The namespace contains classes for rendering controls and other Windows user interface (UI) elements with visual styles in operating systems that support them.

The namespace contains the following main classes: is a foundation class for identifying any control or UI element supported by visual styles. In addition to itself, the namespace includes many nested classes of with static properties that return a for every state of a control, control part, or other UI element supported by visual styles. For example, the property of the class returns a that identifies a button in the pressed state with visual styles. provides methods that draw and get information about each defined by the current visual style of the operating system. Information that can be retrieved about an element includes its default size, background type, and color definitions. provides a set of static properties that provide information about the current visual style of the operating system. The namespace also includes a set of enumerations. Some of these enumerations, such as and , provide state definitions for related visual style elements. Most of the other enumerations support methods that return information about a particular element. For example, the enumeration provides the possible argument values for the method. Finally, the enumeration provides values that define how visual styles are currently applied to the application.