I'm having some trouble understanding how command parameter binding works.
When I create an instance of the widget class before the call to InitializeComponent it seems to work fine. Modifications to the parameter(Widget) in the ExecuteCommand function will be "applied" to _widget. This is the behavior I expected.
If the instance of _widget is created after InitializeComponent, I get null reference exceptions for e.Parameter in the ExecuteCommand function.
Why is this? How do I make this work with MVP pattern, where the bound object may get created after the view is created?
public partial class WidgetView : Window
{
RoutedCommand _doSomethingCommand = new RoutedCommand();
Widget _widget;
public WidgetView()
{
_widget = new Widget();
InitializeComponent();
this.CommandBindings.Add(new CommandBinding(DoSomethingCommand, ExecuteCommand, CanExecuteCommand));
}
public Widget TestWidget
{
get { return _widget; }
set { _widget = value; }
}
public RoutedCommand DoSomethingCommand
{
get { return _doSomethingCommand; }
}
private static void CanExecuteCommand(object sender, CanExecuteRoutedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Parameter == null)
e.CanExecute = true;
else
{
e.CanExecute = ((Widget)e.Parameter).Count < 2;
}
}
private static void ExecuteCommand(object sender, ExecutedRoutedEventArgs e)
{
((Widget)e.Parameter).DoSomething();
}
}
<Window x:Class="CommandParameterTest.WidgetView"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="WidgetView" Height="300" Width="300"
DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Self}}">
<StackPanel>
<Button Name="_Button" Command="{Binding DoSomethingCommand}"
CommandParameter="{Binding TestWidget}">Do Something</Button>
</StackPanel>
</Window>
public class Widget
{
public int Count = 0;
public void DoSomething()
{
Count++;
}
}
InitializeCompenent processes the xaml associated with the file. It is at this point in time that the CommandParameter binding is first processed. If you initialize your field before InitializeCompenent then your property will not be null. If you create it after then it is null.
If you want to create the widget after InitializeCompenent then you will need to use a dependency property. The dependency proeprty will raise a notification that will cause the CommandParameter to be updated and thus it will not be null.
Here is a sample of how to make TestWidget a dependency property.
public static readonly DependencyProperty TestWidgetProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("TestWidget", typeof(Widget), typeof(Window1), new UIPropertyMetadata(null));
public Widget TestWidget
{
get { return (Widget) GetValue(TestWidgetProperty); }
set { SetValue(TestWidgetProperty, value); }
}
Even with the dependency property, you still need to call CommandManager.InvalidateRequerySuggested to force the CanExecute of the Command being evaluated.
Related
I try to create a DataGrid for WPF / MVVM which allows to manually select one ore more items from ViewModel code.
As usual the DataGrid should be able to bind its ItemsSource to a List / ObservableCollection. The new part is that it should maintain another bindable list, the SelectedItemsList. Each item added to this list should immediately be selected in the DataGrid.
I found this solution on Stackoverflow: There the DataGrid is extended to hold a Property / DependencyProperty for the SelectedItemsList:
public class CustomDataGrid : DataGrid
{
public CustomDataGrid()
{
this.SelectionChanged += CustomDataGrid_SelectionChanged;
}
private void CustomDataGrid_SelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
this.SelectedItemsList = this.SelectedItems;
}
public IList SelectedItemsList
{
get { return (IList)GetValue(SelectedItemsListProperty); }
set { SetValue(SelectedItemsListProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty SelectedItemsListProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("SelectedItemsList",
typeof(IList),
typeof(CustomDataGrid),
new PropertyMetadata(null));
}
In the View/XAML this property is bound to the ViewModel:
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<ucc:CustomDataGrid Grid.Row="0"
ItemsSource="{Binding DataGridItems}"
SelectionMode="Extended"
AlternatingRowBackground="Beige"
SelectionUnit="FullRow"
IsReadOnly="True"
SelectedItemsList="{Binding DataGridSelectedItems,
Mode=TwoWay,
UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
<Button Grid.Row="1"
Margin="5"
HorizontalAlignment="Center"
Content="Select some rows"
Command="{Binding CmdSelectSomeRows}"/>
</Grid>
The ViewModel also implements the command CmdSelectSomeRows which selects some rows for testing. The ViewModel of the test application looks like this:
public class CustomDataGridViewModel : ObservableObject
{
public IList DataGridSelectedItems
{
get { return dataGridSelectedItems; }
set
{
dataGridSelectedItems = value;
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(DataGridSelectedItems));
}
}
public ICommand CmdSelectSomeRows { get; }
public ObservableCollection<ExamplePersonModel> DataGridItems { get; private set; }
public CustomDataGridViewModel()
{
// Create some example items
DataGridItems = new ObservableCollection<ExamplePersonModel>();
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
DataGridItems.Add(new ExamplePersonModel
{
Name = $"Test {i}",
Age = i * 22
});
}
CmdSelectSomeRows = new RelayCommand(() =>
{
if (DataGridSelectedItems == null)
{
DataGridSelectedItems = new ObservableCollection<ExamplePersonModel>();
}
else
{
DataGridSelectedItems.Clear();
}
DataGridSelectedItems.Add(DataGridItems[0]);
DataGridSelectedItems.Add(DataGridItems[1]);
DataGridSelectedItems.Add(DataGridItems[4]);
DataGridSelectedItems.Add(DataGridItems[6]);
}, () => true);
}
private IList dataGridSelectedItems = new ArrayList();
}
This works, but only partially: After application start when items are added to the SelectedItemsList from ViewModel, they are not displayed as selected rows in the DataGrid. To get it to work I must first select some rows with the mouse. When I then add items to the SelectedItemsList from ViewModel these are displayed selected – as I want it.
How can I achieve this without having to first select some rows with the mouse?
You should subscribe to the Loaded event in your CustomDataGrid and initialize the SelectedItems of the Grid (since you never entered the SelectionChangedEvent, there is no link between the SelectedItemsList and the SelectedItems of your DataGrid.
private bool isSelectionInitialization = false;
private void CustomDataGrid_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
this.isSelectionInitialization = true;
foreach (var item in this.SelectedItemsList)
{
this.SelectedItems.Clear();
this.SelectedItems.Add(item);
}
this.isSelectionInitialization = false;
}
and the SelectionChanged event handler has to be modified like this:
private void CustomDataGrid_SelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (!this.isSelectionInitialization)
{
this.SelectedItemsList = this.SelectedItems;
}
else
{
//Initialization from the ViewModel
}
}
Note that while this will fix your problem, this won't be a true synchronization as it will only copy the items from the ViewModel at the beginning.
If you need to change the items in the ViewModel at a later time and have it reflected in the selection let me know and I will edit my answer.
Edit: Solution to have a "true" synchronization
I created a class inheriting from DataGrid like you did.
You will need to add the using
using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Specialized;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
public class CustomDataGrid : DataGrid
{
public CustomDataGrid()
{
this.SelectionChanged += CustomDataGrid_SelectionChanged;
this.Loaded += CustomDataGrid_Loaded;
}
private void CustomDataGrid_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
//Can't do it in the constructor as the bound values won't be initialized
//If it is expected for the bound collection to be null initially, you could subscribe to the change of the
//dependency in order to subscribe to the collectionChanged event on the first non null value
this.SelectedItemsList.CollectionChanged += SelectedItemsList_CollectionChanged;
//We call the update in case we have already some items in the VM collection
this.UpdateUIWithSelectedItemsFromVm();
if(this.SelectedItems.Count != 0)
{
//Otherwise the items won't be as visible unless you change the style (this part is not required)
this.Focus();
}
else
{
//No focus
}
}
private void SelectedItemsList_CollectionChanged(object sender, NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
this.UpdateUIWithSelectedItemsFromVm();
}
private void UpdateUIWithSelectedItemsFromVm()
{
if (!this.isSelectionChangeFromUI)
{
this.isSelectionChangeFromViewModel = true;
this.SelectedItems.Clear();
if (this.SelectedItemsList == null)
{
//Nothing to do, we just cleared all the selections
}
else
{
if (this.SelectedItemsList is IList iListFromVM)
foreach (var item in iListFromVM)
{
this.SelectedItems.Add(item);
}
}
this.isSelectionChangeFromViewModel = false;
}
else
{
//Nothing to do, the change is coming from the SelectionChanged event
}
}
private void CustomDataGrid_SelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
//If your collection allow suspension of notifications, it would be a good idea to add a check here in order to use it
if(!this.isSelectionChangeFromViewModel)
{
this.isSelectionChangeFromUI = true;
if (this.SelectedItemsList is IList iListFromVM)
{
iListFromVM.Clear();
foreach (var item in SelectedItems)
{
iListFromVM.Add(item);
}
}
else
{
throw new InvalidOperationException("The bound collection must inherit from IList");
}
this.isSelectionChangeFromUI = false;
}
else
{
//Nothing to do, the change is comming from the bound collection so no need to update it
}
}
private bool isSelectionChangeFromUI = false;
private bool isSelectionChangeFromViewModel = false;
public INotifyCollectionChanged SelectedItemsList
{
get { return (INotifyCollectionChanged)GetValue(SelectedItemsListProperty); }
set { SetValue(SelectedItemsListProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty SelectedItemsListProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register(nameof(SelectedItemsList),
typeof(INotifyCollectionChanged),
typeof(CustomDataGrid),
new PropertyMetadata(null));
}
You will have to initialize the DataGridSelectedItems earlier or you there will be a null exception when trying to subscribe to the collectionChanged event.
/// <summary>
/// I removed the notify property changed from your example as it probably isn't necessary unless you really intended to create a new Collection at some point instead of just clearing the items
/// (In this case you will have to adapt the code for the synchronization of CustomDataGrid so that it subscribe to the collectionChanged event of the new collection)
/// </summary>
public ObservableCollection<ExamplePersonModel> DataGridSelectedItems { get; set; } = new ObservableCollection<ExamplePersonModel>();
I didn't try all the edge cases but this should give you a good start and I added some directions as to how to improve it. Let me know if some parts of the code aren't clear and I will try to add some comments.
So I've spent about two hours pounding my head against the desk trying everything I can think of to bind to a property on a custom control and none of it works. If I have something like this:
<Grid Name="Form1">
<mine:SomeControl MyProp="{Binding ElementName=Form1, Path=DataContext.Enable}"/>
<Button Click="toggleEnabled_Click"/>
</Grid>
public class TestPage : Page
{
private TestForm _form;
public TestPage()
{
InitializeComponent();
_form = new TestForm();
Form1.DataContext = _form;
}
public void toggleEnabled_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
_form.Enable = !_form.Enable;
}
}
TestForm looks like:
public class TestForm
{
private bool _enable;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public bool Enable
{
get { return _enable; }
set { _enable = value; OnPropertyChanged("Enable"); }
}
protected void OnPropertyChanged(string name)
{
PropertyChangedEventHandler handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(name));
}
}
}
And my control looks like:
<UserControl>
<TextBox Name="TestBox"/>
</UserControl>
public class SomeControl : UserControl
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty MyPropProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("MyProp", typeof(bool), typeof(SomeControl));
public bool MyProp
{
get { return (bool)GetValue(MyPropProperty); }
set { SetValue(MyPropProperty, value); }
}
public SomeControl()
{
InitializeComponent();
DependencyPropertyDescriptor.FromProperty(MyPropProperty)
.AddValueChanged(this, Enable);
}
public void Enable(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
TestBox.IsEnabled = (bool)GetValue(MyPropProperty);
}
}
Absolutely nothing happens when I click the toggle button. If I put a breakpoint inside of the Enable callback it is never hit, whats the deal?
If the Enabled method does not do any more than setting the propertou you could drop it and bind the TextBox.IsEnabled directly:
<UserControl Name="control">
<TextBox IsEnabled="{Binding MyProp, ElementName=control}"/>
</UserControl>
If you want to keep such a method you should register a property changed callback via UIPropertyMetadata for the dependency property.
Also this binding is redundant:
{Binding ElementName=Form1, Path=DataContext.Enable}
The DataContext is inherited (if you don't set it in the UserControl (which you should never do!)), so you can just use:
{Binding Enable}
Further if there is trouble with any of the bindings: There are ways to debug them.
I am trying to create a composite DataContext for a UserControl. Basically I have a control which has Order and Package properties and I wanted to create the composite object representing this datasource in XAML rather than in code.
This is how I am trying to display the UserControl (and create the DataContext):
<views:PackageDetailsControl>
<views:PackageDetailsControl.DataContext>
<vm:OrderPackagePair Package="{Binding Package, Mode=OneWay}"
Order="{Binding Order, Mode=OneWay}"/>
</views:PackageDetailsControl.DataContext>
</views:PackageDetailsControl>
The OrderPackagePair object is a simple dependency object that is created in XAML :
public class OrderPackagePair : DependencyObject
{
public OrderDetails Order
{
get { return (OrderDetails)GetValue(OrderProperty); }
set { SetValue(OrderProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty OrderProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Order", typeof(OrderDetails), typeof(OrderPackagePair), new UIPropertyMetadata(null));
public PackageInfo Package
{
get { return (PackageInfo)GetValue(PackageProperty); }
set { SetValue(PackageProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty PackageProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Package", typeof(PackageInfo), typeof(OrderPackagePair), new UIPropertyMetadata(null));
}
Order and Package are not bound correctly and are just null.
Yes I know there's probably a better way of doing this - but I cannot understand why this isn't working. Occasionally in Blend it'll work and then go blank again.
This will not work because DependencyObject(OrderPackagePair class) doesn't monitor internal changes of its dependency properties. As OrderPackagePair object remains the same, DataContext considered as unchanged.
On the opposite site, class Freezable is intented to notify subscribers that instance was changed when one of its dependency properties changed.
So, try to declare Freezable instead of DependencyObject as base class of OrderPackagePair.
------------- UPDATE --------
Yes, it works. In order to prove it I've implemented simple example.
Code of OrderPackagePairClass:
public class OrderPackagePair : Freezable
{
public OrderDetails Order
{
get { return (OrderDetails)GetValue(OrderProperty); }
set { SetValue(OrderProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty OrderProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Order", typeof(OrderDetails), typeof(OrderPackagePair), new UIPropertyMetadata(null));
public PackageInfo Package
{
get { return (PackageInfo)GetValue(PackageProperty); }
set { SetValue(PackageProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty PackageProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Package", typeof(PackageInfo), typeof(OrderPackagePair), new UIPropertyMetadata(null));
protected override Freezable CreateInstanceCore()
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
XAML:
<Window x:Class="WindowTest.MainWindow"
xmlns:self="clr-namespace:WindowTest"
Name="RootControl">
<StackPanel Margin="10" DataContextChanged="StackPanel_DataContextChanged">
<StackPanel.DataContext>
<self:OrderPackagePair Package="{Binding Path=DataContext.PackageInfo, Mode=OneWay, ElementName=RootControl}"
Order="{Binding Path=DataContext.OrderDetails, Mode=OneWay, ElementName=RootControl}"/>
</StackPanel.DataContext>
<Button Margin="10" Content="Change Package" Click="Button_Click"/>
</StackPanel>
</Window>
And code behind:
public partial class MainWindow : Window, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.DataContext = this;
}
private OrderDetails _orderDetails;
public OrderDetails OrderDetails
{
get
{
return this._orderDetails;
}
set
{
this._orderDetails = value;
this.OnPropertyChanged("OrderDetails");
}
}
private PackageInfo _packageInfo;
public PackageInfo PackageInfo
{
get
{
return this._packageInfo;
}
set
{
this._packageInfo = value;
this.OnPropertyChanged("PackageInfo");
}
}
private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
this.PackageInfo = new PackageInfo(DateTime.Now.ToString());
}
private void StackPanel_DataContextChanged(object sender, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
Trace.WriteLine("StackPanel.DataContext changed");
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected void OnPropertyChanged(string name)
{
var safeEvent = this.PropertyChanged;
if (safeEvent != null)
{
safeEvent(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(name));
}
}
}
When you click the button, model changes PackageInfo property (for simplicity model and view are implemented in the same class). Dependency property OrderPackagePair.Package reacts on new value and overwrites its value. Due to Freezable nature, OrderPackagePair notifies all subscribers that it was changed and handler StackPanel_DataContextChanged is called. If you get back to DependencyObject as base class of OrderPackagePair - handler will be never called.
So, I suppose your code doesn't work because of other mistakes. You should carefully work with DataContext. For example, you wrote:
<views:PackageDetailsControl>
<views:PackageDetailsControl.DataContext>
<vm:OrderPackagePair Package="{Binding Package, Mode=OneWay}"
Order="{Binding Order, Mode=OneWay}"/>
</views:PackageDetailsControl.DataContext>
</views:PackageDetailsControl>
and certainly this is one of the problems. Binding expression is oriented on current DataContext. But you set DataContext as OrderPackagePair instance. So you binded OrderPackagePair.Package to OrderPackagePair.Package (I suppose, that your goal is to bind OrderPackagePair.Package to Model.Package). And that's why nothing happened.
In my example in binding expression I explicitly tell to which DataContext I want to bind:
Package="{Binding Path=DataContext.PackageInfo, Mode=OneWay, ElementName=RootControl}"
Scenario: In a Silverlight 4 MVVM project, we have a ListBox control containing items, the selected item is two-way-bound to the appropriate property in the ViewModel. Another control (for example reasons, I've stripped it down to a single TextBox) is data bound to the selected item's content. The value should update on leave/focus lost.
Problem: When the value in the TextBox is changed and we leave that TextBox by pressing the Tab key, everything works as desired - the value is updated. However, if the user clicks on a different item in the ListBox, then the SelectedItem setter is fired before the content of TextBox setter is fired, leaving no chance to handle the user input.
You can see in debugger, when adding breakpoints to the property setters, that the new ListView selection is applied first, before the TextBox update is processed.
Desired behavior: We need to know that the currently selected item was modified before the user has selected another item. It's not desired to have a custom update trigger which would notify on each key press (we know that's possible).
Can you help?
Code (a very simple example):
ViewModel
public abstract class ViewModelBase : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
var handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
handler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
public class ItemViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
private string _content;
public ItemViewModel(string initContent)
{
_content = initContent;
}
public string Content
{
get
{
return _content;
}
set
{
if (_content != value)
{
_content = value;
OnPropertyChanged("Content");
}
}
}
}
public class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
private ObservableCollection<ItemViewModel> _items =
new ObservableCollection<ItemViewModel>();
private ItemViewModel _selectedViewModel;
public ObservableCollection<ItemViewModel> Items
{
get
{
return _items;
}
}
public ItemViewModel SelectedItem
{
get
{
return _selectedViewModel;
}
set
{
if (_selectedViewModel != value)
{
_selectedViewModel = value;
OnPropertyChanged("SelectedItem");
}
}
}
}
XAML
<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot" Background="White">
<ListBox Height="100"
HorizontalAlignment="Left"
Margin="12,12,0,0"
VerticalAlignment="Top"
ItemsSource="{Binding Items}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedItem, Mode=TwoWay}"
DisplayMemberPath="Content"
Width="220" />
<TextBox Height="23"
HorizontalAlignment="Left"
Margin="12,118,0,0"
Text="{Binding SelectedItem.Content, Mode=TwoWay}"
VerticalAlignment="Top"
Width="220" />
</Grid>
XAML Code Behind
public MvvmTestView()
{
InitializeComponent();
Loaded += new RoutedEventHandler(MvvmTestView_Loaded);
}
void MvvmTestView_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
MainViewModel viewModel = new MainViewModel();
viewModel.Items.Add(new ItemViewModel("Hello StackOverflow"));
viewModel.Items.Add(new ItemViewModel("Thanks to Community"));
DataContext = viewModel;
}
UPDATE 1
I present a self designed solution for you to check out, which will be probably be the accepted one, I still want to encourage you to make comments and give your hints. Thanks.
You could add a behavior to your textbox to updated the binding every time the text is changed in the textbox. Maybe this solved your problems.
Here´s the code for the Behavior class:
public class UpdateTextBindingOnPropertyChanged : Behavior<TextBox> {
// Fields
private BindingExpression expression;
// Methods
protected override void OnAttached() {
base.OnAttached();
this.expression = base.AssociatedObject.GetBindingExpression(TextBox.TextProperty);
base.AssociatedObject.TextChanged+= OnTextChanged;
}
protected override void OnDetaching() {
base.OnDetaching();
base.AssociatedObject.TextChanged-= OnTextChanged;
this.expression = null;
}
private void OnTextChanged(object sender, EventArgs args) {
this.expression.UpdateSource();
}
}
Heres the XAML:
xmlns:i="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/2010/interactivity"
xmlns:local="Namespace of the class where UpdateTextBindingOnPropertyChanged is defined"
<TextBox Text="{Binding SelectedItem.Content, Mode=TwoWay}">
<i:Interaction.Behaviors>
<local:UpdateTextBindingOnPropertyChanged />
</i:Interaction.Behaviors>
</TextBox >
This is one solution we currently came up with. It has the advantage that it separates different tasks to the appropriate layer. For example, the View enforces an update of the binding, while the ViewModel tells the View to do so. Another advantage is that its handled synchronously, which would for example allow to check the content right before switching away, and the call-stack remains unchanged without raising "External Code" (Going over Dispatcher or even DispatcherTimer would do so) which is better for maintenance and flow control. A disadvantage is the new Event which has to be bound and handled (and finally unbound. I present an anonymous handler only for example reasons).
How to get there?
In ViewModelBase, implement a new ForceBindingUpdate event:
public abstract class ViewModelBase : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
// ----- leave everything from original code ------
public event EventHandler ForceBindingUpdate;
protected void OnForceBindingUpdate()
{
var handler = ForceBindingUpdate;
if (handler != null)
handler(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
}
In MainViewModel, update the setter of the SelectedItem property:
set // of SelectedItem Property
{
if (_selectedViewModel != value)
{
// Ensure Data Update - the new part
OnForceBindingUpdate();
// Old stuff
_selectedViewModel = value;
OnPropertyChanged("SelectedItem");
}
}
Update the MvvmTestView Code Behind to implement the new event:
void MvvmTestView_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
// remains unchanged
Mvvm.MainViewModel viewModel = new Mvvm.MainViewModel();
viewModel.Items.Add(new Mvvm.ItemViewModel("Hello StackOverflow"));
viewModel.Items.Add(new Mvvm.ItemViewModel("Thanks to Community"));
// Ensure Data Update by rebinding the content property - the new part
viewModel.ForceBindingUpdate += (s, a) =>
{
var expr = ContentTextBox.GetBindingExpression(TextBox.TextProperty);
expr.UpdateSource();
};
// remains unchanged
DataContext = viewModel;
}
Last but not least, the minimal XAML Update: Give the TextBox a name by adding x:Name="ContentTextBox" Attribute to the TextBoxs XAML.
Done.
Actually, I don't know if this is the cleanest solution, but it gets close to what we had in mind.
Maybe you could handle TextBox LostFocus then (instead of listening to every key press)?
Other idea would be to keep a proxy property on the ViewModel instead of directly binding to SelectedItem.Content and writing some code to make sure the item is updated.
Solution №1
public class LazyTextBox: TextBox
{
//bind to that property instead..
public string LazyText
{
get { return (string)GetValue(LazyTextProperty); }
set { SetValue(LazyTextProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty LazyTextProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("LazyText", typeof(string), typeof(LazyTextBox),
new PropertyMetadata(null));
//call this method when it's really nessasary...
public void EnsureThatLazyTextEqualText()
{
if (this.Text != this.LazyText)
{
this.LazyText = this.Text;
}
}
}
Solution №2 (works as magic :) )
public class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
{
private ObservableCollection<ItemViewModel> _items =
new ObservableCollection<ItemViewModel>();
private ItemViewModel _selectedViewModel;
public ObservableCollection<ItemViewModel> Items { get { return _items; } }
public ItemViewModel SelectedItem
{
get { return _selectedViewModel; }
set
{
if (_selectedViewModel != value)
{
if (SelectedItem != null)
{
SelectedItem.Content = SelectedItem.Content;
}
_selectedViewModel = value;
// A little delay make no harm :)
var t = new DispatcherTimer();
t.Interval = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0.1);
t.Tick += new EventHandler(t_Tick);
t.Start();
}
}
}
void t_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
OnPropertyChanged("SelectedItem");
(sender as DispatcherTimer).Stop();
}
}
I know that in MVVM we do not want to put code in code behind. But in this instance it hurts nothing as it is entirely maintained in the UI and SOP is maintained.
By putting a ghost element to take focus we can swap the focus back in forth forcing
the text box to commit its contents. So in the code behind we take care of the focus wiggle.
But yet we still are using a relay command Update Command to execute the save. So the order is good as the Click event fires wiggling the view. And then the relay command UpdateCommand will fire and the textbox is committed and ready for update.
<MenuItem Header="_Save"
Command="{Binding UpdateCommand}" Click="MenuItem_Click">
</MenuItem>
private void MenuItem_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
UIElement elem = Keyboard.FocusedElement as UIElement;
Keyboard.Focus(ghost);
Keyboard.Focus(elem);
}
Solution #3
public abstract class ViewModelBase : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private List<string> _propNameList = new List<string>();
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
var handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
_propNameList.Add(propertyName);
var t = new DispatcherTimer();
t.Interval = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0);
t.Tick += new EventHandler(t_Tick);
t.Start();
}
void t_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (_propNameList.Count > 0)
{
var handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
handler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(_propNameList[0]));
_propNameList.Remove(_propNameList[0]);
}
}
}
PS: it's the same timer.. but this solution is more generic..
I have a class called IssuesView which implements INotifyPropertyChanged. This class holds an ObservableCollection<Issue> and exposes it as a DependencyProperty called Issues for consumption by Bindings. It is defined as below -
public class IssuesView : DependencyObject, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public Issues Issues
{
get { return (Issues)GetValue(IssuesProperty); }
set
{
SetValue(IssuesProperty, value);
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs("Issues"));
}
}
}
// Using a DependencyProperty as the backing store for Issues. This enables animation, styling, binding, etc...
public static readonly DependencyProperty IssuesProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Issues", typeof(Issues), typeof(IssuesView), new UIPropertyMetadata(null));
public IssuesView()
{
Refresh();
}
public void Refresh()
{
this.Issues = new Issues();
}
#region INotifyPropertyChanged Members
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
#endregion
}
I have a test page declared like this -
<Page x:Class="Tracker.Pages.DEMO"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:cont="clr-namespace:Tracker.Controls"
Title="DEMO">
<StackPanel>
<Button Click="Button_Click">Change</Button>
<cont:IssueTimeline IssuesForTimeline="{Binding Source={StaticResource issuesView},Path = Issues}"/>
</StackPanel>
The IssuesView class is defined in Application.Resources.
Now in the event hadnler for the button i have this code -
private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
IssuesView iv = Application.Current.FindResource("issuesView") as IssuesView;
if (!once)
{
foreach (Issue i in iv.Issues)
{
i.DormantFor = new TimeSpan(30, 0, 0, 0);
i.AssignedUserID = 12;
i.Name = "MyName";
i.Priority = Issue.Priorities.Critical;
i.Status = Issue.Statuses.New;
i.Summary = "NewSummary";
}
once = true;
}
else
{
iv.Refresh();
}
once is a simple boolean to test mutation of the collection versus repopulation.
The first button click alters the collection's items and the UI is updated properly since the items implement INotifyPropertyChanged but the second click repopulates the collection but does not update the UI even though the event is not null and fires properly.
Why does the UI not update on the second click? How can i make it so that repopulating the collection will cause a UI update?
You really need to simplify your repro. I can see several things wrong with it, but cannot help to solve your problem without seeing all of it. Here is my simple repro, which works just fine.
Window1.xaml:
<Window x:Name="_root" x:Class="CollectionRepro.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">
<StackPanel DataContext="{Binding ElementName=_root}">
<ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding Issues}"/>
<Button x:Name="_addButton">Add</Button>
<Button x:Name="_resetButton">Reset</Button>
</StackPanel>
</Window>
Window1.xaml.cs:
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.Windows;
namespace CollectionRepro
{
public partial class Window1 : Window
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty IssuesProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("Issues",
typeof(ICollection<string>),
typeof(Window1));
public ICollection<string> Issues
{
get { return (ICollection<string>)GetValue(IssuesProperty); }
set { SetValue(IssuesProperty, value); }
}
public Window1()
{
InitializeComponent();
Reset();
_addButton.Click +=new RoutedEventHandler(_addButton_Click);
_resetButton.Click += new RoutedEventHandler(_resetButton_Click);
}
void _resetButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
Reset();
}
void _addButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
Issues.Add("Another issue");
}
private void Reset()
{
Issues = new ObservableCollection<string>();
}
}
}
First: there's no reason to implement INotifyProperty changed for DependencyProperties. DependencyProperties know when they change.
Second: I don't see an ObservableCollection in your code.
Third: it's not entirely clear to me (from the code you posted) where the issues you modify in the first click come from. I assume from another action, not posted here.
Am I correct if I assume that you want to clear the issues list with the second click (since I don't know what the Issues constructor does)?