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Clicking ContextMenu-option only triggers RelayCommand once [duplicate]

This question already has an answer here:
WPF MenuItem style parameters not available on menu first open
(1 answer)
Closed 2 years ago.
Each ListBox item has a ContextMenu "Kick" option. It does trigger the CanKickPlayer() method when I right-click the first ListBox item for the first time, but never again if I repeat the process on the same or a different ListBox item. Questions:
How to do so CanKickPlayer() triggers every time I choose the ContextMenu "Kick" option?
Why is the passed parameter in CanKickPlayer() method null?
MainWindow.xaml
<Window x:Class="ContextMenuTriggeredOnce.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Title="MainWindow" Height="300" Width="200">
<GroupBox Header="Players">
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding Players}" SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedPlayer}">
<ListBox.ContextMenu>
<ContextMenu>
<MenuItem Header="Kick" Command="{Binding KickPlayerCommand}" CommandParameter="{Binding SelectedPlayer}" />
</ContextMenu>
</ListBox.ContextMenu>
</ListBox>
</GroupBox>
</Window>
MainWindow.xaml.cs
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainViewModel MainViewModel { get; set; }
public MainWindow()
{
MainViewModel = new MainViewModel();
DataContext = MainViewModel;
InitializeComponent();
}
}
MainViewModel.cs
public class MainViewModel : BaseViewModel
{
public ObservableCollection<string> Players { get; set; } = new ObservableCollection<string>();
private string _selectedPlayer;
public string SelectedPlayer
{
get => _selectedPlayer;
set
{
if (value == null)
{
return;
}
SetProperty(ref _selectedPlayer, value);
}
}
private readonly RelayCommand _kickPlayerCommand;
public ICommand KickPlayerCommand => _kickPlayerCommand;
public MainViewModel()
{
Players.Add("Player1");
Players.Add("Player2");
_kickPlayerCommand = new RelayCommand(OnKickPlayer, CanKickPlayer);
}
private void OnKickPlayer(object command)
{
Players.Remove(command.ToString());
_kickPlayerCommand.InvokeCanExecuteChanged();
}
private bool CanKickPlayer(object command)
{
return command != null;
}
}
BaseViewModel.cs
public abstract class BaseViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected bool SetProperty<T>(ref T field, T newValue, [CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
if (!EqualityComparer<T>.Default.Equals(field, newValue))
{
field = newValue;
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
return true;
}
return false;
}
}
RelayCommand.cs
class RelayCommand : ICommand
{
private readonly Action<object> _executeAction;
private readonly Func<object, bool> _canExecuteAction;
public event EventHandler CanExecuteChanged;
public RelayCommand(Action<object> executeAction, Func<object, bool> canExecuteAction)
{
_executeAction = executeAction;
_canExecuteAction = canExecuteAction;
}
public void Execute(object parameter) => _executeAction(parameter);
public bool CanExecute(object parameter) => _canExecuteAction?.Invoke(parameter) ?? true;
public void InvokeCanExecuteChanged() => CanExecuteChanged?.Invoke(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}

You need to set the CommandParameter before Command.
<MenuItem Header="Kick" CommandParameter="{Binding SelectedPlayer}" Command="{Binding KickPlayerCommand}" />
(I don't use the Command pattern. I prefer using the Click event and from the Click event handler calling a function in the ViewModel. If I need to disable the menu item, I use a bool property in the ViewModel and bind that to the IsEnabled property on the menu item.)

WPF, doesn't work OnPropertyChanged for Properties.Settings (StringCollection) in listView

I try to set content for listView from Properties.Settings (StringCollection). Contet set successful, but if i delete item, listView don't refresh. If i close and open SettingWindow, content inside listView is correct. It's mean, something wrong in DataBinding, probably doesn't work OnPropertyChanged.
SettingWindow.xaml:
<Window x:Class="FilmDbApp.Views.SettingWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:p="clr-namespace:FilmDbApp.Properties"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:FilmDbApp.Views"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Title="Setting" Height="500" Width="400" ResizeMode="NoResize" WindowStartupLocation="CenterOwner">
<DockPanel>
<TabControl>
<TabItem Header="Genre options">
<StackPanel>
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Source={x:Static p:Settings.Default}, Path=Genres, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedGenre}"" VerticalAlignment="Top"/>
<Button Command="{Binding DeleteGenreCommand}" CommandParameter="{Binding SelectedGenre}" Content="Delete"/>
</StackPanel>
</TabItem>
<TabItem Header="Autosave options"/>
</TabControl>
</DockPanel>
</Window>
SettingWindow.cs:
using System.Windows;
using FilmDbApp.ViewModels;
namespace FilmDbApp.Views
{
/// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for SettingWindow.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class SettingWindow : Window
{
public SettingWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = new SettingWindowViewModel();
}
}
}
SettingWindowViewModel.cs:
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
using FilmDbApp.Views;
using FilmDbApp.Models;
using FilmDbApp.Utils;
namespace FilmDbApp.ViewModels
{
class SettingWindowViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private string selectedGenre;
public string SelectedGenre
{
get { return selectedGenre; }
set
{
selectedGenre = value;
OnPropertyChanged("SelectedGenre");
}
}
public SettingWindowViewModel()
{
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string prop = "")
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(prop));
}
}
// Delete genre
private RelayCommand deleteGenreCommand;
public RelayCommand DeleteGenreCommand
{
get
{
return deleteGenreCommand ??
(deleteGenreCommand = new RelayCommand(obj =>
{
string genre = obj as string;
Properties.Settings.Default.Genres.Remove(genre);
Properties.Settings.Default.Save();
OnPropertyChanged("Genres");
}, (obj) => Properties.Settings.Default.Genres.Count > 0 && obj != null));
}
}
}
}

Instead of binding to some other property in some other source you can utilize the power of ViewModel, which is used to work in between of view and models.
Add following property to a ViewModel
class SettingWindowViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public List<Genre> Genres => Properties.Settings.Default.Genres;
...
}
and bind to it
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Genres}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedGenre}"... />
Now inside various commands you should be able to tell bindings to update
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(Genres));

How to instance a child Window in WPF that takes parameters from the main Window, but respects MVVM

I have implemented something violating the MVVM pattern, and I wondered if there was a MVVM way of doing this.
I have a Window MainWindow, its DataContext is bound to a class called ViewModel which implements INotifyPropertyChanged.
I also implemented a Window ChildWindow which appears in a "Dialog" style when a button is clicked, using a RelayCommand. The DataContext of ChildWindow also binds to ViewModel. This Window is used to fill the details of a new list Item. I pass the View as a CommandParameter to the ViewModel, so that the ChildWindow can be centered in comparison to the MainWindow. This is not MVVM, and I would like to change this.
First, I implemented this in a non-MVVM way:
Here is my XAML for the button in MainWindow which opens the ChildWindow:
<Button Name="BtnInsert" Width="50" Margin="10" Command="{Binding OpenChildWindowCommand}" CommandParameter="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type Window}}}">Add</Button>
Here is my simplified XAML for the ChildWindow:
<Window x:Class="HWE_Einteilen_Prototype.View.ListItemWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:HWE_Einteilen_Prototype.View"
mc:Ignorable="d"
Title="test" Height="400" Width="400">
<TextBox Width="50" Text="{Binding CurrentListItem.Id}" ></TextBox>
</Window>
And here is my (simplified) ViewModel Class:
public class ViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private DataContext _ctx;
private ListItem _currentListItem;
private ObservableCollection<listItem> _listItems;
private ListItemWindow _listItemWindow;
private ICommand _openListItemWindowCommand;
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public ObservableCollection<ListItem> ListItems
{
get { return _listItems; }
set
{
_listItems = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
public ListItem CurrentListItem
{
get { return _currentListItem; }
set
{
_currentListItem = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
public ICommand OpenListItemWindowCommand
{
get { return _openListItemWindowCommand; }
set
{
_openListItemWindowCommand = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
public ViewModel()
{
OpenListItemWindowCommand = new RelayCommand(this.OpenNewListItemWindow, this.CanOpenListItemWindow);
}
private void OpenNewListItemWindow(object parameter)
{
CurrentListItem = new listItem(){Id = "testId"};
_listItemWindow = new StListItemWindow(){DataContext = this};
_listItemWindow.Owner = (MainWindow)parameter;
_listItemWindow.WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.CenterOwner;
_listItemWindow.Closing += OnStListItemWindowClosing;
_listItemWindow.Show();
}
private bool CanOpenListItemWindow(object parameter)
{
return true;
}
[NotifyPropertyChangedInvocator]
protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
What I have tried:
I have tried implementing a Behavior (from system.windows.interactivity) for the button opening the child window, so that it creates a new Window and does all the centering and owner stuff, and leaving only CurrentListItem = new listItem(){Id = "testId"}; in the command method. However, in this case binding to CurrentListItem in the ChildWindow throws an exception.
XAML Code for the MainWindow Button:
<Button Name="BtnInsert" Width="50" Margin="10" Command="{Binding OpenListItemWindowCommand}" Content="Add">
<i:Interaction.Behaviors>
<behaviors:BehButtonNewWindow></behaviors:BehButtonNewWindow>
</i:Interaction.Behaviors>
</Button>
Behavior Code:
class BehButtonNewWindow : Behavior<Button>
{
private StListItemWindow _ListItemWindow;
protected override void OnAttached()
{
AssociatedObject.Click += OnClickHandler;
}
protected override void OnDetaching()
{
AssociatedObject.Click -= OnClickHandler;
}
private void OnClickHandler(object sender, RoutedEventArgs routedEventArgs)
{
if (sender is Button button)
{
var win = Window.GetWindow(button);
if (win != null)
{
_ListItemWindow = new ListItemWindow
{
DataContext = win.DataContext,
Owner = win,
WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.CenterOwner
};
_ListItemWindow.Show();
}
}
}
}
Code of Command Execute Method from ViewModel:
private void OpenNewStListItemWindow(object parameter)
{
CurrentListItem = new ListItem(){Id = "testId"};
}
What am I doing wrong?

Credit for this answer goes to Will (see comments)
On handling the window opening:
Opening a window is a UI concern. Simply handle the button click in the codebehind, construct a new window and stick the current VM in it. MVVM != no codebehind.
On handling vm code:
[...] If you mean that last little bit of code at the bottom, make it public and have the window call it before opening the new window. The UI is perfectly fine knowing about your view models. They're designed to display their state and bind to their properties.
Thanks for your help!

Cannot get internal XAML binding to work against a Dependency Property

I have a user control "CtrlComments", this control has the following XAML (It's super basic).
<UserControl
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:wpftoolkit="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wpf/2008/toolkit"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
x:Name="ucRoot">
<Grid>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBlock Text="ID: " />
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Deployment.Id}" />
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
The code behind is as follows, it's the bare basics to get the control to function. The key is the DependencyObject typeof(DeploymentDto) which has an int property called Id that we are interested in showing on our window as per XAML binding above.
public partial class CtrlComments : UserControl, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty DeploymentProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Deployment", typeof(DeploymentDto),
typeof(CtrlComments), new PropertyMetadata(new DeploymentDto()));
public DeploymentDto Deployment
{
get
{
return (DeploymentDto)GetValue(DeploymentProperty);
}
set
{
SetValue(DeploymentProperty, value);
OnPropertyChanged(new PropertyChangedEventArgs("Deployment"));
}
}
public CtrlComments()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.DataContext = this;
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public void OnPropertyChanged(PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
PropertyChanged(this, e);
}
}
Our problem is, despite the fact that the binding between the parent control and my user control via the dependency property is working (verified) and the OnPropertyChanged method firing, the TextBlock in my XAML isn't updating.
I have noticed that when the OnPropertyChanged method is run, the eventhandler is null meaning no one is notified that there was a property change.
I don't understand why this is the case though. If you could help explain where we are going wrong it would be enormously appreciated.
Thanks!

I have tried to replicate your problem and while doing so, I figured that the problem for me was in the following line in CtrlComments:
this.DataContext = this;
Dropping this line just made it work for me. Also note (as #Aron wrote in the comments) that the OnPropertyChanged of INotifyPropertyChanged shouldn't be called while in the setter of the DependencyProperty. At least for me it isn't necessary to implement INPC at all.
In the XAML file where you are using the UserControl you are most likely going to have another DataContext set (on a higher level, perhaps in the Window), and thus I guess it isn't inherited to the user control if already set in there (or overwritten). Below is my working code, but perhaps I misunderstood exactly what you're doing. If that is the case, please extend your question to include how you are using the UserControl, as that is a key to answering the question if this doesn't work :)
CtrlComments.xaml:
<UserControl x:Class="WpfApplication1.CtrlComments"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
mc:Ignorable="d"
d:DesignHeight="300" d:DesignWidth="300">
<Grid>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBlock Text="ID: "/>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Deployment.Id}"/>
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
</UserControl>
CtrlComments.xaml.cs:
namespace WpfApplication1
{
public partial class CtrlComments : UserControl
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty DeploymentProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Deployment", typeof(DeploymentDto), typeof(CtrlComments), new PropertyMetadata(new DeploymentDto { Id = 5 }));
public DeploymentDto Deployment
{
get { return (DeploymentDto)GetValue(DeploymentProperty); }
set
{
SetValue(DeploymentProperty, value);
}
}
public CtrlComments()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
}
}
MainWindow.xaml:
<Window x:Class="WpfApplication1.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:WpfApplication1"
DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Self}}">
<StackPanel>
<local:CtrlComments x:Name="testUC" Height="100" Deployment="{Binding Deployment}"/>
<Button Click="Button_Click" Height="50" Width="100"/>
</StackPanel>
</Window>
MainWindow.xaml.cs:
namespace WpfApplication1
{
public partial class MainWindow : Window, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private DeploymentDto deployment = new DeploymentDto { Id = 2 };
public DeploymentDto Deployment
{
get { return deployment; }
set { deployment = value; OnPropertyChanged("Deployment"); }
}
private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
Deployment = new DeploymentDto { Id = new Random().Next(100) };
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public void OnPropertyChanged(string propName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propName));
}
}
}
}
DeploymentDto:
public class DeploymentDto
{
public int Id { get; set; }
}
It's quite ugly to bind MainWindow.DataContext to its code-behind, but since it's just used for example purposes I hope it's okay :)

How to excecute a command declared in child viewmodel in an MVVM app?

I've got a MainWindowVM and multiple child viewmodels inheriting from it.
MainWindowVM inherits from ViewModelBase which implements INotifyPropertychanged.
Each view has DataContext set to CurrentViewModel defined in MainWindowVM and every button
has got a binding to a command.
If I put the commands (and other command-handling code in the constructor) in the MainWindowVM,
button clicks in every view works as expected. I set MainControlVM as CurrentViewModel in the constructor of MainWindowVM.
Except for MainControlVM and MainWindowVM, setting commands in any other VM means they wont execute.
However, I want to have commands only in the VMs they are used.
I found many tutorials on MVVM with only one or two viewmodels so this situation isnt an issue for them.
Edit including code:
This is the relevant code:
Part of one of the child views in XAML with a binding:
<Grid DataContext="{Binding CurrentViewModel}" Margin="0,0,-186,0">
<Button Content="Add" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="25,249,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="62" Height="32"
Command="{Binding AddCategoryVMCommand}" />
MainWindowVM class contains:
public ICommand AddCategoryVMCommand { get; private set; }
and, in the constructor:
AddCategoryVMCommand = new RelayCommand(() => ExecuteAddCategoryVMCommand());
and:
protected void ExecuteAddCategoryVMCommand()
{
CurrentViewModel = new AddCategoryVM();
}
....and the same kind of code for each command. Aso, CurrentViewModel is set in the MainWindowVM class. This is the property that the MainWindow view uses to determine which view to display along with a datatemplate:
public ViewModelBase CurrentViewModel
{
get { return _currentViewModel; }
set
{
if (_currentViewModel == value)
return;
_currentViewModel = value;
this.RaiseNotifyPropertyChanged("CurrentViewModel");
}
}
How can I make commands execute when declared in child viewmodel?

There are a lot of comments going on, all out of sync and they appear to convolute the issue so I thought I would try to solve your problem with a basic example. The example deals solely with the command binding issue you appear to have.
I have created 3 ViewModel's, MyViewModel1 and MyViewModel2 are derived of MyViewModel. There is a command defined in the base ViewModel which is used to load the CurrentViewModel. The other 2 ViewModels contain their own commands.
public class MyViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private MyViewModel currentViewModel;
public RelayCommand<object> MyCommand { get; set; }
public MyViewModel()
{
MyCommand = new RelayCommand<object>(MyCommandExecute);
}
public MyViewModel CurrentViewModel
{
get { return currentViewModel; }
set
{
if (value != currentViewModel)
{
currentViewModel = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
}
protected virtual void MyCommandExecute(object obj)
{
switch (int.Parse(obj.ToString()))
{
case 1:
CurrentViewModel = new MyViewModel1();
break;
case 2:
CurrentViewModel = new MyViewModel2();
break;
}
}
protected void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
var handler = this.PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
handler.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
}
public class MyViewModel1 : MyViewModel
{
public RelayCommand<object> MyCommand1 { get; set; }
public MyViewModel1()
{
MyCommand1 = new RelayCommand<object>(MyCommand1Execute);
}
private void MyCommand1Execute(object obj)
{
Debug.WriteLine("MyCommand1");
}
}
public class MyViewModel2 : MyViewModel
{
public RelayCommand<object> MyCommand2 { get; set; }
public MyViewModel2()
{
MyCommand2 = new RelayCommand<object>(MyCommand2Execute);
}
private void MyCommand2Execute(object obj)
{
Debug.WriteLine("MyCommand2");
}
}
The code behind the UserControl1 is
public partial class UserControl1 : UserControl
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty ViewModelProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("ViewModel", typeof(MyViewModel1), typeof(UserControl1));
public UserControl1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public MyViewModel1 ViewModel
{
get { return GetValue(ViewModelProperty) as MyViewModel1; }
set { SetValue(ViewModelProperty, value); }
}
}
I have created the ViewModel Property as a DependencyProperty so I can bind to it from the MainWindow.
The Xaml of the user control is
<UserControl x:Class="StackOverflow._20937791.UserControl1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml" xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006" xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:this="clr-namespace:StackOverflow._20937791"
mc:Ignorable="d" d:DesignHeight="300" d:DesignWidth="300">
<StackPanel DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type this:UserControl1}}, Path=ViewModel}">
<Button Content="View 1 Command" Command="{Binding Path=MyCommand1}" />
</StackPanel>
</UserControl>
Note I have set up the DataContext on the first content element of the control. The bindings on all child elements are against the ViewModel of the UserControl while any incoming bindings (from the parent control) will be evaluated from the DataContext of that parent control.
Another point to note is that by defining the DataContext in the Xaml, you will get autocomplete in the Binding expressions which will cut down on bad expression errors.
The second UserControl is the same but the ViewModel is of type MyViewModel2.
Finally, the code for the MainWindow is
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public MyViewModel ViewModel { get; set; }
}
The Xaml is
<Window x:Class="StackOverflow._20937791.MainWindow" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:this="clr-namespace:StackOverflow._20937791"
DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Self}, Path=ViewModel}"
Title="MainWindow" Height="200" Width="300">
<Window.Resources>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type this:MyViewModel1}">
<this:UserControl1 ViewModel="{Binding}" />
</DataTemplate>
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type this:MyViewModel2}">
<this:UserControl2 ViewModel="{Binding}" />
</DataTemplate>
</Window.Resources>
<StackPanel>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<Button Content="Show View 1" Command="{Binding Path=MyCommand}" CommandParameter="1" Width="100" Margin="4" />
<Button Content="Show View 2" Command="{Binding Path=MyCommand}" CommandParameter="2" Width="100" Margin="0 4" />
</StackPanel>
<ContentControl Content="{Binding Path=CurrentViewModel}" Margin="20" />
</StackPanel>
</Window>
The UserControl is referenced in the main window and it has its ViewModel passed in.
The application shows a window that looks like
I hope this helps.

Firt, FYI - your approach is called the strategy pattern.
Now what you are doing sounds right but it's hard withou seeing your xaml.
Maybe you need to raise a propertychanged event after setting your vm properties?

It would be helpful if you would post your code .But if I havent misunderstood your question then you can try this
<Button Command="{Binding MainControlVM.ClickCommand}"
Set the binding MainControlVM.ClickCommand .Here ClickCommand is the name of your Command.
Update
I think the issue is in Setting the CurrentViewModel. You are setting the CurrentViewModel in the Action Of Command. I think you want to set the CurrentViewModel on the basis of Command. I think this could be better by CommandParameter . Like Bind all Buttons to same Base ViewModel Command and from each Command pass the different CommandParameter and then on Command compare that CommandParameter and set CurrentViewModel accordingly.
ViewModelBase ,Child1ViewModel ,Child2ViewModel
public class ViewModelBase:INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private ICommand _clickCommand;
public ICommand ClickCommand
{
get
{
return _clickCommand ?? (_clickCommand = new CommandHandler(MyAction,()=>true));
}
}
public void MyAction(object obj)
{
if(obj == null )
return;
//if CommandParameter is Cild1VM
if (obj.ToString() == "Child1VM")
CurrentViewModel = new Child1ViewModel();
//if CommandParameter is Cild1VM
else if (obj.ToString() == "Child2VM")
CurrentViewModel = new Child2ViewModel();
}
ViewModelBase _currentViewModel;
public ViewModelBase CurrentViewModel
{
get { return _currentViewModel; }
set
{
if (_currentViewModel == value)
return;
_currentViewModel = value;
this.RaiseNotifyPropertyChanged("CurrentViewModel");
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
void RaiseNotifyPropertyChanged(string propName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propName));
}
}
public class Child1ViewModel : ViewModelBase
{ }
public class Child2ViewModel : ViewModelBase
{ }
xaml
<StackPanel>
<Button Content="Foo" Command="{Binding ClickCommand}" CommandParameter="Child1VM"/>
<Button Content="Bar" Command="{Binding ClickCommand}" CommandParameter="Child2VM"/>
</StackPanel>
xaml.cs
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = new ViewModelBase();
}
}
I hope this will give you an idea.