Naming Objects in Expression Blend
The topic of naming and organizing objects in Expression Blend will come up frequently. In this situation, it would be best if we name the control background so that we can locate it later, whether working in code, or in the Expression Blend Design View.
Using the Selection tool, click the rectangle you just created.
If you cannot see the Objects and Timeline panel, choose Window > Objects and Timeline to show that panel.
Click twice on the object name [Rectangle], and retype the name CtrlBG. The name can really be anything that follows the naming conventions that were mentioned Module 1, but make it a name that you can easily recall later.
Press Ctrl+Save to save your project, or choose File > Save. Keep the project open for the next section.
Rounding the Corners of the Rectangle
In this section, you will round the corners of the rectangle. In Expression Blend, you can create rounded corners visually, or by inputting values for a more precise change. In this example, you will use the visual method.
Click the named object CtrlBG in the Objects and Timeline panel to activate the rectangle.
Before adjusting the corner radius, click the Properties tab and make sure the Appearance pane is visible.
Now look back at the upper left corner of the rectangle you just drew and note the dotted lines. By clicking and dragging these lines, you can visually edit the corner radius of the rectangle. Note that as you drag the dotted lines you can see the values change in the RadiusX and RadiusY textboxes in the Appearance pane. This is where you can enter exact values if necessary. For this example 40 is used for each radius.For a precise amount, you can enter 40 into the RadiusX and RadiusY textfields.
Click and drag to create a corner radius. Enter values to change the corner radius.