syncfusion-wpf-color-picker-palette

Implementing WPF ColorPickerPalette

The ColorPickerPalette is a rich color selection control providing a visual palette interface with theme colors, standard colors, custom colors, and extended color options. Use this skill when you need to implement color selection functionality with flexible customization options.

When to Use This Skill

Use ColorPickerPalette when you need to:

Allow users to select colors from predefined palettes (theme, standard, custom)
Display recently used colors
Provide "More Colors" options for extended selection
Customize color panels and visibility
Handle color selection events
Support RTL flow direction
Enable transparent or "No Color" options

Component Overview

ColorPickerPalette provides:

Multiple color sources: Theme colors, standard colors, custom colors, recently used
Flexible modes: Dropdown (default), Palette (expanded), Split (button + dropdown)
Rich customization: Panel visibility, sizing, icons, headers, themes
Event support: SelectedBrushChanged event and SelectedCommand binding
Accessibility: Tooltip support, keyboard navigation, RTL support

Documentation Navigation Guide

Getting Started

📄 Read: references/getting-started.md

Installation and assembly references
Adding ColorPickerPalette via designer, XAML, and C#
Control structure and key properties
Setting initial colors programmatically
Theme and localization support

Color Management

📄 Read: references/color-management.md

Accessing and changing colors programmatically
Working with color brushes
Automatic color defaults
Transparent color selection
Theme color variants and standard colors
Custom colors collection
Recently used color panel

Appearance & Customization

📄 Read: references/appearance-customization.md

Flow direction (RTL) support
Panel visibility options (theme, standard, custom, recently used)
Display modes (Dropdown, Palette, Split)
Resizing color items and palette
Icon customization and sizing
Header template customization

Events & Interactions

📄 Read: references/events-interactions.md

SelectedBrushChanged event handling
SelectedCommand binding patterns
"No Color" button functionality
Tooltip support for color names
More Colors window interaction
Header template customization

Quick Start Example

<!-- Basic ColorPickerPalette setup -->
<Window xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:syncfusion="http://schemas.syncfusion.com/wpf" 
        Title="ColorPickerPalette Sample">
    <Grid>
        <!-- Default dropdown mode with theme and standard colors -->
        <syncfusion:ColorPickerPalette x:Name="colorPickerPalette" 
                                       Color="Red"
                                       GenerateThemeVariants="True"
                                       GenerateStandardVariants="True"
                                       RecentlyUsedPanelVisibility="Visible"
                                       Width="60" 
                                       Height="40" />
    </Grid>
</Window>

C# Code-Behind:

using Syncfusion.Windows.Tools.Controls;

public partial class MainWindow : Window {
    public MainWindow() {
        InitializeComponent();

        // Handle color selection
        colorPickerPalette.SelectedBrushChanged += ColorPickerPalette_SelectedBrushChanged;
    }

    private void ColorPickerPalette_SelectedBrushChanged(object sender, SelectedBrushChangedEventArgs e) {
        var newColor = e.NewColor;
        var newBrush = e.NewBrush;
        // Apply color to UI elements
    }
}

Common Patterns

Color Panel Customization: Set ThemePanelVisibility, StandardPanelVisibility, RecentlyUsedPanelVisibility, MoreColorOptionVisibility to control which panels appear
Custom Colors Collection: Bind CustomColorsCollection property to ObservableCollection<CustomColor> and set SetCustomColors="True"
Split Mode with Command: Set Mode="Split" and bind SelectedCommand for button behavior with dropdown access
Expanded Palette Mode: Set Mode="Palette" to show palette always visible; adjust BorderWidth/BorderHeight for color item sizing

See appearance-customization.md and events-interactions.md for complete examples.

Key Properties

Property	Type	Purpose
`Color`	`Color`	Gets/sets the selected color (default: Black)
`SelectedBrush`	`Brush`	Gets/sets the selected brush
`Mode`	`PickerMode`	Dropdown, Palette, or Split mode
`Themes`	`PaletteTheme`	Office, Apex, Metro, etc.
`GenerateThemeVariants`	`bool`	Show/hide theme color variants
`GenerateStandardVariants`	`bool`	Show/hide standard color variants
`CustomColorsCollection`	`ObservableCollection<CustomColor>`	Custom color items
`SetCustomColors`	`bool`	Enable custom colors display
`BorderWidth` / `BorderHeight`	`double`	Color item dimensions
`PopupWidth` / `PopupHeight`	`double`	Palette popup size
`RecentlyUsedPanelVisibility`	`Visibility`	Show recently selected colors
`ThemePanelVisibility`	`Visibility`	Show theme colors
`StandardPanelVisibility`	`Visibility`	Show standard colors
`MoreColorOptionVisibility`	`Visibility`	Show "More Colors" button
`NoColorVisibility`	`Visibility`	Show transparent/no color button
`AutomaticColor`	`Color`	Default reset color

Common Use Cases

Text Color Picker: Dropdown mode with standard/theme colors + SelectedBrushChanged to apply formatting
Shape Fill Selector: Split mode with custom brand colors + SelectedCommand binding
Theme Color Picker: Palette mode with GenerateThemeVariants="True" to show color variants
Color History Panel: Enable RecentlyUsedPanelVisibility="Visible" for quick access to recent colors

Next Steps

Start with basics: Read getting-started.md to set up ColorPickerPalette
Customize colors: Use color-management.md to manage color sources
Style the control: Apply customizations from appearance-customization.md
Handle interactions: Implement event handling from events-interactions.md