WPF ContextMenu.ItemsSource not resolving from binding - wpf

Question

I have the following XAML on a ToolBar:
<emsprim:SplitButton Mode="Split">
<emsprim:SplitButton.Content>
<Image Source="images/16x16/Full Extent 1.png" />
</emsprim:SplitButton.Content>
<emsprim:SplitButton.ContextMenu>
<ContextMenu ItemsSource="{Binding CommandGroups[ZoomToDefinedExtentsCmds]}">
<ContextMenu.ItemContainerStyle>
<Style TargetType="MenuItem">
<Setter Property="Command" Value="{Binding Command}" />
<Setter Property="CommandParameter" Value="{Binding ViewID}" />
<Setter Property="Header" Value="{Binding Name}" />
<Setter Property="Icon" Value="{Binding Icon}" />
</Style>
</ContextMenu.ItemContainerStyle>
</ContextMenu>
</emsprim:SplitButton.ContextMenu>
</emsprim:SplitButton>
where CommandGroups[ZoomToDefinedExtentsCmds] is an IEnumerable of CommandViewModels. Problem is, when I click on the button, I do not see the list of menu items. However, if I bind the same Datacontext to a Menu, like this:
<MenuItem ItemsSource="{Binding CommandGroups[ZoomToDefinedExtentsCmds]}"
Header="Zoom To"
Margin="5,1,5,0" >
<MenuItem.ItemContainerStyle>
<Style TargetType="MenuItem">
<Setter Property="Command" Value="{Binding Command}" />
<Setter Property="CommandParameter" Value="{Binding CommandParameter}" />
<Setter Property="Header" Value="{Binding Name}" />
<Setter Property="Icon" Value="{Binding Icon}" />
</Style>
</MenuItem.ItemContainerStyle>
</MenuItem>
I do get the list of MenuItems. Any ideas on what is going on here as there is no binding error in the output VS window. BTW, code for SplitButton is listed below:
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Controls.Primitives;
using System.Windows.Markup;
using System.Diagnostics;
namespace Controls.Dictionary.Primitives
{
/// <summary>
/// Implemetation of a Split Button
/// </summary>
[TemplatePart(Name = "PART_DropDown", Type = typeof(Button))]
[ContentProperty("Items")]
[DefaultProperty("Items")]
public class SplitButton : Button
{
// AddOwner Dependency properties
public static readonly DependencyProperty PlacementProperty;
public static readonly DependencyProperty PlacementRectangleProperty;
public static readonly DependencyProperty HorizontalOffsetProperty;
public static readonly DependencyProperty VerticalOffsetProperty;
/// <summary>
/// Static Constructor
/// </summary>
static SplitButton()
{
DefaultStyleKeyProperty.OverrideMetadata(typeof(SplitButton), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(typeof(SplitButton)));
// AddOwner properties from the ContextMenuService class, we need callbacks from these properties
// to update the Buttons ContextMenu properties
PlacementProperty = ContextMenuService.PlacementProperty.AddOwner(typeof(SplitButton), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(PlacementMode.MousePoint, OnPlacementChanged));
PlacementRectangleProperty = ContextMenuService.PlacementRectangleProperty.AddOwner(typeof(SplitButton), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(Rect.Empty, OnPlacementRectangleChanged));
HorizontalOffsetProperty = ContextMenuService.HorizontalOffsetProperty.AddOwner(typeof(SplitButton), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(0.0, OnHorizontalOffsetChanged));
VerticalOffsetProperty = ContextMenuService.VerticalOffsetProperty.AddOwner(typeof(SplitButton), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(0.0, OnVerticalOffsetChanged));
}
/*
* Properties
*
*/
/// <summary>
/// The Split Button's Items property maps to the base classes ContextMenu.Items property
/// </summary>
public ItemCollection Items
{
get
{
EnsureContextMenuIsValid();
return this.ContextMenu.Items;
}
}
/*
* Dependancy Properties & Callbacks
*
*/
/// <summary>
/// Placement of the Context menu
/// </summary>
public PlacementMode Placement
{
get { return (PlacementMode)GetValue(PlacementProperty); }
set { SetValue(PlacementProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// Placement Property changed callback, pass the value through to the buttons context menu
/// </summary>
private static void OnPlacementChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
SplitButton s = d as SplitButton;
if (s == null) return;
s.EnsureContextMenuIsValid();
s.ContextMenu.Placement = (PlacementMode)e.NewValue;
}
/// <summary>
/// PlacementRectangle of the Context menu
/// </summary>
public Rect PlacementRectangle
{
get { return (Rect)GetValue(PlacementRectangleProperty); }
set { SetValue(PlacementRectangleProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// PlacementRectangle Property changed callback, pass the value through to the buttons context menu
/// </summary>
private static void OnPlacementRectangleChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
SplitButton s = d as SplitButton;
if (s == null) return;
s.EnsureContextMenuIsValid();
s.ContextMenu.PlacementRectangle = (Rect)e.NewValue;
}
/// <summary>
/// HorizontalOffset of the Context menu
/// </summary>
public double HorizontalOffset
{
get { return (double)GetValue(HorizontalOffsetProperty); }
set { SetValue(HorizontalOffsetProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// HorizontalOffset Property changed callback, pass the value through to the buttons context menu
/// </summary>
private static void OnHorizontalOffsetChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
SplitButton s = d as SplitButton;
if (s == null) return;
s.EnsureContextMenuIsValid();
s.ContextMenu.HorizontalOffset = (double)e.NewValue;
}
/// <summary>
/// VerticalOffset of the Context menu
/// </summary>
public double VerticalOffset
{
get { return (double)GetValue(VerticalOffsetProperty); }
set { SetValue(VerticalOffsetProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// VerticalOffset Property changed callback, pass the value through to the buttons context menu
/// </summary>
private static void OnVerticalOffsetChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
SplitButton s = d as SplitButton;
if (s == null) return;
s.EnsureContextMenuIsValid();
s.ContextMenu.VerticalOffset = (double)e.NewValue;
}
/// <summary>
/// Defines the Mode of operation of the Button
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>
/// The SplitButton two Modes are
/// Split (default), - the button has two parts, a normal button and a dropdown which exposes the ContextMenu
/// Dropdown - the button acts like a combobox, clicking anywhere on the button opens the Context Menu
/// </remarks>
public SplitButtonMode Mode
{
get { return (SplitButtonMode)GetValue(ModeProperty); }
set { SetValue(ModeProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty ModeProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("Mode", typeof(SplitButtonMode), typeof(SplitButton), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(SplitButtonMode.Split));
/*
* Methods
*
*/
/// <summary>
/// OnApplyTemplate override, set up the click event for the dropdown if present in the template
/// </summary>
public override void OnApplyTemplate()
{
base.OnApplyTemplate();
// set up the event handlers
ButtonBase dropDown = this.Template.FindName("PART_DropDown", this) as ButtonBase;
if (dropDown != null)
dropDown.Click += DoDropdownClick;
}
/// <summary>
/// Make sure the Context menu is not null
/// </summary>
private void EnsureContextMenuIsValid()
{
if (ContextMenu == null)
ContextMenu = new ContextMenu();
}
/*
* Events
*
*/
/// <summary>
/// Event Handler for the Drop Down Button's Click event
/// </summary>
/// <param name="sender"></param>
/// <param name="e"></param>
void DoDropdownClick(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
if (Mode == SplitButtonMode.Dropdown)
return;
if (ContextMenu == null || ContextMenu.HasItems == false) return;
ContextMenu.PlacementTarget = this;
ContextMenu.IsOpen = true;
e.Handled = true;
}
}
}

Answer 1

Problem solved by explicitly setting ContextMenu's DataContext.
ContextMenu is not part of visual tree, therefore, does not resolve DataContext of its "parent'- is one gotcha that gets me every time.

Answer 2

The MenuItem object in your second code snippet, is that outside the SplitButton scope? As in, a direct child of the object container that has the CommandGroups property defined?
I ask because the ContextMenu in the first snippet will have a null DataContext, and as such will not be able to see the CommandGroups property.
I had a similar problem about a year ago, unfortunately, the only way I could solve this was to define the ContextMenu in code and inside the Execute method for a Command. Which enabled me to assign the ItemsSource in code.
To debug DataContext (and other Binding related problems like this) you should create yourself a DebugConverter like:
public class DebugConverter : IValueConverter
{
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
return value;
}
public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
This will help you debug a troublesome binding issue by creating the Binding like: {Binding Converter={StaticResource debugConverter}} and by setting a break point on the return value; line.