WPF Collapsible Menu

Question

I would like to create a screen like below using WPF. I have a fairly good idea on how to do this but have only been using WPF for about 2 months so I would like to know from those more knowledgeable if this is the correct way to accomplish what I want.

The screen will be broken down into 3 primary usercontrols: info header, links (on the left) and info display (orange area on right containing fields of information). I plan on using the DockPanel for the layout and then create a separate usercontrol for each area.

Is the use of DockPanel with embedded usercontrols the best way to accomplish this?

One feature I would like to incorporate is a collapsible link list as shown for 'company'. When a user clicks on 'company' the area below company would expand and show the various options pertaining to a company (summary, info, issues, etc.). Clicking on 'employee' would expand the employee link and collapse the 'company' link.

Is there a feature in WPF that I can utilize to handle the collapse/expand of the links?

Answer 1

Based on your mock-up, DockPanel sounds like a perfectly sensible way to go.

The side-menu sounds like an accordion control - there's one in the WPF Toolkit on CodePlex, although it hasn't been updated for a while. Alternatively, you could roll your own with a stack of Expander controls.