WPF Update UserControl when item has been added from other user control - wpf

Question

I am working on WPF project using MVVM and I have an issue that I am sure someone came across..
I have a MainWindow in which I am loading UserControl1 In UserControl1, I have a hyperlink which opens the Modal window and in which, I load UserControl2 as modal. Both UserControls has their own view models. Now from second view model, I want to trigger a PropertyChangednotification to a collection in view model of a UserControl1? How can I achieve that?
what I am trying to accomplish is: I have a combobox on UserControl1 that needs to be updated when item is added from UserControl2.
I am using the following class and both viewmodels inherits the follwoing class:
public abstract class PropertyChangedNotification : INotifyPropertyChanged, IDataErrorInfo
{
#region Fields
private readonly Dictionary<string, object> _values = new Dictionary<string, object>();
#endregion
#region Protected
/// <summary>
/// Sets the value of a property.
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">The type of the property value.</typeparam>
/// <param name="propertySelector">Expression tree contains the property definition.</param>
/// <param name="value">The property value.</param>
protected void SetValue<T>(Expression<Func<T>> propertySelector, T value)
{
string propertyName = GetPropertyName(propertySelector);
SetValue<T>(propertyName, value);
}
/// <summary>
/// Sets the value of a property.
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">The type of the property value.</typeparam>
/// <param name="propertyName">The name of the property.</param>
/// <param name="value">The property value.</param>
protected void SetValue<T>(string propertyName, T value)
{
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(propertyName))
{
throw new ArgumentException("Invalid property name", propertyName);
}
_values[propertyName] = value;
NotifyPropertyChanged(propertyName);
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets the value of a property.
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">The type of the property value.</typeparam>
/// <param name="propertySelector">Expression tree contains the property definition.</param>
/// <returns>The value of the property or default value if not exist.</returns>
protected T GetValue<T>(Expression<Func<T>> propertySelector)
{
string propertyName = GetPropertyName(propertySelector);
return GetValue<T>(propertyName);
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets the value of a property.
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">The type of the property value.</typeparam>
/// <param name="propertyName">The name of the property.</param>
/// <returns>The value of the property or default value if not exist.</returns>
protected T GetValue<T>(string propertyName)
{
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(propertyName))
{
throw new ArgumentException("Invalid property name", propertyName);
}
object value;
if (!_values.TryGetValue(propertyName, out value))
{
value = default(T);
_values.Add(propertyName, value);
}
return (T)value;
}
/// <summary>
/// Validates current instance properties using Data Annotations.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="propertyName">This instance property to validate.</param>
/// <returns>Relevant error string on validation failure or <see cref="System.String.Empty"/> on validation success.</returns>
protected virtual string OnValidate(string propertyName)
{
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(propertyName))
{
throw new ArgumentException("Invalid property name", propertyName);
}
string error = string.Empty;
var value = GetValue(propertyName);
var results = new List<System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.ValidationResult>(1);
var result = Validator.TryValidateProperty(
value,
new ValidationContext(this, null, null)
{
MemberName = propertyName
},
results);
if (!result)
{
var validationResult = results.First();
error = validationResult.ErrorMessage;
}
return error;
}
#endregion
#region Change Notification
/// <summary>
/// Raised when a property on this object has a new value.
/// </summary>
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
/// <summary>
/// Raises this object's PropertyChanged event.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="propertyName">The property that has a new value.</param>
protected void NotifyPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
this.VerifyPropertyName(propertyName);
PropertyChangedEventHandler handler = this.PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
var e = new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName);
handler(this, e);
}
}
protected void NotifyPropertyChanged<T>(Expression<Func<T>> propertySelector)
{
var propertyChanged = PropertyChanged;
if (propertyChanged != null)
{
string propertyName = GetPropertyName(propertySelector);
propertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
#endregion // INotifyPropertyChanged Members
#region Data Validation
string IDataErrorInfo.Error
{
get
{
throw new NotSupportedException("IDataErrorInfo.Error is not supported, use IDataErrorInfo.this[propertyName] instead.");
}
}
string IDataErrorInfo.this[string propertyName]
{
get
{
return OnValidate(propertyName);
}
}
#endregion
#region Privates
private string GetPropertyName(LambdaExpression expression)
{
var memberExpression = expression.Body as MemberExpression;
if (memberExpression == null)
{
throw new InvalidOperationException();
}
return memberExpression.Member.Name;
}
private object GetValue(string propertyName)
{
object value;
if (!_values.TryGetValue(propertyName, out value))
{
var propertyDescriptor = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(GetType()).Find(propertyName, false);
if (propertyDescriptor == null)
{
throw new ArgumentException("Invalid property name", propertyName);
}
value = propertyDescriptor.GetValue(this);
_values.Add(propertyName, value);
}
var propertyDescriptor1 = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(GetType()).Find(propertyName, false);
if (propertyDescriptor1 == null)
{
throw new ArgumentException("Invalid property name", propertyName);
}
value = propertyDescriptor1.GetValue(this);
return value;
}
#endregion
#region Debugging
/// <summary>
/// Warns the developer if this object does not have
/// a public property with the specified name. This
/// method does not exist in a Release build.
/// </summary>
[Conditional("DEBUG")]
[DebuggerStepThrough]
public void VerifyPropertyName(string propertyName)
{
// Verify that the property name matches a real,
// public, instance property on this object.
if (TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(this)[propertyName] == null)
{
string msg = "Invalid property name: " + propertyName;
if (this.ThrowOnInvalidPropertyName)
throw new Exception(msg);
else
Debug.Fail(msg);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Returns whether an exception is thrown, or if a Debug.Fail() is used
/// when an invalid property name is passed to the VerifyPropertyName method.
/// The default value is false, but subclasses used by unit tests might
/// override this property's getter to return true.
/// </summary>
protected virtual bool ThrowOnInvalidPropertyName { get; private set; }
#endregion // Debugging Aides
}
UserControl1 is an investment control and user control 2 is an institution control as seen below in screenshot
When someone clicks on "Add New" it opens the Institution control in a modal window..
investment user control bound to investmentViewModel and institution control bound to institutionViewModel.
When I click on Save changes on modal, it will trigger propertyChangeNotification on institutionViewModel and not the investmentViewModel.

Answer 1

trigger a PropertyChangednotification to a collection in view model of a UserControl1
Really don't overthink it...Put a method on the class for UserControl1 which will trigger the change. On the other control where the process originates, create a dependency property of UserControl's type and assign it in the XAML. Then when UserControl2 needs to do the operation, call usercontrol1 instance method.
have to get a current instance of Investment UserControl while in the InstitutionViewModel. Is there any way, I can get that?
Place a static property of the VM on the app (public partial class App in the code). Then in the constructor of the VM have it look up the app and assign itself to that static. Then it can be gathered by anyone else.
Or create a flag dependency property on UserControl1 & UserControl2 and bind both controls to a shared Boolean using TwoWay binding. When the Boolean changes from UserControl2 changing it, do the update in UserControl1.