`ScrollViewer`

A ScrollViewer scrolls other controls. It is used as a container. We drag (or otherwise add) controls, nesting them inside the ScrollViewer.

To use a ScrollViewer please open the Toolbox and drag the control to your Window. So try dragging some Button controls to its interior area.

In this example, I added a StackPanel to the interior of the ScrollViewer. In a StackPanel, controls are "stacked" in one direction.

Note Other controls, not just StackPanel work just as well within a ScrollViewer.

Here I dragged 3 Button controls to the ScrollViewer. I then added margin to the Buttons to make them larger in area.

Result In the final program, the buttons can be scrolled up and down with the scroll bar located on the right of the window.

<Window x:Class="WpfApplication6.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
    <Grid>
        <ScrollViewer HorizontalAlignment="Left" Height="299" Margin="10,10,0,0"
                      VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="497">
            <StackPanel>
                <Button Content="Button 1" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="50"
                        VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="75"/>
                <Button Content="Button 2" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="50"
                        VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="75"/>
                <Button Content="Button 3" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="50"
                        VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="75"/>
            </StackPanel>
        </ScrollViewer>
    </Grid>
</Window>

Discussion

ScrollViewer is a layout control—it requires you to add controls to it before it is useful. Once you do this, though, you get a region that expands as much as needed.

Info You won't need to redesign your entire program just to add another button or TextBlock description.

Options dialog

Sometimes when designing programs, a "Preferences" dialog (Options) is a burden. At first, these windows have few controls—so you can just add Buttons to a Grid.

But As time passes, the program becomes more complex. At that point, a ScrollViewer might be helpful.

And It will scroll as far as needed. Responsive layouts, like the ScrollViewer, are easiest to work with.

WPF is full of useful controls. A ScrollViewer is not needed in many programs. But in "Options" windows, or other complex dialogs, it has its place.