How to pop to root - wpf

I am writing a WPF application with MvvmCross. I have a custom view presenter that I want to use so that I can pop multiple view models in 1 shot. Here is my view presenter:
public class ViewPresenter : MvxWpfViewPresenter
{
ContentControl _contentControl;
Type _currentViewModelType;
IMvxViewModel _rootViewModel;
public ViewPresenter(ContentControl c) : base(c)
{
_contentControl = c;
AddPresentationHintHandler<SetRootHint>(SetRootHintHandler);
AddPresentationHintHandler<PopToRootHint>(PopToRootHintHandler);
}
protected override void ShowContentView(FrameworkElement element, MvxContentPresentationAttribute attribute, MvxViewModelRequest request)
{
base.ShowContentView(element, attribute, request);
_currentViewModelType = request.ViewModelType;
}
private bool SetRootHintHandler(SetRootHint hint)
{
_rootViewModel = hint.CurrentViewModel;
return true;
}
private bool PopToRootHintHandler(PopToRootHint hint)
{
// How to pop all the way down to _rootViewModel ?
return true;
}
}
How can I pop all the way back to _rootViewModel? Is there a better way of popping back multiple view models in one shot?

I ended up writing a helper class that keeps a reference of all the view models, as well as the one you set as the Root. And then I can just call my PopToRoot method.
public class NavigationStack
{
private readonly List<IMvxViewModel> _stack;
public IMvxViewModel Root { get; set; }
public NavigationStack()
{
_stack = new List<IMvxViewModel>();
}
public void AddToStack(IMvxViewModel viewModel)
{
_stack.Add(viewModel);
}
public async Task PopToRoot(IMvxNavigationService navigationService)
{
if (Root == null)
{
throw new Exception("Can not pop to root because Root is null.");
}
else
{
_stack.Reverse();
foreach (var v in _stack)
{
if (v != Root)
{
await navigationService.Close(v);
}
else
{
break;
}
}
_stack.Clear();
}
}
}
It works, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea since I'm keeping a reference to all the IMvxViewModel in my app, and closing them one after another...does anyone know if this code can cause any problems in the framework?

Related

where doese breeze fits into ntier architecture

i am Trying to fit in breezeJS with my existing architecture. I have a structure like
html/JS/Angular :: based view using hot-towel angular.
web api controllers :: whom the view calls.
Services layer :: that is being called from Web api. Any business logic goes here.
Unit of Work :: And (if) business logic requires to talk to data base for CRUDs it calls UOW.
Repository Pattern :: UOW is actually wrapping repositories. and repositores in turn talking to DbContexts.
Uptill now i was able to conver normal repositories implementation into the one using
public EFContextProvider<MyContext> DbContext { get; set; }
instead of just DbContext and i am also exposing MetaData using a string property with in UOW and IQueryables are returned using DbContext.Context.SomeEntity
Question 1 : Am i on right track ??
Question 2 : Most of the breeze examples are suggesting one SaveChanges method that give you all the entities that were changed and it will persist it at once. What if i want to trigger some business logic before Add,Update and Delete. i want to call me AddSomething service method and want to have a particular type of entity being sent to AddSomething and run some business logic before persistence. How can i put it together.
my code looksl ike
[BreezeController]//This is the controller
public class BreezeController : ApiController
{
private readonly ISomeService someService;
public BreezeController(ISomeService someService)
{
this.someService = someService;
}
// ~/breeze/todos/Metadata
[HttpGet]
public string Metadata()
{
return someService.MetaData();
}
// ~/breeze/todos/Todos
// ~/breeze/todos/Todos?$filter=IsArchived eq false&$orderby=CreatedAt
[HttpGet]
public IQueryable<Node> Nodes()
{
return nodesService.GetAllNodes().AsQueryable();
}
// ~/breeze/todos/SaveChanges
//[HttpPost]
//public SaveResult SaveChanges(JObject saveBundle)
//{
// return _contextProvider.SaveChanges(saveBundle);
//}
Below is the service
public class SomeService : BaseService, ISomeService
{
private readonly IUow Uow;
public SomeService(IUow Uow)
: base(Uow)
{
this.Uow = Uow;
}
public IEnumerable<Something> GetAllNodes()
{
return Uow.Somethings.GetAll();
}
}
every service can expose one property through base. that is actually the meta data
public class BaseService : IBaseService
{
private readonly IUow Uow;
public BaseService(IUow Uow)
{
this.Uow = Uow;
}
public string MetaData()
{
return Uow.MetaData;
}
}
and the my UOW looks like
public class VNUow : IUow, IDisposable
{
public VNUow(IRepositoryProvider repositoryProvider)
{
CreateDbContext();
repositoryProvider.DbContext = DbContext;
RepositoryProvider = repositoryProvider;
}
// Code Camper repositories
public IRepository<Something> NodeGroup { get { return GetStandardRepo<Something>(); } }
} }
public IRepository<Node> Nodes { get { return GetStandardRepo<Node>(); } }
/// <summary>
/// Save pending changes to the database
/// </summary>
public void Commit()
{
//System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("Committed");
DbContext.Context.SaveChanges();
}
public string MetaData // the Name property
{
get
{
return DbContext.Metadata();
}
}
protected void CreateDbContext()
{
// DbContext = new VNContext();
DbContext = new EFContextProvider<VNContext>();
// Load navigation properties always if it is true
DbContext.Context.Configuration.LazyLoadingEnabled = false;
// Do NOT enable proxied entities, else serialization fails
DbContext.Context.Configuration.ProxyCreationEnabled = true;
// Because Web API will perform validation, we don't need/want EF to do so
DbContext.Context.Configuration.ValidateOnSaveEnabled = false;
//DbContext.Configuration.AutoDetectChangesEnabled = false;
// We won't use this performance tweak because we don't need
// the extra performance and, when autodetect is false,
// we'd have to be careful. We're not being that careful.
}
protected IRepositoryProvider RepositoryProvider { get; set; }
private IRepository<T> GetStandardRepo<T>() where T : class
{
return RepositoryProvider.GetRepositoryForEntityType<T>();
}
private T GetRepo<T>() where T : class
{
return RepositoryProvider.GetRepository<T>();
}
private EFContextProvider<VNContext> DbContext { get; set; }
#region IDisposable
public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
if (disposing)
{
if (DbContext != null)
{
DbContext.Context.Dispose();
}
}
}
#endregion
}
in the end Repository Implementaion looks like
public class EFRepository<T> : IRepository<T> where T : class
{
public EFRepository(EFContextProvider<VNContext> dbContext)
{
if (dbContext == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("dbContext");
DbContext = dbContext;
DbSet = DbContext.Context.Set<T>();
}
protected EFContextProvider<VNContext> DbContext { get; set; }
protected DbSet<T> DbSet { get; set; }
public virtual IQueryable<T> GetAll()
{
return DbSet;
}
public virtual IQueryable<T> GetAllEagerLoad(params Expression<Func<T, object>>[] children)
{
children.ToList().ForEach(x => DbSet.Include(x).Load());
return DbSet;
}
public virtual IQueryable<T> GetAllEagerLoadSelective(string[] children)
{
foreach (var item in children)
{
DbSet.Include(item);
}
return DbSet;
}
public virtual IQueryable<T> GetAllLazyLoad()
{
return DbSet;
}
public virtual T GetById(int id)
{
//return DbSet.FirstOrDefault(PredicateBuilder.GetByIdPredicate<T>(id));
return DbSet.Find(id);
}
public virtual T GetByIdLazyLoad(int id, params Expression<Func<T, object>>[] children)
{
children.ToList().ForEach(x => DbSet.Include(x).Load());
return DbSet.Find(id);
}
public virtual void Add(T entity)
{
DbEntityEntry dbEntityEntry = DbContext.Context.Entry(entity);
if (dbEntityEntry.State != EntityState.Detached)
{
dbEntityEntry.State = EntityState.Added;
}
else
{
DbSet.Add(entity);
}
}
public virtual void Update(T entity)
{
DbEntityEntry dbEntityEntry = DbContext.Context.Entry(entity);
if (dbEntityEntry.State == EntityState.Detached)
{
DbSet.Attach(entity);
}
dbEntityEntry.State = EntityState.Modified;
}
public virtual void Delete(T entity)
{
DbEntityEntry dbEntityEntry = DbContext.Context.Entry(entity);
if (dbEntityEntry.State != EntityState.Deleted)
{
dbEntityEntry.State = EntityState.Deleted;
}
else
{
DbSet.Attach(entity);
DbSet.Remove(entity);
}
}
public virtual void Delete(int id)
{
var entity = GetById(id);
if (entity == null) return; // not found; assume already deleted.
Delete(entity);
}
}
Much of this question is broad question and answers will be primarily opinion based... that said, here's my two cents: keep it simple. Carefully consider whether you truly need 3, 4 and 5, especially whether you need to implement UoW or the Repository Pattern yourself. The EF DbContext implements both, you could use it in your controllers directly if you wanted.
If you have custom logic that needs to execute prior to savechanges utilize one of the interceptor methods: BeforeSaveEntity or BeforeSaveEntites. Here's the documentation for those methods:
http://www.getbreezenow.com/documentation/contextprovider#BeforeSaveEntity
Breeze supports "Named saves" where you specify the name of the specific server endpoint ( i.e. your service method) on a per save basis. See:
http://www.getbreezenow.com/documentation/saving-changes
This would look something like this on your client.
var saveOptions = new SaveOptions({ resourceName: "CustomSave1" });
em.saveChanges(entitiesToSave, saveOptions).then(function (saveResult) {
// .. do something interesting.
}
and on your server
[HttpPost]
public SaveResult CustomSave1(JObject saveBundle) {
ContextProvider.BeforeSaveEntityDelegate = CustomSave1Interceptor;
return ContextProvider.SaveChanges(saveBundle);
}
private Dictionary<Type, List<EntityInfo>> CustomSave1Interceptor(Dictionary<Type, List<EntityInfo>> saveMap) {
// In this method you can
// 1) validate entities in the saveMap and optionally throw an exception
// 2) update any of the entities in the saveMap
// 3) add new entities to the saveMap
// 4) delete entities from the save map.
// For example
List<EntityInfo> fooInfos;
if (!saveMap.TryGetValue(typeof(Foo), out fooEntities)) {
// modify or delete any of the fooEntites
// or add new entityInfo instances to the fooEntities list.
}
}

Store custom class instance in IsolatedStorage in Silverlight

I need to store different objects in IsolatedStorage and i'm using IsolatedStorageSettings class to do that. Some of that objects are base types so stored and retrieved well. But some of them are custom classes instances and they stored well, but when i try to retrieve them i get instances with the initial values.
How can i store custom classes instances in IsolatedStorage and retrieve them?
Phil Sandler, i guess so. but i don't know what type of serialization use isolated storage, so i don't know how to make my class serializable. Private fields also must be stored.
Here is the code of custom class:
public class ExtentHistory : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private const int Capacity = 20;
private List<Envelope> _extents;
private int _currentPosition;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public int ItemsCount
{
get { return _extents.Count; }
}
public bool CanStepBack
{
get { return _currentPosition > 0; }
}
public bool CanStepForward
{
get { return _currentPosition < _extents.Count - 1; }
}
public Envelope CurrentExtent
{
get { return (_extents.Count > 0) ? _extents[_currentPosition] : null; }
}
public ExtentHistory()
{
_extents = new List<Envelope>();
_currentPosition = -1;
}
public void Add(Envelope extent)
{
if (_extents.Count > Capacity)
{
_extents.RemoveAt(0);
_currentPosition--;
}
_currentPosition++;
while (_extents.Count > _currentPosition)
{
_extents.RemoveAt(_currentPosition);
}
_extents.Add(extent);
}
public void StepBack()
{
if (CanStepBack)
{
_currentPosition--;
NotifyPropertyChanged("CurrentExtent");
}
}
public void StepForward()
{
if (CanStepForward)
{
_currentPosition++;
NotifyPropertyChanged("CurrentExtent");
}
}
private void NotifyPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
}
And here are the functions of storing and retrieving:
private IsolatedStorageSettings _storage;
public void Store(string key, object value)
{
if (!_storage.Contains(key))
{
_storage.Add(key, value);
}
else
{
_storage[key] = value;
}
}
public object Retrieve(string key)
{
return _storage.Contains(key) ? _storage[key] : null;
}
I don't want to serialize manually every object to add, i want to make custom class serializable by default to store it in isolated storage (if it's possible)
My inital guess would be a serialization problem. Do all your properties have public setters? Post the classes you are storing and the code you are using to store them.
I believe IsolatedStorageSettings uses the DataContractSerializer by default. If you want ExtentHistory to be serialized, you should read up on what you need to do to get it to work properly with this serializer:
DataContractSerializer Class
You might create a separate object strictly for the purpose of storing the data in Isolated storage (sort of like a DTO). This will allow you to keep ExtentHistory as-is.

Caliburn Entity DataBinding Funniness

I have a Silverlight application that I am currently working that implements Caliburn.Micro for its MVVM framework. Things are working fine but I am noticing some funniness in some of the binding. What I have is a ShellViewModel and a ShellView that handle the navigation for the application. The ShellViewModel has a list of the loaded ViewModels for the application. The ShellViewModel inherits from Conductor so that it can handle all the activation and deactivation.
I also have a type of ViewModel base class called BaseConductorViewModel that also inherits from Conductor. This is for ViewModel’s that are basically Master-Detail views. For these BaseConductorViewModels I have a BindableCollection called Items. The idea being to bind this collection to a ListBox or other ItemsControl.
When I create an child of this ViewModel and an associated View I have noticed that the ListBox(in this case) only refreshes the binding when I change the ActiveItem at the ShellViewModel level. So when the application initially loads and this view is the default active view you won’t see anything in the list (I am calling Ria service to get the data for this list). But, if I click on another ViewModel on the ShellViewModel/ShellView and then click back it will show the items in the list. This also follows for adding items to the list or removing them. It won’t refresh unless I switch active views. This seems very odd to me and I can’t seem to figure out a way to get it bind as I would except. One more thing to note, when I am adding/removing items; I call the Refresh method, currently I am not using the NotifyOfPropertyChange method though I did try that previously to the same result.
Does anyone have any ideas of what might be going on here? Or any ideas on how I could go about trying to debug this?
Thank you in advance!
Here is the ShellViewModel
public abstract class ShellViewModel<V,M>:Conductor<IViewModel<V, M>>.Collection.OneActive, IViewModelCatalogShell<V,M>
where V:IView
where M:IModel
{
#region Properties/Members
public ViewModelSelectedItemList<V, M> Catalog { get; set; }
#endregion
#region Constructors
public ShellViewModel()
{
Catalog = new ViewModelSelectedItemList<V, M>();
}
#endregion
}
And here is the BaseConductorViewModel
public abstract class BaseConductorViewModel<T,V,M>:Conductor<T>, IViewModel<V, M>
where V:IView
where M:IModel
{
#region Properties/Members
protected Guid _id=Guid.Empty;
public Guid Id
{
get{return _id;}
set
{
_id =value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Id");
}
}
protected string _name=string.Empty;
public string Name
{
get { return _name; }
set
{
_name = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Name");
}
}
public string TypeName
{
get
{
return this.GetType().FullName;
}
}
protected string _description = string.Empty;
public string Description
{
get { return _description; }
protected set
{
_description = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange(() => Description);
}
}
protected V _view;
public V View
{
get { return _view; }
set
{
_view = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange("View");
}
}
protected M _model;
public M Model
{
get { return _model; }
set
{
_model = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Model");
}
}
protected SelectedItemList<T> _items;
public SelectedItemList<T> Items
{
get { return _items; }
set
{
_items = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange(() => Items);
}
}
protected Guid _lastModifiedBy = Guid.Empty;
public Guid LastModifiedBy
{
get { return _lastModifiedBy; }
set
{
_lastModifiedBy = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange("LastModifiedBy");
}
}
protected DateTime _lastModifiedOn = DateTime.Today;
public DateTime LastModifiedOn
{
get { return _lastModifiedOn; }
set
{
_lastModifiedOn = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange("LastModifiedOn");
}
}
protected string _imageSource = string.Empty;
public string ImageSource
{
get { return _imageSource; }
protected set
{
_imageSource = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange("ImageSource");
}
}
#endregion
#region Constructors
public BaseConductorViewModel()
{
_items = new SelectedItemList<T>();
Items.SelectItemChanged += new SelectedItemChangedEvent(Items_SelectItemChanged);
Items.SelectedIndexChanged += new SelectedIndexChangedEvent(Items_SelectedIndexChanged);
LoadData();
}
public BaseConductorViewModel(V view, M model)
:this()
{
_items = new SelectedItemList<T>();
View = view;
Model = model;
Items.SelectItemChanged += new SelectedItemChangedEvent(Items_SelectItemChanged);
Items.SelectedIndexChanged += new SelectedIndexChangedEvent(Items_SelectedIndexChanged);
LoadData();
}
#endregion
#region Methods
public abstract void LoadData();
#endregion
#region Event Handlers
private void Items_SelectItemChanged()
{
ChangeActiveItem(Items.SelectedItem, true);
OnActiveItemChanged();
}
private void Items_SelectedIndexChanged(int index)
{
ChangeActiveItem(Items.SelectedItem, true);
OnActiveItemChanged();
}
#endregion
}
The ViewModelSelectedItemList is just a typed version of this class
public class SelectedItemList<T>:IObservableCollection<T>
{
#region Properties/Members
protected BindableCollection<T> _items = new BindableCollection<T>();
protected bool _isReadOnly = false;
protected bool _isNotifying = true;
public bool IsNotifying
{
get
{
return _isNotifying;
}
set
{
_isNotifying = value;
}
}
public int Count
{
get { return _items.Count; }
}
protected int _selectedIndex = -1;
public int SelectedIndex
{
get { return _selectedIndex; }
set
{
_selectedIndex = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange("SelectedIndex");
FireSelectedIndexChangedEvent(_selectedIndex);
}
}
public T SelectedItem
{
get
{ return _items[_selectedIndex]; }
set
{
_selectedIndex = _items.IndexOf(value);
NotifyOfPropertyChange("SelectedItem");
FireSelectedItemChangedEvent();
}
}
#endregion
#region Events
public event System.ComponentModel.PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public event System.Collections.Specialized.NotifyCollectionChangedEventHandler CollectionChanged;
public event SelectedIndexChangedEvent SelectedIndexChanged;
public event SelectedItemChangedEvent SelectItemChanged;
#endregion
#region Constructors
#endregion
#region Methods
public void AddRange(System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<T> items)
{
if (!_isReadOnly)
{
foreach (T item in items)
{
_items.Add(item);
}
if (_isNotifying)
{
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Count");
}
}
}
public void RemoveRange(System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable<T> items)
{
if (!_isReadOnly)
{
foreach (T item in items)
{
_items.Remove(item);
}
if (_isNotifying)
{
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Count");
}
}
}
public int IndexOf(T item)
{
return _items.IndexOf(item);
}
public void Insert(int index, T item)
{
if (!_isReadOnly)
{
_items.Insert(index, item);
if (_isNotifying)
{
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Count");
}
}
}
public void RemoveAt(int index)
{
if (!_isReadOnly)
{
_items.RemoveAt(index);
if (_isNotifying)
{
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Count");
}
}
}
public T this[int index]
{
get
{
return _items[index];
}
set
{
_items[index] = value;
}
}
public void Add(T item)
{
if (!_isReadOnly)
{
_items.Add(item);
if (_isNotifying)
{
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Count");
_items.Refresh();
}
if (_items.Count == 1)
{
SelectedIndex = 0;
}
}
}
public bool Remove(T item)
{
if (!_isReadOnly)
{
if (_isNotifying)
{
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Count");
}
return _items.Remove(item);
}
else
{
return false;
}
}
public void Clear()
{
_items.Clear();
}
public bool Contains(T item)
{
return _items.Contains(item);
}
public void CopyTo(T[] array, int arrayIndex)
{
if (!_isReadOnly)
{
_items.CopyTo(array, arrayIndex);
if (_isNotifying)
{
NotifyOfPropertyChange("Count");
}
}
}
public bool IsReadOnly
{
get { return _isReadOnly; }
}
public void Lock()
{
_isReadOnly = true;
}
public void Unlock()
{
_isReadOnly = false;
}
public System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerator<T> GetEnumerator()
{
return _items.GetEnumerator();
}
System.Collections.IEnumerator System.Collections.IEnumerable.GetEnumerator()
{
return _items.GetEnumerator();
}
public void NotifyOfPropertyChange(string propertyName)
{
FirePropertyChangedEvent(propertyName);
}
public void Refresh()
{
_items.Refresh();
}
#region Helper Methods
protected void FirePropertyChangedEvent(string propertyName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new System.ComponentModel.PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
protected void FireCollectionChangedEvent(NotifyCollectionChangedAction action)
{
if (CollectionChanged != null)
{
CollectionChanged(this, new System.Collections.Specialized.NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs(action));
}
}
protected void FireSelectedIndexChangedEvent(int index)
{
if (SelectedIndexChanged != null)
{
SelectedIndexChanged(index);
}
}
protected void FireSelectedItemChangedEvent()
{
if (SelectItemChanged != null)
{
SelectItemChanged();
}
}
#endregion
#endregion
}
Not sure if you're problem has something to do with this, from the docs:
Since all OOTB implementations of IConductor inherit from Screen it
means that they too have a lifecycle and that lifecycle cascades to
whatever items they are conducting. So, if a conductor is deactivated,
it’s ActiveItem will be deactivated as well. If you try to close a
conductor, it’s going to only be able to close if all of the items it
conducts can close. This turns out to be a very powerful feature.
There’s one aspect about this that I’ve noticed frequently trips up
developers. If you activate an item in a conductor that is itself not
active, that item won’t actually be activated until the conductor gets
activated. This makes sense when you think about it, but can
occasionally cause hair pulling.
edit:
I think I see what you're trying to do, a couple questions though:
Your ShellViewModel is
Conductor<IViewModel<V,M>>.Collection.OneActive, when is Catalog
activated? I'd think you'd want to add Catalog to Items, then
Activate it.
With the BaseConductorViewModel, it inherits from Conductor which
inherits from Screen, which gets a reference to it's view when it's
bound. I'm not sure what the View property you add is for.
CM can handle setting the selected item for you. So for a master
detail situation where you have an ItemsControl, CM will set the
SelectedItem and from that you can populate the detail.

How to best propagate change notifications upwards a hierarchical structure for binding?

If i have a folder-like structure that uses the composite design pattern and i bind the root folder to a TreeView. It would be quite useful if i can display certain properties that are being accumulated from the folder's contents. The question is, how do i best inform the folder that changes occurred in a child-element so that the accumulative properties get updated?
The context in which i need this is a small RSS-FeedReader i am trying to make. This are the most important objects and aspects of my model:
Composite interface:
public interface IFeedComposite : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
string Title { get; set; }
int UnreadFeedItemsCount { get; }
ObservableCollection<FeedItem> FeedItems { get; }
}
FeedComposite (aka Folder)
public class FeedComposite : BindableObject, IFeedComposite
{
private string title = "";
public string Title
{
get { return title; }
set
{
title = value;
NotifyPropertyChanged("Title");
}
}
private ObservableCollection<IFeedComposite> children = new ObservableCollection<IFeedComposite>();
public ObservableCollection<IFeedComposite> Children
{
get { return children; }
set
{
children.Clear();
foreach (IFeedComposite item in value)
{
children.Add(item);
}
NotifyPropertyChanged("Children");
}
}
public FeedComposite() { }
public FeedComposite(string title)
{
Title = title;
}
public ObservableCollection<FeedItem> FeedItems
{
get
{
ObservableCollection<FeedItem> feedItems = new ObservableCollection<FeedItem>();
foreach (IFeedComposite child in Children)
{
foreach (FeedItem item in child.FeedItems)
{
feedItems.Add(item);
}
}
return feedItems;
}
}
public int UnreadFeedItemsCount
{
get
{
return (from i in FeedItems
where i.IsUnread
select i).Count();
}
}
Feed:
public class Feed : BindableObject, IFeedComposite
{
private string url = "";
public string Url
{
get { return url; }
set
{
url = value;
NotifyPropertyChanged("Url");
}
}
...
private ObservableCollection<FeedItem> feedItems = new ObservableCollection<FeedItem>();
public ObservableCollection<FeedItem> FeedItems
{
get { return feedItems; }
set
{
feedItems.Clear();
foreach (FeedItem item in value)
{
AddFeedItem(item);
}
NotifyPropertyChanged("Items");
}
}
public int UnreadFeedItemsCount
{
get
{
return (from i in FeedItems
where i.IsUnread
select i).Count();
}
}
public Feed() { }
public Feed(string url)
{
Url = url;
}
Ok, so here is the thing, if i bind a TextBlock.Text to the UnreadFeedItemsCount there won't be simple notifications when an item is marked unread, so one of my approaches has been to handle the PropertyChanged event of every FeedItem and if the IsUnread-Property is changed i have my Feed make a notification that the property UnreadFeedItemsCount has been changed. With this approach i also need to handle all PropertyChanged events of all Feeds and FeedComposites in Children of FeedComposite, from the sound of it, it should be obvious that this is not such a very good idea, you need to be very careful that items never get added to or removed from any collection without having attached the PropertyChanged event handler first.
Also: What do i do with the CollectionChanged-Events which necessarily also cause a change in the sum of the unread items count? Sounds like more event handling fun.
It is such a mess; it would be great if anyone has an elegant solution to this since i do not want the feed-reader to end up as awful as my first attempt years ago when i did not even know about DataBinding...
Well I thought I'd give your question a go, to see what I would come up with. Its untested and its is kinda along the same lines as what you already had. The major difference I made is added methods to handle the add and removal of feeds which handle the event binding needed for it to work. Theres a bit of code so here goes,
I all my code is in a single file, youll need to modify slightly if you want in in separate files.
First the groovy extension method for the PropertyChangedEventHandler
You dont need to use it, but I like it alot.
public static class NotifyPropertyChangedExtention
{
public static void Raise<T, TP>(this PropertyChangedEventHandler pc, T source, Expression<Func<T, TP>> pe)
{
if (pc != null)
{
pc.Invoke(source, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(((MemberExpression)pe.Body).Member.Name));
}
}
}
Second the FeedItem minus the feed stuff :) I have a check to raise a change event only when the value actually changes. You can see the Raise extension method in use here, no strings lovely.
class FeedItem : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private bool _isUnread;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public bool IsUnread
{
get { return _isUnread; }
set
{
if (_isUnread != value)
{
_isUnread = value;
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.IsUnread);
}
}
}
}
Now the Interfaces, I made mine differ slightly, in that my folders can contain other folders as well as feeds.
internal interface IFeedComposite : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
string Title { get; set; }
int UnreadFeedItemsCount { get; }
}
internal interface IFeedFolder : IFeedComposite
{
ObservableCollection<IFeedFolder> FeedFolders { get; }
ObservableCollection<IFeed> Feeds { get; }
void AddFeed(IFeed newFeed);
void RemoveFeed(IFeed feedToRemove);
void AddFeedFolder(IFeedFolder newFeedFolder);
void RemoveFeedFolder(IFeedFolder feedFolderToRemove);
}
internal interface IFeed : IFeedComposite
{
ObservableCollection<FeedItem> FeedItems { get; }
void AddFeedItem(FeedItem newFeedItem);
void RemoveFeedItem(FeedItem feedItemToRemove);
}
Now the Feed Class, the AddFeedItem method hooks the property changed event for you, and if it is marked as unread, raises the property changed event for the count. You could overload this method, to accept a list of items, then once they have been added to the list, if any where unread, raise a single property changed event for them all.
class Feed : IFeed
{
private readonly ObservableCollection<FeedItem> _feedItems = new ObservableCollection<FeedItem>();
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public string Title { get; set; }
public int UnreadFeedItemsCount
{
get
{
return (from i in FeedItems
where i.IsUnread
select i).Count();
}
}
public ObservableCollection<FeedItem> FeedItems
{
get { return _feedItems; }
}
public void AddFeedItem(FeedItem newFeed)
{
newFeed.PropertyChanged += NewFeedPropertyChanged;
_feedItems.Add(newFeed);
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.FeedItems);
if (newFeed.IsUnread)
{
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount);
}
}
public void RemoveFeedItem(FeedItem feedToRemove)
{
_feedItems.Remove(feedToRemove);
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.FeedItems);
if (feedToRemove.IsUnread)
{
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount);
}
}
void NewFeedPropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.PropertyName == "IsUnread")
{
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount);
}
}
}
Now the FeedFolder class, much the same as the feed class but this one can hold a list of feeds and a list of feed folders (which hold their own feeds). You can easily add a method or property to return all feeditems from feeds and feedfolders if you need. Again, various checks to only raise change events if needed.
class FeedFolder : IFeedFolder
{
private readonly ObservableCollection<IFeedFolder> _feedFolders = new ObservableCollection<IFeedFolder>();
private readonly ObservableCollection<IFeed> _feeds = new ObservableCollection<IFeed>();
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public string Title { get; set; }
public int UnreadFeedItemsCount
{
get { return Feeds.Sum(x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount) + FeedFolders.Sum(x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount); }
}
public ObservableCollection<IFeedFolder> FeedFolders
{
get { return _feedFolders; }
}
public ObservableCollection<IFeed> Feeds
{
get { return _feeds; }
}
public void AddFeed(IFeed newFeed)
{
newFeed.PropertyChanged += NewFeedPropertyChanged;
_feeds.Add(newFeed);
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.Feeds);
if (newFeed.UnreadFeedItemsCount > 0)
{
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount);
}
}
void NewFeedPropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.PropertyName == "UnreadFeedItemsCount")
{
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount);
}
}
public void RemoveFeed(IFeed feedToRemove)
{
_feeds.Remove(feedToRemove);
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.Feeds);
if (feedToRemove.UnreadFeedItemsCount > 0)
{
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount);
}
}
public void AddFeedFolder(IFeedFolder newFeedFolder)
{
newFeedFolder.PropertyChanged += NewFeedPropertyChanged;
_feedFolders.Add(newFeedFolder);
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.FeedFolders);
if (newFeedFolder.UnreadFeedItemsCount > 0)
{
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount);
}
}
public void RemoveFeedFolder(IFeedFolder feedFolderToRemove)
{
_feedFolders.Remove(feedFolderToRemove);
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.FeedFolders);
if (feedFolderToRemove.UnreadFeedItemsCount > 0)
{
PropertyChanged.Raise(this, x => x.UnreadFeedItemsCount);
}
}
}
Now for usage, remember I havent tested this, but it should be mostly right.
var myFolder = new FeedFolder();
var myFeed = new Feed();
var myFeedItem = new FeedItem();
myFeedItem.IsUnread = true;
myFeed.AddFeedItem(myFeedItem);
myFolder.AddFeed(myFeed);
var mySecondFeedItem = new FeedItem();
//add a second feeditem to feed, but it is marked as read, so no notifications raised for unread count.
myFeed.AddFeedItem(mySecondFeedItem);
//this should fire off change events all the way up to the folder
mySecondFeedItem.IsUnread = true;

Refactoring multiple interfaces to a common interface using MVVM, MEF and Silverlight4

I am just learning MVVM with MEF and already see the benefits but I am a little confused about some implementation details. The app I am building has several Models that do the same with with different entities (WCF RIA Services exposing a Entity framework object) and I would like to avoid implementing a similar interface/model for each view I need and the following is what I have come up with though it currently doesn't work.
The common interface has a new completed event for each model that implements the base model, this was the easiest way I could implement a common class as the compiler did not like casting from a child to the base type.
The code as it currently sits compiles and runs but the is a null IModel being passed into the [ImportingConstructor] for the FaqViewModel class.
I have a common interface (simplified for posting) defined as follows, this should look familiar to those who have seen Shawn Wildermuth's RIAXboxGames sample.
public interface IModel
{
void GetItemsAsync();
event EventHandler<EntityResultsArgs<faq>> GetFaqsComplete;
}
A base method that implements the interface
public class ModelBase : IModel
{
public virtual void GetItemsAsync() { }
public virtual event EventHandler<EntityResultsArgs<faq>> GetFaqsComplete;
protected void PerformQuery<T>(EntityQuery<T> qry, EventHandler<EntityResultsArgs<T>> evt) where T : Entity
{
Context.Load(qry, r =>
{
if (evt == null) return;
try
{
if (r.HasError)
{
evt(this, new EntityResultsArgs<T>(r.Error));
}
else if (r.Entities.Count() > 0)
{
evt(this, new EntityResultsArgs<T>(r.Entities));
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
evt(this, new EntityResultsArgs<T>(ex));
}
}, null);
}
private DomainContext _domainContext;
protected DomainContext Context
{
get
{
if (_domainContext == null)
{
_domainContext = new DomainContext();
_domainContext.PropertyChanged += DomainContext_PropertyChanged;
}
return _domainContext;
}
}
void DomainContext_PropertyChanged(object sender, System.ComponentModel.PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
switch (e.PropertyName)
{
case "IsLoading":
AppMessages.IsBusyMessage.Send(_domainContext.IsLoading);
break;
case "IsSubmitting":
AppMessages.IsBusyMessage.Send(_domainContext.IsSubmitting);
break;
}
}
}
A model that implements the base model
[Export(ViewModelTypes.FaqViewModel, typeof(IModel))]
public class FaqModel : ModelBase
{
public override void GetItemsAsync()
{
PerformQuery(Context.GetFaqsQuery(), GetFaqsComplete);
}
public override event EventHandler<EntityResultsArgs<faq>> GetFaqsComplete;
}
A view model
[PartCreationPolicy(CreationPolicy.NonShared)]
[Export(ViewModelTypes.FaqViewModel)]
public class FaqViewModel : MyViewModelBase
{
private readonly IModel _model;
[ImportingConstructor]
public FaqViewModel(IModel model)
{
_model = model;
_model.GetFaqsComplete += Model_GetFaqsComplete;
_model.GetItemsAsync(); // Load FAQS on creation
}
private IEnumerable<faq> _faqs;
public IEnumerable<faq> Faqs
{
get { return _faqs; }
private set
{
if (value == _faqs) return;
_faqs = value;
RaisePropertyChanged("Faqs");
}
}
private faq _currentFaq;
public faq CurrentFaq
{
get { return _currentFaq; }
set
{
if (value == _currentFaq) return;
_currentFaq = value;
RaisePropertyChanged("CurrentFaq");
}
}
public void GetFaqsAsync()
{
_model.GetItemsAsync();
}
void Model_GetFaqsComplete(object sender, EntityResultsArgs<faq> e)
{
if (e.Error != null)
{
ErrorMessage = e.Error.Message;
}
else
{
Faqs = e.Results;
}
}
}
And then finally the Silverlight view itself
public partial class FrequentlyAskedQuestions
{
public FrequentlyAskedQuestions()
{
InitializeComponent();
if (!ViewModelBase.IsInDesignModeStatic)
{
// Use MEF To load the View Model
CompositionInitializer.SatisfyImports(this);
}
}
[Import(ViewModelTypes.FaqViewModel)]
public object ViewModel
{
set
{
DataContext = value;
}
}
}
It seems as though I am going down the wrong path with trying to refactor into multiple models. As seen here, http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd458800.aspx#id0090019 if would appear the best thing to do would be to think about the model as an instance of the EDMX class referenced via RIA Services. As such, the model should contain all methods and event handlers needed to access the DomainContext.
If anybody has other thoughts I would be open to them.
As a fellow noob, I am just starting to play with MEF, and I think I have identified a possible problem with your code. From your question, it sounds like your main problem is the null IModel reference.
Try changing this:
private readonly IModel _model;
to this:
[Import]
public IModel _model { get; set; }
I haven't yet played with how MEF likes private and readonly properties, so try setting to public and then verify that _model isn't null when you first try to use it.

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