The following code explains the differences between them:
<Window x:Class="WPFTestMe.Window12" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml" Title="Window12" Height="300" Width="300"> <Window.Resources> <DataTemplate x:Key="ButtonContentTemplate"> <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" Background="Red"> <Grid Height="8" Width="8" > <Path HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Margin="0,0,1.8,1.8" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" Stretch="Fill" Stroke="#FF000000" Data="M0.5,5.7 L0.5,0.5 L5.7,0.5"/> <Path HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Margin="2,3,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" Stretch="Fill" Stroke="#FFFFFFFF" Data="M3.2,7.5 L7.5,7.5 L7.5,3.5"/> <Path HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Margin="1.2,1.4,0.7,0.7" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" Fill="#FFFFFFFF" Stretch="Fill" Stroke="#FF000000" Data="M2.5,2.5 L7.5,7.5"/> <Path HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Margin="1.7,2.0,1,1" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" Stretch="Fill" Stroke="#FF000000" Data="M3,7.5 L7.5,7.5 L7.5,3.5"/> <Path HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Margin="1,1,1,1" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" Stretch="Fill" Stroke="#FFFFFFFF" Data="M1.5,6.5 L1.5,1 L6.5,1.5"/> </Grid> <ContentPresenter Content="{Binding}"/> </StackPanel> </DataTemplate> <ControlTemplate TargetType="Button" x:Key="ButtonControlTemplate"> <Grid> <Ellipse Fill="{TemplateBinding Background}"/> <ContentPresenter HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center"/> </Grid> </ControlTemplate> </Window.Resources> <StackPanel> <Button ContentTemplate="{StaticResource ButtonContentTemplate}" Content="1"/> <Button Template="{StaticResource ButtonControlTemplate}" ContentTemplate="{StaticResource ButtonContentTemplate}" Content="2"/> <Button Template="{StaticResource ButtonControlTemplate}" ContentTemplate="{StaticResource ButtonContentTemplate}" Content="3"/> </StackPanel></Window>
The effect is as follows: