AvalonDock

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AvalonDock is a WPF Document and Tool Window layout container that is used to arrange documents and tool windows in similar ways to many well known IDEs, such as Visual Studio, Eclipse, JetBrains Rider, and more. Version 5.0 introduces first-class MVVM support, dependency injection integration, and a modular package architecture.

AvalonDock is used by many open source and commercial projects, including:

• Stride — Free and open-source cross-platform C# game engine
• Optick — C++ Profiler for Games
• RoslynPad — A cross-platform C# editor based on Roslyn and AvalonEdit
• WpfDesigner — The WPF Designer from SharpDevelop
• DaxStudio — DAX query tool for Power BI and Analysis Services
• Macad3D — Free and open-source 3D Construction Tool
• Edi — Open source text editor IDE based on AvalonDock and AvalonEdit (330 stars)
• Profile Explorer — Microsoft CPU profiling trace viewer (273 stars)

Be sure to check out the Wiki and the documentation site for tutorials and API reference.

NuGet Packages

Core

Package	Downloads	Description
Dirkster.AvalonDock		Main WPF docking framework package
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Core		UI-agnostic interfaces and models
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Mvvm		MVVM base classes (DockableBase, ToolboxBase, DockLayoutService) — no external dependencies
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Mvvm.CommunityToolkit		CommunityToolkit.Mvvm integration (ObservableDockableBase, ObservableToolboxBase) with [ObservableProperty] support
Dirkster.AvalonDock.DependencyInjection		IServiceCollection extensions for DI registration

Serializers

Package	Downloads	Description
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Serializer.Xml		XML layout serialization
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Serializer.Json		JSON layout serialization (new in v5)

Themes

Package	Downloads	Description
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.Arc		Arc theme NEW!
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.Aero		Aero theme
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.Expression		Expression theme
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.Metro		Metro theme
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.VS		Visual Studio Themes (2015, 2022) incl. .vstheme support
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.VS2010		Visual Studio 2010 theme (Legacy)
Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.VS2013		Visual Studio 2013 theme (Legacy)

Quick Start

Install the packages you need:

dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock
dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.Mvvm
dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.Mvvm.CommunityToolkit  # optional, for [ObservableProperty] support
dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.DependencyInjection
dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.Arc

Docking Manager

The DockingManager control is the main entry point for using AvalonDock in your WPF application. It provides the core docking functionality, including layout management, drag-and-drop support, and theme integration. AvalonDock also includes a ToggleDockingManager which adds a built-in sidebar for toggling tool windows, similar to VS Code's or Jetbrains IDE's behavior.

DockingManager

The standard DockingManager provides a blank canvas for custom layouts and is ideal for applications that require full control over the docking behavior and UI.

ToggleDockingManager

The ToggleDockingManager includes a built-in sidebar that automatically populates with registered tool windows (anchorable view models). This is perfect for applications that want a modern, out-of-the-box docking experience without manual layout management.

Dependency Injection

The AvalonDock.DependencyInjection package provides IServiceCollection extension methods to wire up the entire docking system through your DI container. This replaces manual DocumentsSource/AnchorablesSource binding with a clean, service-oriented composition root.

Extension Methods

DockLayoutBuilder Methods

Composition Root Example

using AvalonDock.Core;
using AvalonDock.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;

public partial class App : Application
{
    private IServiceProvider? _serviceProvider;

    protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e)
    {
        base.OnStartup(e);

        var services = new ServiceCollection();

        // Configure dock layout: toggle dock options + toolboxes in one call
        services.AddDockLayoutService(dock =>
        {
            dock.ConfigureToggleDock(opts =>
            {
                opts.ButtonSize = 28;
                opts.DefaultDockWidth = 280;
                opts.DefaultDockHeight = 220;
                opts.LayoutPriority = nameof(AvalonDock.DockLayoutPriority.BottomFullWidth);
            });

            dock.AddToolbox<ExplorerToolbox>();
            dock.AddToolbox<SearchToolbox>();
            dock.AddToolbox<TerminalToolbox>();
        });

        services.AddSingleton<MainViewModel>();
        services.AddSingleton<MainWindow>();

        _serviceProvider = services.BuildServiceProvider();
        _serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<MainWindow>().Show();
    }

    protected override void OnExit(ExitEventArgs e)
    {
        (_serviceProvider as IDisposable)?.Dispose();
        base.OnExit(e);
    }
}

Layout Priority Options

The LayoutPriority setting controls how panels are arranged when multiple panels are docked:

For a complete walkthrough, see the Dependency Injection tutorial.

MVVM

The AvalonDock.Mvvm package provides ready-to-use view model base classes with zero external dependencies. These classes implement the core interfaces from AvalonDock.Core and handle property change notifications, serialization attributes, and docking behavior out of the box.

For projects using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm source generators ([ObservableProperty], [RelayCommand]), install the optional AvalonDock.Mvvm.CommunityToolkit package which provides ObservableObject-based equivalents.

Base Classes

AvalonDock.Mvvm (no external dependencies):

AvalonDock.Mvvm.CommunityToolkit (requires CommunityToolkit.Mvvm):

Creating a Toolbox View Model

Using AvalonDock.Mvvm (no external dependencies):

using AvalonDock.Core;
using AvalonDock.Mvvm;

public class ExplorerToolbox : ToolboxBase
{
    public ExplorerToolbox()
    {
        Id = "Explorer";
        Title = "Explorer";
        Zone = DockZone.LeftTop;        // Sidebar placement zone
        IsOpenByDefault = true;          // Open when app starts
        ToolTipText = "Solution Explorer";
    }
}

Using AvalonDock.Mvvm.CommunityToolkit (with [ObservableProperty] support):

using AvalonDock.Core;
using AvalonDock.Mvvm.CommunityToolkit;
using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;

public partial class ExplorerToolbox : ObservableToolboxBase
{
    [ObservableProperty] private string _searchFilter = string.Empty;

    public ExplorerToolbox()
    {
        Id = "Explorer";
        Title = "Explorer";
        Zone = DockZone.LeftTop;
        IsOpenByDefault = true;
        ToolTipText = "Solution Explorer";
    }
}

Dock Zones

Toolboxes declare their sidebar placement using DockZone:

IDockLayoutService

IDockLayoutService is the central service for managing documents and toolboxes at runtime:

public class MainViewModel
{
    private readonly IDockLayoutService _dockService;

    public MainViewModel(IDockLayoutService dockService)
    {
        _dockService = dockService;
    }

    // Open a new document
    public void OpenFile(string filePath)
    {
        _dockService.OpenOrActivateDocument(
            existing => existing.FilePath == filePath,
            () => new EditorTabViewModel { Title = Path.GetFileName(filePath) });
    }

    // Close a document
    public void CloseFile(IDockable document) => _dockService.CloseDocument(document);

    // Access a registered toolbox by type
    public ExplorerToolbox? Explorer => _dockService.GetAnchorable<ExplorerToolbox>();

    // Iterate all open documents
    public IEnumerable<IDockable> Documents => _dockService.Documents;

    // Bind this to ToggleDockingManager.DockLayout in XAML
    public IRootDock DockLayout => _dockService.Layout;
}

XAML Binding

For the ToggleDockingManager, bind the DockLayout property to your view model:

<avalonDock:ToggleDockingManager x:Name="dockManager"
    DockLayout="{Binding DockLayout}"
    LayoutItemContainerStyleSelector="{StaticResource PanesStyleSelector}" />

For the classic DockingManager, bind the DockLayout to the Layout property:

<avalonDock:DockingManager x:Name="dockManager"
    Layout="{Binding DockLayout}"
    LayoutItemContainerStyleSelector="{StaticResource PanesStyleSelector}" />

Architecture (v5.0)

AvalonDock v5 is organized into modular packages with clear separation of concerns:

AvalonDock.Core            UI-agnostic interfaces (IDockable, IDock, IFactory, IToolbox, etc.)
  └── netstandard2.0       Cross-platform abstractions

AvalonDock.Mvvm            MVVM base classes (DockableBase, ToolboxBase, etc.) — no external deps
  └── netstandard2.0

AvalonDock.Mvvm.CommunityToolkit  CommunityToolkit.Mvvm integration ([ObservableProperty] support)
  └── netstandard2.0

AvalonDock.DependencyInjection  IServiceCollection extensions
  └── netstandard2.0

AvalonDock                 WPF docking library (DockingManager, ToggleDockingManager)
  ├── net9.0-windows
  ├── net10.0-windows
  └── net48

AvalonDock.Serializer.Xml  XML layout persistence (extracted from core in v5)
AvalonDock.Serializer.Json JSON layout persistence (new in v5)
AvalonDock.Themes.*        Theme packages (Arc, Aero, Expression, Metro, VS2010, VS2013)

Theming

Arc Theme (NEW!)

Modern theme with compact tabs, rounded corners, and semi-transparent design elements:

dockManager.Theme = new ArcDarkTheme();  // Dark mode
dockManager.Theme = new ArcLightTheme(); // Light mode

VS2013 Theme

Classic Visual Studio 2013 look with Dark, Light, and Blue variants:

dockManager.Theme = new Vs2013DarkTheme();
dockManager.Theme = new Vs2013LightTheme();
dockManager.Theme = new Vs2013BlueTheme();

Other Themes

• VS2010 — Visual Studio 2010 style
• Expression Dark/Light — Expression Blend inspired
• Metro — Modern Metro/WinUI style
• Aero — Classic Windows Aero theme

Migrating from v4.x

Version 5.0.0 includes several breaking changes. See the full Breaking Changes guide.

Key Changes

Supported Frameworks

• .NET Framework 4.8
• .NET 9.0 (net9.0-windows)
• .NET 10.0 (net10.0-windows)

Building from Source

This project requires Windows (WPF is Windows-only) and .NET SDK 9.0.x / 10.0.x.

dotnet restore source/AvalonDock.sln
dotnet build source/AvalonDock.sln --configuration Release --no-restore
dotnet test source/AvalonDock.sln --configuration Release --no-restore -m:1

See CONTRIBUTING.md for more details.

Screenshots

ToggleDockingManager

Description	Dark	Light
Dock Document
Dock Tool Window
Document
Tool Window

Classic DockingManager

Description	Dark	Light
Dock Document
Dock Document
Dock Tool Window
Document
Tool Window

Release History

For detailed release notes and version history, see the GitHub Releases page.

More Resources

• Documentation
• Project Wiki
• DI Tutorial
• Breaking Changes (v5.0)
• Contributing Guidelines
• License (MS-PL)