How to make a general wpf mvvm window open/close eventhandler? - wpf

Question

This is my current App.xaml.cs
Its looks simple for one or two, but I have 7-8 windows.
Is there a clever way to make this a little more general and better?
public App()
{
_ViewModel = new MyAppViewModel();
_ViewModel.OpenXXXWindowEvent += new EventHandler(ViewModel_OpenXXXWindow);
_ViewModel.OpenYYYWindowEvent += new EventHandler(ViewModel_OpenYYYWindow);
...
}
private void ViewModel_OpenXXXWindow(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
_XXXWindow = new XXXWindow();
_XXXWindow.DataContext = _ViewModel;
_XXXWindow.ShowDialog();
}
private void ViewModel_CloseXXXWindow(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (_XXXWindow != null)
_XXXWindow.Close();
}
private void ViewModel_OpenYYYWindow(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
_YYYWindow = new YYYWindow();
_YYYWindow.DataContext = _ViewModel;
_YYYWindow.ShowDialog();
}
private void ViewModel_CloseYYYWindow(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (_YYYWindow != null)
_YYYWindow.Close();
}
...

Answer 1

Too much XAML code-behind is a signal that you're somehow breaking the MVVM pattern. A ViewModel receiving EventArgs is a no-no too.
To open/close dialogs I tend to use a messaging system, for example, the one provided by MVVM Light.
With a messaging system (using MVVM Light) you do something like this:
In your ViewModel:
private void SomeMethodThatNeedsToOpenADialog()
{
Messenger.Default.Send(new OpenDialogXMessage());
}
And in your View:
Messenger.Default.Register<OpenDialogXMessage>(this, (msg) => {
new DialogX().ShowDialog();
});
Some relevant links:
How to open a new window using MVVM Light Toolkit
Show dialog with MVVM Light toolkit

Answer 2

Well it's not a event handler solution, but how about a Binding solution? Unfortunately, you cannot bind Window.DialogResult, which causes the window to close, when the value is set. But you could create an AttachedProperty which can be bound to a property on the underlying ViewModel and sets the not bindable property, when its value is set. The AttachedProperty looks like this.
public class AttachedProperties
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty DialogResultProperty =
DependencyProperty.RegisterAttached("DialogResult", typeof (bool?), typeof (AttachedProperties), new PropertyMetadata(default(bool?), OnDialogResultChanged));
private static void OnDialogResultChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
var wnd = d as Window;
if (wnd == null)
return;
wnd.DialogResult = (bool?) e.NewValue; //here the not bindable property is set and the windows is closed
}
public static bool? GetDialogResult(DependencyObject dp)
{
if (dp == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("dp");
return (bool?)dp.GetValue(DialogResultProperty);
}
public static void SetDialogResult(DependencyObject dp, object value)
{
if (dp == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("dp");
dp.SetValue(DialogResultProperty, value);
}
}
The AttachedProperty can be used like this
<Window x:Class="AC.Frontend.Controls.DialogControl.Dialog"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:hlp="clr-namespace:AC.Frontend.Helper"
hlp:AttachedProperties.DialogResult="{Binding DialogResult}">
<!-- put your content here -->
</Window>
Now you can use a Command to set the DialogResult property of the VM, which is the DataContext of the Window.