WPF Bind User Control property not working - c#

I have a user control and im trying to bind one of its properties
User Control Xaml
<UserControl x:Class="pi_browser.Testing.Example"
...
x: Name="LabelControl">
<StackPanel x:Name="RootStackPanel">
<Label Content="{Binding Text, ElementName=LabelControl}"/>
</StackPanel>
</UserControl>
User Control Codebehind
public partial class Example : UserControl
{
public Example()
{
InitializeComponent();
ExampleViewModel vm = new ExampleViewModel(State);
DataContext = vm;
}
public Boolean State
{
get { return (Boolean)this.GetValue(StateProperty); }
set { this.SetValue(StateProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty StateProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("State",
typeof(Boolean), typeof(Example), new PropertyMetadata(false));
}
Main Page View Model
class ExampleViewModel
{
public ExampleViewModel(bool v)
{
val = v;
}
bool val;
public string Text { get => val ? "This worked" : "This didnt work"; }
}
Main Window Xaml
<Window x:Class="pi_browser.Testing.Tester" ... >
<Grid>
<local:Example State="True"/>
</Grid>
</Window>
In this example I didn't bind the State variable, I only passed a literal, but ideally I would like to bind to actual values.

State is a boolean, yet you bind to Text. Let us fix one issue by creating a dependency property Text on your User Control. We shall fix the Text issue and not the boolean State issue. Once you fix that, do the same for State.
So to fix Text we need to fix why this fails:
<Label Content="{Binding Text, ElementName=LabelControl}"/>
You set the ElementName to be the UserControl itself, which is what one wants. But then you tell the binding to look for (remember binding is just reflection of an object under the covers) the property Text. The property Text does not exist on that instance/class...but State does. Its obvious to bind to a newly created Text dependency property on the user control to fix the first issue.
Then when you instantiate the control on your main page, you need to then, and only then bind to Text because that property also resides on your viewmodel.
So three things, along with the change mentioned on the UserControl:
Make your ViewModel adhere to INotifyPropertyChanged and make the Text property use the notification mechanism you install.
Make sure that your main page has its DataContext set to a vailid instance of your ViewModel class.
Bind to Text such as <local:Example State="{Binding Text}"/>
Once that is done, the Text value will properly flow towards the UserControl.

Related

Passing data between two usercontrols / Views

Using MVVM
I am trying to pass data entered in a control (a textbox in the attached code) in one view (view1) and use that data in the second view (view2). At the moment, by declaring all my views in the App.xaml file, I can bind the textblock in view2 with the information entered in the textbox in view1 and see it displayed in the said textblock. But I want to use the information entered in view2's view model as well but dont know how to access it there to use the information.
Can somebody tell me how to go about doing this? Thanks!
App.xaml [declaration of resources]
<Application.Resources>
<vws:DefaultVM x:Key="DefaultVMApp"></vws:DefaultVM>
<vws:View1 x:Key="View1App"></vws:View1>
<vws:View2 x:Key="View2App"></vws:View2>
<vm:AppVM x:Key="AppVMApp"></vm:AppVM>
<vm:View1VM x:Key="View1VMApp"></vm:View1VM>
<vm:View2VM x:Key="View2VMApp"></vm:View2VM>
</Application.Resources>
View1.xaml
<UserControl.DataContext>
<StaticResource ResourceKey="View1VMApp"></StaticResource>
</UserControl.DataContext>
<Grid Background="Aqua">
<StackPanel Margin="100">
<TextBox x:Name="firstNameTextBoxView1" Text="{Binding View1InfoClass.FirstName, Mode=OneWayToSource, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"></TextBox>
<Button Command="{Binding Source={StaticResource AppVMApp}, Path=View2ButtonCommand}" Content="Go to view2" Height="20" Width="70" />
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
View2.xaml
<UserControl.DataContext>
<StaticResource ResourceKey="View2VMApp"></StaticResource>
</UserControl.DataContext>
<Grid Background="Beige">
<StackPanel Margin="100">
<TextBlock x:Name="View1TextBlock" Text="{Binding Source={StaticResource View1VMApp}, Path=View1InfoClass.FirstName}" ></TextBlock>
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
AppVM
public class AppVM : ObservableObject
{
//Create a property that controls current view
private static object _currentView = new DefaultVM();
public object CurrentView
{
get { return _currentView; }
private set
{
OnPropertyChanged(ref _currentView, value);
}
}
private string _textboxText;
public string TextboxText
{
get { return _textboxText; }
set
{
OnPropertyChanged(ref _textboxText, value);
}
}
public AppVM()
{
View1ButtonCommand = new RelayCommand(ShowView1, AlwaysTrueCommand);
View2ButtonCommand = new RelayCommand(ShowView2, AlwaysTrueCommand);
DefaultCommand = new RelayCommand(ShowDefault, AlwaysTrueCommand);
}
//Instantiate the relaycommands, we will need to instantiate relaycommand objects for every command we need to perform.
//This means that we will need to do this for preses of all buttons
public RelayCommand View1ButtonCommand { get; private set; }
public RelayCommand View2ButtonCommand { get; private set; }
public RelayCommand DefaultCommand { get; private set; }
public void ShowDefault(object dummy)
{
CurrentView = new DefaultVM();
}
public void ShowView1(object dummy)
{
CurrentView = new View1();
}
public void ShowView2(object dummy)
{
CurrentView = new View2();
}
public bool AlwaysTrueCommand(object dummy)
{
return true;
}
}
The fundamental problem in your code is that you have dedicated a pre-defined view model object to each of the user controls. This is really bad. A user control's data context must be left alone, for the client code (e.g. your main window) to determine, and to use for binding to specific properties that the user control exposes.
Unfortunately, there's not enough context in your question to provide a clear, complete answer. But to fix your issue, you need to do things differently:
First and foremost, "decouple" the view models you are using for your user control from the user controls themselves. Do this by adding dependency properties to each user control, and then letting the main view where the user controls are used decide what to bind to each of those dependency properties. Do not allow the user controls themselves to set their own data contexts.
Having done that, you may find that you can just use the same view model for the two user controls as for the main view. I.e. you'll set the main view's data context to the single view model, the user controls will inherit that data context, and you'll bind, for example, the TextboxText property to the appropriate declared dependency property in each user control. This way, that single property will represent state for both user controls at the same time.
One hopes that will be enough to get you back on track. If not, consider searching Stack Overflow for other questions related to view models and their relationships to user controls. For example, these questions:
Issue with DependencyProperty binding
XAML binding not working on dependency property?
WPF DataBinding with MVVM and User Controls
Other questions which don't address your scenario exactly, but which should give you some ideas for alternative ways to structure your view model(s):
MVVM : Share data between ViewModels
Sharing non control related data between WPF ViewModel and UserControl
Sharing data between different ViewModels
Sharing state between ViewModels

Progress bar's Visibility property not changing during runtime

I want to be able to hide a progress bar once a button is pressed, but it doesn't seem to be working.
This is my progress bar in XAML :
<ProgressBar Grid.Row="1" Grid.Column="1" IsIndeterminate="True" Height="37" Margin="0,10,0,10" Visibility="{Binding ProgressVisibility, Mode=TwoWay}" RenderTransformOrigin="0.5,0.5"/>
In my .xaml.cs I have this dependency property :
public Visibility ProgressVisibility
{
get { return (Visibility)GetValue(ProgressVisibilityProperty); }
set { this.SetValue(ProgressVisibilityProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty ProgressVisibilityProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("ProgressVisibility", typeof(Visibility), typeof(RecipeDownloadDialogStatusView), new PropertyMetadata(Visibility.Visible));
And in the view model I have this property :
private Visibility progressVisibility;
public Visibility ProgressVisibility
{
get
{
return this.progressVisibility;
}
set
{
this.progressVisibility = value;
this.OnPropertyChanged("ProgressVisibility");
}
}
When a button is pressed, I call :
ProgressVisibility = Visibility.Hidden;
While debugging :
The line above gets executed but nothing happens.
The setter gets called and so is the OnPropertyChanged
The dependency property gets registred.
I'm not really sure what did I do wrong. Any help will be appreciated.
Based on your question I think one of two things is the problem here:
The DataContext of the ProgressBar is set to your viewmodel but your Button is only updating the property of your parent control / window.
The DataContext of the ProgressBaris set to your parent control / window but your Button is only updating the property of your viewmodel.
If you want ProgressVisibility to be publicly available, change it to
public Visibility ProgressVisibility
{
get => this.viewModel.ProgressVisibility;
set => this.viewModel.ProgressVisibility = value;
}
If ProgressVisibility does not need to be public, just drop the dependency property and work with the implementation in the viewmodel instead.

A binding can only be set on a DependencyProperty of a DependencyObject?

I try to develop a UserControl look like a TextBox white two different changes.
First of all the new TextBox has to display a "PlaceholderText" if the TextBox text value is empty. My solution for this implementation includes a second TextBox white the "PlaceholderText" as simply Text Attribute. At last I changed the visibility an the focus to the other TextBox.
An when the Textbox ValidationResult Object return false they display a TextBlock white an "ErrorMessage"
They tow implementations are already working and existent. For my new TextBox I copied all the TextBox specific properties into my new control and passed them to the original TextBox.
Now I tried to bind the Text property from my new control to a DependencyPropery Object (in the ViewModel).
My implementation looks this:
Custom TextBox Text property
public string Text
{
get => TbSource.Text;
set => TbSource.Text = value;
}
ViewModel propdp
public static DependencyProperty PersonProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register(nameof(Person), typeof(Person), typeof(PersonViewModel));
public Person Person
{
get => (Person)GetValue(PersonProperty);
set => SetValue(PersonProperty, value);
}
And my view
<customControl:NiceTextBox Grid.Row="0" Grid.Column="1" IsPlaceholderAktive="True" PlaceholderText="Enter first name" ErrorMessage="The given first name isn't valid." Text="{Binding Person.Name}" />
Now in the implementation in the View I became follow message:
Has anyone an idea how to fix it? I tried to change my Text property to a dependency property but then I can't pass the input and output from the TbSource.
The Text property of your custom control - the target property - must be a dependency property for you to be able to bind to it like this in XAML:
<customControl:NiceTextBox ... Text="{Binding Person.Name}" />
But the Person property in the view model - the source property - shouldn't be defined as a dependency property.
So you have defined the dependency property in the wrong class. Only target properties must be defined as dependency property for you to be able to bind them to some source property.
A control inherits from a DependencyObject class where the GetValue and SetValue methods are defined but a view model generally doesn't.
Make your UserControl Text property as DependencyProperty and the property in ViewModel as a normal CLR property and bind it.
UserControl
public string Text
{
get { return (string)GetValue(TextProperty); }
set { SetValue(TextProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty TextProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Text", typeof(string), typeof(NiceTextBox), new PropertyMetadata(string.Empty));
ViewModel
public Person Person { get; set; }
XAML
<customControl:NiceTextBox ... Text="{Binding Person.Name}" />

How to bind multiple user controls?

I have created the following User Control:
<UserControl x:Class="TextBinder" ...>
<TextBox Text="{Binding ????}" />
</UserControl>
Now I am using my user control twice in my MainWindow. The MainWindow is then bound to my ViewModel (I set the DataContext). Now the problem is: how can I bind my user controls to the user_controlViewModel?
In my ViewModel, I have created two objects let's call them UC_1 and UC_2, they contain different texts and I would like to bind them to their respective user control in my MainWindow.
What should I put at ????
Note: please do not simplify mu TextBox to double textboxes in one usercontrol. This is not what I would like since in my real life example I have more stuff than textbox only and the usercontrol should be used multiple times in one view.
Thanks!
i gave you a general answer:
within a "real(a usercontrol you wanna use with different viewmodels with different property names)" usercontrol you bind just to your own DependencyProperties and you do that with ElementName or RelativeSource binding and you should never set the DataContext within a UserControl.
<UserControl x:Name="myRealUC" x:class="MyUserControl">
<TextBox Text="{Binding ElementName=myRealUC, Path=MyOwnDPIDeclaredInMyUc, Path=TwoWay}"/>
<UserControl>
if you do that you can easily use this Usercontrol in any view like:
<myControls:MyUserControl MyOwnDPIDeclaredInMyUc="{Binding MyPropertyInMyViewmodel}"/>
and for completeness: the Dependency Property
public readonly static DependencyProperty MyOwnDPIDeclaredInMyUcProperty = DependencyProperty.Register(
"MyOwnDPIDeclaredInMyUc", typeof(string), typeof(MyUserControl), new PropertyMetadata(""));
public bool MyOwnDPIDeclaredInMyUc
{
get { return (string)GetValue(MyOwnDPIDeclaredInMyUcProperty); }
set { SetValue(MyOwnDPIDeclaredInMyUcProperty, value); }
}
Thats right, you need yo declare a dependency property in your UserControl:
public partial class TextBinder:UserControl
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty textproperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Text", typeof(string), typeof(TextBinder));
public string Text
{
get
{
return this.GetValue(textproperty) as string;
}
set
{
this.SetValue(textproperty,value);
}
}
}
And then, you can use your usercontrol in your window at this way:
<YourNamespace:TextBinder Text={Binding ViewModelProperty}/>

WPF User Control Dependency Property not working when bound to a ViewModel property

I have two user-controls: a LocationTreeView, and a LocationPicker. The LocationTreeView organizes Locations into a tree structure. Because of the number of locations involved, only parts of the tree are loaded at once (one level at a time as items are expanded).
The LocationPicker is little more than a textblock with a button that opens a modal window with a LocationTreeView on it.
When I bind my LocationPicker's "SelectedLocation" property to my Viewmodel, it works fine. When I bind my LocationTreeView to the viewmodel, the binding doesn't seem to have any effect at all. When I bind my LocationTreeView to a "dummy" LocationPicker (which is bound to my viewmodel) it works.
How can I get my LocationTreeView to bind to my viewmodel?
public partial class LocationTreeView: UserControl
{
public EventHandler LocationChanged;
...
public static readonly DependencyProperty SelectedLocationProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("SelectedLocation",typeof(Location), typeof(LocationTreeView),
new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(null, FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions.BindsTwoWayByDefault, SelectedLocationChanged));
...
public static void SelectedLocationChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
LocationTreeView sender = (d as LocationTreeView);
Location loc = e.NewValue as Location;
//Navigate the treeview to the selected location
sender.LoadLTreeViewPathToLocation(loc);
}
public Location SelectedLocation
{
get { return (Location)GetValue(SelectedLocationProperty); }
set
{
if (SelectedLocation != value)
{
SetValue(SelectedLocationProperty, value);
if (LocationChanged != null)
{
LocationChanged(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
}
}
}
...
}
Binding on this control works fine when bound to another control, but not when bound to my viewmodel. I've set a breakpoint in the SelectedLocationChanged callback, it doesn't seem to get fired when I set the viewmodel property (which DOES implement INotifyPropertyChanged)
public partial class LocationPicker: UserControl
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty SelectedLocationProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("SelectedLocation",typeof(Location), typeof(LocationPicker),
new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(null, FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions.BindsTwoWayByDefault));
...
public Location SelectedLocation
{
get { return (Location)GetValue(SelectedLocationProperty); }
set { SetValue(SelectedLocationProperty, value); }
}
...
private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
// create a window with a locationtreeview on it. Set the treeview's
// selectedlocation property, open the window, wait for the window to close,
// set this.SelectedLoctation to the treeview's selected location.
}
}
I apologize for the leaving out so much code. My work enviroment prevents me from being able to copy/paste.
I've left out the code for the ViewModel. I am quite confident that it is not the issue.
Update:
The LocationTreeView has a ViewModel that is set in the xaml
<UserControl.DataContext>
<VM:LocationTreeViewViewModel />
</UserControl.DataContext>
The LocationPicker does not have a ViewModel.
On the window that I am using the controls, the xaml looks something like this
<Widow.DataContext>
<VM:TestWindowViewModel />
</Window.DataContext>
<Grid>
...
<UC:LocationPicker x:Name="picker" SelectedLocation="{Binding Location}" />
<!-- this does not work -->
<UC:LocationTreeView SelectedLocaiton="{Binding Location}" />
<!-- but this works --->
<UC:LocationTreeView SelectedLocaiton="{Binding SelectedLocation, ElementName=picker}" />
...
</Grid>
If you want to data bind from your view model to the LocationTreeView, then you should use the property in the view model to data bind to. If your view model had a property named SelectedLocationInViewModel in it, then you should use that to data bind to:
<UC:LocationTreeView SelectedLocation="{Binding SelectedLocationInViewModel}" />
I think that I see what your problem is now... you want to define some properties in the UserControl and data bind to them, but also data bind to properties from the view model that is set as the DataContext. You need to use a RelativeSource Binding to do that... just look at the Binding Paths in these examples:
To data bind to properties declared in a UserControl from within the UserControl:
<ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding PropertyName, RelativeSource={RelativeSource
AncestorType={x:Type YourPrefix:YourUserControl}}}" />
To data bind to properties declared in any object set as the DataContext:
<ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding PropertyName}" />

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