Develop Reference

Xamarin forms, working with a OnPropertyChanged with a INT value

I have one button on my MasterDetailPage changing the value on an INT (named App.value1) depending on what you click looking like this:
void click1 (object s, EventArgs a)
{
if (App.value1 == 0) {
App.value1 = App.value1 + 1;
} else {
App.value1 = 0;
}
}
And I want this click function to immediately change the value on my StartPage (another ContentPage). So I have created a viewmodel looking like this, where I try to work with the current value:
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged (string propertyName)
{
var changed = PropertyChanged;
if (changed != null) {
PropertyChanged (this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs (propertyName));
}
}
public int currentValue {
get {
return App.value1;
}
set {
if (App.value1 == 0) {
App.value1 = 0;
} else {
App.value1 = 1;
}
}
}
And this is the StartPage where I want the value of the INT to update immediately depending on what you clicked on at the MasterDetailView.
public StartPage ()
{
var ourView = new StartPageViewModel ();
ourCurrentValue = ourView.currentValue;
}
protected async override void OnAppearing()
{
LoadData();
}
private async Task<List<Pin>> LoadData() //I work with pins here (not showing that code though as it is irrelavant.
{
if (ourCurrentValue == 0) {
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine ("Value is 0");
}
else {
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine ("Value is 1");
}
}
Right now I only see "Value is 0" in my log. Nothing updates when I click on my button on the MasterDetailPage.
UPDATED CODE:
public class StartPageViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private ICommand clickCommand;
private int currentValue;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged (string propertyName)
{
var changed = PropertyChanged;
if (changed != null)
{
PropertyChanged (this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs (propertyName));
}
}
public StartPageViewModel()
{
ClickCommand = new Command(() => CurrentValue = CurrentValue + 1);
}
public ICommand ClickCommand
{
get { return clickCommand; }
set
{
clickCommand = value;
OnPropertyChanged("ClickCommand");
}
}
public int CurrentValue
{
get { return currentValue; }
set
{
currentValue = value;
OnPropertyChanged("CurrentValue");
}
}
}
And StartPage:
public StartPage ()
{
App.PropertyChanged += (sender, args) => OnPropertyChanged("currentValue"); // ERROR: `An object reference is requiered to access non-static member 'Xamarin.Forms.BindableObject.PropertyChanged`
}

You can proceed with something like that:
Make following changes to your App class and value1 property inside that class:
public static event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private static void OnPropertyChanged (string propertyName)
{
var changed = PropertyChanged;
if (changed != null)
{
PropertyChanged (null, new PropertyChangedEventArgs (propertyName));
}
}
private static int _value1;
public static int value1
{
get { return _value1; }
set
{
_value1 = value;
OnPropertyChanged("value1");
}
}
Then add this line to your StartPageViewModel constructor:
App.PropertyChanged += (sender, args) => OnPropertyChanged("currentValue");
In that code you are just leveraging PropertyChanged for your own purposes (you can even create your own event for that).
I mean StartPageViewModel subscribes to PropertyChanged event in Appclass, so it will be notified when value1 change. And when it actually occurs, then it is invoking his own PropertyChanged to notify View about currentValue change.
However, I would say better solution is to share View Model between MasterDetailPage and StartPage, because using global state makes your solution hard to understand :
public class SharedViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private ICommand clickCommand;
private int currentValue;
/* INotifyPropertyChanged implementation */
public SharedViewModel()
{
ClickCommand = new Command(() => CurrentValue = CurrentValue + 1);
}
public ICommand ClickCommand
{
get { return clickCommand; }
set
{
clickCommand = value;
OnPropertyChanged("ClickCommand");
}
}
public int CurrentValue
{
get { return currentValue; }
set
{
currentValue = value;
OnPropertyChanged("CurrentValue");
}
}
}
And you need to use the same instance of SharedViewModel in MasterDetailPage as well as StartPage

Force INotifyDataErrorInfo validation

I have implemented INotifyDataErrorInfo exactly as described in the following link:
http://blog.micic.ch/net/easy-mvvm-example-with-inotifypropertychanged-and-inotifydataerrorinfo
I have a TextBox which is bound to a string property in my model.
XAML
<TextBox Text="{Binding FullName,
ValidatesOnNotifyDataErrors=True,
NotifyOnValidationError=True,
UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
Model
private string _fullName;
public string FullName
{
get { return _fullName; }
set
{
// Set raises OnPropertyChanged
Set(ref _fullName, value);
if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_fullName))
AddError(nameof(FullName), "Name required");
else
RemoveError(nameof(FullName));
}
}
INotifyDataError Code
private Dictionary<string, List<string>> _errors = new Dictionary<string, List<string>>();
public event EventHandler<DataErrorsChangedEventArgs> ErrorsChanged;
// get errors by property
public IEnumerable GetErrors(string propertyName)
{
if (_errors.ContainsKey(propertyName))
return _errors[propertyName];
return null;
}
public bool HasErrors => _errors.Count > 0;
// object is valid
public bool IsValid => !HasErrors;
public void AddError(string propertyName, string error)
{
// Add error to list
_errors[propertyName] = new List<string>() { error };
NotifyErrorsChanged(propertyName);
}
public void RemoveError(string propertyName)
{
// remove error
if (_errors.ContainsKey(propertyName))
_errors.Remove(propertyName);
NotifyErrorsChanged(propertyName);
}
public void NotifyErrorsChanged(string propertyName)
{
// Notify
if (ErrorsChanged != null)
ErrorsChanged(this, new DataErrorsChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
Now all this works fine, but it only validates as soon as I type something in my TextBox. I would like some way to validate on demand, without even touching the textbox, say on a button click.
I have tried raising PropertyChanged for all my properties as described in this question, but it does not detect the errors. I somehow need my property setter to be called so the errors can be detected. I'm looking for a MVVM solution.

The INotifyDataErrorInfo implementation you use is somewhat flawed IMHO. It relies on errors kept in a state (a list) attached to the object. Problem with stored state is, sometimes, in a moving world, you don't have the chance to update it when you want. Here is another MVVM implementation that doesn't rely on a stored state, but computes error state on the fly.
Things are handled a bit differently as you need to put validation code in a central GetErrors method (you could create per-property validation methods called from this central method), not in the property setters.
public class ModelBase : INotifyPropertyChanged, INotifyDataErrorInfo
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public event EventHandler<DataErrorsChangedEventArgs> ErrorsChanged;
public bool HasErrors
{
get
{
return GetErrors(null).OfType<object>().Any();
}
}
public virtual void ForceValidation()
{
OnPropertyChanged(null);
}
public virtual IEnumerable GetErrors([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
return Enumerable.Empty<object>();
}
protected void OnErrorsChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
OnErrorsChanged(this, new DataErrorsChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
protected virtual void OnErrorsChanged(object sender, DataErrorsChangedEventArgs e)
{
var handler = ErrorsChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(sender, e);
}
}
protected void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
OnPropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
var handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(sender, e);
}
}
}
And here are two sample classes that demonstrate how to use it:
public class Customer : ModelBase
{
private string _name;
public string Name
{
get
{
return _name;
}
set
{
if (_name != value)
{
_name = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
}
public override IEnumerable GetErrors([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(propertyName) || propertyName == nameof(Name))
{
if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_name))
yield return "Name cannot be empty.";
}
}
}
public class CustomerWithAge : Customer
{
private int _age;
public int Age
{
get
{
return _age;
}
set
{
if (_age != value)
{
_age = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
}
public override IEnumerable GetErrors([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
foreach (var obj in base.GetErrors(propertyName))
{
yield return obj;
}
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(propertyName) || propertyName == nameof(Age))
{
if (_age <= 0)
yield return "Age is invalid.";
}
}
}
It works like a charm with a simple XAML like this:
<TextBox Text="{Binding Name, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
<TextBox Text="{Binding Age, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
(UpdateSourceTrigger is optional, if you don't use it it will only work when focus is lost).
With this MVVM base class, you shouldn't have to force any validation. But should you need it, I have added a ForceValidation sample method in ModelBase that should work (I have tested it with for example a member value like _name that would have been changed without passing through the public setter).

Your best bet is to use a relay command interface. Take a look at this:
public class RelayCommand : ICommand
{
Action _TargetExecuteMethod;
Func<bool> _TargetCanExecuteMethod;
public RelayCommand(Action executeMethod)
{
_TargetExecuteMethod = executeMethod;
}
public RelayCommand(Action executeMethod, Func<bool> canExecuteMethod)
{
_TargetExecuteMethod = executeMethod;
_TargetCanExecuteMethod = canExecuteMethod;
}
public void RaiseCanExecuteChanged()
{
CanExecuteChanged(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
#region ICommand Members
bool ICommand.CanExecute(object parameter)
{
if (_TargetCanExecuteMethod != null)
{
return _TargetCanExecuteMethod();
}
if (_TargetExecuteMethod != null)
{
return true;
}
return false;
}
public event EventHandler CanExecuteChanged = delegate { };
void ICommand.Execute(object parameter)
{
if (_TargetExecuteMethod != null)
{
_TargetExecuteMethod();
}
}
#endregion
}
You would declare this relay command in your view model like:
public RelayCommand SaveCommand { get; private set; }
Now, in addition to registering your SaveCommand with OnSave and a CanSave methods, since you extend from INotifyDataErrorInfo, you can sign up to ErrorsChanged in your constructor as well:
public YourViewModel()
{
SaveCommand = new RelayCommand(OnSave, CanSave);
ErrorsChanged += RaiseCanExecuteChanged;
}
And you'll need the methods:
private void RaiseCanExecuteChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
SaveCommand.RaiseCanExecuteChanged();
}
public bool CanSave()
{
return !this.HasErrors;
}
private void OnSave()
{
//Your save logic here.
}
Also, each time after you call PropertyChanged, you can call this validation method:
private void ValidateProperty<T>(string propertyName, T value)
{
var results = new List<ValidationResult>();
ValidationContext context = new ValidationContext(this);
context.MemberName = propertyName;
Validator.TryValidateProperty(value, context, results);
if (results.Any())
{
_errors[propertyName] = results.Select(c => c.ErrorMessage).ToList();
}
else
{
_errors.Remove(propertyName);
}
ErrorsChanged(this, new DataErrorsChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
With this setup, and if your viewmodel both extends from INotifyPropertyChanged and INotifyDataErrorInfo (or from a base class that extends from these two), when you bind a button to the SaveCommand above, WPF framework will automatically disable it if there are validation errors.
Hope this helps.

Binding to count on observable collection of subclass

I do have a WPF binding question here.
Following Setup:
I do have a class (ActionService) having a name and a ObservableCollection of subitems (also a class named Step). A Step has a flag that shows if the Step is allready done (IsDone).
I bind a form to the ActionService and display all kind of things.
Everything works as aspected and i have just the essential parts in my snippet.
Now I need one more thing that i can not get work. I want the ActionService to know by binding how many of its Steps are open (IsDone == false). I you open a childform with one of the steps and change the IsDone-State, the mother form should get the new count on the fly.
And I'm to dumb to get a correct solution on the way ;-)
Thanks for your help or a best practise.
public class ActionService : BaseObject
{
public ActionService()
{
}
private String name;
public String Name
{
get { return this.name; }
set
{
this.name = value;
raisePropertyChanged("Name");
}
}
public ObservableCollection<Step> actionsteps;
public ObservableCollection<Step> ActionSteps
{
get { return this.actionsteps; }
set
{
this.actionsteps = value;
raisePropertyChanged("ActionSteps");
}
}
}
public class Step : BaseObject
{
public Step()
{
}
private String description;
public String Description
{
get { return this.description; }
set
{
this.description = value;
raisePropertyChanged("Description");
}
}
private Boolean isdone;
public Boolean IsDone
{
get { return this.isdone; }
set
{
this.isdone = value;
raisePropertyChanged("IsDone");
}
}
}
public class BaseObject : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected void raisePropertyChanged(String parPropertyName)
{
if (this.PropertyChanged != null)
{
this.PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(parPropertyName));
}
}
}

You can create a new property in your ActionService class:
public bool IsDone
{
get
{
return ActionSteps.Count(x => x.IsDone) == ActionSteps.Count;
}
}
If the count of Steps in the ActionSteps list where the IsDone property is true is equal to the number of Steps in the ActionSteps list, then return true, else, return false.
To subscribe to the Steps property changed event, when you add an item to the collection, you simply need to subscribe to the PropertyChanged event:
//Create the item and subscribe to propertychanged.
Step item = new Step();
item.PropertyChanged += item_PropertyChanged;
//Add the item to the list.
ActionSteps.Add(item);
And your method will look like this:
void item_PropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.PropertyName == "IsDone")
raisePropertyChanged("IsDone");
}

C# - How to make use of "INotifyPropertyChanged" to update calculated fields in a collection class?

I have an Item class with two properties "quantity" and "price" and implements INotifyPropertyChanged
public class Item:INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private event PropertyChangedEventHandler _propertyChanged;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged
{
add { _propertyChanged += value; }
remove { _propertyChanged -= value; }
}
void NotifyPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] String propertyName = "")
{
if (_propertyChanged != null)
{
_propertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
public int QuantityOnHand
{
get
{
return this._quantityOnHand;
}
set
{
if (value > 0)
{
this._quantityOnHand = value;
NotifyPropertyChanged();
}
else
{
throw new System.ArgumentException("Quantity must be a positive value!");
}
}
}
.....
}
And I have a collection class of items named "Inventory" with a property of TotalRetailPrice:
public class Inventory {
private List<Item> _inventoryList = new LinkedList<Item>();
public decimal TotalRetailPrice
{
get
{
decimal totalRetailPrice = 0M;
foreach (var item in _inventoryList)
{
totalRetailPrice += item.QuantityOnHand * item.RetailPrice;
}
return totalRetailPrice;
}
}
I am trying to find out a way to automatically update this property TotalRetailPrice, whenever I change either the quantity or the price of any item(s) in the list. How can I do that? Right now with my code, every time I tried to get this totalRetailPrice property, I will have to go through the list and recalculate it.
thanks!

Since the interface INotifyPropertyChanged exposes an event called PropertyChanged you can just subscribe to that in the 'inventory' class.
You will also want to listen for changed events in the list since you will need to know when items are added/removed so you can add/remove event handlers as necessary. I'd suggest using ObservableCollection<T> as this supports some 'collection changed' events. Is there any reason you are using LinkedList<T>?
e.g.
public class Inventory
{
private ObservableCollection<Item> _inventoryList = new ObservableCollection<Item>();
public decimal _total;
// You probably want INPC for the property here too so it can update any UI elements bound to it
public decimal Total { get { return _total; } set { _total = value; } }
// Constructor
public Inventory()
{
WireUpCollection();
}
private void WireUpCollection()
{
// Listen for change events
_inventoryList.CollectionChanged += CollectionChanged;
}
private void CollectionChanged(object sender, NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
// Check what was added - I'll leave this to you, the e.NewItems are the items that
// have been added, e.OldItems are those that have been removed
// Here's a contrived example for when an item is added.
// Don't forget to also remove event handlers using inpc.PropertyChanged -= Collection_PropertyChanged;
var inpc = e.NewItems[0] as INotifyPropertyChanged;
if(inpc != null)
inpc.PropertyChanged += Collection_PropertyChanged;
}
private void Collection_PropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
RecalculateTotal();
}
private void RecalculateTotal()
{
// Your original code here which should feed the backing field
}
}
Check out the MSDN docs here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms668604(v=vs.110).aspx
For info on ObservableCollection<T>. The events section is what you are after. Also note you can use anonymous functions to handle the events if you prefer the syntax or want to capture variables in a certain scope etc. It helps to understand them fully (not sure what's available for Java as I've not really touched it save a couple of Android mess-about projects) so it might be worth reading up as there are a small caveats to be aware of when capturing, but that's another story!
e.g.
_inventoryList.CollectionChanged += (o,e) =>
{
// Anonymous method body here
// o = the first param (object sender), e = args (NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
};

As it was told in another answer in order to "observe" collection items you have to use ObservableCollection which has a special event CollectionChanged. It is raised when the list is changed somehow (item added, removed, replaced). However, that event won't be raised (obviously) when some property of the existing item is changed, for example, inventory.InventoryList[0].QuantityOnHand = 8;.
So, to get the solution worked you need to observe both the collection changes (CollectionChanged event) and each collection item changes (PropertyChanged event). Though, implementing that logic correctly is not so easy. The Charlen answer is just a sketch of the solution but not the full solution.
It might be easier to use DependenciesTracking lib which solves the issue. See the example below:
public class Item : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private int _quantityOnHand;
private decimal _retailPrice;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler? PropertyChanged;
private void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string? propertyName = null) =>
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
public int QuantityOnHand
{
get => this._quantityOnHand;
set
{
if (_quantityOnHand == value) return;
if (value <= 0)
throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(value), value, "QuantityOnHand must be a positive value");
_quantityOnHand = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
public decimal RetailPrice
{
get => _retailPrice;
set
{
if (_retailPrice == value) return;
if (value <= 0)
throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(value), value, "RetailPrice must be a positive value");
_retailPrice = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
}
public class Inventory : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private static readonly IDependenciesMap<Inventory> _dependenciesMap =
new DependenciesMap<Inventory>()
.AddDependency(i => i.TotalRetailPrice,
i => i.InventoryList?.Sum(item => item.QuantityOnHand * item.RetailPrice) ?? 0.0m,
i => i.InventoryList.EachElement().QuantityOnHand, i => i.InventoryList.EachElement().RetailPrice);
private ObservableCollection<Item>? _inventoryList;
private decimal _totalRetailPrice;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler? PropertyChanged;
private void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string? propertyName = null) =>
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
public ObservableCollection<Item>? InventoryList
{
get => _inventoryList;
set
{
if (_inventoryList == value) return;
_inventoryList = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
public decimal TotalRetailPrice
{
get => _totalRetailPrice;
private set
{
if (value == _totalRetailPrice) return;
_totalRetailPrice = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
public Inventory()
{
_dependenciesMap.StartTracking(this);
}
}
public class Tests_SO_20767981
{
[SetUp]
public void Setup()
{
}
[Test]
public void Test_SO_20767981()
{
var inventory = new Inventory();
Assert.That(inventory.TotalRetailPrice, Is.EqualTo(0.0m));
inventory.InventoryList = new ObservableCollection<Item>();
Assert.That(inventory.TotalRetailPrice, Is.EqualTo(0.0m));
inventory.InventoryList.Add(new Item { QuantityOnHand = 3, RetailPrice = 5 });
Assert.That(inventory.TotalRetailPrice, Is.EqualTo(15));
inventory.InventoryList.Add(new Item { QuantityOnHand = 1, RetailPrice = 7 });
Assert.That(inventory.TotalRetailPrice, Is.EqualTo(22));
inventory.InventoryList[0].QuantityOnHand = 8;
Assert.That(inventory.TotalRetailPrice, Is.EqualTo(47));
inventory.InventoryList[0].RetailPrice = 12;
Assert.That(inventory.TotalRetailPrice, Is.EqualTo(103));
inventory.InventoryList.RemoveAt(1);
Assert.That(inventory.TotalRetailPrice, Is.EqualTo(96));
var newInventoryList = new ObservableCollection<Item>
{
new Item() { QuantityOnHand = 10, RetailPrice = 0.5m},
new Item() { QuantityOnHand = 6, RetailPrice = 1.5m}
};
inventory.InventoryList = newInventoryList;
Assert.That(inventory.TotalRetailPrice, Is.EqualTo(14m));
}
}

How to make c# classes aware of each other?

I have two classes that inherit from the same abstract class. I want both of them or at least one to be aware of changes in a specific property of the other. Is there any simple method for doing this? I've been trying to move the variable to the parent class, but that just creates 2 of the same variable, and when I create a reference to the other class inside the first one the same thing happens. thanks.
This is what my code looks like:
public abstract class Animal
{
public int MovementSpeed;
public bool Death;
public string Feedback;
public bool DeerCaught;
public int tiredRate;
public virtual int Movement()
{
MovementSpeed = MovementSpeed - tiredRate;
return MovementSpeed;
}
public virtual string Print()
{
return Feedback;
}
}
public class Deer : Animal
{
public string hidden;
public string Foraging;
public int DeerCount;
public Deer()
{
this.DeerCount = 10;
this.DeerCaught = false;
this.MovementSpeed = 10;
this.tiredRate = 2;
}
public void Hide()
{
if (Hunting)
{
Feedback = "The deer is hiding.";
if (DeerCount > 0)
{
Print();
}
}
else
{
//Forage();
}
}
public void Forage()
{
if (!Hunting)
{
Feedback = "The deer is searching for food.";
if (DeerCount > 0)
{
Print();
}
}
else
{
//Hide();
}
}
}
public class Wolf : Animal
{
public int Hunger;
public bool Hunting;
public Wolf()
{
this.Hunting = false;
this.Hunger = 10;
this.MovementSpeed = 10;
this.tiredRate = 1;
}
public bool Hunt()
{
if (Hunger < 5)
{
Hunting = true;
Feedback = "The wolf is searching for his next meal.";
if (DeerCaught == true)
{
Hunger++;
}
else
{
Hunger--;
}
return Hunting;
}
else
{
Hunting = false;
Feedback = "The wolf decides to rest.";
Hunger--;
return Hunting;
}
}
public void Die()
{
if (Hunger < 0)
{
Death = true;
Feedback = "The wolf has lost the hunt.";
}
}
}
I've tried setting Hunting as static in the base class, but I just end up getting two different versions of 'Hunting' when I run the methods of each class.

If this is intended as a simulation, then Deer isn't told when a wolf is hunting, it has to find out. The analogue here is to have some way that the Deer can query about the presence of wolves (something like Deer.LookForWolves(), then to check the value of the Hunting property on each wolf. This will require some sort of controller class, representing the world.
class World
{
public static List<Animal> Animals = new List<Animal>();
//...
}
class Deer : Animal
{
//...
bool IsSafe()
{
return LookForWolves().All(wolf => !wolf.Hunting);
}
List<Wolf> LookForWolves()
{
return World.Animals.OfType<Wolf>();
}
//...
Alternatively, you could reference World as a member of each Animal, passed in via the constructor. It's up to you, and will depend on whether you need to have multiple World objects, each with a different list of Animals.

Something like implementing INotifyPropertyChanged could help:
First, declare some classes that implement INotifyPropertyChanged:
abstract class Base {
}
class ClassA : Base, INotifyPropertyChanged {
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private string _property;
public string ClassAProperty {
get {
return _property;
}
set {
_property = value;
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs("ClassAProperty"));
}
}
}
class ClassB : Base, INotifyPropertyChanged {
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private string _property;
public string ClassBProperty {
get {
return _property;
}
set {
_property = value;
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs("ClassBProperty"));
}
}
}
Then, wire up new instances to subscribe to the PropertyChanged event:
using System.ComponentModel;
static void Main(string[] args) {
ClassA a = new ClassA();
a.PropertyChanged += PropertyChanged;
a.ClassAProperty = "Default value";
ClassB b = new ClassB();
b.PropertyChanged += PropertyChanged;
b.ClassBProperty = "Default value";
b.ClassBProperty = "new value in B";
a.ClassAProperty = "new value in A";
Console.Read();
}
static void PropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e) {
Console.WriteLine("Property {0} on object {1} was changed, the value is \"{2}\"", e.PropertyName, sender.GetType().Name, sender.GetType().GetProperty(e.PropertyName).GetValue(sender));
}
Output of this is:
Property ClassAProperty on object ClassA was changed, the value is "Default value"
Property ClassBProperty on object ClassB was changed, the value is "Default value"
Property ClassBProperty on object ClassB was changed, the value is "new value in B"
Property ClassAProperty on object ClassA was changed, the value is "new value in A"
Each time either property is set, PropertyChanged is called, which in the above example writes the details to the console.
In your use case, you would have the event call a method in the other class (if I understand you correctly).

A very basic way to notify property changed with your own delegate definition. Since you do not provide any code I made up some classes myself. Use this as an example to modify your own code:
public delegate void PropertyChangedEventHandler();
public abstract class Base
{
}
public class A : Base
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private int _value;
public int Value
{
get { return _value; }
set
{
_value = value;
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged();
}
}
}
public class B : Base
{
private A _a;
public B(A a)
{
_a = a;
a.PropertyChanged += new PropertyChangedEventHandler(a_PropertyChanged);
}
private void a_PropertyChanged()
{
Console.WriteLine(_a.Value);
}
}
public class Application()
{
public void DoStuff()
{
var a = new A();
var b = new B(a);
}
}

The basic idea is to pass a reference of one object to the other. For example tell the deer it is being hunted by the wolf:
public class Wolf : Animal
{
public void Hunt(Deer deer)
{
deer.SetHunter(this);
}
}
Now the deer can check whether a wolf is hunting it:
public class Deer : Animal
{
Wolf _hunter;
public void SetHunter(Wolf wolf)
{
_hunter = wolf;
}
public void Hide()
{
if (_hunter != null)
{
Feedback = "The deer is hiding.";
}
else
{
//Forage();
}
}
}
This can be improved to be more generic, but it's the basic idea of passing a reference of one object to the other.

Don't use public fields for the properties of your classes. This way you will never be aware of changes and therefore can not notify others. Put the public fields into properties and always use these properties to change the value even from inside the Animal class. The property setter can then be used to notify others of changes.
public abstract class Animal
{
private int _movementSpeed;
public int MovementSpeed
{
get
{
return _movementSpeed;
}
set
{
if (_movementSpeed != value)
{
_movementSpeed = value;
OnMovementSpeedChanged();
}
}
}
protected virtual void OnMovementSpeedChanged()
{
// Derived classes can override this method.
// It will be called each time MovementSpeed changes.
}
public virtual int Movement()
{
// always use the property to change the value
// otherwise OnMovementSpeedChanged would never be called
MovementSpeed -= tiredRate;
return MovementSpeed;
}
}
Like others already mentioned you can also implement INotifyPropertyChanged in your base class. Since this uses events for notification not only derived classes can use that but also any other object that has a reference to an animal. The approach is basically the same. Each time the property value changes you call a method that fires the event. Any other object can then handle that event.
public abstract class Animal : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private int _movementSpeed;
public int MovementSpeed
{
get
{
return _movementSpeed;
}
set
{
if (_movementSpeed != value)
{
_movementSpeed = value;
// call this method each time a property changes
OnPropertyChanged(new PropertyChangedEventArgs("MovementSpeed"));
}
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged(PropertyChangedEventArgs args)
{
// always implement events like this
// -> check if the event handler is not null, then fire it
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, args);
}
}
}
A class that wants to handle the event can do it like so:
public class AnyClass
{
public AnyClass(Animal anAnimal)
{
TheAnimal = anAnimal;
anAnimal += Animal_PropertyChanged;
}
public Animal TheAnimal { get; private set; }
private void Animal_PropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.PropertyName == "MovementSpeed")
{
Console.WriteLine("MovementSpeed changed");
}
}
}
Derived classes however don't need to handle the event. Since the OnPropertyChanged method is declared as protected virtual they can just override it.
public class Deer : Animal
{
protected override void OnPropertyChanged(PropertyChangedEventArgs args)
{
if (args.PropertyName == "MovementSpeed")
{
Console.WriteLine("MovementSpeed changed");
}
// don't forget to call the base class otherwise the event will never get fired
base.OnPropertyChanged(args);
}
}