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Pivot overlapping other elements in WP 8.1 Universal app (and automatically changing margin)

The following XAML shows the content of a Windows Phone 8.1 Universal app page. The idea is to have a bar on top of a pivot. But the pivot is overlapping the bar whereas the sample grid in blue is working as expected.
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="50" />
<RowDefinition Height="*" />
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Grid Background="{StaticResource PhoneAccentBrush}" Height="50" />
<Pivot Grid.Row="1" Background="Green" Width="200" HorizontalAlignment="Left" />
<Grid Grid.Row="1" Background="Blue" Width="200" HorizontalAlignment="Right" />
</Grid>
The resulting Page looks like this:
Where is this "negative margin" coming from?
How can it be avoided?
BTW: Just setting a margin is not a solution as it introduces other problems, for example a jumping GUI when using a SemanticZoom control, I need to know the root cause of the problem to solve it...
Info: It seems that the Windows Phone Pivot automatically changes the margin depending on the current screen settings (status bar shown/hidden). So if your app changes the state of the status bar in some circumstances you will end up having a jumping/changing pivot control.

I've found a solution and created a simple attached property for the Pivot control.
The attached property can be used this way:
<Pivot controls:PivotExtensions.DisableAutoMargin="True">
<PivotItem Header="A">
...
</PivotItem>
<PivotItem Header="B">
...
</PivotItem>
</Pivot>
The class with the attached property can be found here:
http://mytoolkit.codeplex.com/SourceControl/latest#MyToolkit.Extended.WinRT/Controls/PivotExtensions.cs
Downside: You cannot override the template anymore as the attached property changes the template already...

Overriding the control template doesn't seem to work; there is some code in the control that's setting the margin after construction. Also setting the Margin on the offending grid on the Loaded event doesn't work either, the negative margin code runs after that.
The only way I found to make the odd behavior go away was to ask your UI to overlap the status bar:
ApplicationView.GetForCurrentView()
.SetDesiredBoundsMode(ApplicationViewBoundsMode.UseCoreWindow);
Then the Pivot control figures that it doesn't need to try and cover the status bar. Note that you'll now have to give room in your page layout to prevent overlap with the status bar.

WPF max width of TextBlock in C#

I have need to programmatically create a TextBlock inside a WrapPanel. This TextBlock will act like a heading, therefore I don't want anything to appear to right of the TextBlock. Is there a better way to max out the Width of the TextBlock without doing something like;
myTexblock.Width = 1000000;
Thanks

I think a better solution than putting your header in your WrapPanel is to place the header and WrapPanel in a StackPanel
Something similar to this:
<StackPanel>
<TextBlock Text="Some Header Text"
HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" />
<WrapPanel>
<Button Content="Placeholder" />
<Button Content="Also holding a place" />
</WrapPanel>
</StackPanel>
This gives the same visual effect as what you described without the sloppy property setting.

How to align RibbonGroup to the right?

I use RibbonControlsLibrary. How to align one RibbonGroup to the right? It should be only one group in tab. All other groups should be aligned to the left.

You cannot align the RibbonGroup to the right. The Ribbon doesn't provide the ability to do this.
What you can do is to align page header items... but I don't know if it's enough for you:
DevExpress

I had the same issue, and I finally found something to do this :
I have 3 RibbonGroupBox. Groupe1 may be aligned on left, Groupe3 may be aligned on right. Groupe2 is just an empty RibbonGroupBox I inserted between Groupe1 and Groupe3.
Code XAML :
<Fluent:Ribbon DockPanel.Dock="Top" Title="{x:Static p:Resources.MiseEnBarre}" x:Name="mainRibbon">
<Fluent:RibbonTabItem x:Name="MainMenu" Header="{x:Static p:Resources.MainMenu}" SizeChanged="MainMenu_SizeChanged">
<Fluent:RibbonGroupBox x:Name="Groupe1">
<Fluent:Button x:Name="autoNest" SizeDefinition="Large" LargeIcon="img\image_bar_Nesting.png" Header="{x:Static p:Resources.MenuAutoNest}" Click="AutoNest_Click" />
<Fluent:Button x:Name="saveFile" SizeDefinition="Large" LargeIcon="img\image_save.png" Header="{x:Static p:Resources.MenuSauvegarder}" Click="Sauvegarder_Click" />
</Fluent:RibbonGroupBox>
<Fluent:RibbonGroupBox x:Name="Groupe2">
</Fluent:RibbonGroupBox>
<Fluent:RibbonGroupBox x:Name="Groupe3">
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition/>
<ColumnDefinition/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<TextBlock Grid.Column="0" Text="{Binding Path=AvailableCNClist}" HorizontalAlignment="Left"/>
<TextBlock Grid.Column="1" Text="{Binding Path=AvailableCNClist2}" HorizontalAlignment="Right"/>
</Grid>
</Fluent:RibbonGroupBox>
</Fluent:RibbonTabItem>
</Fluent:Ribbon>
Then to manage the Windows redimensioning, I add on my main window the event SizeChanged="MainWindow_SizeChanged" (In the case your RibbonGroupBox dimensions could also change, just add the same event on them).
private void MainWindow_SizeChanged(object sender, SizeChangedEventArgs e)
{
UpdateAlignRibbon();
}
private void UpdateAlignRibbon()
{
Groupe2.Width = MyWindow.ActualWidth - Groupe1.ActualWidth - Groupe3.ActualWidth;
}
In my case the Groupe3 RibbonGroupBox may change of dimension, so I call UpdateAlignRibbon() from 3 points :
After Initialization of my window(including defining the GroupBoxes content)
When the MainWindow has its dimensions changed
When Groupe1 or Groupe3 have its dimensions changed

Rover, You can try add RibbonGroup between last left RibbonGroup and Right align RibbonGroup and assign size to newly added ribbon related to window size.
example <RibbonGroup Width="400"></RibbonGroup>
it's looks following image

You can sort of hack in alignment but I'd recommend against it.
<r:RibbonGroup Header="This is a Filler Header With No Functionality but to Take Up Space" Visibility="Hidden">
<s:RibbonButton2/>
<s:RibbonButton2/>
<s:RibbonButton2/>
<s:RibbonButton2/>
</r:RibbonGroup>
The customer wanted their logo on the ribbon across the top of the page, but the more you add "false" elements to the bar, the quicker "true" elements will collapse when shrinking the window size.

Try this:
<RibbonTab Header="Home" x:Name="rtabHome" FlowDirection="RightToLeft" >
<RibbonGroup Header="Group">
<TextBlock Text="Example"/>
</RibbonGroup>
</RibbonTab>
Works with FlowDirection="RightToLeft".

Access button content (which is an image) through code in Windows Phone

I have a button that features a grid which in turn contains an image.
<Button Style="{StaticResource ButtonStyle1}" d:LayoutOverrides="GridBox" Margin="0,0,0,2.667" BorderThickness="3" BorderBrush="Black" Name="btn1" Click="btn1_Click">
<Grid>
<Image x:Name="img1" Source="Images/Numbers/1.png" Margin="-10,-3,-10,-5" Stretch="Fill"/>
</Grid>
</Button>
I would like to know if there is a way to access the image holder through code without having to explicitly name it as I have above? If I had several buttons and could do it differently it might be easier.
Thanks

yes you can:
var theImage = (Image)((Grid)btn1.Content).Children[0];
you have to make sure though that the button contains a Grid with an Image otherwise you get a cast or null pointer exception.

WPF Design question

Lets say i am developing a chat, first you come to a login window and when your logged in i want to use the same window but chaning the control :P how would be the best way to desight this?
is there any good way to implement this what root element should i use?
Thanks a lot!!

Take a look at Josh Smith's article in MSDN magazine (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd419663.aspx). He describes an interesting method where you have a content presenter on your main window use data templates to switch out what the window is showing.

If you want to do this all within the same window, you could use a Grid as the root element and host a login element (possibly another grid for layout) and the chat window. These elements would stack on top of one another, depending upon the order in which you declare them. To hide the chat element initially, set its Visibility to Collapsed
You could then have the login element's Visibility set to Collapsed when the user submits their login details, and have the chat element's Visibility set to Visible.
I did something similar once and it worked well for me.
Hope that helps.
EDIT I knocked this together in Kaxaml for you to play with (and because I like playing with XAML):
<Page
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<Grid VerticalAlignment="Stretch" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch">
<Border x:Name="_loginForm" BorderBrush="#888" BorderThickness="3" CornerRadius="5"
HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center" Padding="10" Visibility="Visible">
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition/>
<RowDefinition/>
<RowDefinition/>
<RowDefinition/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="100"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="100"/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<TextBlock Grid.Row="0" Grid.Column="0" Grid.ColumnSpan="2" HorizontalAlignment="Center" Height="30">Welcome to chat</TextBlock>
<TextBlock Grid.Row="1" Grid.Column="0">User Name</TextBlock>
<TextBox Grid.Row="1" Grid.Column="1" x:Name="_userName" />
<TextBlock Grid.Row="2" Grid.Column="0">Password</TextBlock>
<TextBox Grid.Row="2" Grid.Column="1" x:Name="_password"></TextBox>
<Button Grid.Row="3" Grid.Column="1">Log In</Button>
</Grid>
</Border>
<DockPanel x:Name="_chatForm" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" LastChildFill="True" Visibility="Collapsed">
<DockPanel DockPanel.Dock="Bottom" LastChildFill="True" Height="70">
<Button DockPanel.Dock="Right" Width="70">_Send</Button>
<TextBox x:Name="_input" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch">Hello world</TextBox>
</DockPanel>
<ListBox x:Name="_messageHistory" />
</DockPanel>
</Grid>
</Page>
Initially the element _loginForm is visible. You'd attach a handler for the Log In button's Click event that would hide it, and show the _chatForm instead.
This example shows usage of several layout controls -- the Grid, DockPanel and StackPanel.

Alternatively, you can use a StackPanel for your layout. As a simple example, you can have 2 elements in your panel; a custom login control as well as the chat 'display' control. After successfully logging in, remove the custom login control from your stack so only the chat is visible.

It's WPF! Animate them in and out of view...you can do that now. There's a collaborative project on Google Code called Witty (a desktop Twitter client written in WPF), and they do something really cool that you might want to borrow from. Come to think of it, there's another WPF Twitter client (blu) that does similar animations that you might want to look at.
In Witty, the Settings dialog is a normal window, but when you switch between the tabs, a storyboard slides the part of the window you requested into view. I haven't debugged the app at this level, but I'm assuming that they have a horizontal StackPanel populated with containers that are fixed to the height and width of the dialog, and they slide them in and out with a storyboard.
Take a look at both of these apps for ideas. You may want to do something similar, but being that this is a WPF app, the sky is really the limit.
Witty
blu

There are already some answers here on, how to swap two elements at the view level. This post offers a way to more fundamentally create a modular application design with interchangeable views.
You could take a look at the Composite Application Library. It is a small library (developed by Microsoft) that among other things aid in making your application more modular. With this you can define regions of your GUI, that can have interchangeable views.
In your containing xaml import the CAL namespace and use RegionManager to define a region:
<Window ...
xmlns:cal="http://www.codeplex.com/CompositeWPF"
...>
...
<ItemsControl cal:RegionManager.RegionName="MyRegion" />
...
Then you can swap views in this region, preferably in a module:
_regionManager.Regions["MyRegion"].Add(new LoginView());
...swap...
_regionManager.Regions["MyRegion"].Add(new ChatView());
This is of course just an outline of what you can do. In order to implement this solution, you will have to look further in to CAL. It has great documentation and lots of examples to learn from.

I think a more intuitive solution is to use a Frame control as the base control of your window - and to use the NavigateService to change the source of the Frame to different Page controls (which could be defined in separate assemblies, or in your same project as different XAML files).
Your Window:
<Window xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<Frame Source="LogonPage.xaml" NavigationUIVisibility="Hidden" />
</Window>
And your separate LogonPage:
<Page
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml" Title="Logon">
<!-- Your content of the page goes here... -->
</Page>