Develop Reference

I can't bind class properties into text boxes (MVVM, WPF, C#)

I'm learning MVVM pattern and I have a simple issue.
I have created a class whose properties I want to bind into text boxes inside a Dialog (in this case I only have one property):
public class NewObjectClass : ObservableObject
{
private string _name;
public string Name
{
get { return _name; }
set
{
_name = value;
OnPropertyChanged("Name");
}
}
}
This is the ViewModel of the Dialog:
class ObjCreationViewModel : ObservableObject
{
// Class whose properties I want to bind in text boxes
private NewObjectClass _newObject;
public NewObjectClass NewObject
{
get { return _newObject; }
set { _newObject = value;
OnPropertyChanged("NewObject");
}
}
// String to test binding
private string _test;
public string Test
{
get { return _test; }
set { _test = value; }
}
// Create new object view
private DelegateCommand _createNewObject;
public DelegateCommand CreateNewObjectCmd => _createNewObject ?? (_createNewObject = new DelegateCommand(CreateNewObject));
void CreateNewObject()
{
// Do things in the future
}
public ObjCreationViewModel()
{
// Instance of New Object
NewObjectClass NewObject = new NewObjectClass();
// New object property that I want to show in TextBox
NewObject.Name = "Why this one is not working?";
// String text that works
Test = "Why this is working?";
}
}
And finally this is the view:
<UserControl x:Class="AOE.MVVM.View.ObjCreationView"
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:AOE.MVVM.View"
xmlns:viewmodel="clr-namespace:AOE.MVVM.ViewModel"
mc:Ignorable="d"
MinHeight="500" MinWidth="500">
<UserControl.DataContext>
<viewmodel:ObjCreationViewModel/>
</UserControl.DataContext>
<Border Grid.ColumnSpan="4" CornerRadius="20"
Background="White" BorderBrush="Black" BorderThickness="1.5">
<Grid HorizontalAlignment="Stretch">
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="30"/>
<RowDefinition/>
<RowDefinition Height="30"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<StackPanel Grid.Row="1">
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<Label Margin="10" Content="Object name:" Style="{StaticResource DescriptionLabelStyle}"/>
<TextBox x:Name="TextObjectName" Width="200" Height="25" Text="{Binding NewObject.Name, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
</StackPanel>
</StackPanel>
<Button Grid.Row="1" Margin="5" Name="CreateBtn" Width="75" Height="30" Content="Create" FontFamily="Verdana" Foreground="#007BC0" FontWeight="Bold" Background="Transparent" BorderThickness="3" BorderBrush="#007BC0" VerticalAlignment="Bottom" Command="{Binding CreateNewObjectCmd}"/>
</Grid>
</Border>
The issue is that I can't bind the property Name of "NewObject" into the text box, however if I bind "Test", It works properly.
I want to show in the textbox the property value and also if I change the value in the textbox, change the property value of the instance "NewObject".
Anybody could tell me what is wrong?
PD "ObservableObject class that implements PropertyChange event":
public class ObservableObject : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyname = null)
{
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyname));
}
}

The line
NewObjectClass NewObject = new NewObjectClass();
defines a local variable NewObject, but does not set the property NewObject.
Change it to
NewObject = new NewObjectClass();

WPF MVVM: Update label depending on Textbox input (2nd Attempt)

Okay so I've now got a more specific question.
I'm trying to figure out how I can change the value (bool) of a label when two Textboxes are no longer empty. I cannot seem to figure out how to get it to work even though it seems very straight forward.
Could someone point me in the right direction?
Please see below my code.
Model (Person.cs)
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace PracticeUI.Model
{
public class Person
{
private string _firstName;
private string _lastName;
public string FullName
{
get
{
return _firstName + " " + _lastName;
}
set { }
}
public string FirstName
{
get
{
return _firstName;
}
set
{
_firstName = value;
}
}
public string LastName
{
get
{
return _lastName;
}
set
{
_lastName = value;
}
}
}
}
ViewModel (PersonViewModel.cs)
using PracticeUI.Model;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows.Input;
namespace PracticeUI.ViewModel
{
public class PersonViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private Person _newPerson = new Person();
private ICommand _addPerson;
public Person NewPerson
{
get
{
return _newPerson;
}
set
{
_newPerson = value;
OnPropertyChanged("NewPerson");
}
}
public PersonViewModel()
{
_PersonList.Add(new Person() { FirstName = "Tom", LastName = "Barratt" });
_PersonList.Add(new Person() { FirstName = "Harriet", LastName = "Hammond" });
}
private ObservableCollection<Person> _PersonList = new ObservableCollection<Person>();
public ObservableCollection<Person> PersonList
{
get
{
return _PersonList;
}
set
{
_PersonList = value;
OnPropertyChanged("PersonList");
OnPropertyChanged("AddPersonCanExecute");
}
}
public void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
PropertyChangedEventHandler handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
public ICommand AddPersonCommand
{
get
{
if (_addPerson == null)
{
_addPerson = new RelayCommand(p => this.AddPersonCanExecute, p => this.AddPerson());
}
return _addPerson;
}
}
public bool AddPersonCanExecute
{
get
{
return _newPerson.FirstName != string.Empty || _newPerson.LastName != string.Empty;
}
}
public void AddPerson()
{
_PersonList.Add(new Person() { FirstName = _newPerson.FirstName, LastName = _newPerson.LastName });
OnPropertyChanged("PersonList");
}
}
}
View (MainWindow.xaml)
<Window x:Class="PracticeUI.View.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:ViewModel="clr-namespace:PracticeUI.ViewModel"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800">
<Window.Resources>
<ViewModel:PersonViewModel x:Key="ViewModel"/>
</Window.Resources>
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="20"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="auto"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="auto"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="auto"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="20"/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="20"/>
<RowDefinition Height="auto"/>
<RowDefinition Height="auto"/>
<RowDefinition Height="auto"/>
<RowDefinition Height="*"/>
<RowDefinition Height="20"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding Source={StaticResource ViewModel}, Path=PersonList}" Grid.Row="1" Grid.Column="2" Grid.ColumnSpan="3" Height="200" Margin="0 0 0 20">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<Label Content="{Binding FirstName}"/>
<Label Content="{Binding LastName}"/>
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
<Label Content="First Name:" Grid.Row="2" Grid.Column="1"/>
<TextBox Text="{Binding Source={StaticResource ViewModel}, Path=NewPerson.FirstName, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged, Mode=TwoWay}" Grid.Row="2" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Grid.Column="2" Height="40" Width="200" Margin="10 5"/>
<Label Content="First Name:" Grid.Row="3" Grid.Column="1"/>
<TextBox Text="{Binding Source={StaticResource ViewModel}, Path=NewPerson.LastName, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged, Mode=TwoWay}" Grid.Row="3" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Grid.Column="2" Height="40" Width="200" Margin="10 5"/>
<Button Command="{Binding Source={StaticResource ViewModel}, Path=AddPersonCommand}" Content="Add Person" Width="120" Height="30" Grid.Row="4" Grid.Column="2"/>
<Label Content="{Binding Source={StaticResource ViewModel}, Path=AddPersonCanExecute, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged, Mode=OneWay}" Grid.Row="2" Grid.Column="4"/>
</Grid>
</Window>

First, rename PersonViewModel to MainViewModel. It's not a viewmodel that represents a person, it's your main viewmodel for the whole program. It has a whole collection of Person; how is it one person? It isn't. Naming your classes well makes it much easier to keep track of what's what. We'll be renaming Person to PersonViewModel because it needs to be a viewmodel also, and it does actually represent a person.
You want the UI to look at the value of AddPersonCanExecute whenever there's a change in the value of NewPerson.FirstName or NewPerson.LastName.
What can cause those values to change?
One way is that NewPerson can change. So:
public Person NewPerson
{
get
{
return _newPerson;
}
set
{
_newPerson = value;
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(AddPersonCanExecute));
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(NewPerson));
}
}
Another way is that the user can type a new value into the textboxes bound to the FirstName and LastName properties of NewPerson. Then you and the UI are out of luck, because Person isn't a viewmodel. It never raises any events when its properties change. So make it a viewmodel.
public class ViewModelBase : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
// Copy your INotifyPropertyChanged implementation here from your main viewmodel
// Make your main viewmodel inherit from ViewModelBase
}
// Formerly PersonViewModel
public class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
// We need this to be the actual type because we'll need to be calling
// RaiseCanExecuteChanged() on it. Or whatever equivalent.
private RelayCommand _addPerson;
// All the stuff PersonViewModel had.
// Stuff
// Stuff
// Stuff
}
// Remember, your old PersonViewModel is now named MainViewModel. This is the class
// that you used to call Person.
public class PersonViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
public string FullName
{
get
{
return _firstName + " " + _lastName;
}
// No empty set, not ever. Somebody will try to set FullName and the compiler
// will let him think it worked. But nothing will change. That's a bug.
//set { }
}
public string FirstName
{
get
{
return _firstName;
}
set
{
_firstName = value;
// Do the same for LastName. Careful you don't pass nameof(FirstName)
// over there.
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(FirstName));
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(FullName));
}
}
Now the UI knows when those properties change, but the main viewmodel still doesn't. But now that we have notifications from Person, that's solvable. We have to rewrite NewPerson again:
private PersonViewModel _newPerson = null;
public PersonViewModel NewPerson
{
get { return _newPerson; }
set
{
if (value != _newPerson)
{
// Take the handler off the old NewPerson, if any.
if (_newPerson != null)
{
_newPerson.PropertyChanged -= NewPerson_PropertyChanged;
}
_newPerson = value;
if (_newPerson != null)
{
_newPerson.PropertyChanged += NewPerson_PropertyChanged;
}
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(NewPerson));
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(AddPersonCanExecute));
// I don't know what your RelayCommand class looks like, but it should
// provide some way to force it to raise its CanExecuteChanged event.
// That's what the Button is waiting for to enable or disable itself.
_addPerson.RaiseCanExecuteChanged()
}
}
}
private void NewPerson_PropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
switch (e.PropertyName)
{
case nameof(Person.FirstName):
case nameof(Person.LastName):
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(AddPersonCanExecute));
AddPerson
break;
}
}
Another point: Don't make your viewmodel a resource. It's not breaking your code, but it serves no purpose and creates extra work for you.
<Window.DataContext>
<ViewModel:PersonViewModel />
</Window.DataContext>
<Window.Resources>
<!-- remove it from here -->
</Window.Resources>
Now for all controls belonging to the Window itself, all your bindings can look like this:
<TextBox
Text="{Binding NewPerson.FirstName, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"
Grid.Row="2"
HorizontalAlignment="Left"
Grid.Column="2"
Height="40" Width="200" Margin="10 5"
/>
Get rid of Mode=TwoWay on TextBox.Text; that property will cause bindings on it to be TwoWay by default. Keep UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged only on TextBox.Text: That will cause the textbox to update the viewmodel on every keystroke, instead of the default behavior of updating the viewmodel property only when the textbox loses focus. You don't need UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged on the command binding or the Label.Content binding, because those properties cannot ever update the viewmodel property. They're OneWay by default, and by the nature of what they do.

How to get ComboBox content value?

I would like to get content from my combobox. I already tried some ways to do that, but It doesn't work correctly.
This is example of my combobox:
<ComboBox x:Name="cmbSomething" Grid.Column="1" Grid.Row="5" HorizontalAlignment="Center" Margin="0 100 0 0" PlaceholderText="NothingToShow">
<ComboBoxItem>First item</ComboBoxItem>
<ComboBoxItem>Second item</ComboBoxItem>
</ComboBox>
After I click the button, I want to display combobox selected item value.
string selectedcmb= cmbSomething.Items[cmbSomething.SelectedIndex].ToString();
await new Windows.UI.Popups.MessageDialog(selectedcmb, "Result").ShowAsync();
Why this code does not work?
My result instead of showing combobox content, it shows this text:
Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.ComboBoxItem

You need the Content property of ComboBoxItem. So this should be what you want:
var comboBoxItem = cmbSomething.Items[cmbSomething.SelectedIndex] as ComboBoxItem;
if (comboBoxItem != null)
{
string selectedcmb = comboBoxItem.Content.ToString();
}

I have expanded on my suggestion regarding using models instead of direct UI code-behind access. These are the required parts:
BaseViewModel.cs
I use this in a lot of the view models in my work project. You could technically implement it directly in a view model, but I like it being centralized for re-use.
public abstract class BaseViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private Hashtable values = new Hashtable();
protected void SetValue(string name, object value)
{
this.values[name] = value;
OnPropertyChanged(name);
}
protected object GetValue(string name)
{
return this.values[name];
}
protected void OnPropertyChanged(string name)
{
PropertyChangedEventHandler handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(name));
}
}
}
ComboViewModel.cs
This what you'll bind to make it easy to get values. I called it ComboViewModel because I'm only dealing with your ComboBox. You'll want a much bigger view model with a better name to handle all of your data binding.
public class ComboViewModel : BaseViewModel
{
public ComboViewModel()
{
Index = -1;
Value = string.Empty;
Items = null;
}
public int Index
{
get { return (int)GetValue("Index"); }
set { SetValue("Index", value); }
}
public string Value
{
get { return (string)GetValue("Value"); }
set { SetValue("Value", value); }
}
public List<string> Items
{
get { return (List<string>)GetValue("Items"); }
set { SetValue("Items",value); }
}
}
Window1.xaml
This is just something I made up to demonstrate/test it. Notice the various bindings.
<Window x:Class="SO37147147.Window1"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="Window1" Height="300" Width="300">
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
<RowDefinition Height="*" />
<RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="*" />
<ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ComboBox x:Name="cmbSomething" Grid.Column="0" Grid.ColumnSpan="2" Grid.Row="0" HorizontalAlignment="Center" MinWidth="80"
ItemsSource="{Binding Path=Items}" SelectedIndex="{Binding Path=Index}" SelectedValue="{Binding Path=Value}"></ComboBox>
<TextBox x:Name="selectedItem" MinWidth="80" Grid.Row="2" Grid.Column="0" Text="{Binding Path=Value}" />
<Button x:Name="displaySelected" MinWidth="40" Grid.Row="2" Grid.Column="1" Content="Display" Click="displaySelected_Click" />
</Grid>
</Window>
Window1.xaml.cs
Here's the code-behind. Not much to it! Everything is accessed through the dataContext instance. There's no need to know control names, etc.
public partial class Window1 : Window
{
ComboViewModel dataContext = new ComboViewModel();
public Window1()
{
InitializeComponent();
dataContext.Items=new List<string>(new string[]{"First Item","Second Item"});
this.DataContext = dataContext;
}
private void displaySelected_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
MessageBox.Show(String.Format("Selected item:\n\nIndex: {0}\nValue: {1}", dataContext.Index, dataContext.Value));
}
}
You can add business logic for populating models from a database, saving changes to a database, etc. When you alter the properties of the view model, the UI will automatically be updated.

WPF Application MVVM - Using OneWay binding on Textbox, Property becomes null after getting data again

I have an WPF application using MVVM.
I have a DataGrid bound to an ObservableCollection and a TextBox bound to the DataGrid SelectedItem, so when I click an item in the DataGrid, the TextBox is populated.
I also have a Button using Command and CommandParameter and using RelayCommand to check if the TextBox is empty and then disabling the Button.
That all works great, if I use UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged. The thing I don't like is because of the binding, if the user changes the text in the TextBox, the DataGrid record is edited. If the user then changes their mind about changing the record, and clicks somewhere else, the record in the DataGrid still shows the edited text.
What I have tried is using Mode=OneWay on the TextBox binding, which works in that it doesn't update the DataGrid record. After the data is saved to the database, I need to manually refresh the DataGrid to show the changes.
The code I have in my code behind is the DataGrid's SelectionChanged event which sets a property on the ViewModel to the selected item.
So in order to show the new changes, I thought adding a call to my GetCategories again after the changes would work. However when the code executes OnPropertyChanged("ReceivedCategories"), my CurrentCategory property becomes null.
My code:
CategoryModel.cs
public class CategoryModel
{
public int CategoryID { get; set; }
public string Description { get; set; }
readonly SalesLinkerDataContext _dbContext = new SalesLinkerDataContext();
public ObservableCollection<CategoryModel> GetCategories()
{
var result = _dbContext.tblSalesCategories.ToList();
List<CategoryModel> categoriesList = result.Select(item => new CategoryModel
{
CategoryID = item.CategoryID,
Description = item.Description.Trim()
}).ToList();
return new ObservableCollection<CategoryModel>(categoriesList);
}
internal bool UpdateCategory(int id, string description)
{
if (_dbContext.tblSalesCategories.Any(x => x.Description == description))
{
MessageBox.Show("A category with the same name already exists.");
return false;
}
try
{
var category = (from a in _dbContext.tblSalesCategories
where a.CategoryID == id
select a).FirstOrDefault();
if (category != null)
{
category.Description = description;
_dbContext.SubmitChanges();
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
return false;
}
return true;
}
internal bool AddCategory(string description)
{
if (_dbContext.tblSalesCategories.Any(x => x.Description == description))
{
MessageBox.Show("A category with the same name already exists.");
return false;
}
var newCategory = new tblSalesCategory();
newCategory.Description = description;
try
{
_dbContext.tblSalesCategories.InsertOnSubmit(newCategory);
_dbContext.SubmitChanges();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
return false;
}
return true;
}
internal bool DeleteCategory(int id)
{
var result = _dbContext.tblSalesCategories.FirstOrDefault(x => x.CategoryID == id);
try
{
if (result != null)
{
_dbContext.tblSalesCategories.DeleteOnSubmit(result);
_dbContext.SubmitChanges();
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
return false;
}
return true;
}
}
CategoriesViewModel.cs
public class CategoriesViewModel : ViewModelBase, IPageViewModel
{
public CategoryModel CurrentCategory = new CategoryModel();
public ObservableCollection<CategoryModel> Categories = new ObservableCollection<CategoryModel>();
public RelayCommand GetCategoriesRelay;
public RelayCommand UpdateCategoryRelay;
public RelayCommand AddCategoryRelay;
public RelayCommand DeleteCategoryRelay;
#region Get Categories Command
public ICommand GetCategoriesCommand
{
get
{
GetCategoriesRelay = new RelayCommand(p => GetCategories(),
p => CanGetCategories());
return GetCategoriesRelay;
}
}
private bool CanGetCategories()
{
return true;
}
private void GetCategories()
{
Categories = CurrentCategory.GetCategories();
ReceivedCategories = Categories;
}
#endregion
#region Update Category Command
public ICommand UpdateCategoryCommand
{
get
{
UpdateCategoryRelay = new RelayCommand(p => UpdateCategory((string) p),
p => CanUpdateCategory());
return UpdateCategoryRelay;
}
}
public bool CanUpdateCategory()
{
return !String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(Description);
}
public void UpdateCategory(string description)
{
if (CurrentCategory.UpdateCategory(CurrentCategory.CategoryID, description))
{
GetCategories();
}
}
#endregion
#region Add Category Command
public ICommand AddCategoryCommand
{
get
{
AddCategoryRelay = new RelayCommand(p => AddCategory((string) p),
p => CanAddCategory());
return AddCategoryRelay;
}
}
private bool CanAddCategory()
{
return !String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(Description);
}
private void AddCategory(string description)
{
if (CurrentCategory.AddCategory(description))
GetCategories();
}
#endregion
#region Delete Category Command
public ICommand DeleteCategoryCommand
{
get
{
DeleteCategoryRelay = new RelayCommand(p => DeleteCategory((int) p),
p => CanDeleteCategory());
return DeleteCategoryRelay;
}
}
private bool CanDeleteCategory()
{
return true;
}
private void DeleteCategory(int id)
{
if (CurrentCategory.DeleteCategory(id))
GetCategories();
}
#endregion
/// <summary>
/// Describes the name that will be used for the menu option
/// </summary>
public string Name
{
get { return "Manage Categories"; }
}
public string Description
{
get
{
return CurrentCategory.Description;
}
set
{
CurrentCategory.Description = value;
OnPropertyChanged("Description");
}
}
public ObservableCollection<CategoryModel> ReceivedCategories
{
get { return Categories; }
set
{
Categories = value;
OnPropertyChanged("ReceivedCategories");
}
}
}
CategoryView.xaml
<UserControl x:Class="SalesLinker.CategoriesView"
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:i="clr-namespace:System.Windows.Interactivity;assembly=System.Windows.Interactivity"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="300" d:DesignWidth="600" Background="White">
<i:Interaction.Triggers>
<i:EventTrigger EventName="Loaded">
<i:InvokeCommandAction Command="{Binding GetCategoriesCommand}" />
</i:EventTrigger>
</i:Interaction.Triggers>
<Grid >
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="45"/>
<RowDefinition Height="*"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="250"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="100"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Label Grid.Row="0" Grid.Column="0" Margin="20,0,0,0" FontSize="20" HorizontalAlignment="Center" Content="Categories"/>
<DataGrid x:Name="LstCategories" Grid.Column="0" Grid.Row="1" AutoGenerateColumns="false"
ItemsSource="{Binding Path=ReceivedCategories, Mode=TwoWay}" SelectionChanged="Selector_OnSelectionChanged"
HorizontalScrollBarVisibility="Disabled" GridLinesVisibility="None"
CanUserAddRows="False" CanUserDeleteRows="False" CanUserSortColumns="True" Background="White">
<DataGrid.Columns>
<DataGridTextColumn Binding="{Binding Path=Description}" IsReadOnly="True" Header="Description" Width="300" />
</DataGrid.Columns>
</DataGrid>
<Button Command="{Binding AddCategoryCommand}" Grid.Column="1" Grid.Row="1" VerticalAlignment="Top" Height="50" Width="50" Margin="0,20,0,0" Background="Transparent" BorderThickness="0" BorderBrush="Transparent"
CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=TbDescription, Path=Text}">
<Image Source="/Images/Plus.png"/>
</Button>
<Button Command="{Binding DeleteCategoryCommand}" Grid.Column="1" Grid.Row="1" VerticalAlignment="Top" Height="50" Width="50" Margin="0,75,0,0" Background="Transparent" BorderThickness="0" BorderBrush="Transparent"
CommandParameter="{Binding SelectedItem.CategoryID, ElementName=LstCategories, Mode=OneWay }">
<Image Source="/Images/Minus.png"/>
</Button>
<Grid Grid.Row="1" Grid.Column="2">
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="30"/>
<RowDefinition Height="50"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="75"/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="*"/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Label VerticalAlignment="Center" HorizontalAlignment="Center" Grid.Row="0" Grid.Column="0" Content="Description:"/>
<TextBox x:Name="TbDescription" DataContext="CategoryModel" Grid.Row="0"
Grid.Column="1" Width="250" Height="Auto" VerticalAlignment="Center"
HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="10,0,0,0"
Text="{Binding SelectedItem.Description, ElementName=LstCategories, Mode=OneWay}"/>
<Button Grid.Row="1" Grid.Column="1" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="10,0,0,0"
Height="20" Width="120" Content="Update Description"
Command="{Binding UpdateCategoryCommand}"
CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=TbDescription, Path=Text}" />
</Grid>
</Grid>
And I have also just noticed that using Mode=OneWay on the TextBox breaks my CanExecute pieces of code as well.
So all I can think of is either:
Find a way to bind another property to the TextBox as well?
Find a way of using UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged on the TextBox, but prevent the DataGrid being updated.
Any ideas?

For the null value in the Observable List you have to update the list with a copy of it and an Dispatcher.Invoke otherwise the gui will crash or show null I had a similar problem on update a observable list in a thread.
So you should write your changes in a list like:
//Your Copy List
ObservableCollection<CategoryModel> _ReceivedCategories;
//Your Execute command for the Gui
public void onUpdateExecuted(object parameter){
Dispatcher.Invoke(new Action(() => ReceivedCategories = new ObservableCollection <CategoryModel> (_ReceivedCategories));
}
//Your Undo Command if the Inputs are not ok
public void onUndoExecuted(object parameter){
Dispatcher.Invoke(new Action(() => _ReceivedCategories = new ObservableCollection <CategoryModel> (ReceivedCategories));
}
//Your Command on every input which is set
public void onInputExecuted(object parameter){
_ReceivedCategories.add(Your Object);
}
And you can add an update Command for the Main List so you first update the Copy List with the values and after an Command set the Copy Collection in the Main Collection
Hope that helps

I couldn't get the above suggestion by SeeuD1 to work, but have have figured out what the problem was.
I have The DataGrid's ItemsSource bound to ReceivedCategories and in the code behind, the SelectionChanged event to use to bind to the TextBox.
After the database save, I call my GetCategories() again to refresh the data.
So when ReceivedCategories gets the data again, the DataGrid's ItemsSource is updated, but not before the SelectionChange event fires trying to set my CurrentCategory to the SelectedItem. However there is no longer anything selected in the DataGrid (index is -1), so assignment fails and sets CurrentCategory to null.
Fix is to simply only assign CurrentCategory to the SelectedItem if something is selected.
Old code:
private void Selector_OnSelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
var viewmodel = (CategoriesViewModel)DataContext;
viewmodel.CurrentCategory = LstCategories.SelectedItems.Cast<CategoryModel>().FirstOrDefault();
}
Fixed:
private void Selector_OnSelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
var viewmodel = (CategoriesViewModel)DataContext;
if (LstCategories.SelectedIndex > -1)
viewmodel.CurrentCategory = LstCategories.SelectedItems.Cast<CategoryModel>().FirstOrDefault();
}
Thanks for the suggestions.

How to reuse a UserControl in situations where the DataContext is slightly different?

This is my first post on StackOverflow and also my first Question.
I had created a UserControl in WPF with the MVVM Pattern (called Block).
This UserControl should be used in another UserControl, as DataTemplate of a ListBox (called Sector).
The Block Control should be used as standalone and as DataTemplate for different UserControls.
If I set the DataContext in the View of Block, the standalone Version works great, but not as part of the Sector View.
If I don´t set the DataContext in the View of Block, it works in Sector but don’t standalone.
My question is, is it the only way to leave the DataContext in the View of Block and set it in the View I used the Control or the ViewModel?
Here is my Code:
Model of Block:
public class BlockModel : ModelBase
{
#region private Variables
string blockName = "Block";
string blockContent = "00000";
#endregion private Variables
#region Properties
public string BlockName
{
get { return blockName; }
set { blockName = value; NotifyPropertyChange("BlockName "); }
}
public string BlockContent
{
get { return blockContent; }
set { blockContent = value; NotifyPropertyChange("BlockContent"); }
}
#endregion Properties
#region ctor
public BlockModel () { }
#endregion ctor
}
ViewModel of Block:
public class BlockViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
#region private Variables
string charToFill = "0";
DelegateCommand fillWithChar;
BlockModel dataModel = new BlockModel();
#endregion private Variables
#region Properties
public Models. BlockModel DataModel
{
get { return dataModel; }
set { dataModel = value; }
}
public string BlockContent
{
get { return dataModel. BlockContent; }
set
{
if (dataModel. BlockContent != value)
{
dataModel. BlockContent = value;
NotifyPropertyChange ("BlockContent");
}
}
}
public string BlockName
{
get { return dataModel. BlockName; }
set
{
if (dataModel. BlockName != value)
{
dataModel. BlockName = value;
NotifyPropertyChange("BlockName");
}
}
}
public string CharToFill
{
get { return charToFill; }
set
{
if (charToFill != value)
{
charToFill = value;
NotifyPropertyChange ("CharToFill");
}
}
}
public ICommand FillWithChar
{
get
{
if (fillWithChar == null)
fillWithChar = new DelegateCommand(FillText);
return fillWithChar;
}
}
#endregion Properties
#region ctor
public BlockViewModel()
{
}
#endregion ctor
#region Methods
private void FillText()
{
CodingBlockContent = CodingBlockContent.PadLeft(32, charToFill[0]);
}
#endregion Methods
}
View of Block:
<UserControl x:Class="…./Block"
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:…/Controls"
mc:Ignorable="d" d:DesignWidth="460" d:DesignHeight="44">
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="124" />
<ColumnDefinition Width="301" />
<ColumnDefinition Width="30"/>
<ColumnDefinition/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="30"></RowDefinition>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<TextBlock Grid.Row="0" Grid.Column="0" Text="{Binding BlockName}"
HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Center" FontSize="14" Margin="2,6"/>
<ComboBox FontFamily="Consolas" Grid.Row="00" Grid.Column="1"
Text="{Binding BlockContent, Mode=TwoWay}"
Tag="{Binding BlockName}" Name="cbxBlock" FontSize="14"
HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Center" Width="290" Margin="1,4,0,5" IsEditable="True" Height="26">
<ComboBoxItem Content=""></ComboBoxItem>
<ComboBoxItem Content="0000000000000"></ComboBoxItem>
<StackPanel HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Top" Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBox Margin="10,2,0,2" Text="0" Width="24" FontSize="14" Name="tbxChar" MaxLength="1"></TextBox>
<TextBlock Margin="10,2,0,2" Text="auffüllen" VerticalAlignment="Center" FontSize="14"></TextBlock>
<Button Margin="10,2,0,2" Content="Ausführen" Width="100" Command="{Binding FillWithChar}"></Button>
</StackPanel>
</ComboBox>
<TextBlock Grid.Row="0" Width="30" Grid.Column="2" Text="{Binding CodingBlockContent.Length}"
HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Center" FontSize="14" Margin="2,6,0,6" Grid.ColumnSpan="2"/>
</Grid>
Model of Sector:
public class SectorModel
{
#region private Variables
int blockAmount = 4;
string sectorNumber = "Sektor";
int blockBegin = 0;
bool isSectorInUse = false;
#endregion private Variables
#region Properties
public string SectorNumber
{
get { return sectorNumber; }
set { sectorNumber = value;}
}
public int BlockBegin
{
get { return blockBegin; }
set
{
blockBegin = value;
}
}
public bool IsSectorInUse
{
get { return isSectorInUse; }
set { isSectorInUse = value;}
}
public int BlockAmount
{
get { return blockAmount; }
set
{
blockAmount = value;;
}
}
#endregion Properties
public SectorModel()
{
}
}
ViewModel of Sector:
public class SectorViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
#region private Variables
SectorModel dataModel = new SectorModel();
ObservableCollection<BlockViewModel> sectorBlocks = new ObservableCollection<BlockViewModel>();
#endregion private Variables
#region Properties
public SectorModel DataModel
{
get { return dataModel; }
set { dataModel = value; }
}
public ObservableCollection<BlockViewModel> SectorBlocks
{
get { return sectorBlocks; }
set { sectorBlocks = value; NotifyPropertyChange ("SectorBlocks"); }
}
public string SectorNumber
{
get { return "Sektor " + DataModel.SectorNumber; }
set { DataModel.SectorNumber = value; NotifyPropertyChange ("SectorNumber"); }
}
public int BlockBegin
{
get { return DataModel.BlockBegin; }
set
{
DataModel.BlockBegin = value;
SetBlocks();
OnPropertyChanged("BlockBegin");
}
}
public bool IsSectorInUse
{
get { return DataModel.IsSectorInUse; }
set { DataModel.IsSectorInUse = value; NotifyPropertyChange ("IsSectorInUse"); }
}
public int BlockAmount
{
get { return DataModel.BlockAmount; }
set
{
DataModel.BlockAmount = value;
SetBlocks();
NotifyPropertyChange ("CodingBlockAmount");
}
}
#endregion Properties
void SetBlocks()
{
while (SectorBlocks.Count != BlockAmount)
{
SectorBlocks.Add(new BlockViewModel());
}
int begin = BlockBegin;
foreach (BlockViewModel block in SectorBlocks)
{
block.CodingBlockName = "Block " + begin.ToString().PadLeft(2, '0');
block++;
}
}
public SectorViewModel()
{
SetBlocks();
}
}
View of Sector:
<UserControl xmlns:Views="clr-namespace:…/RFIDControls" x:Class="…/Sector"
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"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="300" d:DesignWidth="473">
<Border BorderBrush="Black" BorderThickness="0,0,0,1">
<Expander Name="expMain" Margin="0,0,4,0">
<Expander.Header>
<Grid Name="grdHeader">
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition Width="100" />
<ColumnDefinition Width="300" />
<ColumnDefinition Width="30" />
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<TextBlock Grid.Column="0" Grid.Row="0" Height="24" Text="{Binding SectorNumber}" HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Center" FontSize="14" FontWeight="Bold" Panel.ZIndex="98"/>
<CheckBox Grid.Column="2" VerticalAlignment="Center" IsChecked="{Binding IsSectorInUse}"></CheckBox>
</Grid>
</Expander.Header>
<Grid>
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding SectorBlocks}" Name="listBox">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type Views:BlockViewModel}">
<Views:Block/>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
</Grid>
</Expander>
</Border>
Thank you.
With kind regards from Germany
Dominik
PS: I hope my English is not so bad as I suppose

This is a common problem for new users of WPF. You have two possible solutions. When using MVVM, you shouldn't need to set the DataContext of the UserControl anywhere. Instead, you can simply add a DataTemplate to your App.xaml to make the pairing:
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type ViewModels:BlockViewModel}">
<Views:BlockView />
</DataTemplate>
In this way, whenever you show an instance of your BlockViewModel, the Framework will display the related BlockView instead (like you have done in your SectorView class).
The alternative option is to not use MVVM for the UserControl (use Bindable DependencyPropertys instead), to not set its DataContext internally and to use RelativeSource Bindings on the elements inside instead:
<TextBlock Grid.Row="0" Grid.Column="0" Text="{Binding DataContext.BlockName,
RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={
x:Type YourXmlNamespacePrefix:BlockView}}}" HorizontalAlignment="Left"
VerticalAlignment="Center" FontSize="14" Margin="2,6"/>
Using this method, the RelativeSource Binding will look at whatever object is currently set as the DataContext.

Sounds like Block act as an control, which seems participate in other usercontrol or part of Template, in my opinion, mvvm doesn't work in here, you should use Dependency property instead.
Forgive my poor english.