WPF with MVVM and DataAnnotations, Validation Errors in a UserControl - c#

I have a UserControl that will be reused throughout an application we are developing.
We are using a framework based on MVVMLight.
For the sake of simplicity lets say the user control contains only one textbox and exposes one dependency property named "Quantity". The textbox on the user control is databound to the dependency property "Quantity".
When the user control is used on a view, the "Quantity" dependency property of the usercontrol is databound to a property in a ViewModel. (This ViewModel is the datacontext of our view by way of the MVVMLight ViewModelLocator).
This all works great! The bindings work, properties are set like I would expect. All is well until it comes to validation.
We are using DataAnnotations to decorate our ViewModel properties. The ViewModel contains a custom implementation of INotifyDataErrorInfo. We have implemented custom styles for most input controls to show a red border around the control, and a message next to the control displaying the validation error message. All of this works great in a normal case (eg. Textbox on a View bound to a property in a view model).
When I attempt the same approach using this user control, what I end up with is a red border around the entire user control and no error indication on the actual textbox. It appears that the fact that there is an error is being reflected in the UI, but it's just not making it to the control I want it to.
I've searched on stackoverflow for this problem, of those questions with solutions, none seem to work for my situation.
My first guess is that because the actual textbox is bound directly to the dependency property itself and not the property on my view model, it is not being notified properly of the errors generated. Is there some way to propogate those errors generated in the viewmodel through the usercontrol and then to the textbox?
Any help or suggestions you can give would be great, thanks.
Here is the UserControl xaml.
<UserControl x:Class="SampleProject.UserControls.SampleControl"
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" x:Name="sampleControl"
d:DesignHeight="300" d:DesignWidth="300">
<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot" DataContext="{Binding ElementName=sampleControl}">
<TextBox Text="{Binding Path=Quantity, ValidatesOnDataErrors=True}" Width="100" Height="30" />
</Grid>
</UserControl>
The UserControl code behind.
public partial class SampleControl : UserControl
{
public SampleControl()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty QuantityProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Quantity", typeof(int?), typeof(SampleControl),
new FrameworkPropertyMetadata{DefaultValue=null, BindsTwoWayByDefault = true});
public int? Quantity
{
get { return (int?)GetValue(QuantityProperty); }
set { SetValue(QuantityProperty, value); }
}
}
Used on a view.
<userControls:SampleControl Grid.Row="1" Quantity="{Binding Path=Quantity, ValidatesOnDataErrors=True}" Height="60" Width="300"/>
The ViewModel property.
[Required(ErrorMessage = "Is Required")]
[Range(5, 10, ErrorMessage = "Must be greater than 5")]
public int? Quantity
{
get { return _quantity; }
set { Set(() => Quantity, ref _quantity, value); }
}
private int? _quantity;
(*Note, The Set method in the setter is just a helper method in the base viewmodel that sets the backing property and raises the PropertyChanged event for it.)

Try removing the DataContext from the UserControl. Instead of setting that, Bind directly from the TextBox to the actual property using a RelativeSource Binding:
<TextBox Text="{Binding Quantity, RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=FindAncestor,
AncestorType={x:Type YourControlNamespace:SampleControl,
ValidatesOnDataErrors=True}}}" Width="100" Height="30" />
UPDATE >>>
Failing that, as long as the view models that are bound to this property will always have a property of the same name to bind to, you can get this Binding to search through parents' DataContexts like this:
<TextBox Text="{Binding Quantity, RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=FindAncestor,
AncestorLevel=2, ValidatesOnDataErrors=True}}}" Width="100" Height="30" />
You will need to change the 2 to be the correct number of parent elements that the TextBox has before reaching the control with access to the correct property. For example, using a level of 2 means that the Framework will try to find a property named Quantity to Bind to in the DataContext of the TextBoxs parent's parent control. It is trickier getting this working with AncestorLevel though as I believe that 'hidden' elements like Grids are not included as parents.

You need to pick up the bindings set on the usercontrol and place them on the controls, there is no need to bind the usercontrol to it's own DataContext.
This can be done after the usercontrol is loaded.
To prevent a red border round the user control, remove the default error template:
Validation.ErrorTemplate="{x:Null}"
Sample user control XAML:
UserControl x:Class="DxUserControlValidation.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"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Validation.ErrorTemplate="{x:Null}"
d:DesignHeight="450" d:DesignWidth="800">
<StackPanel Orientation="Vertical">
<TextBlock Text="Value 1:" Margin="2"/>
<TextBox Name="txtBox1" Margin="2"/>
<TextBlock Text="Value 2:" Margin="2"/>
<TextBox Name="txtBox2" Margin="2"/>
</StackPanel>
public partial class MyUserControl : UserControl
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty Value1Property;
public static readonly DependencyProperty Value2Property;
static MyUserControl()
{
Value1Property = DependencyProperty.Register("Value1", typeof(string), typeof(MyUserControl), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata { DefaultValue = null, BindsTwoWayByDefault = true });
Value2Property = DependencyProperty.Register("Value2", typeof(string), typeof(MyUserControl), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata { DefaultValue = null, BindsTwoWayByDefault = true });
}
public MyUserControl()
{
InitializeComponent();
Loaded += (s, e) =>
{
Binding value1Binding = BindingOperations.GetBinding(this, Value1Property);
if (value1Binding != null) txtBox1.SetBinding(TextBox.TextProperty, value1Binding);
Binding value2Binding = BindingOperations.GetBinding(this, Value2Property);
if (value2Binding != null) txtBox2.SetBinding(TextBox.TextProperty, value2Binding);
};
}
public string Value1
{
get { return (string)GetValue(Value1Property); }
set { SetValue(Value1Property, value); }
}
public string Value2
{
get { return (string)GetValue(Value2Property); }
set { SetValue(Value2Property, value); }
}
}
If there is no binding, you van assign the value directly to the control:
if (value2Binding != null) txtBox2.SetBinding(TextBox.TextProperty, value2Binding);
else txtBox2.Text = Value2;

Related

Binding to SelectedItem of ComboBox in UserControl

I have a UserControl consisting of a ComboBox with a Label. I am looking to update a screen with an instance of this ComboBox and dynamically create UserControls in a StackPanel, based on the SelectedItem value.
I currently have a screen with an instance of this ComboBox and have it binding the following way:
Pseudocode Example (removing unrelated code):
<!-- MyComboBoxExample.xaml -->
<ComboBox x:Name="myComboBox" SelectedValuePath="Key" DisplayMemberPath="Value" ItemsSource="{Binding MyBoxItems}/>
/* MyComboBoxExample.xaml.cs */
public static readonly DependencyProperty MyBoxItemsProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("MyBoxItems", typeof(Dictionary<string, string>),
typeof(MyComboBoxExample), new PropertyMetadata(null));
<!-- MyScreen.xaml -->
<local:MyComboBoxExample x:Name="MyComboBoxExampleInstance" MyBoxItems="{Binding Descriptions}"/>
I am new to WPF and databinding, so not sure the best way to implement this. Basically, on the screen: when MyComboBoxExampleInstance selection changes, dynamically set the controls of a StackPanel on the screen. I am not sure how to properly hook in to the SelectionChanged event of a child object of a UserControl.
Any thoughts, corrections, and (constructive) criticism is appreciated. Thanks for any help in advance.
There are several ways to go about this. Here's one way. It's not necessarily the best way but it's easy to understand.
First, the user control xaml. Note the binding of the ItemsSource property on the user control, which specifies MyComboBoxItems as the items source. More on where that comes from in a bit.
<UserControl x:Class="WpfApp1.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:WpfApp1"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="450" d:DesignWidth="800">
<Grid>
<ComboBox Height="Auto" ItemsSource="{Binding MyComboBoxItems}" SelectionChanged="OnSelectionChanged">
<ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Text}"/>
</DataTemplate>
</ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
</ComboBox>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
Now the code-behind, MyUserControl.xaml.cs. We provide an combobox selection changed event handler that in turn raises a custom event, MyComboBoxSelectionChanged, which is defined by the event argument class and delegate handler at the bottom of the code. Our OnSelectionChanged method simply forwards the selection change event via the custom event we've defined.
using System;
using System.Windows.Controls;
namespace WpfApp1
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for MyUserControl.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class MyUserControl : UserControl
{
public event MyComboBoxSelectionChangedEventHandler MyComboBoxSelectionChanged;
public MyUserControl()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void OnSelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.AddedItems.Count > 0)
{
MyComboBoxSelectionChanged?.Invoke(this,
new MyComboBoxSelectionChangedEventArgs() {MyComboBoxItem = e.AddedItems[0]});
}
}
}
public class MyComboBoxSelectionChangedEventArgs : EventArgs
{
public object MyComboBoxItem { get; set; }
}
public delegate void MyComboBoxSelectionChangedEventHandler(object sender, MyComboBoxSelectionChangedEventArgs e);
}
Now we go to our MainWindow.xaml, where we define an instance of MyUserControl and set a handler for the custom event we defined. We also provide a StackPanel to host the items that will be created on a selection changed event.
<Window x:Class="WpfApp1.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:WpfApp1"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Title="MainWindow"
Height="450"
Width="800">
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition />
<RowDefinition />
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<local:MyUserControl Width="140" Height="32" DataContext="{Binding}" Grid.Row="0" MyComboBoxSelectionChanged="OnSelectionChanged"></local:MyUserControl>
<StackPanel Grid.Row="1" x:Name="MyUserControls"/>
</Grid>
</Window>
Now the code-behind for MainWindow.xaml. Here we define a public property containing a list of objects of type MyComboBoxItem (defined at the bottom of the file), and we initialize the array with some values.
Recall that we set the ItemsSource property of the ComboBox inside MyUserControl to "{Binding MyComboBoxItems}", so the question is, how does the property defined in the MainWindow magically become available in MyUserControl?
In WPF, DataContext values are inherited from parent controls if they aren't explicitly set, and since we did not specify a data context for the control, the instance of MyUserControl inherits the DataContext of the parent window. In the constructor we set the MainWindow data context to refer to itself, so the MyComboBoxItems list is available to any child controls (and their children, and so on.)
Typically we'd go ahead and add a dependency property for the user control called ItemsSource and in the user control we'd bind the ComboBox's ItemsSource property to the dependency property rather than to MyComboxItems.
MainWindow.xaml would then bind it's collection directly to the dependency property on the user control. This helps make the user control more re-usable since it wouldn't depend on specific properties defined in an inherited data context.
Finally, in the event handler for the user control's custom event we obtain the value selected by the user and create a UserControl populated with a text box (all with various properties set to make the items interesting visually) and we directly add them to the Children property of the StackPanel.
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Media;
namespace WpfApp1
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public List<MyComboBoxItem> MyComboBoxItems { get; set; } = new List<MyComboBoxItem>()
{
new MyComboBoxItem() {Text = "Item1"},
new MyComboBoxItem() {Text = "Item2"},
new MyComboBoxItem() {Text = "Item3"},
};
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = this;
}
private void OnSelectionChanged(object sender, MyComboBoxSelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.MyComboBoxItem is MyComboBoxItem item)
{
MyUserControls.Children.Add(
new UserControl()
{
Margin = new Thickness(2),
Background = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.LightGray),
Content = new TextBlock()
{
Margin = new Thickness(4),
VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Center,
HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignment.Center,
FontSize = 48,
FontWeight = FontWeights.Bold,
Foreground = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.DarkGreen),
Text = item.Text
}
});
}
}
}
public class MyComboBoxItem
{
public string Text { get; set; }
}
}
Finally, I'd consider using an ItemsControl or a ListBox bound to an ObservableCollection rather than sticking things into a StackPanel. You could define a nice data template for the user control to display and maybe a DataTemplateSelector to use different user controls based on settings in the data item. This would allow me to simply add the reference to the MyComboBoxItem obtained in the selection changed handler to that collection, and the binding machinery would automatically generate a new item using the data template I defined and create the necessary visual elements to display it.
So given all that, here are the changes to do all that.
First, we modify our data item to add a color property. We'll use that property to determine how we display the selected item:
public class MyComboBoxItem
{
public string Color { get; set; }
public string Text { get; set; }
}
Now we implement INotifyPropertyChanged in MainWindow.xaml.cs to let the WPF binding engine update the UI when we change properties. This is the event handler and a helper method, OnPropertyChanged.
We also modify the combo box initializer to add a value for the Color property. We'll leave on blank for fun.
We then add a new ObservableCollect, "ActiveUserControls" to store the MyComboBoxItem received in the combo box selection changed event. We do that instead of creating user controls on the fly in code.
public partial class MainWindow : Window, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
public List<MyComboBoxItem> MyComboBoxItems { get; set; } = new List<MyComboBoxItem>()
{
new MyComboBoxItem() {Text = "Item1", Color = "Red"},
new MyComboBoxItem() {Text = "Item2", Color = "Green"},
new MyComboBoxItem() {Text = "Item3"},
};
private ObservableCollection<MyComboBoxItem> _activeUserControls;
public ObservableCollection<MyComboBoxItem> ActiveUserControls
{
get => _activeUserControls;
set { _activeUserControls = value; OnPropertyChanged(); }
}
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = this;
}
private void OnSelectionChanged(object sender, MyComboBoxSelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.MyComboBoxItem is MyComboBoxItem item)
{
if (ActiveUserControls == null)
{
ActiveUserControls = new ObservableCollection<MyComboBoxItem>();
}
ActiveUserControls.Add(item);
}
}
}
Now let's look at some changes we made to MyUserControl. We've modified the combo box ItemsSource to point at a property, ItemsSource defined in MyUserControl, and we also map the ItemTemplate to an ItemTemplate property in MyUserControl.
<UserControl x:Class="WpfApp1.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:WpfApp1"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="450"
d:DesignWidth="800">
<Grid>
<ComboBox Height="Auto"
ItemsSource="{Binding ItemsSource, RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type local:MyUserControl}}}"
ItemTemplate="{Binding ItemTemplate, RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type local:MyUserControl}}}"
SelectionChanged="OnSelectionChanged">
</ComboBox>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
Here's were we define those new properties in MyUserControl.cs.
public partial class MyUserControl : UserControl
{
public event MyComboBoxSelectionChangedEventHandler MyComboBoxSelectionChanged;
public MyUserControl()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty ItemsSourceProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("ItemsSource",
typeof(System.Collections.IEnumerable),
typeof(MyUserControl),
new PropertyMetadata(null));
public System.Collections.IEnumerable ItemsSource
{
get => GetValue(ItemsSourceProperty) as IEnumerable;
set => SetValue(ItemsSourceProperty, (IEnumerable)value);
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty ItemTemplateProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("ItemTemplate",
typeof(DataTemplate),
typeof(MyUserControl),
new PropertyMetadata(null));
public DataTemplate ItemTemplate
{
get => GetValue(ItemTemplateProperty) as DataTemplate;
set => SetValue(ItemTemplateProperty, (DataTemplate)value);
}
private void OnSelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.AddedItems.Count > 0)
{
MyComboBoxSelectionChanged?.Invoke(this,
new MyComboBoxSelectionChangedEventArgs() {MyComboBoxItem = e.AddedItems[0]});
}
}
}
Let's look at how we bind to those in MainWindow.xaml:
<local:MyUserControl Width="140"
Height="32"
Grid.Row="0"
MyComboBoxSelectionChanged="OnSelectionChanged"
ItemsSource="{Binding MyComboBoxItems}"
ItemTemplate="{StaticResource ComboBoxItemDataTemplate}" />
So now we can bind our items directly and provide our own data template to specify how the combobox should display the item.
Finally, I want to replace the StackPanel with an ItemsControl. This is like a ListBox without scrolling or item selection support. In fact, ListBox is derived from ItemsControl. I also want to use a different user control in the list based on the value of the Color property. To do that, we define some data templates for each value in MainWindow.Xaml:
<DataTemplate x:Key="ComboBoxItemDataTemplate"
DataType="local:MyComboBoxItem">
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBlock Margin="4"
Text="{Binding Text}" />
<TextBlock Margin="4"
Text="{Binding Color}" />
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="GreenUserControlDataTemplate"
DataType="local:MyComboBoxItem">
<local:GreenUserControl DataContext="{Binding}" />
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="RedUserControlDataTemplate"
DataType="local:MyComboBoxItem">
<local:RedUserControl DataContext="{Binding}" />
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="UnspecifiedUserControlDataTemplate"
DataType="local:MyComboBoxItem">
<TextBlock Margin="4"
Text="{Binding Text}" />
</DataTemplate>
Here's RedUserControl. Green is the same with a different foreground color.
<UserControl x:Class="WpfApp1.RedUserControl"
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:WpfApp1"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="450"
d:DesignWidth="800">
<Grid Background="LightGray"
Margin="2">
<TextBlock Margin="4"
Foreground="DarkRed"
TextWrapping="Wrap"
Text="{Binding Text}"
FontSize="24"
FontWeight="Bold" />
</Grid>
</UserControl>
Now the trick is to use the right data template based on the color value. For that we create a DataTemplateSelector. This is called by WPF for each item to be displayed. We can examine the data context object a choose which data template to use:
public class UserControlDataTemplateSelector : DataTemplateSelector
{
public override DataTemplate SelectTemplate(object item, DependencyObject container)
{
if (container is FrameworkElement fe)
{
if (item is MyComboBoxItem cbItem)
{
if (cbItem.Color == "Red")
{
return fe.FindResource("RedUserControlDataTemplate") as DataTemplate;
}
if (cbItem.Color == "Green")
{
return fe.FindResource("GreenUserControlDataTemplate") as DataTemplate;
}
return fe.FindResource("UnspecifiedUserControlDataTemplate") as DataTemplate;
}
}
return null;
}
}
We create an instance of our data template selector in xaml in MainWindow.xaml:
<Window.Resources>
<local:UserControlDataTemplateSelector x:Key="UserControlDataTemplateSelector" />
...
Finally we replace our stack panel with an Items control:
<ItemsControl Grid.Row="1"
x:Name="MyUserControls"
ItemsSource="{Binding ActiveUserControls}"
ItemTemplateSelector="{StaticResource UserControlDataTemplateSelector}" />

TextBox Binding doesn't work when switching Tab in TabControl

I have a TextBox in a TabControl. If I edit the text in the box and then switch to another tab, the text is lost. If I change focus (via TAB key on keyboard) and then switch to another tab, the new text is set in my viewmodel.
Here is my code:
<Window x:Class="TabSwitchProblem.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">
<TabControl ItemsSource="{Binding Pages}">
<TabControl.ContentTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBox Text="{Binding PageContent}" />
</DataTemplate>
</TabControl.ContentTemplate>
</TabControl>
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public ObservableCollection<PageViewModel> Pages
{
get { return (ObservableCollection<PageViewModel>)GetValue(PagesProperty); }
set { SetValue(PagesProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty PagesProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Pages", typeof(ObservableCollection<PageViewModel>), typeof(MainWindow), new PropertyMetadata(null));
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
Pages = new ObservableCollection<PageViewModel>();
Pages.Add(new PageViewModel());
Pages.Add(new PageViewModel());
DataContext = this;
}
}
public class PageViewModel : DependencyObject
{
public string PageContent
{
get { return (string)GetValue(PageContentProperty); }
set { SetValue(PageContentProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty PageContentProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("PageContent", typeof(string), typeof(PageViewModel), new PropertyMetadata(null));
}
How can I be sure to get the text updated in my viewmodel?
You may need to add UpdateSourceTrigger=LostFocus to the <TextBox Text="{Binding PageContent}" /> line.
Code should look like this
<TextBox Text="{Binding PageContent, UpdateSourceTrigger=LostFocus}" />
That should work.
You should set the UpdateSourceTrigger to PropertyChanged if you want your binding to update the target every time the value changes. By default the UpdateSourceTrigger for Text property of a TextBox is LostFocus, which updates the target only after the focus is lost.
<TextBox Text="{Binding PageContent, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
The previously accepted answer, although it works, involves changing the binding behavior of the textbox to UpdatesourceTrigger=PropertyChanged. This may not be acceptable for some usages of textbox or other input-accepting controls.
A simple fix for this is to manually set focus to another element on your control (or the tabcontrol itself) in code-behind on SelectionChanged of your TabControl. That way the currently focused input element actually loses focus, triggering the binding:
<TabControl x:Name="MyTabControl" SelectionChanged="MyTabControl_OnSelectionChanged">
private void MyTabControl_OnSelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
MyTabControl.Focus();
}

Custom usercontrol property binding failure silverlight

I have a custom usercontrol with DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource self}}"
On the code behind i've made a dependency property like:
public static DependencyProperty ElementNameProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("ElementName",
typeof(string),
typeof(ElementControl),
new PropertyMetadata(new PropertyChangedCallback((s, e) => { new Base().OnPropertyChanged("ElementName"); })));
public string ElementName
{
get
{
return (string)base.GetValue(ElementNameProperty);
}
set
{
base.SetValue(ElementNameProperty, value);
}
}
Now when I try to use this usercontrol in my mainpage.xaml and use the following binding: <test.TestControl ElementName="{Binding name}" />, it keeps searching for 'name' property in my custom usercontrol instead of where it should come from?
What am I doing wrong ?
It searches there because you have the DataContext set on the topmost level for your user control. What you would need to do is get rid of the relative binding to self in the user control and specify ElementName in bindings (inside user control). Btw you probably don't need OnPropertyChanged in the PropertyChangedCallback cause DependencyProperties in their nature notify about value changes.
I eventually solved it this way. Not the way I wanted, but it's a (in my eyes) pretty neat solution.
CustomUserControl.xaml
<UserControl x:Class="TestApp.Controls.CustomUserControl"
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"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Width="75"
Height="75">
<Canvas x:Name="LayoutRoot"
Background="Black">
<StackPanel Orientation="Vertical">
<Image x:Name="UCImage"
Width="50"
Height="50"
HorizontalAlignment="Center" />
<TextBlock x:Name="UCText"
HorizontalAlignment="Center" />
</StackPanel>
</Canvas>
</UserControl>
CustomUserControl.xaml.cs
public partial class ElementControl : UserControl
{
#region DependencyProperty ElementNameProperty
public static DependencyProperty ElementNameProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("ElementName",
typeof(string),
typeof(ElementControl),
new PropertyMetadata(new PropertyChangedCallback((s, e) =>
{
//See Here
((ElementControl)s).UCText.Text = e.NewValue as string;
})));
public string ElementName
{
get
{
return (string)base.GetValue(ElementNameProperty);
}
set
{
base.SetValue(ElementNameProperty, value);
}
}
#endregion
}

WPF checkbox binding

While it is trivial to store a checkbox's checked state in a variable using the checkbox's Click event, how would I do it via databinding? All the examples I have found have the UI updated from some datasource, or bind one control to another; I want to update a member variable when the checkbox is clicked.
TIA for any pointers...
You must make your binding bidirectional :
<checkbox IsChecked="{Binding Path=MyProperty, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
You need a dependency property for this:
public BindingList<User> Users
{
get { return (BindingList<User>)GetValue(UsersProperty); }
set { SetValue(UsersProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty UsersProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Users", typeof(BindingList<User>),
typeof(OptionsDialog));
Once that is done, you bind the checkbox to the dependency property:
<CheckBox x:Name="myCheckBox"
IsChecked="{Binding ElementName=window1, Path=CheckBoxIsChecked}" />
For that to work you have to name your Window or UserControl in its openning tag, and use that name in the ElementName parameter.
With this code, whenever you change the property on the code side, you will change the textbox. Also, whenever you check/uncheck the textbox, the Dependency Property will change too.
EDIT:
An easy way to create a dependency property is typing the snippet propdp, which will give you the general code for Dependency Properties.
All the code:
XAML:
<Window x:Class="StackOverflowTests.Window1"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="Window1" x:Name="window1" Height="300" Width="300">
<Grid>
<StackPanel Orientation="Vertical">
<CheckBox Margin="10"
x:Name="myCheckBox"
IsChecked="{Binding ElementName=window1, Path=IsCheckBoxChecked}">
Bound CheckBox
</CheckBox>
<Label Content="{Binding ElementName=window1, Path=IsCheckBoxChecked}"
ContentStringFormat="Is checkbox checked? {0}" />
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
</Window>
C#:
using System.Windows;
namespace StackOverflowTests
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for Window1.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class Window1 : Window
{
public bool IsCheckBoxChecked
{
get { return (bool)GetValue(IsCheckBoxCheckedProperty); }
set { SetValue(IsCheckBoxCheckedProperty, value); }
}
// Using a DependencyProperty as the backing store for
//IsCheckBoxChecked. This enables animation, styling, binding, etc...
public static readonly DependencyProperty IsCheckBoxCheckedProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("IsCheckBoxChecked", typeof(bool),
typeof(Window1), new UIPropertyMetadata(false));
public Window1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
}
}
Notice how the only code behind is the Dependency Property. Both the label and the checkbox are bound to it. If the checkbox changes, the label changes too.
Hello this is my first time posting so please be patient:
my answer was to create a simple property:
public bool Checked { get; set; }
Then to set the data context of the Checkbox (called cb1):
cb1.DataContext = this;
Then to bind the IsChecked proerty of it in the xaml
IsChecked="{Binding Checked}"
The code is like this:
XAML
<CheckBox x:Name="cb1"
HorizontalAlignment="Left"
Margin="439,81,0,0"
VerticalAlignment="Top"
Height="35" Width="96"
IsChecked="{Binding Checked}"/>
Code behind
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public bool Checked { get; set; }
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
cb1.DataContext = this;
}
private void myyButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
MessageBox.Show(Checked.ToString());
}
}
Should be easier than that. Just use:
<Checkbox IsChecked="{Binding Path=myVar, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
if you have the property "MyProperty" on your data-class, then you bind the IsChecked like this.... (the converter is optional, but sometimes you need that)
<Window.Resources>
<local:MyBoolConverter x:Key="MyBoolConverterKey"/>
</Window.Resources>
<checkbox IsChecked="{Binding Path=MyProperty, Converter={StaticResource MyBoolConverterKey}}"/>
This works for me (essential code only included, fill more for your needs):
In XAML a user control is defined:
<UserControl x:Class="Mockup.TestTab" ......>
<!-- a checkbox somewhere within the control -->
<!-- IsChecked is bound to Property C1 of the DataContext -->
<CheckBox Content="CheckBox 1" IsChecked="{Binding C1, Mode=TwoWay}" />
</UserControl>
In code behind for UserControl
public partial class TestTab : UserControl
{
public TestTab()
{
InitializeComponent(); // the standard bit
// then we set the DataContex of TestTab Control to a MyViewModel object
// this MyViewModel object becomes the DataContext for all controls
// within TestTab ... including our CheckBox
DataContext = new MyViewModel(....);
}
}
Somewhere in solution class MyViewModel is defined
public class MyViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private bool m_c1 = true;
public bool C1 {
get { return m_c1; }
set {
if (m_c1 != value) {
m_c1 = value;
if (PropertyChanged != null)
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs("C1"));
}
}
}
}
No backend and ViewModel Code:
I made such check box to control other control's visibility.
<CheckBox x:Name="rulerCheckbox" Content="Is Ruler Visible" IsChecked="True"/>
and in the other control, I added such binding:
Visibility="{Binding IsChecked, ElementName=rulerCheckbox, Mode=TwoWay, Converter={StaticResource BoolVisConverter}}">

Access codebehind variable in XAML

How can I access the public variable which in Sample.xaml.cs file like asp.net <%=VariableName%>?
There are a few ways to do this.
Add your variable as a resource from codebehind:
myWindow.Resources.Add("myResourceKey", myVariable);
Then you can access it from XAML:
<TextBlock Text="{StaticResource myResourceKey}"/>
If you have to add it after the XAML gets parsed, you can use a DynamicResource above instead of StaticResource.
Make the variable a property of something in your XAML. Usually this works through the DataContext:
myWindow.DataContext = myVariable;
or
myWindow.MyProperty = myVariable;
After this, anything in your XAML can access it through a Binding:
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=PropertyOfMyVariable}"/>
or
<TextBlock Text="{Binding ElementName=myWindow, Path=MyProperty}"/>
For binding, if DataContext is not in use, you can simply add this to the constructor of the code behind:
this.DataContext = this;
Using this, every property in the code becomes accessible to binding:
<TextBlock Text="{Binding PropertyName}"/>
Another way is to just give a name to the root element of the XAML:
x:Name="root"
Since the XAML is compiled as a partial class of the code-behind, we can access every property by name:
<TextBlock Text="{Binding ElementName="root" Path=PropertyName}"/>
Note: access is only available to properties; not to fields. set; and get; or {Binding Mode = OneWay} are necessary. If OneWay binding is used, the underlying data should implement INotifyPropertyChanged.
For quick-and-dirty Windows in WPF, I prefer binding the DataContext of the Window to the window itself; this can all be done in XAML.
Window1.xaml
<Window x:Class="WpfApplication1.Window1"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource self}}"
Title="Window1" Height="300" Width="300">
<StackPanel>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=MyProperty1}" />
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=MyProperty2}" />
<Button Content="Set Property Values" Click="Button_Click" />
</StackPanel>
</Window>
Window1.xaml.cs
public partial class Window1 : Window
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty MyProperty2Property =
DependencyProperty.Register("MyProperty2", typeof(string), typeof(Window1), new UIPropertyMetadata(string.Empty));
public static readonly DependencyProperty MyProperty1Property =
DependencyProperty.Register("MyProperty1", typeof(string), typeof(Window1), new UIPropertyMetadata(string.Empty));
public Window1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public string MyProperty1
{
get { return (string)GetValue(MyProperty1Property); }
set { SetValue(MyProperty1Property, value); }
}
public string MyProperty2
{
get { return (string)GetValue(MyProperty2Property); }
set { SetValue(MyProperty2Property, value); }
}
private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
// Set MyProperty1 and 2
this.MyProperty1 = "Hello";
this.MyProperty2 = "World";
}
}
In the above example, note the binding used in the DataContext property on the Window, this says "Set your data context to yourself". The two text blocks are bound to MyProperty1 and MyProperty2, the event handler for the button will set these values, which will automatically propagate to the Text property of the two TextBlocks as the properties are Dependency Properties.
It is also worth noting that a 'Binding' can only be set on a DependencyProperty of a DependencyObject. If you want to set a non DependencyProperty (eg. a normal property) on an object in XAML, then you will have to use Robert's first method of using resources in the code behind.
myWindow.xaml
<Window
...
<TextBlock Text="{ Binding Path=testString }" />
</Window>
myWindow.xaml.cs
public partial class myWindow: Window
{
public string testString { get; set; } = "This is a test string";
public myWindow()
{
DataContext = this;
InitializeComponent();
}
}
Important
Set Datacontext
testString MUST be public
testString MUST be a property (have a get and set)

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