Develop Reference

How do I go to another view from a view in MVVM WPF?

Here I have a WPF application that is made with the MVVM structure. I am fairly new to C# WPF and am not familiar with this concept. I am attempting to switch to another view through a function in one view via the press of a button.
Here is what the application looks like,
Once the Login button is pressed a function is triggered that will validate the inputs and if valid switch to another view. Which would look like such,
File Structure
How can i switch the views ?
Below are some code for reference.
MainWindow.xaml
<Window x:Class="QuizAppV2.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:QuizAppV2"
xmlns:viewModel="clr-namespace:QuizAppV2.MVVM.ViewModel"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Height="600" Width="920"
WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen"
WindowStyle="None"
ResizeMode="NoResize"
Background="Transparent"
AllowsTransparency="True">
<Window.DataContext>
<viewModel:MainViewModel/>
</Window.DataContext>
<Border Background="#272537"
CornerRadius="20">
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="75"/>
<RowDefinition/>
<RowDefinition Height="25"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition/>
<ColumnDefinition/>
<ColumnDefinition/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<TextBlock Text="Online Quiz"
Grid.Column="1"
FontSize="20"
Foreground="White"
HorizontalAlignment="Center"
VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
<StackPanel Grid.Column="2"
Margin="30,20"
Orientation="Horizontal"
HorizontalAlignment="Right"
VerticalAlignment="Top">
<Button Content="–"
Background="#00CA4E"
Style="{StaticResource UserControls}"
Click="Minimise"/>
<Button Content="▢"
Background="#FFBD44"
Style="{StaticResource UserControls}"
Click="Restore"/>
<Button Content="X"
Background="#FF605C"
Style="{StaticResource UserControls}"
Click="Exit"/>
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
<ContentControl Grid.Column="1"
Grid.Row="1"
Margin="20,10,20,50"
Content="{Binding CurrentView}"/>
</Grid>
</Border>
</Window>
MainViewModel.cs
using QuizAppV2.Core;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace QuizAppV2.MVVM.ViewModel
{
class MainViewModel : ObservableObject
{
public RelayCommand LoginViewCommand { get; set; }
public RelayCommand SubjectSelectionViewCommand { get; set; }
public RelayCommand QuizViewCommand { get; set; }
public RelayCommand ResultViewCommand { get; set; }
public LoginViewModel LoginVM { get; set; }
public SubjectSelectionViewModel SubjectSelectVM { get; set; }
public QuizViewModel QuizVM { get; set; }
public ResultViewModel ResultVM { get; set; }
private object _currentView;
public object CurrentView
{
get { return _currentView; }
set
{
_currentView = value;
onPropertyChanged();
}
}
public MainViewModel()
{
LoginVM = new LoginViewModel();
SubjectSelectVM = new SubjectSelectionViewModel();
QuizVM = new QuizViewModel();
ResultVM = new ResultViewModel();
CurrentView = SubjectSelectVM;
LoginViewCommand = new RelayCommand(o =>
{
CurrentView = LoginVM;
});
SubjectSelectionViewCommand = new RelayCommand(o =>
{
CurrentView = SubjectSelectVM;
});
}
}
}
LoginView.xaml
using QuizAppV2.MVVM.ViewModel;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Data;
using System.Windows.Documents;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;
using System.Windows.Navigation;
using System.Windows.Shapes;
namespace QuizAppV2.MVVM.View
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for LoginView.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class LoginView : UserControl
{
public LoginView()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
if (UsrId.Text == "" || UsrName.Text == "")
{
UsrIDErrMsg.Visibility = Visibility.Visible;
UsrNameErrMsg.Visibility = Visibility.Visible;
}
else
{
UsrIDErrMsg.Visibility = Visibility.Hidden;
UsrNameErrMsg.Visibility = Visibility.Hidden;
MainWindow.currentUser = new Student(UsrId.Text, UsrName.Text);
}
}
}
}
Thank you

I suggest using "Datatemplate". Put in the main window resources the following:
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type viewmodel:QuizViewModel}">
<local:QuizView/>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type viewmodel:LoginViewModel}">
<local:LoginView/>
</DataTemplate>
and so on with the others...
WPF is doing all the work for you, it examine the "CurrentView" prroperty and select how to view it according the the suitable DataTemplate.

Navigation is a tricky topic there are few ways to do this but since you are new to WPF I tried to outline a simple technique, along the lines of the examples you've provided requirement is have to go from page to page, a simple idea would be to swap out the contents. What I mean by that is when the user clicks "Login" we authenticate the user and swap the LoginPage with some other page, in your case a quiz page, when the user selection any option we swap out the view with the next view and so on.
I've coded up a simple solution with Shell mechanism. Essentially we create a empty shell in MainWindow (i.e it has no UI) and we load pages into this empty shell using a NavigationService/Helper. I've gone with a singleton class here just for simplicity, there are 3 main Methods in this,
RegisterShell : This has to be the Window where the swapping will happen, this ideally needs to be set once.
Load View : Method which Swaps out old view with the new one, I have gone with user control for this as most of the sub views can be user control in WPF.
LoadViewWithCustomData : Similar to above but has more flexibilty since it allows you to supply extra data.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
namespace Navigation
{
class NavigationService
{
/// <summary>
/// Singleton so we keep on shell which views can use this to navigate to different pages.
/// </summary>
public static NavigationService Instance = new NavigationService();
private MainWindow myShell;
private NavigationService()
{
}
/// <summary>
/// Register the main shell so this service know where to swap the data out and in of
/// </summary>
/// <param name="theShell"></param>
public void RegisterShell(MainWindow theShell)
{
this.myShell = theShell;
}
/// <summary>
/// Swaps out any view to the shell.
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T"></typeparam>
public void LoadView<T>() where T : UserControl, new()
{
myShell.TheShell = new T();
}
/// <summary>
/// Swaps out any view to the shell with custom data, here the user responsible to create UserControl with all the reqired data for the view.
/// We can automate this via reflection if required.
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T"></typeparam>
/// <param name="theNewControl"></param>
public void LoadViewWithCustomData<T>(UserControl theNewControl) where T : UserControl, new()
{
myShell.TheShell = theNewControl;
}
}
Now here's how my LoginPage looks, the important line here is NavigationService.Instance.LoadView<_4OptionQuizPage>() this essentially sends the user to _4OptionQuizPage.
public partial class LoginPage : UserControl
{
public ICommand LoginClicked { get; }
public LoginPage()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.DataContext = this;
LoginClicked = new SimpleCommand(OnLoginClicked);
}
private void OnLoginClicked()
{
// TODO : Authenticate user here.
// Send the user to Quiz Page
NavigationService.Instance.LoadView<_4OptionQuizPage>();
}
}
And in the _4OptionQuizPage we can have something like this, this is where the bulk of business logic may reside, I have 4 buttons here, 2 of them show message box but Button 1 sends you back to LoginPage and Button 2 reloads the same page with different data (i.e sending the user to next question)
public partial class _4OptionQuizPage : UserControl, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public ICommand Option1Clicked { get; }
public ICommand Option2Clicked { get; }
public ICommand Option3Clicked { get; }
public ICommand Option4Clicked { get; }
private string myQuestion;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public string Question
{
get { return myQuestion; }
set
{
myQuestion = value;
NotifyPropertyChanged();
}
}
public _4OptionQuizPage() : this($"Question Loaded At {DateTime.Now}, this can be anything.")
{
}
public _4OptionQuizPage(string theCustomData)
{
InitializeComponent();
Question = theCustomData;
this.DataContext = this;
this.Option1Clicked = new SimpleCommand(OnOption1Clicked);
this.Option2Clicked = new SimpleCommand(OnOption2Clicked);
this.Option3Clicked = new SimpleCommand(OnOption3Clicked);
this.Option4Clicked = new SimpleCommand(OnOption4Clicked);
}
private void OnOption4Clicked()
{
MessageBox.Show("Option 4 selected, Store the results");
}
private void OnOption3Clicked()
{
MessageBox.Show("Option 3 selected, Store the results");
}
private void OnOption1Clicked()
{
NavigationService.Instance.LoadView<LoginPage>();
}
private void OnOption2Clicked()
{
NavigationService.Instance.LoadViewWithCustomData<LoginPage>(new _4OptionQuizPage("A custom question to emulate custom data"));
}
private void NotifyPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] String propertyName = "")
{
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
Finally your MainWindow would be registering the shell and sending the user to LoginPage, and it's XAML file should not have anything in it
public partial class MainWindow : Window, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private object myShell;
public object TheShell
{
get { return myShell; }
set
{
myShell = value;
this.NotifyPropertyChanged();
}
}
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.DataContext = this;
NavigationService.Instance.RegisterShell(this);
NavigationService.Instance.LoadView<LoginPage>();
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private void NotifyPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] String propertyName = "")
{
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
MainWindow.xaml should be empty, essentially a shell for everything else.
<Window x:Class="Navigation.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:Navigation"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800" Content="{Binding TheShell}">
</Window>

This sample demonstrates two approaches to navigation. Often useful since you say want to start by logging in but not show any menus etc until the user is logged in. Then once they log in you want some sort of menu or list of views they can navigate to which remains static.
My mainwindow is purely a shell to contain everything.
It's markup is:
<Window ......
Title="{Binding Title}"
Content="{Binding}"
/>
This sample uses viewmodel first for all navigation. Viewmodels are templated out into UI.
There is more in the code behind.
public partial class LoginNavigationWindow : Window
{
public Type ParentViewModel
{
get { return (Type)GetValue(ParentViewModelProperty); }
set { SetValue(ParentViewModelProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty ParentViewModelProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register(name: "ParentViewModel",
propertyType: typeof(Type),
ownerType: typeof(LoginNavigationWindow),
typeMetadata: new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(
defaultValue: null,
propertyChangedCallback: new PropertyChangedCallback(ParentViewModelChanged)
));
private static void ParentViewModelChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
var vm = Activator.CreateInstance((Type)e.NewValue);
((Window)d).DataContext = vm;
Task.Run(((IInitiatedViewModel)vm).Initiate);
}
public LoginNavigationWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
WeakReferenceMessenger.Default.Register<ParentNavigate>(this, (r, pn) =>
{
this.SetValue(LoginNavigationWindow.ParentViewModelProperty, pn.ParentViewModelType);
});
}
The messenger registration will switch out the window's datacontext using a dependency property. The message is just a class with a property to pass a Type
public class ParentNavigate
{
public Type ParentViewModelType { get; set; }
}
The callback ParentViewModelChanged takes a type, instantiates it and sets datacontext on the window.
Usually, you're not interested in retaining state of a window or parent level piece of view. You already logged in. If you wanted to log back in again then you would start again and input name and password.
The entrypoint is slightly unusual since I handle application startup and rely on that dependency property callback.
private void Application_Startup(object sender, StartupEventArgs e)
{
var mw = new LoginNavigationWindow();
mw.Show();
mw.SetValue(LoginNavigationWindow.ParentViewModelProperty, typeof(LoginViewModel));
}
Instead of a mainwindow full of menus etc I have of course got nothing.
I have a LoginUC is the first thing you will see on start up. This is just illustrative.
We will get input from the user and validate it before navigating in a real app. We're just interested in that navigation here so this version just has a button to navigate to MainViewModel:
<Grid>
<StackPanel>
<TextBlock Text="Log in"/>
<Button Content="Go"
Command="{Binding LoadMainCommand}"/>
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
My LoginViewModel has a command, title and a task.
public partial class LoginViewModel : BaseParentViewModel
{
[RelayCommand]
private async Task LoadMain()
{
var pn = new ParentNavigate{ ParentViewModelType = typeof(MainViewModel) };
WeakReferenceMessenger.Default.Send(pn);
}
public LoginViewModel()
{
Title = "Please Log In first";
}
public override async Task Initiate()
{
// Get any data for login here
}
}
BaseParentViewModel
public partial class BaseParentViewModel : ObservableObject, IInitiatedViewModel
{
[ObservableProperty]
private string title = string.Empty;
virtual public async Task Initiate() { }
}
Interface
public interface IInitiatedViewModel
{
Task Initiate();
}
The purpose of this interface is to give us a generic way for any viewmodel to get any data it requires. By setting datacontext and then starting up a background thread to get that data the view will appear quickly and then fill with any data it needs. If getting that data takes a while then at least the view is "up" and visible quickly whilst the task still carries on working.
In a fuller example we would have IsBusy in a base viewmodel which would start off true and be changed to false. That would drive a "throbber" or busing indicator in the view.
A resource dictionary associates viewmodel datatemplates with usercontrols using datatype:
<ResourceDictionary xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:LoginNavigation"
>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:MainViewModel}">
<local:MainUC/>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:LoginViewModel}">
<local:LoginUC/>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:SubjectsViewModel}">
<local:SubjectsView/>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:ResultViewModel}">
<local:ResultView/>
</DataTemplate>
</ResourceDictionary>
That is merged in app.xaml
<Application.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary>
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<ResourceDictionary Source="/Resources/ViewDataTemplates.xaml"/>
</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
</ResourceDictionary>
</Application.Resources>
</Application>
Once you login, the entire content of the window is replaced. The datacontext is changed from LoginViewModel to MainViewModel, that is then templated out into MainUC:
public partial class MainViewModel : BaseParentViewModel
{
[ObservableProperty]
private object currentChildViewModel;
[ObservableProperty]
private List<ChildViewModel> childViewModelList;
[RelayCommand]
private async Task ChildNavigation(ChildViewModel cvm)
{
if (cvm.Instance == null)
{
cvm.Instance = Activator.CreateInstance(cvm.ViewModelType);
if (cvm.Instance is IInitiatedViewModel)
{
Task.Run(((IInitiatedViewModel)cvm.Instance).Initiate);
}
}
CurrentChildViewModel = cvm.Instance;
}
public override async Task Initiate()
{
ChildViewModelList = new List<ChildViewModel>()
{
new ChildViewModel{ DisplayName="Subjects", ViewModelType= typeof(SubjectsViewModel) },
new ChildViewModel{ DisplayName="Results", ViewModelType= typeof(ResultViewModel) }
};
}
public MainViewModel()
{
Title = "Quiz";
}
}
You would probably want to have more views of course and pick one to show initially which would be setup in Initiate.
MainUC:
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="100"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding ChildViewModelList}"
HorizontalContentAlignment="Stretch">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<Button Content="{Binding DisplayName}"
Command="{Binding DataContext.ChildNavigationCommand, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=ListBox}}"
CommandParameter="{Binding}"/>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
<ContentPresenter Content="{Binding CurrentChildViewModel}"
Grid.Column="1"/>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
In the view you get a list of buttons in a left column which will allow navigation in the right column. But retaining MainUC of course.
Instead of a listbox this could be a menu or maybe a tabcontrol.
Clicking on a button calls a command in MainViewModel and passes the instance of ChildViewModel as a parameter.
That is then used to instantiate a viewmodel, set CurrentChildViewmodel and cache the instance.
CurrentChildViewmodel will of course itself be templated out into a usercontrol within MainUC.
public partial class ChildViewModel : ObservableObject
{
public string DisplayName { get; set; }
public Type ViewModelType { get; set; }
public object Instance { get; set; }
}
This is rather a simplistic approach and in a real world substantial app you would want dependency injection, factories and the like. But this is already quite a bit of code for a Stack Overflow answer as it is.
The remaining viewmodels and views are just simplistic implementations to prove it all works. eg
public partial class SubjectsViewModel : ObservableObject, IInitiatedViewModel
{
public async Task Initiate()
{
// Get any data for Subjects here
}
}
and
<Grid>
<TextBlock Text="Subjects"/>
</Grid>
</UserControl>

There are many ways how to allow a view model to participate in page navigation.
In general, each class that participates in navigation has to have access to your navigation API.
For example, you could move the navigation logic to a dedicated class NavigationService and provide a shared reference to every class that should be able to navigate to a different view.
Alternatively (and recommended), you can use routed commands that you handle on the MainWindow, which then delegates the command to the MainViewModel.
In this scenario each button would have to pass the destination as CommandParameter. This solution allows the particular view models to not directly participate in the navigation. You don't need to pollute your view model classes with navigation details.
The following example shows how to navigate from the QuizView to the ResultView using a RoutedCommand.
MainViewModel.cs
The MainViewModel is the only view model class that knows how to navigate and about the related details.
This enables extensibility while keeping the implementation of the view model classes simple.
In general, to enable data validation let the view models implement INotifyDataErrorInfo.
You can then query the INotifyDataErrorInfo.HasErrors property before allowing to leave a page.
class MainViewModel : ObservableObject
{
public object CurrentView { get; set; }
private Dictionary<Type, INotifyPropertyChanged> ViewModelMap { get; }
public MainViewModel()
{
this.ViewModelMap = new Dictionary<Type, INotifyPropertyChanged>
{
{ typeof(QuizVm), new QuizVm() },
{ typeof(ResultVm), new ResultVm() },
};
}
// Check if destination type is valid.
// In case the navigation source implements INotifyDataErrorInfo,
// check if the source is in a valid state (INotifyDataErrorInfo.HasEWrrors returns 'false').
// This method is called by the view. It will delegate its ICommand.CanExecute to this method
// If this method returns 'false' the command source e.g. Button will be disabled.
public bool CanNavigate(Type navigationSourceType, Type navigationDestinationType)
=> CanNavigateAwayFrom(navigationSourceType)
&& CanNavigateTo(navigationDestinationType);
private bool CanNavigateAwayFrom(Type navigationSourceType)
=> this.ViewModelMap.TryGetValue(navigationSourceType, out INotifyPropertyChanged viewModel)
&& viewModel is INotifyDataErrorInfo notifyDataErrorInfo
? !notifyDataErrorInfo.HasErrors
: true;
private bool CanNavigateTo(Type navigationDestinationType)
=> this.ViewModelMap.ContainsKey(navigationDestinationType);
// This method is called by the view. It will delegate its ICommand.Execute to this method
public void NavigateTo(Type destinationType)
{
if (this.ViewModelMap.TryGetValue(destinationType, out INotifyPropertyChanged viewModel))
{
this.CurrentView = viewModel;
}
}
}
MainWindow.xaml.cs
partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public static RoutedCommand NavigateCommand { get; } = new RoutedUICommand(
"Navigate to view command",
nameof(NavigateCommand),
typeof(MainWindow));
private MainViewModel MainViewModel { get; }
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.MainViewModel = new MainViewModel();
this.DataContext = this.MainViewModel;
var navigateCommandBinding = new CommandBinding(MainWindow.NavigateCommand, ExecuteNavigateCommand, CanExecuteNavigateCommand);
this.CommandBindings.Add(navigateCommandBinding);
}
private void CanExecuteNavigateCommand(object sender, CanExecuteRoutedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Source is not FrameworkElement commandSource)
{
return;
}
Type navigationSourceType = commandSource.DataContext.GetType();
Type navigationDestinationType = (Type)e.Parameter;
e.CanExecute = this.MainViewModel.CanNavigate(navigationSourceType, navigationDestinationType);
}
private void ExecuteNavigateCommand(object sender, ExecutedRoutedEventArgs e)
{
var destinationViewModelType = (Type)e.Parameter;
this.MainViewModel.NavigateTo(destinationViewModelType);
}
}
MainWindow.xaml
To actually render the views (for example a custom Control) you need to define an implicit DataTemplate (without the x:Key directive) that has the associated view model class as DataType. The ContentControl will then automatically pick the correct one that matches the type of the ContentControl.Content property value.
<Window>
<Window.Resources>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:QuizVM}">
<QuizView />
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:ResultVM}">
<ResultView />
</DataTemplate>
</Window.Resources>
<ContentControl Content="{Binding CurrentView}" />
</Window>
If a view needs to navigate, it must use the static routed command (defined and handled in the MainWindow) and pass the Type of the destination view model as CommandParameter.
This way, navigation will not pollute the view models and stays within the view.
QuizView.xaml
<QuizView>
<Button Content="Next"
Command="{x:Static local:MainWindow.NextPageCommand}"
CommandParameter="{x:Type local:ResultVM}"/>
</QuizView>
ResultView.xaml
<ResultView>
<Button Content="Back"
Command="{x:Static local:MainWindow.NextPageCommand}"
CommandParameter="{x:Type local:QuizVM}"/>
</ResultView>
Because the view model classes generally don't directly participate in the navigation,
they don't have to implement any related commands or depend on any navigation service.
Navigation is completely controlled by the MainWindow and its MainViewModel.
For optional data validation let them implement INotifyDataErrorInfo.
QuizVM.cs
class QuizVM : INotifyPropertyChnaged, INotifyDataErrorInfo
{
}
ResultVM.cs
class ResultVM : INotifyPropertyChnaged, INotifyDataErrorInfo
{
}

C# WPF UI unresponsive when performing drag drop using user control

I am stuck with a C# wpf drag drop issue. I have created a very simple project that includes a User Control, a couple of classes to hold the data and a form to host multiple copies of the user control (using a bound ItemsControl). When I drag the control onto the form the drag drop is triggered, the observablecollection is updated but the UI doesn't reflect the change and future events don't seem to be working. Rolling over the add item button doesn't even show the rollover effect. Sure I am doing something stupid but I can't seem to see what it is.
Code below (mainly from Microsoft Example)
SimpleDataClass
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace DragDropControl.Model
{
public class SimpleDataClass : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private string _groupName = string.Empty;
private ObservableCollection<SimpleSubDataClass> _titles = new ObservableCollection<SimpleSubDataClass>();
public string GroupName
{
get { return _groupName; }
set
{
if (_groupName != value)
{
_groupName = value;
RaisePropertyChangedEvent("GroupName");
}
}
}
public ObservableCollection<SimpleSubDataClass> Titles
{
get { return _titles; }
set
{
if (_titles != value)
{
_titles = value;
RaisePropertyChangedEvent("Titles");
}
}
}
private void RaisePropertyChangedEvent(string propertyName)
{
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
}
SimpleSubDataClass
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace DragDropControl.Model
{
public class SimpleSubDataClass : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private string _title = string.Empty;
public string Title
{
get { return _title; }
set
{
if (_title != value)
{
_title = value;
RaisePropertyChanged("Title");
}
}
}
private void RaisePropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
public SimpleSubDataClass(string title)
{
Title = title;
}
}
}
DDControl - XAML
<UserControl x:Class="DragDropControl.DDControl"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:DragDropControl"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="300" d:DesignWidth="300"
x:Name="CurrentControl">
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<TextBox Name="txtGroupName" Grid.Row="0" Text="{Binding ElementName=CurrentControl, Path=ThisData.GroupName}"/>
<ListBox Name="lstTitles" Grid.Row="1" ItemsSource="{Binding ElementName=CurrentControl, Path=ThisData.Titles}">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<Label Name="lblTitle" Content="{Binding Title}"/>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
DDControl - Code behind
using DragDropControl.Model;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Input;
namespace DragDropControl
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for UserControl1.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class DDControl : UserControl
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty ThisDataProperty = DependencyProperty.Register( "ThisData",
typeof(SimpleDataClass),
typeof(DDControl),
new PropertyMetadata(new SimpleDataClass()));
public SimpleDataClass ThisData
{
get { return (SimpleDataClass)GetValue(ThisDataProperty); }
set { SetValue(ThisDataProperty, value); }
}
public DDControl()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
protected override void OnMouseMove(MouseEventArgs e)
{
base.OnMouseMove(e);
if (e.LeftButton == MouseButtonState.Pressed)
{
DataObject data = new DataObject(this.ThisData);
DragDrop.DoDragDrop(this, data, DragDropEffects.Move);
}
}
protected override void OnGiveFeedback(GiveFeedbackEventArgs e)
{
base.OnGiveFeedback(e);
if (e.Effects.HasFlag(DragDropEffects.Move))
Mouse.SetCursor(Cursors.Pen);
e.Handled = true;
}
}
}
MainWindow - Xaml
<Window x:Class="DragDropUserControlWithTextBox.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:DragDropUserControlWithTextBox"
xmlns:ddc="clr-namespace:DragDropControl;assembly=DragDropControl"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
<Grid>
<ScrollViewer HorizontalScrollBarVisibility="Auto" VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Auto">
<StackPanel Name="stkMain" Background="Gray" Orientation="Horizontal" Drop="stkMain_Drop" AllowDrop="true">
<ItemsControl Name="icColumns" Background="Red">
<ItemsControl.ItemsPanel>
<ItemsPanelTemplate>
<StackPanel Name="stkItemsControlPanel" Orientation="Horizontal"/>
</ItemsPanelTemplate>
</ItemsControl.ItemsPanel>
<ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<ddc:DDControl Background="{x:Null}" ThisData="{Binding}"/><!-- MouseMove="DDControl_MouseMove" GiveFeedback="DDControl_GiveFeedback"/>-->
</DataTemplate>
</ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
</ItemsControl>
<Button Name="btnAddData" Content="Add Data" Click="btnAddData_Click"/>
</StackPanel>
</ScrollViewer>
</Grid>
</Window>
MainWindow - Code behind
using DragDropControl.Model;
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Input;
namespace DragDropUserControlWithTextBox
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
private ObservableCollection<SimpleDataClass> _data = new ObservableCollection<SimpleDataClass>();
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
CreateTestData();
}
private void CreateTestData()
{
SimpleDataClass tempSDC1 = new SimpleDataClass();
tempSDC1.GroupName = "First Item";
tempSDC1.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 1_1"));
tempSDC1.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 1_2"));
tempSDC1.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 1_3"));
tempSDC1.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 1_4"));
tempSDC1.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 1_5"));
SimpleDataClass tempSDC2 = new SimpleDataClass();
tempSDC2.GroupName = "Second Item";
tempSDC2.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 2_1"));
tempSDC2.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 2_2"));
tempSDC2.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 2_3"));
tempSDC2.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 2_4"));
tempSDC2.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("Title 2_5"));
_data.Add(tempSDC1);
_data.Add(tempSDC2);
this.icColumns.ItemsSource = _data;
}
private void stkMain_Drop(object sender, DragEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Handled == false)
{
if (e.Data.GetDataPresent(typeof(SimpleDataClass)))
{
SimpleDataClass tempData = (SimpleDataClass)e.Data.GetData(typeof(SimpleDataClass));
_data.Add(tempData);
}
e.Effects.HasFlag(DragDropEffects.None);
Mouse.SetCursor(Cursors.Arrow);
e.Handled = true;
}
}
private void btnAddData_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
SimpleDataClass tempData = new SimpleDataClass();
tempData.GroupName = "Amazing Test";
tempData.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("AT_1"));
tempData.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("AT_2"));
tempData.Titles.Add(new SimpleSubDataClass("AT_3"));
_data.Add(tempData);
}
}
}

I swapped to using the method described in this WPF tutorial on drag and drop. It still had an issue when you dragged and dropped a user control with a textbox on it (would assume it would be for any control that is hitenabled) where it would create a second instance of the item being dragged but that is pretty easy to work around, just set the enabled state to false when detecting the control is about to be dragged and enable it again when it is dropped. Possibly a hack but one that works.

For drag and drop, create a Behavior and handle the events in the Behavior for the avoiding the UI thread freeze scenarios. Check the below link will be useful for your scenario.
https://www.telerik.com/blogs/adding-drag-and-drop-to-wpf-listboxes-thanks-telerik!

Proper way of implementing MVVM Pattern in WPF

I just started learning WPF coming from Java Swing and WinForms. I decided to try something new to learn other concepts and technologies for developing programs. Last time, I was introduced on the concept of MVC Pattern. For what I have learned, it is a way of separating the UI logic, business logic, and data. I found out that one of the key concepts of WPF is Binding and the MVVM Pattern.
Here is a part of my code where i tried implementing MVVM.
MainWindowModel.cs
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Controls;
namespace DocNanzDCMS.Model
{
public class MainWindowModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private PropertyChangedEventArgs pce;
public MainWindowModel()
{
pce = new PropertyChangedEventArgs("");
}
private UserControl userControl;
#region ControlProperty
public UserControl ContentProperty {
get
{
return userControl;
}
set
{
userControl = value;
PropertyChanged(this, pce);
}
}
#endregion
private DateTime dateTime;
#region DateProperty
public String DateProperty
{
get
{
return dateTime.ToLongDateString();
}
set
{
dateTime = DateTime.Parse(value);
PropertyChanged(this, pce);
}
}
#endregion
public String TimeProperty
#region TimeProperty
{
get
{
return dateTime.ToLongTimeString();
}
set
{
dateTime = DateTime.Parse(value);
PropertyChanged(this, pce);
}
}
#endregion
private String title;
public String TitleProperty
#region TitleProperty
{
get
{
return title;
}
set
{
title = value;
PropertyChanged(this, pce);
}
}
#endregion
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged = (sender, e) => { };
}
}
MainWindowViewModel.cs
using DocNanzDCMS.Model;
using DocNanzDCMS.View;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading;
namespace DocNanzDCMS.ViewModel
{
public class MainWindowViewModel
{
private MainWindow mainWindow;
private MainWindowModel mainWindowModel;
private Thread mainWindowThread;
private LoginModel loginModel;
private LoginViewModel loginViewModel;
private LoginView loginView;
private String title;
public MainWindowViewModel(MainWindowModel mainWindowModel, MainWindow mainWindow)
{
this.mainWindowModel = mainWindowModel;
this.mainWindow = mainWindow;
initialize();
}
private void initialize()
{
loginModel = new LoginModel();
loginView = new LoginView();
loginViewModel = new LoginViewModel(loginModel, loginView);
mainWindow.DataContext = mainWindowModel;
mainWindowThread = new Thread(BackgroundProcess);
mainWindowThread.IsBackground = true;
mainWindowThread.Start();
gotoLogin();
}
private void BackgroundProcess()
{
while(true)
{
updateTitle();
updateTime();
try
{
Thread.Sleep(100);
}
catch(ThreadInterruptedException e)
{
}
}
}
public void gotoLogin()
{
mainWindowModel.ContentProperty = loginView;
title = "Login";
}
private void updateTime()
{
mainWindowModel.DateProperty = DateTime.Now.ToString();
mainWindowModel.TimeProperty = DateTime.Now.ToString();
}
public void updateTitle()
{
mainWindowModel.TitleProperty = "Doc Nanz Dental | "+title;
}
}
}
MainWindow.cs
using DocNanzDCMS.Model;
using DocNanzDCMS.ViewModel;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Data;
using System.Windows.Documents;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;
using System.Windows.Navigation;
using System.Windows.Shapes;
namespace DocNanzDCMS
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
private MainWindowModel mainWindowModel;
private MainWindowViewModel mainWindowViewModel;
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
initializeApp();
}
private void initializeApp()
{
mainWindowModel = new MainWindowModel();
mainWindowViewModel = new MainWindowViewModel(mainWindowModel, this);
}
}
}
MainWindow.xaml
<Window x:Class="DocNanzDCMS.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:DocNanzDCMS"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Title="{Binding TitleProperty}" Height="600" Width="800">
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="75"/>
<RowDefinition Height="*"/>
<RowDefinition Height="30"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<!--Banner-->
<Grid Grid.Row="0" Background="AliceBlue">
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="225"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="200"/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<!--Date and Time Panel-->
<Grid Grid.Column="2" Background="Aquamarine">
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="1.5*"/>
<RowDefinition Height="*"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<!--Date Background-->
<StackPanel Grid.Row="0" Background="BurlyWood"/>
<!--Date-->
<Label Grid.Row="0" Content="{Binding DateProperty}" HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
<!--Time Background-->
<StackPanel Grid.Row="1" Background="BlanchedAlmond"/>
<!--Time-->
<Label Grid.Row="1" Content="{Binding TimeProperty}" HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
</Grid>
</Grid>
<!--Content-->
<ScrollViewer Grid.Row="1" Content="{Binding ContentProperty}"/>
<!--Status Bar-->
<Grid Grid.Row="2">
</Grid>
</Grid>
</Window>
I created a Model and View and manipulated those in ViewModel. I am not sure if this is a proper way of implementing MVVM or is it even an MVVM, because I am seeing it as MVC pattern.
On Wikipedia, it says:
The components are, Model, View, ViewModel, and Binder.
This part of my code displays a window with a banner, and on rightmost part of the banner are labels that displays date and time. It works, but my concern is if the way I made it is actually following MVVM pattern.

For the sake of MVVM the View Model should not contain a reference to the View (is considered bad practice)
Is the View that know the ViewModel and not the opposite.
The View knows the ViewModel which in turn know the Model (or Models)
The INotifyPropertyChanged interface should be implemented in the ViewModel to permits the view to update itself through binding (in some circustances is perfectly legit to implement the interface on the Model also).
Keep in mind that the ViewModel can be seen as a Model adapted to the need of the View, so with this in mind i prefer to leave the Model classes as simple POCO objects and write the INotifyPropertyChanged implementation on the ViewModel
The ViewModel become the DataContext of the View (you can assign the DataContext in the View's constructor in code behind or in the xaml).
For navigating through views you could use (at minimum) 2 approaches
You should decide if you want a View-first approach or a ViewModel-first approach.
In the View-First approach when you want to navigate to a new page you create a View and some mechanism (the binder) will create the respective ViewModel (which in turn create or obtain the Model)
In the ViewModel first approach you create a new ViewModel (which in turn create or obtain the Model) and the binder will create the respective View.
Based on what i told you, here is an example:
View (MainWindowView.cs), we assign the DataContext:
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.DataContext = new MainWindowViewModel()
}
}
ViewModel (MainWindowViewModel.cs):
namespace DocNanzDCMS.ViewModel
{
public class MainWindowViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private MainWindowModel mainWindowModel;
public Model {get {return mainWindowModel;}}
public MainWindowViewModel()
{
this.mainWindowModel = new mainWindowModel();
}
}
}
Model (MainWindowModel.cs) :
public class MainWindowModel
{
private PropertyChangedEventArgs pce;
public MainWindowModel()
{
pce = new PropertyChangedEventArgs("");
}
private UserControl userControl;
#region ControlProperty
public UserControl ContentProperty {
get
{
return userControl;
}
set
{
userControl = value;
PropertyChanged(this, pce);
}
}
#endregion
private DateTime dateTime;
#region DateProperty
public String DateProperty
{
get
{
return dateTime.ToLongDateString();
}
set
{
dateTime = DateTime.Parse(value);
PropertyChanged(this, pce);
}
}
#endregion
public String TimeProperty
#region TimeProperty
{
get
{
return dateTime.ToLongTimeString();
}
set
{
dateTime = DateTime.Parse(value);
PropertyChanged(this, pce);
}
}
#endregion
private String title;
public String TitleProperty
#region TitleProperty
{
get
{
return title;
}
set
{
title = value;
PropertyChanged(this, pce);
}
}
#endregion
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged = (sender, e) => { };
}
Also, i think you should look at some framework like prism or caliburn micro (i prefer the first one) to assist you in the correct implementation on the MVVM pattern and not reinventing the wheel (as a plus you will get also a navigation system, to navigate between views).

Your question is very broad but here are some thoughts.
A view model shouldn't know anything about the view. Instead of injecting the MainWindowViewModel with a reference to the MainWindow, you should simply set the DataContext of the MainWindow to an instance of the view model:
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = new MainWindowViewModel();
}
The MainWindowViewModel can then initialize and/or communicate with the model while the view binds to the view model.
Also, a view model shouldn't expose any UIElements such as for example a UserControl. UIElements are defined in the view.

After several nights of studying, I finally "absorbed" the concept of MVVM and its difference with MVC.
Model - Most of the time they are just classes with properties. Like User, Product etc...
View - The user interface. RegisterUserView, LoginView, AddProductView.
ViewModel - This is where the action happens. ViewModel manipulates the model based on the requirements/rules and exposes it for View. But ViewModel does not know the existence of View.
Binding - This is the glue between the View and the ViewModel.
In comparison with MVC (Just my opinion),
View in MVC is passive while View in MVVM is active. The Controller in MVC decides what contents should be displayed in View, while in MVVM, View performs the binding making it responsible on what it should display.
WPF is so much pain, but it is really powerful.

Wpf datacontext binding using MVVM between viewmodel and view

I just started learning MVVM and here is what seems to be basic question but I spent whole day trying to figure it out.
I have a solution that contains 3 projects one for Model, one for ViewModel and one for View. The Model contains a class that has 2 properties Text and CheckStatus.
The ViewModel has a list called listOfItems that has three items, each item has these 2 properties from the Model.
The View has a listView inside it there is a CheckBox. What is the proper way to bind the CheckBox content to the property Text?
Here is the model
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace TheModel
{
public class CheckBoxListModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private string text;
public string Text
{
get { return text; }
set
{
text = value;
RaiseChanged("Text");
}
}
private bool checkStatus;
public bool CheckStatus
{
get { return checkStatus; }
set
{
checkStatus = value;
RaiseChanged("CheckStatus");
}
}
private void RaiseChanged(string propName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propName));
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
}
}
Here is the view model
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using TheModel;
namespace TheViewModel
{
public class TheViewModel
{
public List<CheckBoxListModel> ListOfItems { get; set; }
public TheViewModelClass()
{
ListOfItems = new List<CheckBoxListModel>
{
new CheckBoxListModel
{
CheckStatus = false,
Text = "Item 1",
},
new CheckBoxListModel
{
CheckStatus = false,
Text = "Item 2",
},
new CheckBoxListModel
{
CheckStatus = false,
Text = "Item 3",
}
};
}
public static implicit operator List<object>(TheViewModelClass v)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
}
and here is the View XAML
<UserControl
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:ctrl="clr-namespace:TheView.Managers" xmlns:TheViewModel="clr-
namespace:TheViewModel;assembly=TheViewModel"
x:Class="TheView.Styles.ListViewDatabaseStyle">
<UserControl.DataContext>
<TheViewModel:TheViewModelClass/>
</UserControl.DataContext>
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="*"/>
<RowDefinition Height="100"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Button Content="Continue" Style="{StaticResource ButtonStyle}"
Margin="1104,27,40,40"/>
<ListView x:Name="listView1" SelectionMode="Multiple"
Style="{StaticResource ListViewStyle}" Margin="10,55,10,10"
ctrl:ListViewLayoutManager.Enabled="true" ItemsSource="
{Binding TheViewModelClass}" >
<ListView.View>
<GridView>
<GridViewColumn Header="Competency Items"
ctrl:ProportionalColumn.Width="1100"/>
</GridView>
</ListView.View>
<ListView.ItemContainerStyle >
<Style TargetType="{x:Type ListViewItem}">
<Setter Property="IsSelected" Value="{Binding
CheckedStatus}"/>
<Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment"
Value="Stretch"/>
</Style>
</ListView.ItemContainerStyle>
<ListView.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<CheckBox
Click="CheckBox_Click"
Content="{Binding Path=TheViewModelClass.Text}"
IsChecked="{Binding
Path=TheViewModelClass.CheckedStatus}" />
</DataTemplate>
</ListView.ItemTemplate>
</ListView>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
Here is the View behind code, I know I shouldn't have something here but where should that part go?
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows.Controls.Primitives;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System;
using System.Text;
using TheViewModel;
namespace TheView.Styles
{
public partial class ListViewDatabaseStyle : UserControl
{
public ListViewDatabaseStyle()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public List<string> selectedNames = new List<string>();
private void CheckBox_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
var ChkBox = sender as CheckBox;
var item = ChkBox.Content;
bool isChecked = ChkBox.IsChecked.HasValue ? ChkBox.IsChecked.Value
: false;
if (isChecked)
selectedNames.Add(item.ToString());
else
selectedNames.Remove(item.ToString());
}
}
}

This is all quite ridiculous.
Here is a much easier way which involves no external libraries, no additional housekeeping classes and interfaces, almost no magic, and is very flexible because you can have viewmodels that contain other viewmodels, and you get to instantiate each one of them, so you can pass constructor parameters to them:
For the viewmodel of the main window:
using Wpf = System.Windows;
public partial class TestApp : Wpf.Application
{
protected override void OnStartup( Wpf.StartupEventArgs e )
{
base.OnStartup( e );
MainWindow = new MainView();
MainWindow.DataContext = new MainViewModel( e.Args );
MainWindow.Show();
}
}
For all other viewmodels:
This is in MainViewModel.cs:
using Collections = System.Collections.Generic;
public class MainViewModel
{
public SomeViewModel SomeViewModel { get; }
public OtherViewModel OtherViewModel { get; }
public Collections.IReadOnlyList<string> Arguments { get; }
public MainViewModel( Collections.IReadOnlyList<string> arguments )
{
Arguments = arguments;
SomeViewModel = new SomeViewModel( this );
OtherViewModel = new OtherViewModel( this );
}
}
This in MainView.xaml:
[...]
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:the-namespace-of-my-wpf-stuff"
[...]
<local:SomeView DataContext="{Binding SomeViewModel}" />
<local:OtherView DataContext="{Binding OtherViewModel}" />
[...]
As you can see, a viewmodel can simply be a member (child) of another viewmodel; in this case SomeViewModel and OtherViewModel are children of MainViewModel. Then, in the XAML file of MainView, you can just instantiate each of the child views and specify their DataContext by Binding to the corresponding child viewmodels.

First of all. Set dependencies of projects. ViewModel must have access Model. (View and Model projects do not have to reference to other projects.) If i were you i would make a StartUp Project to transfer the control to ViewModel.
This "StartUp" project should be WPF, all of others should be "class library" but don't forget to add the required references to projects (For example the system.xaml for your view project to create usercontrols.)
Projects dependencies:
- StartUp --> ViewModel;
(- ViewModel --> View; or avoid this with DI)
- ViewModel --> Model;
(I should make another project for interfaces just this is just my perversions.)
StartUp Project:
Now in your startup (WPF) project should contains in (app.xaml.cs):
protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e)
{
// delete the startupuri tag from your app.xaml
base.OnStartup(e);
//this MainViewModel from your ViewModel project
MainWindow = new MainWindow(new MainViewModel());
}
The only one thing (Window) in your startup wpf project (to display your UserControls).
MainWindow.xaml content:
<Window x:Class="StartUp.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="MainWindow" WindowState="Maximized" WindowStyle="None" AllowsTransparency="True">
<ContentPresenter HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center" Content="{Binding Control}"/>
</Window>
(and xaml.cs)
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow(INotifyPropertyChanged ViewModel)
{
InitializeComponent();
this.DataContext = ViewModel;
this.Show();
}
}
And Thats all your StartUp WPF project.
In this way we gave the control to your ViewModel project.
(Okay, its just an extra, but i should make a "ViewService" to handle my UserControls)
Interface to find all of View and match the View with ViewModel.
public interface IControlView
{
INotifyPropertyChanged ViewModel { get; set; }
}
I created a singleton to store and match my views with my viewmodels. (You can skip this part.) I defined this in Model project.
public class ViewService<T> where T : IControlView
{
private readonly List<WeakReference> cache;
public delegate void ShowDelegate(T ResultView);
public event ShowDelegate Show;
public void ShowControl<Z>(INotifyPropertyChanged ViewModel)
{
if (Show != null)
Show(GetView<Z>(ViewModel));
}
#region Singleton
private static ViewService<T> instance;
public static ViewService<T> GetContainer
{
get
{
if (instance == null)
{
instance = new ViewService<T>();
}
return instance;
}
}
private ViewService()
{
cache = new List<WeakReference>();
var types = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies().SelectMany(s => s.GetTypes()).Where(r => typeof(T).IsAssignableFrom(r) && !r.IsInterface && !r.IsAbstract && !r.IsEnum);
foreach (Type type in types)
{
cache.Add(new WeakReference((T)Activator.CreateInstance(type)));
}
}
#endregion
private T GetView<Z>(INotifyPropertyChanged ViewModel)
{
T target = default(T);
foreach (var wRef in cache)
{
if (wRef.IsAlive && wRef.Target.GetType().IsEquivalentTo(typeof(Z)))
{
target = (T)wRef.Target;
break;
}
}
if(target==null)
target = (T)Activator.CreateInstance(typeof(Z));
if(ViewModel != null)
target.ViewModel = ViewModel;
return target;
}
}
And now you have got a "service" to show your UserControls in the mainwindow from your
ViewModel:
public class MainViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private IControlView _control;
public IControlView Control
{
get
{
return _control;
}
set
{
_control = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
public MainViewModel()
{ //Subscribe for the ViewService event:
ViewService<IControlView>.GetContainer.Show += ShowControl;
// in this way, here is how to set a user control to the window.
ViewService<IControlView>.GetContainer.ShowControl<ListViewDatabaseStyle>(new TheViewModel(yourDependencyItems));
//you can call this anywhere in your viewmodel project. For example inside a command too.
}
public void ShowControl(IControlView ControlView)
{
Control = ControlView;
}
//implement INotifyPropertyChanged...
protected void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string name = "propertyName")
{
PropertyChangedEventHandler handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(name));
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
}
If you don't want to use this "ViewService". Just create an UserControl instance, match DataContext of View with your ViewModel and give this view to Control property.
Here is your ViewModel with list (still in ViewMoldel project.)
public class TheViewModel
{
private readonly ObservableCollection<ISelectable> listOfItems;
public ObservableCollection<ISelectable> ListOfItems
{
get { return listOfItems; }
}
public ICommand SaveCheckedItemsText{
get{ return new RelayCommand(CollectNamesOfSelectedElements);}
}
public IEnumerable<ISelectable> GetSelectedElements
{
get { return listOfItems.Where(item=>item.CheckStatus); }
}
public TheViewModel(IList<ISelectable> dependencyItems)
{
listOfItems= new ObservableCollection<ISelectable>(dependencyItems);
}
//here is your list...
private List<string> selectedNames
//use this...
private void CollectNamesOfSelectedElements()
{
selectedNames = new List<string>();
foreach(ISelectable item in GetSelectedElements)
{
//you should override the ToString in your model if you want to do this...
selectedNames.Add(item.ToString());
}
}
}
RelayCommand article
View: (Keep here all of your usercontrols.)
In your UserControl (xaml):
<UserControl x:Class="View.ListViewDataStyle"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008" namespace:System.Windows.Interactivity;assembly=System.Windows.Interactivity"
mc:Ignorable="d">
<Button Command={Binding SaveCheckedItemsText}/>
<!-- Another content -->
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding ListOfItems}">
<ListView.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<CheckBox Content="{Binding Text}" IsChecked="{Binding CheckedStatus}" />
</DataTemplate>
</ListView.ItemTemplate>
</ListView>
</UserControl>
And with interface here is the xaml.cs code (for UserControls):
public partial class ListViewDatabaseStyle : UserControl, IControlView
{
public ListViewDatabaseStyle ()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public INotifyPropertyChanged ViewModel
{
get
{
return (INotifyPropertyChanged)DataContext;
}
set
{
DataContext = value;
}
}
}
And the last one is the Model project with your models:
public interface ISelectable
{
bool CheckStatus { get; set; }
}
public class CheckBoxListModel : INotifyPropertyChanged, ISelectable
{
private string text;
public string Text
{
get { return text; }
set
{
text = value;
RaiseChanged("Text");
}
}
private bool checkStatus;
public bool CheckStatus
{
get { return checkStatus; }
set
{
checkStatus = value;
RaiseChanged("CheckStatus");
}
}
private void RaiseChanged(string propName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propName));
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
}
}
Excuse me for english grammar mistakes, i hope you understood my post.
Update:
Use the DI techn. to avoid the reference to view from viewmodel. DI service will inject the correct object with constructor injection.

<UserControl.DataContext>
<TheViewModel:TheViewModelClass/>
</UserControl.DataContext>
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding ListOfItems}">
<ListView.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<CheckBox Content="{Binding Text}" IsChecked="{Binding CheckedStatus}" />
</DataTemplate>
</ListView.ItemTemplate>
</ListView>

Exception Occurring Infinitely in Content Control

First, this is a simplified version from a wizard control using MVVM. The problem is just easier to reproduce as described below
After much narrowing down, I have resolved an infinite exception in my code to be due to the WPF ContentControl. However, I have yet to figure out how to handle it, other than try-catch wrapping all of my possible instantiation code. Here is sample code that reproduces this...any help on how to keep this infinite exception from occurring would be greatly appreciated.
Additional Details
To sum up, the problem is that if the content control changes its contents, and the thing being loaded in throws an exception, then it will throw, then retry the load, causing the throw again and again.
MainWindow.xaml
<Window x:Class="WpfApplication8.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525" Name ="Main">
<Grid>
<ContentControl Name="bar" Content="{Binding ElementName=Main, Path=foo}"/>
<Button Click="ButtonBase_OnClick" Margin="20" Width="50"/>
</Grid>
</Window>
MainWindow.xaml.cs
public partial class MainWindow : Window, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private UserControl _foo;
public UserControl foo
{
get { return _foo; }
set { _foo = value; OnPropertyChanged("foo"); }
}
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
foo = new UserControl1();
}
private void ButtonBase_OnClick(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
foo = new UserControl2();
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
var handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
handler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
UserControl1 is blank and all default
UserControl2.xaml.cs
public UserControl2()
{
InitializeComponent();
throw new Exception();
}

Do not bind ContentControl to MainWindow. Instead use DataTemplates to select the content for the MainWindow. One example-contrived way of doing it is to bind the ContentControl's Content to the DataContext of the MainWindow.
First some observable test data is needed. The specifics of this data are not important. The main point is to have two different classes of test data from which to choose - TestData.cs:
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.ComponentModel;
namespace fwWpfDataTemplate
{
// Classes to fill TestData
public abstract class Person : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null) PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
string _name;
public string Name
{
get { return _name; }
set
{
_name = value;
OnPropertyChanged("Name");
}
}
}
public class Student : Person { }
public class Employee : Person
{
float _salary;
public float Salary
{
get { return _salary; }
set
{
_salary = value;
OnPropertyChanged("Salary");
}
}
}
public class TestData : ObservableCollection<Person>
{
public TestData()
: base(new List<Person>()
{
new Student { Name = "Arnold" },
new Employee { Name = "Don", Salary = 100000.0f }
}) { }
}
}
Then add DataTemplates to MainWindow's resources - MainWindow.xaml:
<Window x:Class="fwWpfDataTemplate.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:me="clr-namespace:fwWpfDataTemplate"
Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
<Window.Resources>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type me:Student}">
<StackPanel>
<TextBlock Text="Student"/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Name}"/>
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type me:Employee}">
<StackPanel>
<TextBlock Text="Employee"/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Name}"/>
<TextBlock Text="Salary"/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Salary}"/>
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</Window.Resources>
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Button Content="Change Data Context" Click="Button_Click" />
<ContentControl Grid.Row="1" Content="{Binding}"/>
</Grid>
</Window>
Note: instead of the StackPanels the contents of the DataTemplates could be UserControl1, UserControl2, etc.
Then add some code to change the data context - MainWindow.cs:
using System.Windows;
namespace fwWpfDataTemplate
{
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
TestData testData = new TestData();
int testIndex = -1;
private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
testIndex = (testIndex + 1) % testData.Count;
this.DataContext = testData[testIndex];
}
}
}
Enjoy.