Develop Reference

C# WPF - variable value won't display on Textboxes (DataContext?)

I got a really tricky and annoying problem with my C# WPF Application. I guess it's not a big deal for a good programmer to solve it, but I don't know how to fix it yet. For school, I have to program an application which depicts a process. So I get Data by an XML-File, have to calculate some values, display them for User Interaction etc. and at the end the output is again a file, which can be processed further.
For that, I got different UserControls, which depicts different modules for example, one for the Data Import, the other one for calculating and displayng values and so on. The Main Window is like the free space or the place-maker on which the different modules are loaded depending on where we are in the process.
My problem now is that the values I calculate in my UserControl won't display in my UI respectively my application and I don't really know why. 0 is the only value which is transferred to the application. Curious about it, is that in the Debugger the values are correct, but in the display itself there is only a 0.
Ok, so I show you now the code of the different files (I'm not the best programmer, so maybe the code is sometimes a bit dirty).
I got a Main UserControl, let's call it UC_Main, and in this UserControl you can switch between 3 different other UserControls depending on which Radiobutton in the UC_Main is checked. (The UC_Main is always displayed, because in this there are only the 3 radio buttons and underneath is a big free space, where the different UserControls 1, 2 and 3 are loaded).
UC_Main.xaml
<UserControl.Resources>
<DataTemplate x:Name="UC1_Template" DataType="{x:Type local:UC1}">
<local:UC1 DataContext="{Binding}" />
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Name="UC2_Template" DataType="{x:Type local:UC2}">
<local:UC2 DataContext="{Binding}" />
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Name="UC3_Template" DataType="{x:Type local:UC3}">
<local:UC3 DataContext="{Binding}" />
</DataTemplate>
</UserControl.Resources>
<Border Padding="10">
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<!-- In the First Row there are the radio buttons in the second the
different UserControls 1, 2 or 3 -->
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="50"/>
<RowDefinition Height="*"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<materialDesign:ColorZone Mode="PrimaryMid" Width="400" HorizontalAlignment="Left">
<StackPanel Grid.Row="0" Orientation="Horizontal" Margin="2">
<RadioButton x:Name="UC1_radiobutton" Checked="UC1_radiobutton_Checked"
Style="{StaticResource MaterialDesignTabRadioButton}"
Margin="4"
IsChecked="True"
Content="UserControl1" />
<RadioButton x:Name="UC2_radiobutton" Checked="UC2_radiobutton_Checked"
Style="{StaticResource MaterialDesignTabRadioButton}"
Margin="4"
IsChecked="False"
Content="UserControl2" />
<RadioButton x:Name="UC3_radiobutton" Checked="UC3_radiobutton_Checked"
Style="{StaticResource MaterialDesignTabRadioButton}"
Margin="4"
IsChecked="False"
Content="UserControl3" />
</StackPanel>
</materialDesign:ColorZone>
<ContentControl Grid.Row="1" Content="{Binding}" />
</Grid>
</Border>
</UserControl>
UC_Main.xaml.cs
public partial class UC_Main : UserControl
{
public UC_Main()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void UC1_radiobutton_Checked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
DataContext = new UC1();
}
private void UC2_radiobutton_Checked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
DataContext = new UC2();
}
private void UC3_radiobutton_Checked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
DataContext = new UC3();
}
}
}
To keep it simple, I'll only show you the Code of UserControl 1, because UC 2 and 3 are pretty the same beside other variables or values.
UC1.xaml
<Border Padding="10">
<StackPanel>
<!-- To keep the example simple, I got 1 Row and 2 Colums; in each
is one TextBox -->
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="2*" />
<ColumnDefinition Width="2*" />
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<TextBox x:Name="TextBox1" Grid.Column="0" IsTabStop="False"
Text="{Binding Path=variable1, Mode=TwoWay}"
VerticalAlignment="Center"
HorizontalAlignment="Center"
TextAlignment="Center"
Height="25"
Width="85"
Foreground="DarkGray"
IsReadOnly="True" />
<TextBox x:Name="TextBox2" Grid.Column="1" IsTabStop="False"
Text="{Binding Path=variable2, Mode=TwoWay}"
VerticalAlignment="Center"
HorizontalAlignment="Center"
TextAlignment="Center"
Height="25"
Width="85"
Foreground="DarkGray"
IsReadOnly="True" />
</Grid>
</StackPanel>
</Border>
</UserControl>
UC_1.xaml.cs
public partial class UC1 : UserControl
{
public MainWindow Speaker;
public ValueStore vs;
public UC1()
{
InitializeComponent();
Speaker = MainWindow.AppWindow;
vs = new ValueStore();
DataContext = vs;
}
public void calc_data()
{
// I get the data from the data import (XML-File), which is saved in
// a dictionary (strings), converting them to int (so I can do some
// math operations) and save them in my variable.
// UC_Other is a UserControl, where the data import happens
// dict_other is the dictionary, where the data from the import is
// saved
vs.variable1 =
Convert.ToInt32(MainWindow.AppWindow.UC_other.dict_other["0"].Amount);
vs.variable2 =
Convert.ToInt32(MainWindow.AppWindow.UC_other.dict_other["1"].Amount);
}
I call the function calc_data() in an UserControl before, so the data gets calculated and saved in my variables before my UserControl shows up. I declare a new public instance of my UC1 and call the function via UC1.calc_data(); (which is linked to a Button, that is loading my UC_Main).
ValueStore.cs
public class ValueStore : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected void OnPropertyChanged(string name)
{
if(PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(name));
}
}
private int _variable1;
public int variable1
{
get { return _variable1; }
set { _variable1 = value; OnPropertyChanged("variable1"); }
}
private int _variable2;
public int variable2
{
get { return _variable2; }
set { _variable2 = value; OnPropertyChanged("variable2"); }
}
When I look in the debugger after the method calc_data() is called, the values are correct saved in my ValueStore instance and the TextBoxes are showing me in the Debugger that the correct value is in there (the Debugger says "Name: TextBox1" and "Value: {System.Windows.Controls.TextBox: 100}"; 100 is the value I got from the dictionary), but in my application itself there is only the value 0 displayed.
What I don't really understand is, when I change the type from variable1 to string in my ValueStore.cs and save it in my variable in the method calc_data()(without Convert.ToInt32), it doesn't even show a 0 any more in my application, but in the debugger there is still the value "100".

There are a few things here, but my best guess why your debugging-values are correct while none are updated to the GUI is here:
public partial class UC_Main : UserControl
{
public UC_Main()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void UC1_radiobutton_Checked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
DataContext = new UC1();
}
private void UC2_radiobutton_Checked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
DataContext = new UC2();
}
private void UC3_radiobutton_Checked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
DataContext = new UC3();
}
}
You are creating new instances of these classes of the code-behind to the usercontrols. But the usercontrol objects are already created by the UC_Main.xaml so during runtime, you have two objects for example of the UC1 class, one which is your bound to your GUI and one where you store and update your values. The one you see on your GUI doesn't get any values updates, which is why you aren't seeing anything.
I currently can't test the code myself, but from what I can see that is where the issue lies.
Furthermore it is a bit confusing to me, why you are using databinding for code-behind.
(You are using the code-behind of the UC-classes as datacontext for the main class, which is....weird ;) I think in your case no databinding whatsoever is really needed, however if you want to do stuff with databinding you should probably read up on MVVM)

In wpf Clear ListBox items at Runtime

I am using wpf listbox, i cannot able to clear the list when am calling the reload data function, i just want to reload new data at runtime,while page loading it loads the data correctly, when i refresh the new data is fetched in itemsource i can see that in debug mode, but no new data in listbox, old data remains in the list, i cant even clear, when i call list.items.clear(), i tried lot ways, is there any problem in my XAML binding, the following is my code.
XAML:
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding}" HorizontalContentAlignment="Left" x:Name="lstbxindex" Foreground="White" FontSize="20px" Height="400" BorderBrush="#555555" Margin="10,34,16,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="322" Background="#555555" >
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<WrapPanel Orientation="Horizontal" Margin="5" >
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBlock x:Name="txtblckroundhour" Height="40px" Width="55px" Text="{Binding RoundedHours}" FontSize="14" Background="#555555" Loaded="txtblckroundhour_Loaded" Foreground="White"></TextBlock>
<Label x:Name="items" MouseDoubleClick="items_MouseDoubleClick" Content="{Binding ProjectRow.Name}" Background="#555555" FontSize="20" Loaded="items_Loaded" Visibility="Visible" Margin="35,0,0,0" Width="230" Foreground="White"></Label>
</StackPanel>
<StackPanel Orientation="Vertical">
<ComboBox Height="40px" Width="290" Margin="-230,0,0,0" Loaded="ComboBox_Loaded" Visibility="Hidden" IsEditable="True" FontSize="20" Background="White" Foreground="Black"></ComboBox>
</StackPanel>
<!--<ComboBox x:Name="ComboBox_AddItem" Height="40px" Width="290" Margin="-35,35,0,0" Loaded="ComboBox_AddItem_Loaded" IsEditable="True" FontSize="20" Background="White" Visibility="Hidden" Foreground="Black"></ComboBox>-->
</WrapPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
Get the list of values
private List<ProjectInformation> projectInformationList1 = new List<ProjectInformation>();
// Here define the actual binding of the userinterface listbox to the in-memory list of objects.
foreach (DtoProjectsRow row in projectsTable.Rows)
{
projectInformationList1.Add(new ProjectInformation(row));
}
lstbxindex.DataContext = projectInformationList1;
In SO I tried some solution but unfortunately it is not work for me. Last I tried,
XAML.cs page
public static readonly DependencyProperty MyListProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("MyList", typeof(ObservableCollection<String>), typeof(Window));
public ObservableCollection<String> MyList
{
get
{
return (ObservableCollection<String>)GetValue(MyListProperty);
}
set
{
SetValue(MyListProperty, value);
}
}
XAML:
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding **ElementName=Window**}" HorizontalContentAlignment="Left" x:Name="lstbxindex" Foreground="White" FontSize="20px" Height="400" BorderBrush="#555555" Margin="10,34,16,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="322" Background="#555555" >
Using this above solution listitems are clear but when pageloading the listboxitems are clear but I don't want to clear the iistboxitems, after updating the values from user it will reload the updated value in listbox.
lstbxindex.ItemsSource = null;
But its not work.For pageload listbox loaded all items,every 15 min interval it will call the load function for firsttime it will reload the updatedvalues but second time it will reload the updated values and previous values remains in listbox again.

I misunderstood initially thinking you were using MVVM, instead you're populating the ListView datasource from code behind.
Your line lstbxindex.DataContext = projectInformationList1; does not set the Data as you'd think. Instead try lstbxindex.DataContext = this; which means you're telling your view to look for the data source in code behind.
As such, I suggest adding using System.ComponentModel; and using BindingList, a comparison is here.
private BindingList<ProjectInformation> projectInformationList1 = new BindingList<ProjectInformation>();
And you just need this once:
foreach (DtoProjectsRow row in projectsTable.Rows)
{
projectInformationList1.Add(new ProjectInformation(row));
}
lstbxindex.DataSource = projectInformationList1;
As mentioned in the comments, if you did not use ItemsSource="{Binding projectInformationList1}" as I suggested in a comment to your question, this is the alternative:
private ObservableCollection<ProjectInformation> projectInformationList1 = new ObservableCollection<ProjectInformation>();
foreach (DtoProjectsRow row in projectsTable.Rows)
{
projectInformationList1.Add(new ProjectInformation(row));
}
lstbxindex.DataContext = projectInformationList1;

You should have a view model class with a collection property, e.g. like this:
public class ViewModel
{
public ObservableCollection<ProjectInformation> Projects { get; }
= new ObservableCollection<ProjectInformation>();
}
Set the DataContext of your Window or Page in XAML like this:
<Window.DataContext>
<local:ViewModel/>
</Window.DataContext>
and bind the ListBox like this:
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding Projects}">
...
</ListBox>
To clear all items in the source collection, access the DataContext in code behind:
var vm = (ViewModel)DataContext;
vm.Projects.Clear();
Edit: Instead of assigning the DataContext in XAML, you may as well do it in code behind, even before the Page or Window is initialized:
public MainWindow()
{
DataContext = new ViewModel();
InitializeComponent();
}

Added the line in loadfunction, Initially set null for ItemSource and then set null to the list object
lstbx.ItemsSource=null;
lstbx.Items.Clear();
ProjectInfoList1=null;
it will clear the listboxitems and reload with updated values only.
private BindingList<ProjectInfo> projectInfoList1 = new BindingList<ProjectInfo>();
Public void loadfunction()
{
lstbx.ItemsSource=null;
lstbx.Items.Clear();
ProjectInformationList1=null;
foreach (DtoProRow row in table.Rows)
{
projectInfoList1.Add(new ProjectInfo(row));
}
lstbx.DataContext = projectInfoList1;
}

UWP update a itemscontrol with an array that keeps updating

I have an array that keeps changing its values, because of this I want to have the apps UI refreshing every time the array's values do. I have this bound with an itemsControl. I can show the first array's values but then I can't update them I have tried .items.Clear() but its not working. Here are snippets of the .xaml and the xaml.cs. I actually took the code of the .xaml from a question from this site.
.xaml
<Grid Background="{ThemeResource ApplicationPageBackgroundThemeBrush}">
<StackPanel HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center">
<TextBox Text="Testing" IsReadOnly="True"></TextBox>
<ItemsControl x:Name="itemsControl"
ItemsSource="{Binding itemsControl}"
FontSize="24">
<ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<Grid Width="Auto"
Margin="0 12"
HorizontalAlignment="Center">
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<StackPanel Grid.Column="0"
Grid.Row="0"
Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBlock Name="txtblk0" Text="{Binding}" />
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
</DataTemplate>
</ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
</ItemsControl>
.xaml.cs
String c = (new String(cArray));
string[] arr = null;
string[] data = null;
if (c != null)
{
arr = c.Split('\n');
if (arr.Length > 0)
{
data = arr[0].Split(',');
}
}
for(int index = 0; index < 4; index++)
{
itemsControl.Items.Add(float.Parse(data[index]));
}
itemsControl.Clear();
If anyone has an idea of how I can do this I will be very grateful, thanks in advance and I will try to answer any questions as soon as possible!

What you're missing is an understanding of how bindings are triggered to update.
The INotifyPropertyChanged interface contains a method (PropertyChanged) and when called and passed the name of a property will tell the binding system that the property has changed and the binding should be updated.
INotifyCollectionChanged is the equivalent for collections, and communicates when a collection has changed. i.e. something added, removed, or the list cleared.
ObservableCollection<T> contains an implementation of INotifyCollectionChanged that makes it easy to work with lists, collections, etc. that change.
If you used an ObservableCollection<float> instead of an array you'd be able to modify the list and have the UI updated to reflect this easily.
As a starter, see the following which demonstrates how easy it is to use an ObservableCollection.
XAML:
<StackPanel>
<Button Click="Button_Click">add an item</Button>
<ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding Items}">
<ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding}" />
</DataTemplate>
</ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
</ItemsControl>
</StackPanel>
code behind;
public MainPage()
{
this.InitializeComponent();
// Initialize the property
this.Items = new ObservableCollection<string>();
// Use self as datacontext (but would normally use a separate viewmodel)
this.DataContext = this;
}
private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
// add a new item to the UI
this.Items.Add(DateTime.Now.ToString());
}
// The "collection" that is shown in the UI
public ObservableCollection<string> Items { get; set; }

Control.AddRange(...) is slow

Project:
I have a parent panel which holds a ComboBox and FlowLayoutPanel. The FlowLayoutPanel holds a variable number of child panels (a custom control that inherits from UserControl). Each child panel contains some labels, two ComboBoxes, a button, and a DataGridView with 3 ComboBox columns and a button column. The DataGridView may have 1-6 rows. The FlowLayoutPanel is populated with child panels when an item is selected from the ComboBox on the parent panel.
Problem:
Populating the FlowLayoutPanel with about 50 child panels takes about 2.5 seconds. Specifically, I've determined that the call to FlowLayoutPanel.Controls.AddRange() is the culprit.
Relevant Code: I can't post all of my code here (too much code plus parts of it are confidential), but I'll do my best to explain what is happening.
Parent Panel:
private void displayInformation(Suite suite)
{
this.SuspendLayout();
// Get dependencies.
List<SuiteRange> dependents = new List<SuiteRange>(suite.dependencies.Keys);
dependents.Sort(SuiteRange.Compare);
// Create a ChildPanel for each dependent.
List<ChildPanel> rangePanels = new List<ChildPanel>();
foreach (SuiteRange dependent in dependents)
{
ChildPanel sdp = new ChildPanel();
sdp.initialize(initialSuite.name, dataAccess);
sdp.displayInformation(dependent, suite.dependencies[dependent]);
rangePanels.Add(sdp);
}
// Put the child panels in the FlowLayoutPanel.
flpDependencyGroups.SuspendLayout();
// Takes ~2.5 seconds
flpDependencyGroups.Controls.AddRange(rangePanels.ToArray());
flpDependencyGroups.ResumeLayout();
// Takes ~0.5 seconds
updateChildPanelSizes();
this.ResumeLayout();
}
Things I've tried:
Call SuspendLayout() / ResumeLayout() on the parent panel and/or FlowLayoutPanel. Minimal performance increase (~0.2 seconds).
Use Control.FlatStyle.Flat on ComboBoxes, Buttons, and DataGridView columns. Minimal performance increase (~0.1 seconds).
Verified that none of my controls use a transparent background color.
Set ChildPanel.DoubleBuffered and ParentPanel.DoubleBuffered to true.
Remove the FlowLayoutPanel from its parent before calling AddRange() and re-adding it after.
Things that might be relevant:
The panels and controls use anchors (as opposed to autosize or dock).
My controls are manually populated and do not use the DataSource property.
EDIT: Solution:
#HighCore's answer is the correct solution. Unfortunately I won't be implementing it at this time (it could happen down the road) because I found a workaround. The workaround doesn't really solve the problem, just masks it, hence why I'm not posting this as an answer. I discovered that the form loads in half the time if the Dependencies tab isn't on top (i.e. the Product Lists tab is selected). This reduces loading time to about 1 second, which is acceptable. When data is being loaded and the Dependencies tab is on top, I switch to the Product Lists tab, throw up a dark grey box over the tab control that says "Loading..." in the middle, load the data, and then switch back to the Dependencies tab.
Thanks all for your comments and suggestions, it was greatly appreciated.

Posting this answer because the OP requested it:
This is how you'd do something like that in WPF:
<UserControl x:Class="WpfApplication7.ListBoxSample"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<DockPanel>
<Button Content="Load" Click="Load_Click" DockPanel.Dock="Top"/>
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding}"
HorizontalContentAlignment="Stretch">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<Border BorderBrush="LightGray" BorderThickness="1" Padding="5"
Background="#FFFAFAFA">
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition/>
<ColumnDefinition/>
<ColumnDefinition/>
<ColumnDefinition/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<TextBlock Text="Dependent Versions" FontWeight="Bold"
Grid.ColumnSpan="2" HorizontalAlignment="Center"/>
<TextBlock Text="From:" FontWeight="Bold"
Grid.Row="1" HorizontalAlignment="Center"/>
<TextBlock Text="To (exclusive):" FontWeight="Bold"
Grid.Row="1" Grid.Column="1" HorizontalAlignment="Center"/>
<ComboBox SelectedItem="{Binding From}"
ItemsSource="{Binding FromOptions}"
Grid.Row="2" Margin="5"/>
<ComboBox SelectedItem="{Binding To}"
ItemsSource="{Binding ToOptions}"
Grid.Row="2" Grid.Column="1" Margin="5"/>
<DataGrid ItemsSource="{Binding ChildItems}"
AutoGenerateColumns="False" CanUserAddRows="False"
Grid.Column="2" Grid.RowSpan="4">
<DataGrid.Columns>
<DataGridTextColumn Header="XXXX" Binding="{Binding XXXX}"/>
<DataGridTextColumn Header="Dependee From" Binding="{Binding DependeeFrom}"/>
<DataGridTextColumn Header="Dependee To" Binding="{Binding DependeeTo}"/>
<DataGridTemplateColumn Width="25">
<DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<Button Content="X"/>
</DataTemplate>
</DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
</DataGridTemplateColumn>
</DataGrid.Columns>
</DataGrid>
<Button Content="Delete"
Grid.Column="3"
HorizontalAlignment="Right" VerticalAlignment="Top"/>
</Grid>
</Border>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
</DockPanel>
</UserControl>
Code Behind (only boilerplate to support the example)
public partial class ListBoxSample : UserControl
{
public ListBoxSample()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public void LoadData()
{
Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
{
var list = new List<DataItem>();
for (int i = 0; i < 100000; i++)
{
var item = new DataItem()
{
From = "1",
To = "2",
ChildItems =
{
new ChildItem()
{
DependeeFrom = i.ToString(),
DependeeTo = (i + 10).ToString(),
XXXX = "XXXX"
},
new ChildItem()
{
DependeeFrom = i.ToString(),
DependeeTo = (i + 10).ToString(),
XXXX = "XXXX"
},
new ChildItem()
{
DependeeFrom = i.ToString(),
DependeeTo = (i + 10).ToString(),
XXXX = "XXXX"
}
}
};
list.Add(item);
}
return list;
}).ContinueWith(t =>
{
Dispatcher.Invoke((Action) (() => DataContext = t.Result));
});
}
private void Load_Click(object sender, System.Windows.RoutedEventArgs e)
{
LoadData();
}
}
Data Items:
public class DataItem
{
public List<ChildItem> ChildItems { get; set; }
public List<string> FromOptions { get; set; }
public List<string> ToOptions { get; set; }
public string From { get; set; }
public string To { get; set; }
public DataItem()
{
ChildItems = new List<ChildItem>();
FromOptions = Enumerable.Range(0,10).Select(x => x.ToString()).ToList();
ToOptions = Enumerable.Range(0, 10).Select(x => x.ToString()).ToList();
}
}
public class ChildItem
{
public string XXXX { get; set; }
public string DependeeFrom { get; set; }
public string DependeeTo { get; set; }
}
Then you put that in an existing winforms UI using an ElementHost:
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
var elementHost = new ElementHost
{
Dock = DockStyle.Fill,
Child = new ListBoxSample()
};
Controls.Add(elementHost);
}
}
Result:
Notice that I added 100,000 records. Still, response time (both when scrolling and interacting with the UI) is immediate due to WPF's built in UI Virtualization.
Also notice that I'm using DataBinding which removes the need to manipulate UI elements in procedural code. This is important because the WPF Visual Tree is a complex structure, and DataBinding is the preferred approach in WPF always.
Also notice by resizing the form that the UI is completely resolution independent. You can customize it further by making the ComboBoxes fixed and having the DataGrid stretch to the remaining space. See WPF Layouts.
WPF Rocks. - see how much you can achieve with so little code, and without spending lots of $$$ in third party controls. You should really forget winforms forever.
You will need to target .Net 3.0 at a minimum, but 4.0/4.5 is highly recommended because WPF had several issues in earlier versions, which were fixed in 4.0.
Make sure you reference PresentationCore.dll, PresentationFramework.dll, WindowsBase.dll, System.Xaml.dll and WindowsFormsIntegration.dll, all of which belong to the .Net Framework itself (no 3rd parties)

Change GridView Item DataTemplate based on seperate ViewModel Property in WinRT

What I am attempting to do is have a collection of items shown in a GridView control and have the size of these items change based on a command executed by a separate button.
For example, having a row of buttons across the top reading “Small”, “Medium” and “Large” and having the items in the GridView respond to the relevant command by displaying its items in the relevant state.
I have the gridview declared like so
<GridView ItemsSource="{Binding Squares}"
With Squares being an observable collection of Square objects that have a Title and a Fill property.
At first I went down the DataTemplateSelector route by declaring the following data templates in the Resources section of the page.
<DataTemplate x:Key="SquareSmallTemplate">
<Grid Height="100" Width="100">
<Rectangle Fill="{Binding Fill}"/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Title}"/>
</Grid>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="SquareMediumTemplate">
<Grid Height="150" Width="150">
<Rectangle Fill="{Binding Fill}"/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Title}"/>
</Grid>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="SquareLargeTemplate">
<Grid Height="200" Width="200">
<Rectangle Fill="{Binding Fill}"/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Title}"/>
</Grid>
</DataTemplate>
The idea being that the grid’s height and width properties are different for the relevant template. I declared the following data templates in the selector
public DataTemplate SmallTemplate { get; set; }
public DataTemplate MediumTemplate { get; set; }
public DataTemplate LargeTemplate { get; set; }
And in the SelecteTemplateCore method I just returned the relevant template
protected override DataTemplate SelectTemplateCore(object item, DependencyObject container)
{
string value = item as string;
if (value != null)
{
if (value == "Small")
return SmallTemplate;
else if (value == "Medium")
return MediumTemplate;
else if (value == "Large")
return LargeTemplate;
return base.SelectTemplate(item, container);
}
else
{
return base.SelectTemplateCore(item, container);
}
}
However, with this method (and, by design of the DataTemplateSelector) the object being passed in is the item in the collection (the Square).
This is fine if I wanted each item to have a different appearance or something, but what I need is the template to change based on another property on the view model.
For this, I have the following
public string State {get; set;}
and this is set to “Small”, “Medium, or “Large based on a separate row of three buttons that execute a command that sets this property to the relevant value.
How do I relate the State property to changing to the relevant DataTemplate?
Another route I tried was to have a single Data template that used the VSM to animate the Height/Width properties in the relevant states. However I could not get the relevant animation to execute when the State changed.
Any help would be great, thanks

There are a few ways to do this, I'm not sure which would be best. In any case, you'll need 1) a trigger, and 2) the action to update the template. I am leaning towards using PropertyChangedTrigger along with an InvokeCommandAction.
<GridView x:Name="grid">
<i:Interaction.Triggers>
<ei:PropertyChangedTrigger Binding="{Binding State}">
<i:InvokeCommandAction Command="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=UserControl},Path=UpdateTemplateCommand}" CommandParameter="{Binding State}" />
</ei:PropertyChangedTrigger>
</i:Interaction.Triggers>
<GridView>
(Here the "AncestorType" would just be the root of the view, so please change "UserControl" as needed.)
Then in the view, you would have an ICommand that updates the template:
UpdateTemplateCommand = new DelegateCommand(state => {
switch ((string)state)
{
default:
case "Small" : grid.ItemTemplate = "SquareSmallTemplate"; break;
case "Medium" : grid.ItemTemplate = "SquareMediumTemplate"; break;
case "Large" : grid.ItemTemplate = "SquareLargeTemplate"; break;
}
});
IDK ... after writing this out it seems a bit convoluted. Maybe you'd find it preferable to add a CurrentDataTemplate property to the view-model, and assign it by creating DataTemplates from strings using XamlReader.