I have an issue with using Styles on DataTemplates in WPF ... It appears to suck. Suppose that you define a DataTemplate:
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:DataSource}">
<TextBox Style="{StaticResource TextBoxStyle}" Text="{Binding Path=myData}" />
</DataTemplate>
Is there now any way to dynamically style this element? (eg. change the background color in some parts of the application) My problems are:
if you set a style in some parent-control, it gets ignored since there is already a style in the datatemplate
if you set a property on a parent-control, it doesn't get inherited since styles have precedence over property inheritence
Does anyone see a way to do this?
you can try it using DynamicResource
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:DataSource}">
<TextBox Style="{DynamicResource TextBoxStyle}" Text="{Binding Path=myData}" />
</DataTemplate>
and then later if you need to change the style in any other control. you can just declare same resource with same key for that control. Suppose you are using it in ListBox.
<ListBox>
<ListBox.Resources>
<Style x:Key="TextBoxStyle" TargetType="TextBox">
<!--define changed style.-->
</Style>
</ListBox.Resources>
</ListBox>
new style will apply over there.
Related
I check those articles about doing DataTemplate :
WPF DataTemplate Binding
WPF DataTemplate and Binding
WPF DataTemplate Textblock binding
and thoses about DataTemplate depending on property type :
WPF DataTemplate Binding depending on the type of a property
Dynamically display a control depending on bound property using WPF
I'm trying to display a property with different controls depending of the property value. I have this Xaml that is partialy working. I have 2 problems :
The property is displaying with the right control, but when I set the value it doesn't go back to the property. Means the "set" of My property is not call (but was before I creates the DataTemplate). I detect that the problem about setting the property is about the ="{Binding Path=.}" but I cannot find the solution to set it otherwise.
Also To be able to make it work, I had to "isolate" the Value into a single ViewModel so that the DataTemplate doesn't affect all the other control.
Can you help me find betters solutions to resolves those 2 problems?
Here is the xaml code of my View linked with MyContainerViewModel that has a "ChangingDataType" :
<UserControl >
<UserControl.Resources>
<!-- DataTemplate for strings -->
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type sys:String}">
<TextBox Text="{Binding Path=.}" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"/>
</DataTemplate>
<!-- DataTemplate for bool -->
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type sys:Boolean}">
<CheckBox IsChecked="{Binding Path=.}" />
</DataTemplate>
<!-- DataTemplate for Int32 -->
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type sys:Int32}">
<dxe:TextEdit Text="{Binding Path=.}" MinWidth="50" Mask="d" MaskType="Numeric" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"/>
<!--<Slider Maximum="100" Minimum="0" Value="{Binding Path=.}" Width="100" />-->
</DataTemplate>
<!-- DataTemplate for decimals -->
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type sys:Decimal}">
<!-- <TextBox Text="{Binding Path=.}" MinWidth="50" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" />-->
<dxe:TextEdit Text="{Binding Path=.}" MinWidth="50" Mask="f" MaskType="Numeric" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" />
</DataTemplate>
<!-- DataTemplate for DateTimes -->
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type sys:DateTime}">
<DataTemplate.Resources>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type sys:String}">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=.}"/>
</DataTemplate>
</DataTemplate.Resources>
<DatePicker SelectedDate="{Binding Path=.}" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"/>
</DataTemplate>
</UserControl.Resources>
<ContentPresenter Content="{Binding MyChangingPropery}"/>
</UserControl>
More informations about 2 :
I wanted to have in a view a label and a property that changes depending of the object. Something like this :
<UserControl>
<UserControl.Resources>
<!-- ...DataTemplate here... -->
</UserControl.Resources>
<StackPanel>
<Label Content="Allo"/>
<ContentPresenter Content="{Binding MyChangingPropery}"/>
</StackPanel>
</UserControl>
But if I put the DataTemplate on this UserControl resources, it will also affect the Label "allo". So I had to create another view that contains the DataTemplate and MyChangingProperty so that the label Allo would not be affected. But the extra View created just for one property is kind of ugly to me, I'm sure there is a better way to isolate the DataTemplate so it can apply only to one UIControl.
<UserControl >
<StackPanel>
<Label Content="Allo"/>
<ContentPresenter Content="{Binding MyContainerViewModel}"/>
</StackPanel>
</UserControl>
Note : MyContainerViewModel here is linked with the first view described.
Thanks in advance!
One possible solution would be to use a DataTemplateSelector. You cannot bind primitive types using two way bindings because that would have to be somehow by reference via the DataTemplate which I think is not supported by WPF.
The DataTemplateSelector now selects the right DataTemplate based on the property type and searches for the right DataTemplate in the resources by name. This also solves your problem that your DataTemplates interacted with the Label.
So first you need to define a DataTemplateSelector that changes the DataTemplate based on the type of the property:
public class MyDataTemplateSelector : DataTemplateSelector
{
public override DataTemplate SelectTemplate(object item, DependencyObject container)
{
var fe = (FrameworkElement)container;
var prop = (item as MyViewModelType)?.MyChangingProperty;
if (prop is string)
return fe.FindResource("MyStringDT") as DataTemplate;
else if (prop is bool)
return fe.FindResource("MyBoolDT") as DataTemplate;
// More types...
return base.SelectTemplate(item, container);
}
}
Then you need to change the UserControl like this:
<UserControl>
<UserControl.Resources>
<local:MyDataTemplateSelector x:Key="MyDTSelector" />
<!-- DataTemplate for strings -->
<DataTemplate x:Key="MyStringDT">
<TextBox Text="{Binding MyChangingProperty, Mode=TwoWay}"
HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"/>
</DataTemplate>
<!-- DataTemplate for bool -->
<DataTemplate x:Key="MyBoolDT">
<CheckBox IsChecked="{Binding MyChangingProperty, Mode=TwoWay}" />
<!-- More DataTemplates... -->
</DataTemplate>
</UserControl.Resources>
<StackPanel>
<Label Content="Allo"/>
<ContentPresenter Content="{Binding MyContainerViewModel}"
ContentTemplateSelector="{StaticResource MyDTSelector}" />
</StackPanel>
</UserControl>
You can find a bit more information regarding the DataTemplateSelector here.
You can of course also set a DataType on this new DataTemplates but it isn't required because the x:Key makes them unique anyway. But if you want then it has to look like this:
<DataTemplate x:Key="MyStringDT" DataType="{x:Type local:MyViewModelType}">
In my opinion, the previously posted answer is overkill. While a DateTemplateSelector is a useful thing to know about, it seems unnecessary to me in this scenario.
But if I put the DataTemplate on this UserControl resources, it will also affect the Label "allo".
The reason it affects the Label object is that the Label object is a ContentControl, and so does the same template-matching behavior for content types as your own ContentPresenter element does. And you've set the content of the Label object to a string value. But you can put anything you want as the content for it.
The way to fix the undesired effect is to intercept that behavior by changing the content from a string object to an explicit TextBlock (the control in the template that a string object normally gets assigned). For example:
<UserControl>
<UserControl.Resources>
<!-- ...DataTemplate here... -->
</UserControl.Resources>
<StackPanel>
<Label>
<TextBlock Text="Allo"/>
</Label>
<ContentPresenter Content="{Binding MyChangingPropery}"/>
</StackPanel>
</UserControl>
In that way, you bypass the template-finding behavior (since TextBlock doesn't map to any template and can be used directly), and the content for the Label will just be the TextBlock with the text you want.
This seems like a lot simpler way to fix the issue, than either to create a whole new view or to add a DataTemplateSelector.
I'm trying to remove group headers for groups where the header title is empty. But I can not make the binding in HeaderContainerStyle work. Neither can I set visibility on the TextBlock in TemplateHeader 'cause that will leave a small space and not be completely invisible.
This is my XAML:
<Page.Resources>
<CollectionViewSource
x:Name="MenuItemsGrouped"
IsSourceGrouped="True"
Source="{Binding MenuItems}" />
</Page.Resources>
<ListView Grid.Row="1" Margin="0"
ItemsSource="{Binding Source={StaticResource MenuItemsGrouped}}"
IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem="False"
SelectionMode="Single"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedItem, Mode=TwoWay}">
<ListView.GroupStyle>
<GroupStyle>
<GroupStyle.HeaderTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Title}" />
</DataTemplate>
</GroupStyle.HeaderTemplate>
<GroupStyle.HeaderContainerStyle>
<Style TargetType="ListViewHeaderItem">
<Setter Property="Visibility" Value="{Binding GroupHeaderVisibility}"></Setter>
</Style>
</GroupStyle.HeaderContainerStyle>
</GroupStyle>
</ListView.GroupStyle>
<ListView.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<StackPanel Margin="0" Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Title}" />
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</ListView.ItemTemplate>
</ListView>
Does anyone have a solution - and maybe a reason the binding won't work?
EDIT:
Ok, it's is actually a limitation in Windows Store Apps and earlier Silverlight apps:
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Microsoft Silverlight
supported the ability to use a Binding expression to supply the Value
for a Setter in a Style. The Windows Runtime doesn't support a Binding
usage for Setter.Value (the Binding won't evaluate and the Setter has
no effect, you won't get errors, but you won't get the desired result
either). When you convert XAML styles from WPF or Silverlight XAML,
replace any Binding expression usages with strings or objects that set
values, or refactor the values as shared StaticResource values rather
than Binding-obtained values.
from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/windows.ui.xaml.setter
And see also Silverlight: How to use a binding in setter for a style (or an equivalent work around)
Just try to bind the Visibility of the root element of HeaderTemplate.
<GroupStyle.HeaderTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Title}" Visibility = "{Binding GroupHeaderVisibility}" />
</DataTemplate>
</GroupStyle.HeaderTemplate>
It should work.Good luck!
[Edit]
I have figured out a solution, it's not very elegant, but it works. Here are the steps:
Add this xaml code to your ListView:
<ListView.ItemsPanel>
<ItemsPanelTemplate>
<VirtualizingStackPanel />
</ItemsPanelTemplate>
</ListView.ItemsPanel>
2.Get a copy of ContainerStyle of GroupStyle(Right click the Listview on the design surface.Select: "Edit GroupStyle"->"ContainerStyle"). Then remove this line from the attributes of ContentControl:
Margin = "4"
3.Apply the above ContainerStyle to your listview. It should work.
NOTE: Step 1 is necessary, because ContainerStyle is no longer honored on Windows 8.1 when ItemsPanel is an ItemsStackPanel(which is the default).
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/dn263110.aspx
You are binding to the Visibility property which is of type Visibility. My guess is that the GroupHasHeader property is a boolean; you should use a Boolean to visibility converter.
I have a ComboBox that shows text of various lengths. For texts that are not long there is not a problem. For the texts longer than the width of ComboBox I would like to trim the text and add "..." (an ellipsis) at the end to show them properly. The bottom line is that I don't want to change the width of the ComboBox. Does anyone know how to do this?
Use a custom ItemTemplate for your ComboBox, which makes use of a TextBlock with the TextTrimming property set to CharacterEllipsis.
Example:
<ComboBox ItemsSource="..." SelectedValuePath="...">
<ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBlock
Text="{Binding ...}"
TextTrimming="CharacterEllipsis" />
</DataTemplate>
</ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
</ComboBox>
The answer, as Ross said, is to implement a custom ItemTemplate. However, to make it work properly, you need to do the binding properly.
A note on this method: You cannot set both the DisplayMemberPath and the ItemTemplate, it must be one or the other.
So, for the general case where the display member is the item (such as for a string), you can use binding with no properties to bind to the DataContext of the template:
<ComboBox ItemsSource="..." SelectedValuePath="...">
<ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding }" TextTrimming="CharacterEllipsis" />
</DataTemplate>
</ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
</ComboBox>
Or, you can put it in a style.
<Style TargetType="{x:Type ComboBox}">
<Setter Property="ItemTemplate">
<Setter.Value>
<DataTemplate>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding }" TextTrimming="CharacterEllipsis" />
</DataTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
For the case where you want to bind to a specific property of the object, similar to how you would use the DisplayMemberPath property, replace the binding with the binding that you would use to a property on the object that you are binding. So, replace the fourth line in my first example with something like this:
<TextBlock Text="{Binding MyDisplayMemberProperty}" TextTrimming="CharacterEllipsis" />
The binding is in the context of a single item of the type bound to your ComboBox. To make this more explicit, you can do the following:
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type namespace:MyItemType}">
<!-- My DataTemplate stuff here -->
</DataTemplate>
This will give you hints for the properties on the object while you are writing code inside the DataTemplate.
You can use TextTrimming CharacterEllipsis or WordEllipsis for the textblocks in your combobox.
Also works with a more complex DataTemplate; however, I had to resort to a DockPanel instead of the standard WrapPanel.
<ComboBox>
<ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<DockPanel>
<AccessText DockPanel.Dock="Left" Text="{Binding Icon}"/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Name}" TextTrimming="CharacterEllipsis" />
</DockPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
</ComboBox>
I have the following ListBox:
<ListBox ScrollViewer.VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Disabled"
HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
HorizontalContentAlignment="Stretch"
SelectionChanged="ListBoxContainerSelectionChanged"
ItemsSource="{Binding Movies}"
ItemContainerStyle="{StaticResource HeaderListBoxItemStyle}">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<Controls:MoviesItemControl Header="{Binding Title}"
Detail="{Binding FormattedDescription}"
Rating="{Binding Rating}"
Opacity="{Binding IsSuppressed, Converter={StaticResource DimIfTrueConverter}}"
IsEnabled="{Binding IsSuppressed, Converter={StaticResource InverseBooleanConverter}}"/>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
I'm trying to set the Disabled state of ListBoxItems that are 'Suppressed' (Movies with no description found). I have a property which I am able to bind to my individual control, but I want them to not be selectable in the actual list. (And use the disabled state included in my ItemsContainerStyle)
I have seen a few implementations on SO using Trigger, but that does not seem to be available in WP7, and I would prefer to not have to create a different style for each control so that they bind properly.
Any ideas?
See the following question: WP7 - Databind ListboxItem's IsEnabled Property
Which in turn links to this: Better SetterValueBindingHelper makes Silverlight Setters better-er!
I tried out SetterValueBindingHelper by David Anson for this specific scenario and it worked great. All you have to do is to add SetterValueBindingHelper.cs to your project and then you can bind IsEnabled in the setter like this
<Style x:Key="HeaderListBoxItemStyle" TargetType="ListBoxItem">
<Setter Property="delay:SetterValueBindingHelper.PropertyBinding">
<Setter.Value>
<delay:SetterValueBindingHelper Property="IsEnabled"
Binding="{Binding IsSuppressed}"/>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>
I've got a set of ViewModels that I'm binding to the ItemsSource property of a TabControl. Let's call those ViewModels AViewModel, BViewModel, and CViewModel. Each one of those needs to have a different ItemTemplate (for the header; because they each need to show a different icon) and a different ContentTemplate (because they have very different interaction models).
What I'd like is something like this:
Defined in Resource.xaml files somewhere:
<DataTemplate x:Key="ItemTemplate" DataType="{x:Type AViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="ItemTemplate" DataType="{x:Type BViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="ItemTemplate" DataType="{x:Type CViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="ContentTemplate" DataType="{x:Type AViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="ContentTemplate" DataType="{x:Type BViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="ContentTemplate" DataType="{x:Type CViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
Defined separately:
<TabControl ItemTemplate="[ Some way to select "ItemTemplate" based on the type ]"
ContentTemplate="[ Some way to select "ContentTemplate" based on the type ]"/>
Now, I know that realistically, each time I define a DataTemplate with the same key the system is just going to complain. But, is there something I can do that's similar to this that will let me put a DataTemplate into a TabControl based on a name and a DataType?
The easiest way would be to use the automatic template system, by including the DataTemplates in the resources of a ContentControl. The scope of the templates are limited to the element they reside within!
<TabControl ItemsSource="{Binding TabViewModels}">
<TabControl.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<ContentControl Content="{Binding}">
<ContentControl.Resources>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type AViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type BViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type CViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
</ContentControl.Resources>
</ContentControl>
</DataTemplate>
</TabControl.ItemTemplate>
<TabControl.Resources>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type AViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type BViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type CViewModel}">
...
</DataTemplate>
</TabControl.Resources>
</TabControl>
You can remove the x:Key :) This will automatically apply the template when the given type is encountered (probably one of the most powerful and underused features of WPF, imo.
This Dr. WPF article goes over DataTemplates pretty well. The section you'll want to pay attention to is "Defining a Default Template for a Given CLR Data Type".
http://www.drwpf.com/blog/Home/tabid/36/EntryID/24/Default.aspx
If this doesn't help your situation, you might be able to do something close to what you are looking for using a Style (ItemContainerStyle) and setting the content and header based on the type using a data trigger.
The sample below hinges on your ViewModel having a property called "Type" defined pretty much like this (easily put in a base ViewModel if you have one):
public Type Type
{
get { return this.GetType(); }
}
So as long as you have that, this should allow you to do anything you want. Note I have "A Header!" in a textblock here, but that could easily be anything (icon, etc).
I've got it in here two ways... one style applies templates (if you have a significant investment in these already) and the other just uses setters to move the content to the right places.
<Window x:Class="WpfApplication1.Window1"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="Window1" Height="300" Width="300"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:WpfApplication1">
<Window.Resources>
<CompositeCollection x:Key="MyCollection">
<local:AViewModel Header="A Viewmodel" Content="A Content" />
<local:BViewModel Header="B ViewModel" Content="B Content" />
</CompositeCollection>
<DataTemplate x:Key="ATypeHeader" DataType="{x:Type local:AViewModel}">
<WrapPanel>
<TextBlock>A Header!</TextBlock>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Header}" />
</WrapPanel>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="ATypeContent" DataType="{x:Type local:AViewModel}">
<StackPanel>
<TextBlock>Begin "A" Content</TextBlock>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Content}" />
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
<Style x:Key="TabItemStyle" TargetType="TabItem">
<Style.Triggers>
<!-- Template Application Approach-->
<DataTrigger Binding="{Binding Path=Type}" Value="{x:Type local:AViewModel}">
<Setter Property="HeaderTemplate" Value="{StaticResource ATypeHeader}" />
<Setter Property="ContentTemplate" Value="{StaticResource ATypeContent}" />
</DataTrigger>
<!-- Just Use Setters Approach -->
<DataTrigger Binding="{Binding Path=Type}" Value="{x:Type local:BViewModel}">
<Setter Property="Header">
<Setter.Value>
<WrapPanel>
<TextBlock Text="B Header!"></TextBlock>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Header}" />
</WrapPanel>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
<Setter Property="Content" Value="{Binding Content}" />
</DataTrigger>
</Style.Triggers>
</Style>
</Window.Resources>
<Grid>
<TabControl ItemContainerStyle="{StaticResource TabItemStyle}" ItemsSource="{StaticResource MyCollection}" />
</Grid>
HTH, Anderson
One way would be to use DataTemplateSelectors and have each one resolve the resource from a separate ResourceDictionary.
In this example I use DataTemplates in the resources section of my TabControl for each view model I want to display in the tab items.
In this case I map ViewModelType1 to View1 and ViewModelType2 to View2.
The view models will be set as DataContext object of the views automatically.
For displaying the tab item header, I use an ItemTemplate.
The view models I bind to are of different types, but derive from a common base class ChildViewModel that has a Title property. So I can set up a binding to pick up the title to display it in the tab item header.
In addition I display a "Close" Button in the tab item header. If you do not need that, just remove the button from the example code so you just have the header text.
The contents of the tab items are rendered with a simple ItemTemplate which displays the view in a content control with Content="{Binding}".
<UserControl ...>
<UserControl.DataContext>
<ContainerViewModel></ContainerViewModel>
</UserControl.DataContext>
<TabControl ItemsSource="{Binding ViewModels}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedViewModel}">
<TabControl.Resources>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type ViewModelType1}">
<View1/>
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type ViewModelType2}">
<View2/>
</DataTemplate>
</TabControl.Resources>
<TabControl.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<DockPanel>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Title}" />
<Button DockPanel.Dock="Right" Margin="5,0,0,0"
Visibility="{Binding RemoveButtonVisibility}"
Command="{Binding DataContext.CloseItemCommand, RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type TypeOfContainingView}}}"
>
<Image Source="/Common/Images/ActiveClose.gif"></Image>
</Button>
</DockPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</TabControl.ItemTemplate>
<TabControl.ContentTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<ContentControl Content="{Binding}"/>
</DataTemplate>
</TabControl.ContentTemplate>
</TabControl>
</UserControl>
The user control which contains the tab control has a container view model of type ContainerViewModel as DataContext. Here I have a collection of all the view models displayed in the tab control. I also have a property for the currently selected view model (tab item).
This is a shortened version of my container view model (I skipped the change notification part).
public class ContainerViewModel
{
/// <summary>
/// The child view models.
/// </summary>
public ObservableCollection<ChildViewModel> ViewModels {get; set;}
/// <summary>
/// The currently selected child view model.
/// </summary>
public ChildViewModel SelectedViewModel {get; set;}
}
Josh Smith uses exactly this technique (of driving a tab control with a view model collection) in his excellent article and sample project WPF Apps With The Model-View-ViewModel Design Pattern. In this approach, because each item in the VM collection has a corresponding DataTemplate linking the View to the VM Type (by omitting the x:Key as Anderson Imes correctly notes), each tab can have a completely different UI. See the full article and source code for details.
The key parts of the XAML are:
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type vm:CustomerViewModel}">
<vw:CustomerView />
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate x:Key="WorkspacesTemplate">
<TabControl
IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem="True"
ItemsSource="{Binding}"
ItemTemplate="{StaticResource ClosableTabItemTemplate}"
Margin="4"
/>
There is one downside - driving a WPF TabControl from an ItemsSource has performance issues if the UI in the tabs is big/complex and therefore slow to draw (e.g., datagrids with lots of data). For more on this issue, search SO for "WPF VirtualizingStackPanel for increased performance".