I have a control that I want to show/hide, depending on the value of a boolean.
I have a NegatedBooleanConverter (switches true to false and vice versa) and I need to run this converter first.
I have a BooleanToVisibilityConverter and I need to run this converter after the NegatedBoolConverter.
How can I fix this problem? I want to do this in XAML.
edit: this is a possible solution.
That doesn't seem to work. It first converts the value with the separate converters and then does something with the converted values.
What I need is:
Convert the value with the first converter (this gives convertedValue).
Convert convertedValue with the second converter and it's this result that I need.
This is what I did:
public class CombiningConverter : IValueConverter
{
public IValueConverter Converter1 { get; set; }
public IValueConverter Converter2 { get; set; }
public object Convert(
object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
object convertedValue =
Converter1.Convert(value, targetType, parameter, culture);
return Converter2.Convert(
convertedValue, targetType, parameter, culture);
}
public object ConvertBack(
object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
and I call it like this:
<converters:CombiningConverter
x:Key="negatedBoolToVisibilityConverter"
Converter1="{StaticResource NegatedBooleanConverter}"
Converter2="{StaticResource BoolToVisibilityConverter}" />
A MultiValueConverter might also be possible I think. Maybe I'll try that later.
Expanding on Natrium's great answer...
XAML
<conv:ConverterChain x:Key="convBoolToInverseToVisibility">
<conv:BoolToInverseConverter />
<BooleanToVisibilityConverter />
</conv:ConverterChain>
Class
/// <summary>Represents a chain of <see cref="IValueConverter"/>s to be executed in succession.</summary>
[ContentProperty("Converters")]
[ContentWrapper(typeof(ValueConverterCollection))]
public class ConverterChain : IValueConverter
{
private readonly ValueConverterCollection _converters= new ValueConverterCollection();
/// <summary>Gets the converters to execute.</summary>
public ValueConverterCollection Converters
{
get { return _converters; }
}
#region IValueConverter Members
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
return Converters
.Aggregate(value, (current, converter) => converter.Convert(current, targetType, parameter, culture));
}
public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
return Converters
.Reverse()
.Aggregate(value, (current, converter) => converter.Convert(current, targetType, parameter, culture));
}
#endregion
}
/// <summary>Represents a collection of <see cref="IValueConverter"/>s.</summary>
public sealed class ValueConverterCollection : Collection<IValueConverter> { }
In this case, you don't need a converter chain. You just need a configurable converter. This is similar to Carlo's answer above, but explicitly defines the true and false values (which means you can use the same converters for Hidden, Visible or Collapsed conversions).
[ValueConversion(typeof(bool), typeof(Visibility))]
public class BoolToVisibilityConverter : IValueConverter
{
public Visibility TrueValue { get; set; }
public Visibility FalseValue { get; set; }
public BoolToVisibilityConverter()
{
// set defaults
FalseValue = Visibility.Hidden;
TrueValue = Visibility.Visible;
}
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
return (bool)value ? TrueValue : FalseValue;
}
public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
Then in XAML:
<BoolToVisibilityConverter x:Key="BoolToVisibleConverter"
FalseValue="Hidden"
TrueValue="Visible" />
What we do in our project is make a regular BooleanToVisibilityConverter, said converter takes one parameter (anything at all, a string, an int, bool, whatever). If the parameter is set it inverts the result, if not, it spits out the regular result.
public class BooleanToVisibilityConverter : IValueConverter
{
#region IValueConverter Members
public object Convert(object value, System.Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
bool? isVisible = value as bool?;
if (parameter != null && isVisible.HasValue)
isVisible = !isVisible;
if (isVisible.HasValue && isVisible.Value == true)
return Visibility.Visible;
else
return Visibility.Collapsed;
}
public object ConvertBack(object value, System.Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
throw new System.NotImplementedException();
}
#endregion
}
To answer my own question again: I have been using this solution for years now:
Piping Value Converters in WPF - CodeProject
It makes a new converter of 2 existing converters, calling the first one first, and then the second one etc etc.
I'm pretty pleased with this solution.
At this point I'd like to suggest ValueConverters.NET (NuGet) which has a ton of useful ValueConverters, including the ValueConverterGroup that can be used to combine ValueConverters.
BoolToValueConverters also offer fields to define the TrueValue, FalseValue as well as if the input IsInverted, so a ValueConverterGroup is not even necessary in most cases.
Just to illustrate how easy the life can get, here is a sample demonstration which shows a converter that displays an element if the binding is not null:
<Window ...
xmlns:vc="clr-namespace:ValueConverters;assembly=ValueConverters"
...>
...
<vc:ValueConverterGroup x:Key="IsNotNullToVisibilityConverter">
<vc:NullToBoolConverter IsInverted="True" />
<vc:BoolToVisibilityConverter />
</vc:ValueConverterGroup>
ValueConverters are a prime example of reinventions of the wheel in a lot of WPF applications. Why it has to be?
Also complex things can often be solved with StyleTriggers or within the ViewModels logic itself.
It almost never happens that I need to build a custom converter. In my opinion WPF has enough engineer requirements already.
Personally I would just make 1 single converter that does the full conversion. Unless you desperately need the converters (like the negation) in other places, it will be easier to maintain (imo) if the conversion is done once, in one place.
I think you may want to use a Multiconverter here instead of two separate converters. You should be able to reuse the logic from your existing converters. Check out this discussion for a start.
To address this specific problem, instead of using two converters your could write your own BoolToVisibilityConverter that uses the ConverterParameter (as a bool) to determine whether or not to negate the original Boolean.
I've just created what I've called ReversedBooleanToVisibilityConverter to basically do what those 2 would do for you but in one step.
Here is a combination of Natrium and metao answers to save you some time:
public class ComparisonConverter : IValueConverter
{
public object TrueValue { get; set; } = true;
public object FalseValue { get; set; } = false;
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
return value?.Equals(parameter) == true? TrueValue : FalseValue;
}
public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
return value?.Equals(TrueValue) == true ? parameter : Binding.DoNothing;
}
}
And how you use it:
<converter:ComparisonConverter x:Key="ComparisonConverter" />
<converter:ComparisonConverter TrueValue="{x:Static Visibility.Visible}"
FalseValue="{x:Static Visibility.Collapsed}"
x:Key="ComparisonToVisibilityConverter" />
...
<RadioButton IsChecked="{Binding Type, ConverterParameter={x:Static entities:LimitType.MinMax}, Converter={StaticResource ComparisonConverter}}"/>
<TextBox Visibility="{Binding Type, ConverterParameter={x:Static entities:LimitType.MinMax}, Converter={StaticResource ComparisonToVisibilityConverter}}"/>
Related
In WPF one has the possibility to use a converter in binding, so that one can bind for instance a Visibility property of a control to a Boolean property in the view model.
For this specific pairing (Visibility and Boolean) WPF does offer an out-of-the-box converter called BooleanToVisibilityConverter.
But let's say I'd like to bind a Boolean property of a control to a Visibility property in the view model. Is there any way to use the standard BooleanToVisibilityConverter and tell the binding to invert it (to use ConvertBack instead on Convert and vice versa)?
Or do I have to write another converter for that case?
So, there is no built-in way of inverting the converter. We can, however, work around that by introducing a "shim" converter like this one:
public class InverterConverter : IValueConverter
{
public IValueConverter Converter { get; set; }
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
return Converter.ConvertBack(value, targetType, parameter, culture);
}
public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
return Converter.Convert(value, targetType, parameter, culture);
}
}
With the usage as follows:
<ContentControl>
<ContentControl.Content>
<Binding>
<Binding.Converter>
<InverterConverter Converter="{StaticResource YourConverter}" />
</Binding.Converter>
</Binding>
</ContentControl.Content>
</ContentControl>
This, obviously, is some heavy syntax but we can simplify it with this little markup extension:
public class InvertedExtension : MarkupExtension
{
public IValueConverter Converter { get; set; }
public InvertedExtension(IValueConverter converter)
{
Converter = new InverterConverter() { Converter = converter };
}
public override object ProvideValue(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
{
return Converter;
}
}
<ContentControl Content="{Binding Converter={Inverted {StaticResource MyConverter}}}" />
Is there any way to use the standard BooleanToVisibilityConverter and tell the binding to invert it (to use ConvertBack instead on Convert and vice versa)?
No.
Or do I have to write another converter for that case?
Yes.
You could implement a generic converter that accepts "true" and a "false" values of any type:
public class BooleanConverter<T> : IValueConverter
{
public T True { get; set; }
public T False { get; set; }
public virtual object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture) =>
value is bool && ((bool)value) ? True : False;
public virtual object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture) =>
value is T && EqualityComparer<T>.Default.Equals((T)value, True);
}
...and derive from this for each type that you want to handle:
public class BooleanToVisibilityNegationConverter : BooleanConverter<Visibility>
{
public BooleanToVisibilityNegationConverter()
: base()
{
True = Visibility.Hidden;
False = Visibility.Visible;
}
}
When you drag the slider, you get a ConvertBack (expected), but why do I then get a "Convert" straight after that? I'd only expect Convert to be called when its first initialized, or if it was raising a property change notification, but it doesn't.
<Window x:Class="WpfApplication10.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:l="clr-namespace:WpfApplication10"
Title="MainWindow">
<Slider Value="{Binding Value, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged, Mode=TwoWay, Converter={l:Converter}}"/>
</Window>
public class Converter : MarkupExtension, IValueConverter
{
public override object ProvideValue(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
{
return this;
}
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)
{
return value;
}
}
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public double Value { get; set; }
public MainWindow()
{
DataContext = this;
InitializeComponent();
}
}
This is likely occurring because you're using .NET 4, which changed the way bindings work a little bit : http://karlshifflett.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/wpf-4-0-data-binding-change-great-feature/
Whereas prior to 4 the binding wouldn't update back (assuming that it didn't need to), the new behavior is to do that by default. Rationale is explained in the linked blog.
Edit: I suppose I should ask if there is a reason you don't want it to convert back, or if it's just curiosity? If you need to prevent converting back, the clearest strategy is probably to keep track of your last converted value to parrot back :
public class Converter : MarkupExtension, IValueConverter
{
public override object ProvideValue(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
{
return this;
}
public object lastValue;
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
return lastValue;
}
public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
lastValue = value;
return value;
}
}
There's also the option of setting the binding to OneWayToSource, which would keep it from setting back to the slider value... assuming you don't need to push data back to the slider.
I use to bind a bool variable of a class to a IsChecked property of Checkbox. What i want to do is to bind 'NOT' of the original value, like IsChecked = Binding Not(IsSelected), please let me know how this can be done.
Thanks
You need to use a Convertor. A convertor class implements IValueConverter and can convert the binding value into something else, in your case, negate it. You can do it like this:
public class BoolInverseConverter : IValueConverter
{
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
if (value is bool)
return !(bool)value;
return value;
}
public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
I'm using WPF converter and wondered in terms of performance what would be better in the following example, to use class members or local variables ?
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter,System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
if ((int)value == 1)
return (Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString("#FCD44E");
return (Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString("#FCD44E");
}
or :
Color _color1 = (Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString("#FCD44E");
Color _color2 = (Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString("#FCD666");
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
if ((int)value == 1)
return _color1;
return _color2;
}
The most performant would be to use private static readonly as follows
private static readonly Color Color1 = (Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString("#FCD44E");
private static readonly Color Color2 = (Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString("#FCD666");
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
if ((int)value == 1)
return Color1;
return Color2;
}
See this answer for good discussion: Method can be made static, but should it?
While performance-wise the only relevant thing is to not do the conversion in every call to the Convert-method (as has been shown explicitly in the other answers), i would never write such a hard-coded converter in the first place, if you can parameterize something, do not hesitate to do so, e.g.:
public class OnValueToColorConverter : IValueConverter
{
public int Value { get; set; }
public Color OnValueColor { get; set; }
public Color OffValueColor { get; set; }
public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
return (int)value == Value ? OnValueColor : OffValueColor;
}
public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
throw new NotSupportedException();
}
}
<vc:OnValueToColorConverter Value="1"
OnValueColor="#FCD44E"
OffValueColor="#FCD666" />
(For this sort of thing one would normally not use a converter by the way but a Style with a default setter and a DataTrigger for the value on which it should change.)
The second option, but use static readonly fields if those colors are always constant. That way you're doing the work once, not every time you create a converter.
Does XAML allows modification of bound value?
Like Width="{Binding Elementname="lstMine", Path=Width}" -100 ? So that I can have a relative value.
You can use converters for this purpose, and my WPF Converters library includes an ExpressionConverter that allows you to do exactly that:
Width="{Binding Width, ElementName=lstMine, Converter={con:ExpressionConverter {}{0}-100}}"
use Converter for these purpose
You can use a converter, its simple to use, doesn't require any libraries and is easy to customize if you want for example add value or multiply.
I got this one from this post
Converter class:
public class SubtractConverter : MarkupExtension, IValueConverter
{
public double Value { get; set; }
public object Convert(object baseValue, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
double val = System.Convert.ToDouble(baseValue);
// Change here if you want other operations
return val - Value;
}
public object ConvertBack(object baseValue, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
{
return null;
}
public override object ProvideValue(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
{
return this;
}
}
Usage (remember to add the namespace and the converter to window resources):
Width="{Binding Width, ElementName=lstMine, Converter={converters:SubtractConverter Value=15}}"