Develop Reference

IValueConverter not "converting" upon item being added to list [duplicate]

I’m learning C# and building a UI that reads and writes integers to an XML config file. The UI uses a variety of custom user controls. I have a 3 radiobutton user control that binds to a single int variable (control returns 0,1,2). The control uses an event to trigger the update. It looks at the 3 isChecked properties to determine the new int value. But I don’t know how to update the original binding value from the code behind. It's once removed so to speak because there are two binds..one in the main window and one in the user control. As a beginner am lost at this point. BTW reading the int value into the 3 radiobuttons is working using a converter.
here is the user control xaml.cs...
namespace btsRV7config.controls
{
public partial class ui3X : UserControl
{
public ui3X()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
void _event(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
int newValue = 0;
if (rdbttn1.IsChecked == true) { newValue = 0; }
else if (rdbttn2.IsChecked == true) { newValue = 1; }
else if (rdbttn3.IsChecked == true) { newValue = 2; }
txtb.Text = newValue.ToString(); //tempRemove
// !!! assign newValue to Binding Source !!!
//---------------------------------------------
uiBinding1 = newValue;
BindingOperations.GetBindingExpression(rdbttn1, RadioButton.IsCheckedProperty).UpdateSource();
//---------------------------------------------
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty uiBinding1Property = DependencyProperty.Register("uiBinding1", typeof(int), typeof(ui3X));
public int uiBinding1
{
get { return (int)GetValue(uiBinding1Property); }
set { SetValue(uiBinding1Property, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty uiBinding2Property = DependencyProperty.Register("uiBinding2", typeof(int), typeof(ui3X));
public int uiBinding2
{
get { return (int)GetValue(uiBinding2Property); }
set { SetValue(uiBinding2Property, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty uiBinding3Property = DependencyProperty.Register("uiBinding3", typeof(int), typeof(ui3X));
public int uiBinding3
{
get { return (int)GetValue(uiBinding3Property); }
set { SetValue(uiBinding3Property, value); }
}
}
}
here is user control xaml
<UserControl x:Class="btsRV7config.controls.ui3X"
x:Name="root"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" Height="22">
<RadioButton Name="rdbttn1" VerticalAlignment="Center" Margin="0 0 10 0"
IsChecked="{Binding ElementName=root, Path=uiBinding1}"
Click="_event" />
<RadioButton Name="rdbttn2" VerticalAlignment="Center" Margin="0 0 10 0"
IsChecked="{Binding ElementName=root, Path=uiBinding2}"
Click="_event" />
<RadioButton Name="rdbttn3" VerticalAlignment="Center"
IsChecked="{Binding ElementName=root, Path=uiBinding3}"
Click="_event" />
<TextBox Name="txtb" Margin="5 0 0 0" Width="20" Height="17" /> <!-- tempRemove -->
</StackPanel>
</UserControl>
here is an example of the user control used in MainWindow.xaml
<Window x:Class="btsRV7config.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:controls="clr-namespace:btsRV7config.controls"
xmlns:converter="clr-namespace:btsRV7config.converters"
Title="Vans RV7 Configuration" Height="350" Width="525" >
<Window.Resources>
<converter:Int_Int_Bool_Converter x:Key="Int_Int_Bool" />
</Window.Resources>
<Grid>
<controls:ui3X uiName="Font Color" ui1="Black" ui2="Green" ui3="Cyan"
uiBinding1="{Binding RV7sld_DFfontColor, Converter={StaticResource Int_Int_Bool}, ConverterParameter=0}"
uiBinding2="{Binding RV7sld_DFfontColor, Converter={StaticResource Int_Int_Bool}, ConverterParameter=1}"
uiBinding3="{Binding RV7sld_DFfontColor, Converter={StaticResource Int_Int_Bool}, ConverterParameter=2}" />
</Grid>
</Window>
here is MainWindow.xaml.cs
namespace btsRV7config
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
record data = new record();
DataContext = data;
}
}
public class record : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private int _RV7sld_DFfontColor = RV7sld_dict["DFfontColor"];
public int RV7sld_DFfontColor
{
get
{ return _RV7sld_DFfontColor; }
set
{
_RV7sld_DFfontColor = value;
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs("RV7sld_DFfontColor"));
}
}
}
}
}
Sorry for posting so much code - I think the important is the user controls xaml.cs at top.
here is a link to a picture of the UI.
I've simplified the code I've posted to fit.
http://www.baytower.ca/photo/uiSample.jpg
So - 'Font Color'(RV7sld_DFfontColor) can be black(0) green(1) cyan(2)
Danny

The BindingOperations class enables you to "force" the binding updates in either direction.
Let's say there is a string property X in the code behind and there is a TextBox in XAML, bound to that property:
// C#:
public string X { get; set; }
// XAML:
<TextBox Name="textBox1" Text="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType=my:MainWindow, AncestorLevel=1}, Path=X}" />
To copy from textBox1.Text to X do the following:
BindingOperations.GetBindingExpression(textBox1, TextBox.TextProperty).UpdateSource();
To copy from X to textBox1.Text do the following:
BindingOperations.GetBindingExpression(textBox1, TextBox.TextProperty).UpdateTarget();

Cannot bind to a collection from ItemsControl template

I'm trying to bind a user control property "MyUserControl.Names" to a collection property "Names" of the main window. It doesn't work if I do it in ItemsControl template, but it works if I move the control definition out of the ItemsControl template. Here is the xaml:
<Window x:Class="TestItemsControl.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:TestItemsControl"
Height="200" Width="200"
Name="MainControl">
<StackPanel>
<ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding Groups, ElementName=MainControl}">
<ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<!-- This doesn't work -->
<StackPanel Background="WhiteSmoke" Height="40" Width="100" Margin="5" HorizontalAlignment="Left">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding .}"/>
<local:MyUserControl Names="{Binding Names, ElementName=MainControl}"/>
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
</ItemsControl>
<!-- This works -->
<StackPanel Background="WhiteSmoke" Height="40" Width="100" Margin="5" HorizontalAlignment="Left">
<TextBlock Text="Group3"/>
<local:MyUserControl Names="{Binding Names, ElementName=MainControl}"/>
</StackPanel>
</StackPanel>
</Window>
MainWindow.xaml.cs contains two dependency properties:
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
SetValue(GroupsProperty, new ObservableCollection<string>());
SetValue(NamesProperty, new ObservableCollection<string>());
Groups.Add("Group1");
Groups.Add("Group2");
Names.Add("Name1");
Names.Add("Name2");
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty GroupsProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Groups", typeof(ObservableCollection<string>), typeof(MainWindow),
new PropertyMetadata(null));
public ObservableCollection<string> Groups
{
get { return (ObservableCollection<string>)GetValue(GroupsProperty); }
set { SetValue(GroupsProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty NamesProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Names", typeof(ObservableCollection<string>), typeof(MainWindow),
new PropertyMetadata(null));
public ObservableCollection<string> Names
{
get { return (ObservableCollection<string>)GetValue(NamesProperty); }
set { SetValue(NamesProperty, value); }
}
}
Here is the result:
The first two rectangles are what ItemsControl generates. The third one is what I have manually added right after the ItemsControl. As you can see, even though the code is exactly the same in both cases, the first two rectangles don't have names, but the third one has. Is there any reason why wouldn't it work with ItemsControl?
Edit:
Here is the code of the MyUserControl.xaml.cs:
public partial class MyUserControl : UserControl
{
public MyUserControl()
{
InitializeComponent();
SetValue(NamesProperty, new ObservableCollection<string>());
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty NamesProperty = DependencyProperty.Register(
"Names", typeof(ObservableCollection<string>), typeof(MyUserControl),
new PropertyMetadata(null, NamesPropertyChanged));
public ObservableCollection<string> Names
{
get { return (ObservableCollection<string>)GetValue(NamesProperty); }
set { SetValue(NamesProperty, value); }
}
private static void NamesPropertyChanged(DependencyObject obj, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
var control = (MyUserControl)obj;
var oldCollection = e.OldValue as INotifyCollectionChanged;
var newCollection = e.NewValue as INotifyCollectionChanged;
if (oldCollection != null)
oldCollection.CollectionChanged -= control.NamesCollectionChanged;
if (newCollection != null)
newCollection.CollectionChanged += control.NamesCollectionChanged;
control.UpdateNames();
}
private void NamesCollectionChanged(object sender, NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
UpdateNames();
}
private void UpdateNames()
{
NamesPanel.Children.Clear();
if (Names == null)
return;
foreach(var name in Names)
{
var textBlock = new TextBlock();
textBlock.Text = name + ", ";
NamesPanel.Children.Add(textBlock);
}
}
}
MyUserControl.xaml:
<UserControl x:Class="TestItemsControl.MyUserControl"
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:TestItemsControl"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="300"
d:DesignWidth="300"
Name="ParentControl">
<StackPanel Name="NamesPanel" Orientation="Horizontal"/>
</UserControl>

Replace SetValue in the UserControl's constructor by SetCurrentValue. It may even make sense not to assign an initial value at all for the Names property.
public MyUserControl()
{
InitializeComponent();
SetCurrentValue(NamesProperty, new ObservableCollection<string>());
}
SetValue (as opposed to SetCurrentValue) sets a so-called local value to the Names property. When you assign a Binding as in the second case, this is also considered a local value with the same precedence as the one set in the constructor.
However, in the first case, the Binding is set in a DataTemplate, where it doesn't count as a local value. Since it has lower precedence, it does not replace the initial value.
More details here: Dependency Property Value Precedence

setting the DataContex correctly

im building a UserControl MyUserControl that has his own ViewModel MyUserControlViewModel. MyUserControl contains 6 VehicleSelectionBlock (V1, ... V6). VehicleSelectionBlock is a UserControl i've made. it has 3 RadioButton: car, train, bus; all are of enum type Vehicle and of the same GroupName VehicleGroup.
my goal is to represent each of MyUserControl's VehicleSelectionBlocks in MyUserControlViewModel.
to make my self clear: in MyUserControlViewModel i want to be able to know&change what RadioButton is checked in every one of the 6 VehicleSelectionBlock. i think my main problem is not the converter but rather the DataContex - i'm not sure how to set it correctly for each of the controllers.
iv'e tried Binding (which is the obvious solution). i tried reading here, here , and here. unfortunately neither one helped my acheive my goal.
my code is below - im kinda new to wpf and data binding in generally. i've read almost every chapter in this tutorial but still lost sometimes.
please help me get through this and understand better the DataContex concept.
ty
MyUserContlor.xaml.cs:
namespace Project01
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for MyUserContlor.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class MyUserContlor : UserControl
{
public MyUserContlorViewModel ViewModel { get; set; }
public MyUserContlor()
{
ViewModel = new MyUserContlorViewModel();
InitializeComponent();
this.DataContext = ViewModel;
}
private void BtnImReady_OnClick(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
//this code is irrelevant to the question
throw NotImplementedException();
}
}
}
MyUserContlor.xaml:
<UserControl x:Class="Project01.MyUserContlor"
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:loc="clr-namespace:Project01"
mc:Ignorable="d"
HorizontalContentAlignment="Center" VerticalContentAlignment="Center">
<Viewbox Stretch="Uniform">
<StackPanel>
<loc:VehicleSelectionBlock Name="V1"/>
<loc:VehicleSelectionBlock Name="V2"/>
<loc:VehicleSelectionBlock Name="V3"/>
<loc:VehicleSelectionBlock Name="V4"/>
<loc:VehicleSelectionBlock Name="V5"/>
<loc:VehicleSelectionBlock Name="V6"/>
<Button x:Name="BtnImReady" Click="BtnImReady_OnClick">Im Ready!</Button>
</StackPanel>
</Viewbox>
</UserControl>
MyUserContlorViewModel.cs:
namespace Project01
{
public class MyUserContlorViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public MyUserContlorViewModel()
{
VehicleArr = new MyViewModel_Vehicle[6];
PropertyChanged+=MyUserControlViewModel_PropertyChanged;
}
public MyViewModel_Vehicle[] VehicleArr;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public PropertyChangedEventHandler GetPropertyChangedEventHandler() { return PropertyChanged; }
private void MyUserControlViewModel_PropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
//might be useful
throw NotImplementedException();
}
}
//this class should represent a VehicleSelectionBlock
public class MyViewModel_Vehicle
{
public Vehicle VehicleSelected {get; set;}
MyViewModel_Vehicle(){}
MyViewModel_Vehicle(Vehicle v){ VehicleSelected = v;}
}
}
VehicleSelectionBlock.xaml:
<UserControl x:Class="Project01.VehicleSelectionBlock"
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:Project01"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="300" d:DesignWidth="300">
<Grid DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type UserControl}}}">
<Border VerticalAlignment="Center" HorizontalAlignment="Center" Background="GhostWhite"
BorderBrush="Gainsboro" BorderThickness="1">
<StackPanel >
<Label Content="{Binding Name}"
FontWeight="Bold" HorizontalContentAlignment="Center"></Label>
<RadioButton GroupName="VehicleGroup" >car</RadioButton>
<RadioButton GroupName="VehicleGroup">train</RadioButton>
<RadioButton GroupName="VehicleGroup" IsChecked="True">bus</RadioButton>
</StackPanel>
</Border>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
VehicleSelectionBlock.xaml.cs:
namespace Project01
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for VehicleSelectionBlock.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class VehicleSelectionBlock : UserControl
{
public VehicleSelectionBlock()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public VehicleSelectionBlock(String name)
{
name = Name;
InitializeComponent();
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty NameProperty = DependencyProperty.Register(
"Name", typeof (String), typeof (VehicleSelectionBlock), new PropertyMetadata(default(String)));
public String Name
{
get { return (String) GetValue(NameProperty); }
set { SetValue(NameProperty, value); }
}
}
public enum Vehicle { Car, Train, Bus}
}

here is a quick solution. keep in mind that the code needs to change if you want to add more values to your Vehicle enum.
the MyUserControlViewModel.cs file
public class MyUserControlViewModel
{
public MyUserControlViewModel()
{
VehicleArr = new VehicleViewModel[6];
for (int i = 0; i < 6;i++ )
VehicleArr[i] = new VehicleViewModel();
}
public VehicleViewModel[] VehicleArr { get; set; }
}
this will expose your 6 items. They could be more. As a result they will be displayed in an ItemsControl, as you will see later.
public class VehicleViewModel:ViewModelBase
{
private bool isCar, isTrain, isBus;
public bool IsCar
{
get { return isCar; }
set
{
if (isCar == value) return;
isCar = value;
OnChanged("IsCar");
}
}
public bool IsTrain
{
get { return isTrain; }
set
{
if (isTrain == value) return;
isTrain = value;
OnChanged("IsTrain");
}
}
public bool IsBus
{
get { return isBus; }
set
{
if (isBus == value) return;
isBus = value;
OnChanged("IsBus");
}
}
}
instances of VehicleViewModel will contain your radio selection using 3 bool properties. this is the solution disadvantage. If you want more values you'll have to add more properties. you can see this inherits ViewModelBase. ViewModelBase just implements INPC so i'm not going to put it here. ViewModelBase also exposes the OnChange method that triggers the INPC event.
displaying the list can be done in your MyUserControl by using an ItemsControl like below.
<ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding VehicleArr}">
<ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<loc:VehicleControl />
</DataTemplate>
</ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
</ItemsControl>
each item is also a UserControl. The VehicleControl user control is just a StackPanel that displays the RadioButons. This can be seen below.
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<RadioButton Content="Car" Margin="5" VerticalAlignment="Center" IsChecked="{Binding Path=IsCar, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
<RadioButton Content="Train" Margin="5" VerticalAlignment="Center" IsChecked="{Binding Path=IsTrain, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
<RadioButton Content="Bus" Margin="5" VerticalAlignment="Center" IsChecked="{Binding Path=IsBus, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
</StackPanel>
please notice that each RadioButton is bound to one of the 3 properties in the VehicleViewModel instance.
Once you press your button you should have all the selections recorded. if you want you could have a function that returns an enum value by analysing the 3 bool properties if that is what you need.
the best solution will be to get rid of the radio buttons and replace them with combo boxes. in this way you can change the enum members and everything will continue to work without changing anything else. this might look as below.
public class VehicleViewModel:ViewModelBase
{
private Vehicle selOption;
private readonly Vehicle[] options;
public VehicleViewModel()
{
this.options = (Vehicle[])Enum.GetValues(typeof(Vehicle));
}
public Vehicle[] Options { get { return options; } }
public Vehicle SelectedOption
{
get { return selOption; }
set
{
if (selOption == value) return;
selOption = value;
OnChanged("SelectedOption");
}
}
}
and for the view:
<ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding VehicleArr}">
<ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<ComboBox ItemsSource="{Binding Options}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedOption, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
</DataTemplate>
</ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
</ItemsControl>

You can do directly in the code-behind of your control (in the default constructor)
public VehicleSelectionBlock()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.DataContext = new MyUserContlorViewModel ();
}
You can also do that in XAML (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms746695(v=vs.110).aspx) declaration, as you wish.

Automatically select item added to an ObservableCollection

I am trying to automatically select an item in a ListView whenever one is added to an ObservableCollection. I am using the CollectionChanged event to listen for when an item is added and then select it. The CollectionChanged event seems to occur before the UI is updated and so the SelectedIndex is adjusted accordingly. I have tried setting both the SelectedIndex and the SelectedItem but in both cases the item after the one added ends up being selected. The correct index is the when the collection is changed, the UI updates and then the the index is incremented by the ListView.
The phenomenon can be demonstrated with the following:
<Window x:Class="WpfApplication2.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525" DataContext="{Binding Main, Source= {StaticResource Locator}}">
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="*"/>
<RowDefinition Height="30"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Items, Mode=TwoWay}" SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedItem, Mode=TwoWay}" SelectedIndex="{Binding SelectedIndex, Mode=TwoWay}" Grid.Row="0">
</ListView>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" Grid.Row="1">
<Button Content="Add Item" Width="75" Command="{Binding AddItemCommand}"/>
<Label Content="SelectedIndex:"/>
<Label Content="{Binding SelectedIndex}"/>
<Label Content="SelectedItem:"/>
<Label Content="{Binding SelectedItem}"/>
<Label Content="<- Numbers should match after item added"/>
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
</Window>
and ViewModel:
public class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
private ICommand addItemCommand;
/// <summary>
/// Initializes a new instance of the MainViewModel class.
/// </summary>
public MainViewModel()
{
Items = new ObservableCollection<string>();
Items.CollectionChanged += Items_CollectionChanged;
}
private int selectedIndex = -1;
public const string SelectedIndexPropertyName = "SelectedIndex";
public int SelectedIndex
{
get
{
return selectedIndex;
}
set
{
if (selectedIndex != value)
{
selectedIndex = value;
RaisePropertyChanged(SelectedIndexPropertyName);
}
}
}
private string selectedItem = null;
public const string SelectedItemPropertyName = "SelectedItem";
public string SelectedItem
{
get
{
return selectedItem;
}
set
{
if (selectedItem != value)
{
selectedItem = value;
RaisePropertyChanged(SelectedItemPropertyName);
}
}
}
private ObservableCollection<string> items;
public const string ItemsPropertyName = "Items";
public ObservableCollection<string> Items
{
get
{
return items;
}
set
{
items = value;
RaisePropertyChanged(ItemsPropertyName);
}
}
private void Items_CollectionChanged(object sender, System.Collections.Specialized.NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Action == System.Collections.Specialized.NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Add)
{
//SelectedItem = e.NewItems[0];
SelectedIndex = e.NewStartingIndex;
}
}
public ICommand AddItemCommand
{
get
{
if (addItemCommand == null)
addItemCommand = new RelayCommand(() => Items.Add("Item " + items.Count));
return addItemCommand;
}
}
}
I have added uploaded a example solution to www.itzalive.co.uk/AddItemSelection.zip
Anybody know how to end up with the newly added item selected using the CollectionChanged event? In my actual program the item is not added in the same place it is being displayed so it is not possible to set the selected item separately.

It is better to use just the SelectedItem property, rather than the SelectedIndex property as well:
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Items, Mode=TwoWay}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedItem, Mode=TwoWay}" ... />
Then in code:
YourClass newItem = new YourClass();
Items.Add(newItem);
SelectedItem = newItem;
Also remove your code from the Items_CollectionChanged event handler. You may also need to call NotifyPropertyChanged("Items"); to get the UI to update if it doesn't already.
UPDATE >>>
Try adding this into your CollectionChanged handler then:
if (e.Action == NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Add)
SelectedItem = e.NewItems[0] as string;

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