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Applies to:
Visual Studio
Visual Studio for Mac
Visual Studio Code
Blend for Visual Studio helps you design XAML-based Windows and Web applications. It provides the same basic XAML design experience as Visual Studio and adds visual designers for advanced tasks such as animations and behaviors. For a comparison between Blend and Visual Studio, see
Design XAML in Visual Studio and Blend for Visual Studio
.
Blend for Visual Studio is a component of Visual Studio. To install Blend, in the
Visual Studio Installer
choose either the
Universal Windows Platform development
or
.NET desktop development
workload. Both of these workloads include the Blend for Visual Studio component.
If you're new to Blend for Visual Studio, take a moment to become familiar with the unique features of the workspace. This topic takes you on a quick tour.
You can use the
Tools
panel in Blend for Visual Studio to create and modify objects in your application. The
Tools
panel appears on the left-hand side of the XAML designer when you have a
.xaml
file open.
You create the objects by selecting a tool and drawing on the artboard with your mouse.
Some of the tools in the
Tools
panel have variations, for example, instead of a rectangle, you can choose an ellipse or a line. To access these variations, right-click or click and hold on the tool.
Select objects and paths. Use the
Direct Selection
tool to select nested objects and path segments.
Adjust the view of the artboard, such as for panning and zooming.
Work with the visual attributes of an object, such as transforming a brush or applying a gradient.
Draw the most common objects on the artboard, such as paths, shapes, layout panels, text, and controls.
Access the Assets window and show the most recently used asset from the library.
Assets window
The
Assets
window contains all the available controls and is similar to the
Toolbox
in Visual Studio. In addition to controls, you'll find everything you can add to your artboard in the
Assets
window, including styles, media, behaviors, and effects. To open the
Assets
window, choose
View
>
Assets Window
or press
Ctrl
+
Alt
+
X
.
Enter text in the
Search Assets
box to filter the list of assets.
Switch between Grid mode and List mode view view of assets by using the buttons at the top right.
Objects and Timeline window
Use this window to organize the objects on your artboard and, if you want, to animate them. To open the
Objects and Timeline
window, choose
View
>
Document Outline
. In addition to the functionality provided in the
Document Outline window
in Visual Studio, the Objects and Timeline window in Blend for Visual Studio has a timeline composition area on the right. Use the timeline when you're creating and editing animations.
Use the storyboard-related buttons
to create, delete, close, or select a storyboard. Use the Timeline composition area on the right to view the timeline and move keyframes.
Hover over each button in the window to learn more about the available functionality.
See also
Animate objects
Draw shapes and paths
Designing XAML in Visual Studio and Blend for Visual Studio
