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How to Turn a WinUI Gallery Sample Into Your Own WinUI 3 App

A practical workflow for finding a WinUI Gallery sample’s source, tracing dependencies, porting the necessary XAML and logic, and validating it in your own WinUI 3 application.
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Use a WinUI Gallery example as a reference implementation, not as a guaranteed drop-in component. Create a separate WinUI 3 project, open the example’s XAML and code-behind in the official source, trace its resources and package dependencies, and then port only the parts your app needs. Build and test each change against your app’s Windows App SDK version and target devices.

WinUI 3 is Microsoft’s native UI framework for new Windows desktop applications. It is delivered through the Windows App SDK and uses XAML with C# or C++. WinUI Gallery is the interactive example app and public code repository that demonstrates controls, styles, design guidance, adaptive layouts and accessibility techniques. The practical workflow below accounts for the fact that samples differ: some are small markup demonstrations, while others depend on shared resources, helper code or experimental APIs.

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What you are actually reusing

A Gallery sample is an example page inside a larger application. You are usually reusing an implementation pattern—XAML, event handlers or view-model logic, resources, assets and package references—rather than importing a self-contained control. The official Gallery repository README describes the project this way: “This app demonstrates all of the WinUI 3 controls and styles available to make a modern Windows app with the Windows App SDK.”

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WinUI 3 supplies the application framework; Gallery supplies demonstrations of that framework. Microsoft’s WinUI overview identifies WinUI 3 as a recommended native framework for new Windows desktop applications. The Windows development samples page describes Gallery as a place to experiment with components and view XAML examples, while the WinUI Gallery repository contains the sample markup and code-behind.

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Check compatibility before copying code

Framework baseline

Microsoft’s framework-level support statement covers Windows 10 version 1809 (build 17763) and later, including Windows 11, with x86, x64 and ARM device support. That is a baseline for WinUI 3 itself, not a promise that every Gallery page, package or helper works on every target. Your project’s Windows App SDK version, target framework and deployment choices still determine whether a particular API is available.

Item What Microsoft establishes What you must verify for a sample
Operating system Windows 10 version 1809 (build 17763) and later, including Windows 11 Whether the sample’s APIs and dependencies support your selected minimum and target versions
CPU architecture x86, x64 and ARM are listed for WinUI 3 Whether native or third-party dependencies used by the sample are available for your chosen architecture
Language model XAML with C# or C++ Whether the sample logic matches your project language and patterns
Windows App SDK WinUI 3 is delivered as part of the Windows App SDK The exact SDK and package versions referenced by your app and by the sample

Stable and experimental APIs are different decisions

The Gallery repository warns that some upcoming-feature demonstrations use an experimental Windows App SDK. Experimental APIs may change or be removed before a stable release. Before porting one, identify whether the control or namespace is experimental, look at your project’s SDK references, and decide whether the behavior is essential enough to accept that maintenance risk.

Sample characteristic Good use in an application Risk to manage
Stable API and ordinary resources Port the relevant markup and logic, then adapt names and state to your app Still test layout, input, accessibility and target devices
Experimental API Prototype or isolate the behavior behind a small boundary API shape can change or disappear; recheck release notes before shipping
Page that depends on shared Gallery infrastructure Extract the specific control configuration or interaction you need Copying only the page may omit resources, helpers or registration used elsewhere

Find the authoritative sample source

Use the repository as the primary inspection route because it exposes the files that make the example work. The installed Gallery is useful for discovering controls and observing behavior; the repository is where you can inspect markup and code-behind and follow references.

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Source route Best for Limitation
Interactive Gallery app Trying the control, checking visual states and finding an example that matches your goal Running a page does not reveal every dependency or guarantee that it is portable
Official Gallery repository Reading the sample page’s XAML, code-behind, shared resources, assets and project references Dependencies differ by sample; there is no universal copy-and-paste recipe
Microsoft Learn samples guidance Understanding how Microsoft presents Gallery and other Windows examples It is not a substitute for reading the selected sample’s project files

Step-by-step: adapt a Gallery sample safely

1. Define the behavior you need

Start with an outcome, not a page name. Write down the control, interaction or visual behavior you want—for example, a particular navigation pattern, input state, layout response or styling technique. In Gallery, exercise the candidate examples and choose the one that demonstrates that behavior most directly. Note any label indicating an upcoming or experimental feature.

2. Create and run your own WinUI 3 project first

Set up a separate WinUI 3 desktop project using Microsoft’s current environment and project-creation guidance. Run the untouched project before moving sample code. This gives you a known-good startup page, namespace, package configuration and deployment choice. Keep those project-level decisions under your control instead of replacing them with the Gallery application’s structure.

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Do not assume that copying a Gallery folder into an arbitrary application is a supported universal method. The official materials establish that the Gallery contains inspectable examples; they do not prescribe one folder-copy procedure for every sample.

3. Read the sample as a dependency graph

Open the example’s markup and code-behind together. For every type, resource key, event handler, converter, helper or asset referenced there, locate its definition. Then inspect the sample’s project files for package references and SDK settings. Make a short inventory before editing your app:

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  • Page or control XAML, including named elements, bindings, styles and templates.
  • Code-behind methods, event subscriptions, commands or view-model classes.
  • Resource dictionaries, theme resources, converters and custom controls.
  • Images, icons, fonts or other content files.
  • Windows App SDK and other package references, plus any experimental namespaces.
  • Initialization or registration performed outside the page itself.

This inventory prevents the common mistake of moving visible markup while leaving behind the resource or helper that gives it meaning.

4. Port the smallest useful XAML slice

Copy or recreate only the controls and layout needed for your feature. Place them in a page or user control that fits your application’s navigation and visual tree. Replace Gallery-specific names, bindings and resource keys with names from your own view model and resource dictionaries. If the sample demonstrates several unrelated variations on one page, separate the variation you need instead of importing the entire showcase.

Preserve the parts that explain behavior: visual states, responsive layout rules, accessibility properties, keyboard-related settings and control templates. Remove demonstration-only text and controls after you understand their role. Keep the first build small so an error points to one change rather than to an entire copied page.

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5. Port behavior deliberately

Move the event or view-model logic that the XAML actually calls. Check every handler name, binding path and command parameter after changing namespaces or element names. If the sample uses a helper class, determine whether it is a general utility or a Gallery-specific service; reproduce the needed behavior in your application’s own layer rather than creating an accidental dependency on the Gallery app.

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When your application already uses a different state-management pattern, translate the sample’s behavior into that pattern. A sample’s code-behind is evidence of one working demonstration, not a requirement that every application use the same architecture.

6. Add resources and assets explicitly

Merge required styles and templates into the resource dictionaries your app actually loads. Copy image or icon files into your project and update their paths. Check theme-resource lookups in both light and dark themes if the sample uses them. A page can compile while still rendering incorrectly when a resource key resolves to a fallback or an asset was not included in deployment.

7. Reconcile packages, namespaces and SDK APIs

Compare the sample’s package references with your project’s Windows App SDK version. Add only packages you can justify from the dependency inventory, and keep versions consistent with the app’s supported configuration. Resolve namespaces against the SDK you target rather than against whatever version the Gallery repository currently uses.

If a type is unavailable, first determine whether it belongs to an experimental SDK, a newer Windows App SDK release or a separate package. Replace it with a stable equivalent where possible. If there is no equivalent, isolate the feature and document the version requirement so a future SDK update has a clearly defined place to be addressed.

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8. Build after each logical change

Compile after the XAML slice, after behavior, and after resources or package changes. Treat compiler and XAML-loader errors separately: a missing namespace or package is different from a resource-key failure or an event-handler mismatch. Run the app after each successful build and verify the actual interaction, not just the appearance in the designer.

9. Validate the finished feature in context

Test the adapted feature inside your application’s navigation, window size and startup path. Exercise keyboard and pointer input, resizing, theme changes and the accessibility scenarios relevant to your users. The Gallery repository highlights adaptive UI and design and accessibility guidance; those qualities need to survive the move into your own visual tree.

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Choose the right reuse scope

The amount of code worth moving depends on what the sample is demonstrating.

Reuse scope What to take When it is appropriate
Control markup The control declaration, essential properties and nearby layout You need a visual configuration or a small interaction
Markup plus behavior XAML and the handlers, commands or view-model members it invokes The example’s value is an interaction rather than styling alone
Resources and assets Styles, templates, converters, images and supporting dictionaries The appearance or state behavior depends on shared definitions
Page pattern A larger layout and its supporting logic, selectively reworked You need the overall composition and have traced every dependency

Validation checklist before shipping

  • Build: The project compiles with its intended Windows App SDK and package versions.
  • Runtime: The page loads from your app’s normal startup or navigation path without relying on Gallery initialization.
  • Resources: Styles, templates, converters and assets resolve in every theme you support.
  • Interaction: Pointer, keyboard and focus behavior match your requirements.
  • Adaptivity: The layout remains usable at the window sizes and orientations you target.
  • Accessibility: Names, descriptions, focus order and state changes are understandable to assistive technology.
  • Compatibility: You have tested the operating-system and architecture combinations your app claims to support.
  • Stability: Experimental APIs are removed, replaced or explicitly isolated before release.

Common problems and targeted fixes

The copied XAML will not compile

Check namespaces and package references first. A Gallery page may use a type that is absent from your SDK version or belongs to an experimental API. Compare the type’s namespace and the sample project’s references with your own, then choose a stable replacement or raise the app’s SDK version deliberately.

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The page compiles but looks wrong

Look for missing resource dictionaries, theme resources or assets. Search each resource key used by the moved markup and confirm that the dictionary containing it is merged into your app. Verify relative asset paths and that the files are included as application content.

Events or bindings do nothing

Check that element names, handler names, binding paths and command parameters survived namespace changes. If you changed the page’s data context, translate the sample’s bindings to the properties exposed by your own view model rather than retaining paths that only existed in the Gallery.

The feature works in Gallery but fails in your app

The Gallery may perform setup outside the page. Revisit the dependency inventory for registration, initialization, helper services and shared resources. Move the required setup into the corresponding lifecycle or composition point in your application, then test the feature through your normal navigation path.

An experimental example breaks after an SDK update

That is an expected risk of experimental APIs, which can change or be removed before stable release. Recheck the repository and current Windows App SDK documentation, replace the API with a stable one if possible, or keep the behavior behind a clearly isolated compatibility layer.

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Use the WinUI Notes tutorial for surrounding app structure

A Gallery page shows a focused control or interaction; it does not necessarily teach the structure of a complete application. If you need a worked example of XAML, C#, local file storage, binding and navigation, Microsoft’s WinUI Notes tutorial provides that broader path after a blank project builds.

The Notes tutorial specifically instructs readers to use Windows App SDK 1.7 or later. That requirement belongs to that tutorial and should not be treated as a blanket minimum for every WinUI 3 app or every Gallery sample. Check the selected sample and your project configuration separately.

A repeatable decision process

  1. Discover: Use Gallery to identify the behavior and observe its states.
  2. Inspect: Open the matching repository page and trace XAML, code-behind, resources, assets and packages.
  3. Classify: Mark each dependency as stable, version-specific or experimental.
  4. Scope: Decide whether you need markup only, markup plus logic, or supporting resources as well.
  5. Adapt: Implement the smallest slice in your own project and namespace.
  6. Verify: Build, run and test the feature in your actual window, navigation, theme and accessibility context.
  7. Maintain: Record SDK-sensitive or experimental dependencies so future updates have an explicit review point.

What the official sources do—and do not—promise

Microsoft documents Gallery as an interactive reference with source examples, not as a library of universally portable components. The repository gives you the markup and code-behind needed to understand each example, but each sample can have different dependencies. Treat adaptation as deliberate integration: inspect first, port selectively, and validate against the SDK and devices your application supports.

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