Implementing Toast Notifications in WPF

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill whenever the user needs to:

Display temporary, non-intrusive notifications in WPF applications
Show status messages (save successful, operation completed, errors)
Implement notification alerts that auto-dismiss after a timeout
Create native Windows OS notifications or custom in-app toasts
Display severity-based messages (Info, Success, Warning, Error)
Add interactive action buttons to notifications (Reply, Undo, OK)
Show transient feedback that doesn't block user workflow
Implement global or window-scoped notifications

Component Overview

SfToastNotification is a non-UI control (no XAML required) that displays toast notifications in WPF applications. It supports three display modes:

Default Mode: Native Windows OS notifications (Windows 10+)
Window Mode: In-app notifications constrained to window boundaries
Screen Mode: Global overlay notifications across the screen

Key Characteristics:

Code-only implementation (no XAML markup needed)
Static API for showing/closing toasts
Multiple severity levels with built-in visual styling
Customizable animations, placement, and templates
Interactive action buttons with callbacks
Full template customization support

Documentation and Navigation Guide

Getting Started & Core Concepts

📄 Read: references/getting-started.md

Assembly deployment and NuGet installation
Non-UI control architecture
Basic toast with SfToastNotification.Show() method
Title, Message, and Header properties
Duration configuration and auto-close behavior
Toast lifecycle management (Close, CloseAll)
Action buttons and close button visibility
When to read: User needs basic setup or first-time implementation

Display Modes

📄 Read: references/display-modes.md

Default Mode (Native OS notifications) with WindowsToastBootstrapper setup
Window Mode (window-constrained notifications)
Screen Mode (global overlay notifications)
Mode comparison and when to use each
Application startup configuration (App.xaml.cs)
Customization limitations by mode
When to read: User needs to choose between native OS vs in-app notifications, or configure application startup

Severity & Visual Styling

📄 Read: references/severity-and-variants.md

Severity levels (None, Info, Success, Warning, Error)
Visual variants (Text, Outlined, Filled)
AccentBrush customization
Severity + Variant combinations
Visual styling rules and applicability
When to read: User needs to style toasts with colors, severity levels, or custom branding

Placement & Animations

📄 Read: references/placement-and-animations.md

8 placement positions (TopLeft, TopCenter, TopRight, etc.)
Animation types (Fade, Zoom, Slide, Flip)
ShowAnimationType and CloseAnimationType
Animation reference table
When to read: User needs to position toasts or add animation effects

Action Buttons

📄 Read: references/action-buttons.md

Simple action buttons
Action buttons with callbacks
CloseOnClick behavior
Custom ActionTemplate with DataTemplate
Multiple actions handling
When to read: User needs interactive buttons, callbacks, or custom button styling

Template Customization

📄 Read: references/template-customization.md

TitleTemplate customization
ContentTemplate customization
CloseButtonTemplate customization
DataTemplate structure and resource binding
Advanced template scenarios
When to read: User needs to fully customize toast appearance beyond built-in options

Quick Start Example

Basic Information Toast

using System.Windows;
using Syncfusion.UI.Xaml.SfToastNotification;

namespace ToastDemo
{
    public partial class MainWindow : Window
    {
        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void ShowToast_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            // Simple toast with title and message
            SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
            {
                Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
                Title = "Welcome",
                Message = "Hello! This is your first toast notification."
            });
        }
    }
}

Success Toast with Custom Duration

// Success toast with 8-second duration
SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Title = "Save Successful",
    Message = "Your document has been saved successfully.",
    Severity = ToastSeverity.Success,
    Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
    Duration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(8)
});

Error Toast with Action Buttons

// Error toast with Retry and Dismiss actions
SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Title = "Operation Failed",
    Message = "Unable to save your changes. Please try again.",
    Severity = ToastSeverity.Error,
    Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
    Actions = new List<ToastAction>
    {
        new ToastAction("Retry")
        {
            Callback = () => RetryOperation(),
            CloseOnClick = true
        },
        new ToastAction("Dismiss")
        {
            CloseOnClick = true
        }
    }
});

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Native OS Notification

// App.xaml.cs - Initialize at startup
private void Application_Startup(object sender, StartupEventArgs e)
{
    WindowsToastBootstrapper.RemoveShortcutOnUnload = true;
    WindowsToastBootstrapper.Initialize("MyApp.App", "MyApplication");
}

// MainWindow.xaml.cs - Show native toast
SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Title = "New Message",
    Message = "You have received a new message.",
    Mode = ToastMode.Default  // Native OS notification
});

Pattern 2: Custom Styled Toast

// Filled variant with custom accent color
SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Title = "Custom Toast",
    Message = "This toast uses custom styling.",
    Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
    Severity = ToastSeverity.Info,
    Variant = ToastVariant.Filled,
    AccentBrush = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.Purple),
    Placement = ToastPlacement.BottomRight,
    ShowAnimationType = ToastAnimation.SlideBottomIn,
    CloseAnimationType = ToastAnimation.SlideBottomOut
});

Pattern 3: Persistent Toast (No Auto-Close)

// Toast remains until user closes it
var options = new ToastOptions
{
    Id = "important-notification",
    Title = "Important Update",
    Message = "Please review this notification carefully.",
    Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
    Severity = ToastSeverity.Warning,
    PreventAutoClose = true  // Disable auto-close
};

SfToastNotification.Show(this, options);

// Manually close later by ID
SfToastNotification.Close("important-notification");

Pattern 4: Multiple Action Buttons

SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Title = "New Email",
    Message = "You have a new message from John Doe.",
    Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
    Actions = new List<ToastAction>
    {
        new ToastAction("Reply")
        {
            Arguments = "Reply",
            Callback = () => OpenReplyDialog(),
            CloseOnClick = true
        },
        new ToastAction("Mark as Read")
        {
            Callback = () => MarkAsRead(),
            CloseOnClick = true
        },
        new ToastAction("Later")
        {
            CloseOnClick = true
        }
    }
});

Key Properties

Property	Type	Purpose	Default
Title	string	Bold text at top of toast	null
Message	string	Main body text	null
Header	string	Additional header (Window/Screen only)	null
Mode	ToastMode	Default, Window, or Screen	Default
Severity	ToastSeverity	None, Info, Success, Warning, Error	None
Variant	ToastVariant	Text, Outlined, Filled	Text
Duration	TimeSpan	How long toast stays visible	6 seconds
PreventAutoClose	bool	Disable auto-close	false
Placement	ToastPlacement	Screen position (8 options)	TopRight
AccentBrush	Brush	Custom color accent	null
ShowAnimationType	ToastAnimation	Show animation effect	FadeIn
CloseAnimationType	ToastAnimation	Hide animation effect	FadeOut
Actions	List<ToastAction>	Interactive action buttons	null
ShowActionButtons	bool	Display action button row	true
ShowCloseButton	bool	Display close button	true
Id	string	Unique identifier for management	null

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Save Operation Feedback

Show success confirmation when user saves a document or form.

SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Title = "Saved",
    Message = "Your changes have been saved successfully.",
    Severity = ToastSeverity.Success,
    Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
    Duration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(4)
});

Use Case 2: Validation Errors

Display validation errors without blocking the UI.

SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Title = "Validation Error",
    Message = "Please fill in all required fields before submitting.",
    Severity = ToastSeverity.Error,
    Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
    Placement = ToastPlacement.TopCenter
});

Use Case 3: Background Task Completion

Notify users when long-running background tasks complete.

SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Title = "Export Complete",
    Message = "Your data has been exported to Excel.",
    Severity = ToastSeverity.Info,
    Mode = ToastMode.Default,  // Native OS notification
    Actions = new List<ToastAction>
    {
        new ToastAction("Open File")
        {
            Callback = () => OpenExportedFile(),
            CloseOnClick = true
        }
    }
});

Use Case 4: Warning Messages

Show warnings about unsaved changes or pending operations.

SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Title = "Unsaved Changes",
    Message = "You have unsaved changes. Don't forget to save before closing.",
    Severity = ToastSeverity.Warning,
    Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
    Duration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10),
    Placement = ToastPlacement.BottomCenter
});

Use Case 5: Real-Time Notifications

Display real-time updates like new messages or system alerts.

SfToastNotification.Show(this, new ToastOptions
{
    Id = "notification-" + DateTime.Now.Ticks,
    Title = "New Message",
    Message = $"From: {senderName}\n{messagePreview}",
    Severity = ToastSeverity.Info,
    Mode = ToastMode.Screen,
    Placement = ToastPlacement.BottomRight,
    PreventAutoClose = false,
    Duration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(7)
});

Additional Resources

Syncfusion Documentation: Toast Notification Overview
API Reference: SfToastNotification Class

syncfusion-wpf-toast-notification