.net - How to reference a control template from a standard control using bindings? -

i building custom control inherits standard system.windows.controls.calendar control. i'm following article on code project. want make calendaritem sub object resizable, in article on msdn.

i copied style calendar, calendardaybutton , calendaritem source code of calendar control custom control resourcedictionary located in generic.xaml. calendaritem style references 3 button templates (the previous month, next month , header buttons) this:

<!-- start: previous button content --> <button x:name="part_previousbutton"          grid.row="0" grid.column="0"         template="{staticresource previousbuttontemplate}"          height="20" width="28"          horizontalalignment="left"          focusable="false"         /> <!-- end: previous button content -->  <!-- start: header button content --> <button x:name="part_headerbutton"                                                      grid.row="0" grid.column="1"          template="{staticresource headerbuttontemplate}"          horizontalalignment="center" verticalalignment="center"          fontweight="bold" fontsize="10.5"          focusable="false"         /> <!-- end: header button content -->  <!-- start: next button content --> <button x:name="part_nextbutton"          grid.row="0" grid.column="2"          height="20" width="28"          horizontalalignment="right"          template="{staticresource nextbuttontemplate}"          focusable="false"         /> <!-- end: next button content --> 

now because binding uses staticresource, need copy styles 3 buttons resourcedictionary. not planning changes these buttons, hoping having style them in resourcedictionary can avoided.

is there way can reference original styles these buttons via binding?

yes, there is:

on custom control inherits calendar, can expose dependency properties of type controltemplate each of 3 styles

public class mycalender : calendar {     public static readonly dependencyproperty previousbuttontemplateproperty =         dependencyproperty.register("previousbuttontemplate", typeof (controltemplate), typeof (mycalender), new propertymetadata(default(controltemplate)));      public controltemplate previousbuttontemplate     {         { return (controltemplate) getvalue(previousbuttontemplateproperty); }         set { setvalue(previousbuttontemplateproperty, value); }     }      // same other button templates } 

and bind these styles within controltemplate calendar using templatedparent binding.

<controltemplate x:key="mycalender" targettype="viewmodels:mycalendar">     <grid>         <button x:name="part_previousbutton"          grid.row="0" grid.column="0"         template="{templatebinding  property=previousbuttontemplate}"          height="20" width="28"          horizontalalignment="left"          focusable="false"         />     </grid> </controltemplate> 

i define default style on highest possible level, assigns button templates (previousbuttontemplate, etc.) dependency properties of custom calender control. highest possible level, mean object, in scope templates exist, wire together, example app.xaml or window.

<style targettype="viewmodels:mycalendar">     <setter property="previousbuttontemplate" value="{staticresource previousbuttontemplate}" /> </style> 

alternatively, can leave is, , long staticresources, control template refers exist during runtime, resolved correctly. not nice, though , no design time support.

edit

ok, didn't referring 'original' button templates, thought meant templates defined somewhere else. then: no, can't this. i've been trying same thing number of times, can't create control templates use parts of original ones. there no such thing 'basedon' controltemplates.