---
title: "How to: Define a Name Scope"
ms.date: "03/30/2017"
dev_langs: 
  - "csharp"
  - "vb"
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "name scope [WPF], defining"
  - "Storyboards [WPF], animating in procedural code"
  - "animation [WPF], Storyboards [WPF], in procedural code"
ms.assetid: 4f361925-6a08-40dc-8231-a61111c6b28b
---
# How to: Define a Name Scope
To animate with <xref:System.Windows.Media.Animation.Storyboard> in code, you must create a <xref:System.Windows.NameScope> and register the target objects' names with the element that owns that name scope. In the following example, a <xref:System.Windows.NameScope> is created for `myMainPanel`. Two buttons, `button1` and `button2`, are added to the panel, and their names registered. Several animations and a <xref:System.Windows.Media.Animation.Storyboard> are created. The storyboard's <xref:System.Windows.Media.Animation.Storyboard.Begin%2A> method is used to start the animations.  
  
 Because `button1`, `button2`, and `myMainPanel` all share the same name scope, any one of them can be used with the <xref:System.Windows.Media.Animation.Storyboard> <xref:System.Windows.Media.Animation.Storyboard.Begin%2A> method to start the animations.  
  
## Example  
 [!code-csharp[StoryboardBeginAnimation_procedural_snip#NameScopeExample](~/samples/snippets/csharp/VS_Snippets_Wpf/StoryboardBeginAnimation_procedural_snip/CSharp/ScopeExample.cs#namescopeexample)]
 [!code-vb[StoryboardBeginAnimation_procedural_snip#NameScopeExample](~/samples/snippets/visualbasic/VS_Snippets_Wpf/StoryboardBeginAnimation_procedural_snip/visualbasic/scopeexample.vb#namescopeexample)]  
  
## See also

- [Animate a Property by Using a Storyboard](how-to-animate-a-property-by-using-a-storyboard.md)
- [Animation Overview](animation-overview.md)