Develop Reference

Returning bound checkbox values using MVVM in a WPF form

I have an object that consists of a string and an array. The string populates a ComboBox and the array populates a ListView depending on the selected string value. Each line of the ListViewconsists of a TextBlock and a CheckBox.
On submit I want to be able to verify which items have been selected for further processing but there's a disconnect when using the MVVM approach. I currently have the DataContext of the submit Button binding to the ListView but only the first value is being returned upon submit (somewhere I need to save the selected values to a list I assume but I'm not sure where). I added an IsSelected property to the model which I think is the first step, but after that I've been grasping at straws.
Model
namespace DataBinding_WPF.Model
{
public class ExampleModel { }
public class Example : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private string _name;
private string[] _ids;
private bool _isSelected;
public bool IsSelected
{
get => _isSelected;
set
{
if (_isSelected != value)
{
_isSelected = value;
RaisePropertyChanged("IsSelected");
}
}
}
public string Name
{
get => _name;
set
{
if (_name != value)
{
_name = value;
RaisePropertyChanged("Name");
}
}
}
public string[] IDs
{
get => _ids;
set
{
if (_ids != value)
{
_ids = value;
RaisePropertyChanged("IDs");
}
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private void RaisePropertyChanged(string property)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new
PropertyChangedEventArgs(property));
}
}
}
}
ViewModel
namespace DataBinding_WPF.ViewModel
{
public class ExampleViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public ObservableCollection<Example> Examples
{
get;
set;
}
// SelectedItem in the ComboBox
// SelectedItem.Ids will be ItemsSource for the ListBox
private Example _selectedItem;
public Example SelectedItem
{
get => _selectedItem;
set
{
_selectedItem = value;
RaisePropertyChanged(nameof(SelectedItem));
}
}
// SelectedId in ListView
private string _selectedId;
public string SelectedId
{
get => _selectedId;
set
{
_selectedId = value;
RaisePropertyChanged(nameof(SelectedId));
}
}
private string _selectedCheckBox;
public string IsSelected
{
get => _selectedCheckBox;
set
{
_selectedCheckBox = value;
RaisePropertyChanged(nameof(IsSelected));
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private void RaisePropertyChanged(string property)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new
PropertyChangedEventArgs(property));
}
}
public void LoadExample()
{
ObservableCollection<Example> examples = new ObservableCollection<Example>();
examples.Add(new Example { Name = "Mark", IDs = new string[] { "123", "456" }, IsSelected = false });
examples.Add(new Example { Name = "Sally", IDs = new string[] { "789", "101112" }, IsSelected = false });
Examples = examples;
}
/* BELOW IS A SNIPPET I ADDED FROM AN EXAMPLE I FOUND ONLINE BUT NOT SURE IF IT'S NEEDED */
private ObservableCollection<Example> _bindCheckBox;
public ObservableCollection<Example> BindingCheckBox
{
get => _bindCheckBox;
set
{
_bindCheckBox = value;
RaisePropertyChanged("BindingCheckBox");
}
}
}
}
View
<UserControl x:Class = "DataBinding_WPF.Views.StudentView"
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:DataBinding_WPF"
mc:Ignorable = "d"
d:DesignHeight = "300" d:DesignWidth = "300">
<Grid>
<StackPanel HorizontalAlignment = "Left" >
<ComboBox HorizontalAlignment="Left"
VerticalAlignment="Top"
Width="120"
ItemsSource="{Binding Path=Examples}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedItem}"
DisplayMemberPath="Name"/>
<ListView x:Name="myListView"
ItemsSource="{Binding SelectedItem.IDs}"
DataContext="{Binding DataContext, ElementName=submit_btn}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedId}"
Height="200" Margin="10,50,0,0"
Width="Auto"
VerticalAlignment="Top"
Background="AliceBlue">
<ListView.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" >
<CheckBox
Name="myCheckBox"
IsChecked="{Binding IsSelected,
RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=ListViewItem}}"
Margin="5, 0"/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding}" FontWeight="Bold" />
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</ListView.ItemTemplate>
</ListView>
<Button HorizontalAlignment="Left" Height="20" Width="100"
Click="Submit" x:Name="submit_btn">Submit</Button>
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
View.cs
namespace DataBinding_WPF.Views
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for StudentView.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class StudentView : UserControl
{
public StudentView()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Submit(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
var selectedItems = ((Button)sender).DataContext;
// process each selected item
// foreach (var selected in ....) { }
}
}
}

The ListView control already exposes a selected items collection as property SelectedItems.
private void Submit(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
var selectedIds = myListView.SelectedItems.Cast<string>().ToList();
// ...do something with the items.
}
However, I doubt that you want to do this in the code-behind, but rather in the view model. For this purpose, WPF offers the concept of commands.
MVVM - Commands, RelayCommands and EventToCommand
What you need is a relay command or delegate command (the name varies across frameworks). It encapsulates a method that should be executed for e.g. a button click and a method to determine whether the command can be executed as an object that can be bound in the view. Unfortunately, WPF does not provide an implementation out-of-the-box, so you either have to copy an implementation like here or use an MVVM framework that already provides one, e.g. Microsoft MVVM Tookit.
You would expose a property Submit of type ICommand in your ExampleViewModel and initialize it in the constructor with an instance of RelayCommand<T> that delegates to a method to execute.
public class ExampleViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public ExampleViewModel()
{
Submit = new RelayCommand<IList>(ExecuteSubmit);
}
public RelayCommand<IList> Submit { get; }
// ...other code.
private void ExecuteSubmit(IList selectedItems)
{
// ...do something with the items.
var selectedIds = selectedItems.Cast<string>().ToList();
return;
}
}
In your view, you would remove the Click event handler and bind the Submit property to the Command property of the Button. You can also bind the SelectedItems property of the ListView to the CommandParameter property, so the selected items are passed to the command on execution.
<Button HorizontalAlignment="Left"
Height="20"
Width="100"
x:Name="submit_btn"
Command="{Binding Submit}"
CommandParameter="{Binding SelectedItems, ElementName=myListView}">Submit</Button>
Additionally, a few remarks about your XAML.
Names of controls in XAML should be Pascal-Case, starting with a capital letter.
You should remove the DataContext binding from ListView completely, as it automatically receives the same data context as the Button anyway.
DataContext="{Binding DataContext, ElementName=submit_btn}"
You can save yourself from exposing and binding the SelectedItem property in your ExampleViewModel, by using Master/Detail pattern for hierarchical data.
<Grid>
<StackPanel HorizontalAlignment = "Left" >
<ComboBox HorizontalAlignment="Left"
VerticalAlignment="Top"
Width="120"
ItemsSource="{Binding Path=Examples}"
IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem="True"
DisplayMemberPath="Name"/>
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Examples/IDs}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedId}"
Height="200" Margin="10,50,0,0"
Width="Auto"
VerticalAlignment="Top"
Background="AliceBlue">
<ListView.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" >
<CheckBox Name="myCheckBox"
IsChecked="{Binding IsSelected, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=ListViewItem}}"
Margin="5, 0"/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding}"
FontWeight="Bold" />
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</ListView.ItemTemplate>
</ListView>
<Button HorizontalAlignment="Left"
Height="20"
Width="100"
Command="{Binding Submit}"
CommandParameter="{Binding SelectedItems, ElementName=myListView}">Submit</Button>
</StackPanel>
</Grid>

If the view's data context is bound to the view then remove the DataContext from the ListView.
You could remove the item template and instead use a GridView like:
<ListView.View>
<GridView >
<GridViewColumn Header="Selected" >
<GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<CheckBox IsChecked="{Binding IsSelected}" Content="{Binding Name}" />
</DataTemplate>
</GridViewColumn.CellTemplate>
</GridViewColumn>
</GridView>
</ListView.View>
Since the ItemSource is an Observable collection, there are several options to monitor changes in the checkboxes:
Add an event handler to the item changed event of the collection and then you can add the Name or the collection index to a local collection. e.g Examples[e.CollectionIndex].Name
Alternatively iterate over the observable collection and select those Examples where Selected = "true"

How to select first item after filtering ICollectionView

I'm binding a ListView to an ICollectionView in my viewmodel. The ICollectionView has some predefined filters that are applied when you click some buttons. However I cannot seem to find any way to (auto) select the first item in the ListView after the collection has been filtered.
I've tried to set SelectedIndex=0, add both Target and Source notification to the binding, but all are ineffective when the filter applies.
Any pointers on how to achieve this?
EDIT: Below code illustrates my issue I'd say.
XAML:
<Window x:Class="CollectionViewTest.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:CollectionViewTest"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800">
<Window.DataContext>
<local:MainViewModel/>
</Window.DataContext>
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition />
<ColumnDefinition />
<ColumnDefinition />
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<!-- MENU -->
<StackPanel Orientation="Vertical">
<Button Content="Numbers below 4" Click="Below4_Click" Width="100"/>
<Button Content="Numbers below 7" Click="Below7_Click" Width="100"/>
<Button Content="All numbers" Click="All_Click" Width="100"/>
</StackPanel>
<!-- LIST -->
<ListView
Grid.Column="1"
SelectedIndex="0"
ItemsSource="{Binding Numbers, Mode=OneWay}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedNumber, Mode=TwoWay}">
<ListView.Resources>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:Number}">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Value}" />
</DataTemplate>
</ListView.Resources>
</ListView>
<!-- DETAILS -->
<TextBlock Grid.Column="2" Text="{Binding SelectedNumber.Text}" Width="100"/>
</Grid>
</Window>
Code-Behind:
using System.Windows;
namespace CollectionViewTest
{
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
private MainViewModel vm;
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
vm = (MainViewModel)DataContext;
}
private void Below4_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
vm.MenuFilter = f => f.Value < 4;
}
private void Below7_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
vm.MenuFilter = f => f.Value < 7;
}
private void All_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
vm.MenuFilter = f => true;
}
}
}
ViewModel:
using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
using System.Windows.Data;
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
namespace CollectionViewTest
{
public class MainViewModel : PropertyChangedBase
{
public MainViewModel()
{
Numbers = new ObservableCollection<Number>();
NumberCollection = CollectionViewSource.GetDefaultView(Numbers);
NumberCollection.Filter = Filter;
NumberCollection.SortDescriptions.Add(new SortDescription("Value", ListSortDirection.Ascending));
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
Numbers.Add(new Number { Value = i, Text = $"This is number {i}." });
}
private Func<Number, bool> menuFilter;
public Func<Number, bool> MenuFilter
{
get => menuFilter;
set
{
menuFilter = value;
NumberCollection.Refresh();
}
}
private bool Filter(object item)
{
var number = (Number)item;
return MenuFilter == null ? true : MenuFilter(number);
}
public ObservableCollection<Number> Numbers { get; set; }
public ICollectionView NumberCollection { get; set; }
private Number selectedNumber;
public Number SelectedNumber { get => selectedNumber; set => Set(ref selectedNumber, value); }
}
public class Number : PropertyChangedBase
{
public int Value { get; set; }
private string text;
public string Text { get => text; set => Set(ref text, value); }
}
public class PropertyChangedBase : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected void Set<T>(ref T field, T newValue = default(T), [CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
field = newValue;
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
}
As you can see, pressing one of the buttons changes the Filter and calls Refresh on the collection. What I would like to have, is that the first item in the list (here '0') is selected automatically which then would display the text "This is number 0" in the text in column 2.
I have tried both the SelectedIndex=0 and also MoveCurrentToFirst but nothing is selected.

Don't set SelectedIndex when binding to an ICollectionView. Instead, set its CurrentItem via MoveCurrentTo() or MoveCurrentToFirst():
myCollectionView.MoveCurrentTo(someItem);
...
myCollectionView.MoveCurrentToFirst();
Also, set IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem on your ListView:
<ListView IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem="True" ...
Detect when filter is applied
When the filter is evaluated, the collection view is refreshed which in turn resets the collection. To detect this, listen for the CollectionChanged event and look for the NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Reset flag. Please refer to the CollectionView source code for more details.

ListBox with DataTemplate recognize SelectedItem

I have a ListBox with a simple DataTemplate, a CheckBox, and a TextBox.
If the user checks a CheckBox I want to get this changed item, like the property SelectedItem of the ListBox.
How can I get the element from List2, which has changed?
MyListItem:
public class MyListItem2 : ReactiveObject
{
private string _name;
public string Name
{
get { return _name; }
set
{
this.RaiseAndSetIfChanged(ref _name, value, "Name");
}
}
private bool _isMarked;
public bool IsMarked
{
get { return _isMarked; }
set
{
this.RaiseAndSetIfChanged(ref _isMarked, value, "IsMarked");
}
}
}
View:
<Window xmlns="https://github.com/avaloniaui"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:DataTemplate.Views.MainWindow"
xmlns:viewsmodels="clr-namespace:DataTemplate.ViewModels;assembly=DataTemplate"
xmlns:dt="clr-namespace:DataTemplate;assembly=DataTemplate"
Title="DataTemplate" Width="700">
<Window.DataContext>
<viewsmodels:MainWindowViewModel />
</Window.DataContext>
<Grid ColumnDefinitions="250">
<ListBox Grid.Column="1" Items="{Binding List2}">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="dt:MyListItem2">
<Grid ColumnDefinitions="50*,50*">
<CheckBox Grid.Column="0" Content="Mark" IsChecked="{Binding IsMarked}"/>
<TextBox Grid.Column="1" Text="{Binding Name}"/>
</Grid>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
</Grid>
ViewModel:
public class MainWindowViewModel : ReactiveObject
{
public ObservableCollection<MyListItem2> List2 { get; set; }
public MainWindowViewModel()
{
List2 = new ObservableCollection<MyListItem2>();
Random rand = new Random();
for (int i = 0; i < rand.Next(1, 20); i++)
{
MyListItem2 mli = new MyListItem2();
mli.Name = "ListItem" + i;
mli.IsMarked = false;
mli.PropertyChanged += ItemChanged;
List2.Add(mli);
}
}
private void ItemChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
var item = sender as MyListItem2;
Console.WriteLine(string.Format("changed: {0} {1}", item.Name, item.IsMarked));
}
}

I can see two ways:
Since you are using MVVM, implement the INotifyPropertyChanged interface on the MyListItem2 class (Microsoft Reference on INotifyPropertyChanged implementation). Raise the property change event when the IsMarked value is set/changed, then wire into the PropertyChanged event handler of the item to determine when it is changed. . OR
If you have codebehidn, add a "Checked" and/or "Unchecked" event handler on the checkbox itself from the XAML. Shown below.
CheckBox Grid.Column="0" Content="Mark" IsChecked="{Binding IsMarked}"/>
Checked="IsMarked_Checked"
Codebehind
public void IsMarked_Checked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
var ck = sender As Checkbox;
if (ck == null)
{
return;
}
// do whatever you need to here using the datacontext of the Checkbox
}

If you want to know when a check box is checked/unchecked by the user you will need to trigger on the event from the checkbox.
Use something like this:
private void MyCheckBox_Checked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
//check IsChecked of MyCheckBox here
}

Try setting binding Mode:
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedItem, Mode=TwoWay}"

How to unselect selected row in LongListSelector in WP8

I must say that I really dislike the LongListSelector in WP8 and like the toolkit version so much better.
First it is not MVVM compatible so I found this code to make it so.
public class LongListSelector : Microsoft.Phone.Controls.LongListSelector
{
public LongListSelector()
{
SelectionChanged += LongListSelector_SelectionChanged;
}
void LongListSelector_SelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
SelectedItem = base.SelectedItem;
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty SelectedItemProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register(
"SelectedItem",
typeof(object),
typeof(LongListSelector),
new PropertyMetadata(null, OnSelectedItemChanged)
);
private static void OnSelectedItemChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
var selector = (LongListSelector)d;
selector.SelectedItem = e.NewValue;
}
public new object SelectedItem
{
get { return GetValue(SelectedItemProperty); }
set { SetValue(SelectedItemProperty, value); }
}
}
then I made a view model using mvvm light
public class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
public MainViewModel()
{
MyList = new ObservableCollection<Test>
{
new Test
{
Name = "test 1"
},
new Test
{
Name = "test 2"
}
};
ButtonCmd = new RelayCommand(() => Hit());
}
private void Hit()
{
SelectedItem = null;
}
public ObservableCollection<Test> MyList { get; set; }
/// <summary>
/// The <see cref="SelectedItem" /> property's name.
/// </summary>
public const string SelectedItemPropertyName = "SelectedItem";
private Test selectedItem = null;
/// <summary>
/// Sets and gets the SelectedItem property.
/// Changes to that property's value raise the PropertyChanged event.
/// </summary>
public Test SelectedItem
{
get
{
return selectedItem;
}
set
{
if (value != null)
{
MessageBox.Show(value.Name);
}
if (selectedItem == value)
{
return;
}
RaisePropertyChanging(() => SelectedItem);
selectedItem = value;
RaisePropertyChanged(() => SelectedItem);
}
}
public RelayCommand ButtonCmd
{
get;
private set;
}
then I made a model
public class Test : ObservableObject
{
public string Name { get; set; }
}
then I made the xaml
<phone:PhoneApplicationPage
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:phone="clr-namespace:Microsoft.Phone.Controls;assembly=Microsoft.Phone"
xmlns:shell="clr-namespace:Microsoft.Phone.Shell;assembly=Microsoft.Phone"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:ignore="http://www.ignore.com"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:MvvmLight2" x:Class="MvvmLight2.MainPage"
mc:Ignorable="d ignore"
FontFamily="{StaticResource PhoneFontFamilyNormal}"
FontSize="{StaticResource PhoneFontSizeNormal}"
Foreground="{StaticResource PhoneForegroundBrush}"
SupportedOrientations="Portrait"
Orientation="Portrait"
shell:SystemTray.IsVisible="True"
DataContext="{Binding Main, Source={StaticResource Locator}}">
<!--LayoutRoot is the root grid where all page content is placed-->
<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot"
Background="Transparent">
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
<RowDefinition Height="*" />
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<local:LongListSelector ItemsSource="{Binding MyList}" SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedItem, Mode=TwoWay}">
<local:LongListSelector.Resources>
<DataTemplate x:Key="ItemTemplate">
<Grid>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Name}" HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Top" FontSize="48"/>
</Grid>
</DataTemplate>
</local:LongListSelector.Resources>
<local:LongListSelector.ItemTemplate>
<StaticResource ResourceKey="ItemTemplate"/>
</local:LongListSelector.ItemTemplate>
</local:LongListSelector>
<Button Content="Unselect" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="142,81,0,0" Grid.Row="1" VerticalAlignment="Top" Command="{Binding ButtonCmd, Mode=OneWay}"/>
</Grid>
</phone:PhoneApplicationPage>
when I click on the first item in the list, the message box shows up, if I hit it again nothing happens. I then hit my button which nulls out the selectedItem(which in the old toolkit version would be enough) and try again and nothing happens.
Only way I can every select the first row is by selecting the second row which is really bad if say the list only has 1 item at any given time.
Weird thing is that a simple collection of strings does not even require me to set the SelectItem to null as it always seems to deselect but when it comes to complex types it is a no go.

I've used the same code and ran into the very same problem. Reason for it is that your SelectedItem property overshadows the base.SelectedItem property. When setting it to a new value, not only set your SelectedItem property but the base one as well:
public new object SelectedItem
{
get { return GetValue(SelectedItemProperty); }
set
{
SetValue(SelectedItemProperty, value);
base.SelectedItem = value;
}
}
Then you have a MVVM capable code and can reset the SelectedItem in your ViewModel as well (by setting it to null).

you can easily achieve via in selectionchanged event
void LongListSelector_SelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
if((sender as LongListSelector).SelectedItem == null){
return;
}
SelectedItem = base.SelectedItem;
(sender as LongListSelector).SelectedItem = null;
}

How could I add combox and other items in a listbox?

I need to create an UI which allows me to select entries from one list box and add it to another listbox at the run time. Now, the listbox1 may contain combo box and checkbox as the items.
For example, if I add a combo box labelled Quarter with values "Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4" as an item in listbox1 and select the entry Q1 in it, and click on the "Add" button, it should be added to listbox2. Vice versa should also be possible. This should be possible at the run time. How could I add combo box and checkbox as an item to the listbox? Also, please suggest if for the add-remove buttons, the code I've is correct.
private void MoveListBoxItems(ListBox source, ListBox destination)
{
ListBox.SelectedObjectCollection sourceItems = source.SelectedItems;
foreach (var item in sourceItems)
{
destination.Items.Add(item);
}
while (source.SelectedItems.Count > 0)
{
source.Items.Remove(source.SelectedItems[0]);
}
}
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
MoveListBoxItems(listBox1, listBox2);
}
private void button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
MoveListBoxItems(listBox2, listBox1);
}

This is a WPF solution to your need. I am posting it because you told me it could be useful for you. It largely surpasses anything you can ever hope to achieve in winforms, which is a very limited and outdated technology.
This is how it looks in my screen:
I am using some simple ViewModels to represent the data:
ListItemViewModel (the "base" one):
public class ListItemViewModel: ViewModelBase
{
private string _displayName;
public string DisplayName
{
get { return _displayName; }
set
{
_displayName = value;
NotifyPropertyChange(() => DisplayName);
}
}
}
BoolListItemViewModel (for CheckBoxes):
public class BoolListItemViewModel: ListItemViewModel
{
private bool _value;
public bool Value
{
get { return _value; }
set
{
_value = value;
NotifyPropertyChanged(() => Value);
}
}
}
SelectableListItemViewModel (for ComboBoxes):
public class SelectableListItemViewModel: ListItemViewModel
{
private ObservableCollection<ListItemViewModel> _itemsSource;
public ObservableCollection<ListItemViewModel> ItemsSource
{
get { return _itemsSource ?? (_itemsSource = new ObservableCollection<ListItemViewModel>()); }
}
private ListItemViewModel _selectedItem;
public ListItemViewModel SelectedItem
{
get { return _selectedItem; }
set
{
_selectedItem = value;
NotifyPropertyChange(() => SelectedItem);
}
}
}
This is the "Main" ViewModel, which holds the 2 lists and the Commands (the Button actions)
public class ListBoxSampleViewModel: ViewModelBase
{
private ObservableCollection<ListItemViewModel> _leftItems;
public ObservableCollection<ListItemViewModel> LeftItems
{
get { return _leftItems ?? (_leftItems = new ObservableCollection<ListItemViewModel>()); }
}
private ObservableCollection<ListItemViewModel> _rightItems;
public ObservableCollection<ListItemViewModel> RightItems
{
get { return _rightItems ?? (_rightItems = new ObservableCollection<ListItemViewModel>()); }
}
private DelegateCommand<ListItemViewModel> _moveToRightCommand;
public DelegateCommand<ListItemViewModel> MoveToRightCommand
{
get { return _moveToRightCommand ?? (_moveToRightCommand = new DelegateCommand<ListItemViewModel>(MoveToRight)); }
}
private void MoveToRight(ListItemViewModel item)
{
if (item != null)
{
LeftItems.Remove(item);
RightItems.Add(item);
}
}
private DelegateCommand<ListItemViewModel> _moveToLeftCommand;
public DelegateCommand<ListItemViewModel> MoveToLeftCommand
{
get { return _moveToLeftCommand ?? (_moveToLeftCommand = new DelegateCommand<ListItemViewModel>(MoveToLeft)); }
}
private void MoveToLeft(ListItemViewModel item)
{
if (item != null)
{
RightItems.Remove(item);
LeftItems.Add(item);
}
}
}
This is the entire XAML for the Window:
<Window x:Class="WpfApplication4.Window14"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:WpfApplication4"
Title="Window14" Height="300" Width="300">
<Window.Resources>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:ListItemViewModel}">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding DisplayName}"/>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:BoolListItemViewModel}">
<CheckBox Content="{Binding DisplayName}" IsChecked="{Binding Value}" HorizontalAlignment="Left"/>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:SelectableListItemViewModel}">
<ComboBox ItemsSource="{Binding ItemsSource}" SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedItem}"
HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" MinWidth="100"/>
</DataTemplate>
</Window.Resources>
<Grid>
<Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ColumnDefinition/>
<ColumnDefinition Width="100"/>
<ColumnDefinition/>
</Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding LeftItems}"
x:Name="LeftList"/>
<StackPanel Grid.Column="1" VerticalAlignment="Center">
<Button Content="Move to Right"
Command="{Binding MoveToRightCommand}"
CommandParameter="{Binding SelectedItem,ElementName=LeftList}"/>
<Button Content="Move to Left"
Command="{Binding MoveToLeftCommand}"
CommandParameter="{Binding SelectedItem,ElementName=RightList}"/>
</StackPanel>
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding RightItems}"
Grid.Column="2" x:Name="RightList"/>
</Grid>
</Window>
and finally, this is the Window Code-behind, which only initializes the ViewModel with some items:
public partial class Window14 : Window
{
public Window14()
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = new ListBoxSampleViewModel()
{
LeftItems =
{
new ListItemViewModel(){DisplayName = "Item1"},
new BoolListItemViewModel() {DisplayName = "Check Item 2", Value = true},
new SelectableListItemViewModel()
{
ItemsSource =
{
new ListItemViewModel() {DisplayName = "Combo Item 1"},
new BoolListItemViewModel() {DisplayName = "Check inside Combo"},
new SelectableListItemViewModel()
{
ItemsSource =
{
new ListItemViewModel() {DisplayName = "Wow, this is awesome"},
new BoolListItemViewModel() {DisplayName = "Another CheckBox"}
}
}
}
}
}
};
}
}
At first glance, this might seem like a LOT of code... but if you take 2 seconds to analyze it... Its just "simple, simple properties and INotifyPropertyChanged. That's how you program in WPF.
I'm talking about a completely different paradigm from what you might be used to in winforms, but it's really worth the effort of learning it. Notice that nowhere in my code I am interacting with UI elements. I just create the ViewModel structure and let the WPF Binding System to take care of generating the UI for me, using the provided DataTemplates.
I'm using the ViewModelBase from MVVM Light and the DelegateCommand from WPFTutorial.net. You can copy and paste my code in a File -> New Project -> WPF Application and see the results for yourself (you will also need these 2 classes from the links above)
If you need to integrate this in an existing winforms application, you will need the ElementHost