WPF Event after setting template in code

I am creating a tab control as part of DataJuggler.WPF.Controls located at http://datajugglercontrols.codeplex.com

I am not sure why, but the tab control for WPF is so much more complicated than the Windows version of this same control.

For some reason, for my control to update, I have to change the control.Template programmatically every time I need a change to take effect in the control.

I have found extension methods that everyone else say works for them, but the only way I can get anything to work is change the template. This is so primitive, I have to create a template using a string builder to change 3 words of text or the background image.

But I will vent about WPF and how unefficient is later.

My problem is now after I change the template for the TabButton UserControl (part of my project, not a WPF TabButton) the click event stops working.

I added this to no avail:

 // Setup the click event
 this.LabelButton.Click += LabelButton_Click;

I have read a dozen posts about Event Setter, my code gives me another error 'Failed to create a handler for the text 'LabelButton_Click' so I had to take out the event setter.

Here is the Xmal for the UserControl:

<UserControl x:Class="DataJuggler.WPF.Controls.TabControls.TabButton"
             xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
             xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006" 
             xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008" 
             mc:Ignorable="d" 
             d:DesignHeight="48" d:DesignWidth="200"><Grid x:Name="TabButtonGrid"><Grid.Background><ImageBrush ImageSource="../Images\DisabledTab2.png"></ImageBrush></Grid.Background><Button Name="LabelButton" Click="LabelButton_Click"><Button.Template><ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type Button}"><Label Name="Label" Content="Button" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" HorizontalContentAlignment="Center"
                        VerticalAlignment="Bottom" FontFamily="Verdana" FontWeight="Bold" FontSize="14" Margin="0,-6,0,6"></Label></ControlTemplate></Button.Template></Button></Grid></UserControl>

Here is the Setter for 'Selected' on the tab control, which is what changes the background image by

changing the template:

/// <summary>
/// This property gets or sets the value for 'Selected'.
/// </summary>
public bool Selected
{
    get { return selected; }
    set
    {
        // set the value
        selected = value;
        // display the TabImage
        DisplayTabImage(selected);
    }
}

The DisplayTabImage is where I change out the Template for the TabButton user control:

 /// <summary>
/// This method Display Tab Image
/// </summary>
public void DisplayTabImage(bool selected)
{
    // Create the control template
    ControlTemplate template = CreateControlTemplate(selected, this.ButtonText);
    //// Update the template
    this.Template = template;
    // Add the click event back (doesn't work)
    this.LabelButton.Click += LabelButton_Click;
}

And the method for CreateControlTemplate:

/// <summary>
/// This method creates the Control Template
/// </summary>
private ControlTemplate CreateControlTemplate(bool selected, string buttonText)
{
    // initial value
    ControlTemplate template = null;
    try
    {
        // Create a string builder
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        // append each line to create the control template
        sb.Append("<ControlTemplate ");
        sb.Append("xmlns='http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation' ");
        sb.Append("xmlns:x='http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml' TargetType=\"{x:Type UserControl}\">");
        sb.Append("<Grid x:Name=\"TabButtonGrid\">");
        sb.Append("<Grid.Background><ImageBrush ImageSource=\"../Images/[ImageName]\"></ImageBrush></Grid.Background>");
        sb.Append("<Button Name=\"LabelButton\">");
        sb.Append("<Button.Template><ControlTemplate TargetType=\"{x:Type Button}\">");
        sb.Append("<Label Name=\"Label\" Content=\"[ButtonText]\" HorizontalAlignment=\"Stretch\" HorizontalContentAlignment=\"Center\" VerticalAlignment=\"Bottom\" FontFamily=\"Verdana\" FontWeight=\"Bold\" FontSize=\"14\" Margin=\"0,-6,0,6\"></Label>");
        sb.Append("</ControlTemplate></Button.Template></Button></Grid>");
        sb.Append("</ControlTemplate>");
        // set the imageName
        string imageName = "DisabledTab2.png";
        // if selected
        if (selected)
        {
            // change the imageName
            imageName = "BlueTab.png";
        }
        // create the temp string
        string controlTemplate = sb.ToString().Replace("[ImageName]", imageName);
        // replace out the buttonText
        controlTemplate = controlTemplate.Replace("[ButtonText]", buttonText);
        // now load the template using a XmlReader
        StringReader stringReader = new StringReader(controlTemplate);
        XmlReader xmlReader = XmlReader.Create(stringReader);
        template = (ControlTemplate)XamlReader.Load(xmlReader);
    }
    catch (Exception error)
    {
        // for debugging only
        string err = error.ToString();
    }
    // return value
    return template;
}

The click works the first time on a button I have not 'Selected', but a button that has the template changed, stops being clickable.

Why did WPF over complicate clicking, something that has been so simple since Visual Basic version 1,

and now with Progress I have routed events, I have event setters which I cannot figure out and a simple button click doesn't work. Way to go with progress WPF!

Are Punch cards going to make a come back next?

In Windows setting a background image actually changes the background image.

Changing the text actually changes the text.

I can't help but vent, why did they change every property name in WPF?

I started Engine Wars, at http://enginewars.codeplex.com in WPF in 2009, and I have stopped working on it so many times out of frustration, and I cannot change to Windows development now, but this and my controls project are my last WPF projects until things are simple as Windows dev.

Corby