I linked previously.
