Difference between Label and TextBlock

WpfLabelTextblock

Wpf Problem Overview


According to the Windows Applications Development with Microsoft .NET 4 70-511 Training Kit

What is the difference between the Label control and TextBlock control since both are content controls and just displaying text?

Wpf Solutions


Solution 1 - Wpf

###TextBlock is not a control

Even though TextBlock lives in the System.Windows.Controls namespace, it is not a control. It derives directly from FrameworkElement. Label, on the other hand, derives from ContentControl. This means that Label can:

  1. Be given a custom control template (via the Template property).
  2. Display data other than just a string (via the Content property).
  3. Apply a DataTemplate to its content (via the ContentTemplate property).
  4. Do whatever else a ContentControl can do that a FrameworkElement cannot.
  • Label text is grayed out when disabled
  • Label supports access keys
  • Label is much heavier than TextBlock

Source

Some more interesting reads below

Solution 2 - Wpf

Labels usually support single line text output while the TextBlock is intended for multiline text display.

For example in wpf TextBlock has a property TextWrapping which enables multiline input; Label does not have this.

Solution 3 - Wpf

Label is ContentControl which means that you can set anything as a content for it. Absolutely anything including strings, numbers, dates, other controls, images, shapes, etc. TextBlock can handle only strings.

Solution 4 - Wpf

Although TextBlock and Label are both used to display text, they are quite different under the covers.

=> Label inherits from ContentControl, a base class that enables the display of almost any UI imaginable.

=> TextBlock, on the other hand, inherits directly from FrameworkElement, thus missing out on the behavior that is common to all elements inheriting from Control. The shallow inheritance hierarchy of TextBlock makes the control lighter weight than Label and better suited for simpler, noninteractive scenarios.

PS: However, if you want access keys to work or want a more flexible or graphical design, you’ll need to use Label.

Solution 5 - Wpf

Probably the most annoying feature of TextBlock is the implicit style lookup behavior, which is scoped to only to the closest DataTemplate. This is a default behavior for non Control xaml elements.

<StackPanel Orientation="Vertical">
    <StackPanel.Resources>
        <Style TargetType="TextBlock">
            <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Red"/>
        </Style>

        <Style TargetType="Label">
            <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Red"/>
        </Style>
    </StackPanel.Resources>

    <ContentControl Content="Test">
        <ContentControl.ContentTemplate>
            <DataTemplate>
                <TextBlock Text="{Binding}"/>
            </DataTemplate>
        </ContentControl.ContentTemplate>
    </ContentControl>

    <ContentControl Content="Test">
        <ContentControl.ContentTemplate>
            <DataTemplate>
                <Label Content="{Binding}"/>
            </DataTemplate>
        </ContentControl.ContentTemplate>
    </ContentControl>
</StackPanel>

Yields a result of:

enter image description here

You can read more about it here.

Attributions

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Content TypeOriginal AuthorOriginal Content on Stackoverflow
QuestionRami AlshareefView Question on Stackoverflow
Solution 1 - WpfbijuView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 2 - Wpfrene_buehlingView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 3 - WpfSnowbearView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 4 - WpfVinodhini RamasamyView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 5 - WpfMateusz MyślakView Answer on Stackoverflow