WPF: Get Property that a control is Bound to in code behind - c#

I am trying to find a way to get the Property to which a control is bound (in c#).
If I have the following:
<dxe:ComboBoxEdit DisplayMember="Name" ItemsSource="{Binding Path=NameOptions, Mode=OneTime}" SelectedItem="{Binding Path=Name, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
I am now trying to get the location to which the SelectedItem is bound to, i.e. the result should be "Name". Then in code I need to do some stuff with that ViewModel Property. Issue is that I can't just hard code this as it is a generic method that needs to work with each control on the form.
Thanks,
Richard

I think this should do it:
BindingExpression be = BindingOperations.GetBindingExpression((FrameworkElement)yourComboBox, ((DependencyProperty)Button.SelectedItemProperty));
string Name = be.ParentBinding.Path.Path;
To give credit where it's due.

Have a look into using BindingExpression
IE:
var bindingExpression = this.myComboBox.GetBindingExpression(ComboBox.SelectedItem);
string bindingPath = bindingExpression.ParentBinding.Path.Path
I see you're using a DXE ComboBox instead of a standard - expecting it derives from a normal .NET control object, you should still have this functionality.

Related

WPF - TextBox not binding properly when set to readonly

I have TextBox that I'm using to add (only to add and not read) file path into DB. Text property is set when user selects certain file (OpenFileDialog). So, I set it in readonly state and it won't bind properly. When I remove readonly it works fine.
<Button Name="btnAddFile" Content="+" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Width="23" Height="23" Click="AddFilePath"/>
<TextBox Name="tbxFilePath" Height="23" Text="{Binding FilePath}" Width="364" IsReadOnly="True"/>
When I use:
Text="{Binding FilePath, Mode=OneWayToSource}"
it sometimes work but most of the time it doesn't (?!). I could use TextBlock or Label but I would really like to understand what is going on and use TextBox.
I'm using Entity Framework but don't think it does matter.
Question: How can I programmatically add text to TextBox control which is readonly and be able to bind it.
EDIT: I figured out what the problem is. When I set focus on TextBox after I set it's Text property from code-behind, it works. I guess it has to notify that Text is changed when I do it from code-behind. How to do that?
Have you tried using OneWay Binding?
MSDN reads:
OneWay Updates the binding target (target) property when the binding source (source) changes. This type of binding is appropriate if the control being bound is implicitly read-only.
Which I think covers your scenario.
The target is your TextBox Text property and your source is your FilePath property on your ViewModel.
Use:
Text="{Binding FilePath, Mode=OneWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"
EDIT
This answer assumes you have implemented INotifyPropertyChanged on your ViewModel.
EDIT
The correct binding mode is OneWayToSource. Confirmed by OP.

Failing to successfully expose my ViewModel data to my View for XAML binding

I'm building a Windows Universal app and trying to expose data from my ViewModel to my View so that I can bind it to XAML elements. I have completely commented out all of my code at this point and am just writing lines of test code to try and get it to work, that is what is in the examples below. Binding directly from the View (if I create an object there as a test) does work.
Please help me to understand where I am going wrong, I think I've read every binding tutorial on the internet and still just don't get it.
View (MainPage.xaml.cs):
public MainPage()
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = new MainViewModel();
}
ViewModel (MainViewModel.cs):
public class MainViewModel
{
public Term newTerm = new Term
{
TermName = "Table",
TermDescription = "You eat dinner on it"
};
}
XAML (MainPage.xaml):
<StackPanel DataContext="{Binding newTerm}" x:Name="mvvmStack" Orientation="Vertical">
<TextBlock x:Name="mvvmTermName" Text="{Binding TermName, FallbackValue='Fallingback'}" />
<TextBlock x:Name="mvvmDescription" Text="{Binding TermDescription, FallbackValue='Fallingback', TargetNullValue='Unknown'}" />
</StackPanel>
The error I get is:
Error: BindingExpression path error: 'newTerm' property not found on ''. BindingExpression: Path='newTerm' DataItem=''; target element is 'Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.StackPanel' (Name='mvvmStack'); target property is 'DataContext' (type 'Object')
I have read about this type of error and although I have some idea of what it is trying to say I cannot work out how to fix it. I'm very much a complete beginner with coding, especially C# so please take that into account when answering :-)
Just try to change it from field to a property and it will be working correctly. You can't bind to fields.
EDIT:
private Term _term;
public Term NewTerm{
get{return _term;}
set
{
_term= value;
OnPropertyChanged("Term");
}
}
if you need to add notify the view of changes in the viewmodel you need to implement INotifyPropertyChanged.
check this answer it will provide an example for property changed. https://stackoverflow.com/a/27685925/1448382
If you want to bind the view to sub properties, you have two options depending on the situation:
1- Relative Binding: this scenario is used when you will not modify the properties inside the Term object from the ViewModel i.e. they will be just initialized in the viewmodel and can be modified in the view, just like the way you are doing it. Plesae note, that anything you need to bind to should be a property and not a field.
2- Binding to Viewmodel directly: this scenario is used when you will modify the properties inside the Term object from the Viewmodel after the view load. This way you will need to add properties to the viewmodel for the properties TermName and TermDescription.
public string TermName{
get{return NewTerm.Name;}
set{NewTerm.Name = value;
OnPropertyChanged("TermName");
}//The same is applied for TermDescription
But be aware that you will need to remove the binding on the Stackpanel object since you have defined the properties directly in the Viewmodel.
Try something like that:
<Page.Resources>
<viewModels:MainViewModel x:Key="MainViewModel" />
</Page.Resources>
And then:
<StackPanel x:Name="mvvmStack" Orientation="Vertical">
<TextBlock x:Name="mvvmTermName" Text="{Binding newTerm.TermName, Source={StaticResource MainViewModel} FallbackValue='Fallingback'}" />
<TextBlock x:Name="mvvmDescription" Text="{Binding newTerm.TermDescription, Source={StaticResource MainViewModel} FallbackValue='Fallingback', TargetNullValue='Unknown'}" /></StackPanel>
Of cource newTerm should be an property with INotifyChanged

How to set DataContext to self

My UserControl requires binding to the ancestor (the ancestor being the MainWindow) and to itself (it's code behind).
To bind to the ancestor, I'm using
DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=FindAncestor, AncestorLevel=1,AncestorType=Window}}">
To bind a control to the code behind (and thus using the 'local' DataContext), I'm using
<TextBlock Text ="{Binding MyUC3Property}" Name="MyName" />
and in the code behind, setting it like
this.MyName.DataContext = this;
The above works fine, where I can bind to the codebehind and to the ancestor.
Now, I still want to bind to the code behind and the ancestor but set the DataContext in the XAML only (if possible).
I've tried
<TextBlock Text ="{Binding MyUC3Property}" DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=Self}}" />
and ensured the constructor does not set the DataContext (since I want it all done in the XAML) - (although even if I do set this.DataContext = this; the error persists)
and the output window tells me there is a binding error.
System.Windows.Data Error: 40 : BindingExpression path error: 'MyUC3Property' property not found on 'object' ''TextBlock' (Name='')'. BindingExpression:Path=MyUC3Property; DataItem='TextBlock' (Name=''); target element is 'TextBlock' (Name=''); target property is 'Text' (type 'String')
I guess I'm missing something obvious, but I can't tell what.
You should be able to bind to the user control the same way as you do to the window:
DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=FindAncestor, AncestorLevel=1,AncestorType=UserControl}}">
What you have tried was referring to the relative source Self from the TextBox. However, in that context, Self refers to the TextBox, not to the enclosing user control.
for usercontrols you should never set the datacontext to self. check to comment from H.B. from here
i use ElementName Binding
<UserControl x:Name="uc">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding ElementName=uc, Path=MyDependencyPropertyDefinedInMyUserControl}"/>
using the usercontrol:
<Window>
<MyUserControl MyDependencyPropertyDefinedInMyUserControl="{Binding Path=MyValueForTheTextBox}"/>
i try to explain it a little bit for your textbox case (ignor my poor english btw :))
if you want create a usercontrol with a textbox and this usercontrol/textbox should show the text from differrent viewmodels in different views - then you have a problem as far as the viewmodels have different propertynames. now the dependency property in your usercontrol come into the game. you create a DP where all your viewmodels can bind to and you bind your textbox within your usercontrol just to the DP from your usercontrol.
First thing is that you should probably push your parent DataContext to the lower levels. This will give you "God" ViewMode shared between all nested screens.
Second is that you should probably use something like MVVMLights Messanger to have cleaner separation.

DisplayMemberPath Behavior

I was wandering if someone can explain to me how the Dependency Property DisplayMemberPath works?
I am trying to create Custom ItemsControl that has property like DisplayMemberPath of a ComboBox, in otherwords after setting the ItemsSource I want to be able to specify the Property to Display.
At the moment if I do somthing like:
<cc:MyControl ... DisplayMemberPath="MyObjectDescription" ... >
(Yes I have overridden the DisplayMemberPath, its besides the point).
It displays a list of items, but they each Display "MyObjectDescription", instead of the value that that Property holds for each object in the ItemsSource.
And I believe its because I am missing something in regards to how DisplayMemberPath Property works.
Thanks All. :)
There are two types of DisplayMemberPath. One that supports Binding and one where you have to set a string value. In your case as I can see you wish to implement the second one. To do so create a property inside your custom control of type string and name it DisplayMemberPath. Override the methode OnInitialized in your container with your custom logic where you tell the container to manipulate the path of the binding to DataContext by changing binding's path to the string value as you specified in DisplayMemeberPath. WPF calls OnInitalized once any control is completely initalized but before its about to get rendered. I hope this helps you any futher.
I'm assuming your control is like MyControl and MyControlItem like ListBox and ListBoxItem.
You can access the DisplayMemberPath of MyControl when the MyControlItem is being created and use it to get the data from the DataContext.
Bit late to party, but maybe other could be helped
If your purpose is barely to use Itemscontrol over ListBox/View, you may consider to define the Datatemplate for the itemscontrol's Items instead of packing this in a Usercontrol:
<ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding myObjectCollection}">
<ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding myObjectProp}"/> (or whatever...)
</DataTemplate>
</ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
</ItemsControl>

How can I bind a xaml property to a static variable in another class?

I have this xaml file in which I try to bind a Text-block Background to a static variable in another class, how can I achieve this ?
I know this might be silly but I just moved from Win-forms and feeling a little bit lost.
here is what I mean:
<TextBlock Text="some text"
TextWrapping="WrapWithOverflow"
Background="{Binding Path=SomeVariable}" />
First of all you can't bind to variable. You can bind only to properties from XAML.
For binding to static property you can do in this way (say you want to bind Text property of TextBlock) -
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Source={x:Static local:YourClassName.PropertyName}}"/>
where local is namespace where your class resides which you need to declare above in xaml file like this -
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:YourNameSpace"
You can't actually bind to a static property (INotifyPropertyChanged makes sense on instances only), so this should be enough...
{x:Static my:MyTestStaticClass.MyProperty}
or e.g.
<TextBox Text="{x:Static my:MyTestStaticClass.MyProperty}" Width="500" Height="100" />
make sure you include the namespace - i.e. define the my in the XAML like xmlns:my="clr-namespace:MyNamespace"
EDIT: binding from code
(There're some mixed answers on this part so I thought it made sense to expand, have it in one place)
OneTime binding:
You could just use textBlock.Text = MyStaticClass.Left (just careful where you place that, post-init)
TwoWay (or OneWayToSource) binding:
Binding binding = new Binding();
//binding.Source = typeof(MyStaticClass);
// System.InvalidOperationException: 'Binding.StaticSource cannot be set while using Binding.Source.'
binding.Path = new PropertyPath(typeof(MyStaticClass).GetProperty(nameof(MyStaticClass.Left)));
binding.Mode = BindingMode.TwoWay;
binding.UpdateSourceTrigger = UpdateSourceTrigger.PropertyChanged;
this.SetBinding(Window.LeftProperty, binding);
...of course if you're setting Binding from the code remove any bindings in XAML.
OneWay (property changes from the source):
And if you'd need to update the target (i.e. the control's property, Window.Left in this case) on the source property changes, that can't be achieved with the static class (as per my comment above, you'd need the INotifyPropertyChanged implemented, so you could just use a wrapper class, implement INotifyPropertyChanged and wire that to a static property of your interest (providing you know how to track you static property's changes, i.e. this is more of a 'design' issue from this point on, I'd suggest redesigning and putting it all within one 'non-static' class).
You can use the newer x:Bind to do this simply using:
<TextBlock Text="{x:Bind YourClassName.PropertyName}"/>

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