DockPanel Tab Order

If you want to retain the DockPanel, you can use KeyboardNavigation.TabNavigation="Local" on the parent dockpanel, and then you CAN set the tab index values on the controls within it.

Like this -

    <ItemsControl HorizontalContentAlignment="Stretch">        <ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>            <DataTemplate>                <DockPanel KeyboardNavigation.TabNavigation="Local">                    <ComboBox DockPanel.Dock="Left" TabIndex="1"/>                    <ComboBox DockPanel.Dock="Left" TabIndex="2"/>                    <Button DockPanel.Dock="Right" TabIndex="4">Button</Button>                    <!-- This will appear before the button...it has to go after it in the XAML so it will fill properly in the DockPanel -->                    <TextBox DockPanel.Dock="Left" MinWidth="100" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" TabIndex="3"/>                </DockPanel>            </DataTemplate>        </ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>    </ItemsControl>

As you found, if you just set the tab index values of the controls, these are global to the form, so all the TabIndex="0" are tabbed into first, then all the TabIndex="1", and so on. Set KeyboardNavigation.TabNavigation="Local" on the parent container fixes it.

You could use a Grid instead of the DockPanel, like so:

<Grid>    <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>        <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto"/>        <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto"/>        <ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>        <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto"/>    </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>    <ComboBox />    <ComboBox Grid.Column="1"/>    <TextBox Grid.Column="2" MinWidth="100" />    <Button Grid.Column="3">Button</Button> </Grid>

And if you want them to align nicely in the different columns - you could use SharedSizeGroup.

Have you tried explicitly setting the tab order?

<Control KeyboardNavigation.TabIndex="0" />