WPF: Bind to datacontext in modal parent window - c#

I am opening a modal window using:
public void PropertiesTablesButtonClicked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
Window _childWindow = new PropertiesTablesWindow();
// Assign MainWindow as the owner of this window, this will cause the MainWindow
// to become inactive and make the child window flash if the main window is clicked
_childWindow.Owner = App.Current.MainWindow;
_childWindow.ShowDialog();
}
Is there a way from within PropertiesTablesWindow.xaml to bind to the DataContext of the main window? The main window DataContext has a property EditMode which lets me know if the program is in edit mode which in turn would be used to make a DataGrid on the child window read-only or editable like so:
<DataGrid Name="PropertiesDataGrid"
ItemsSource="{Binding PropertiesDataView, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"
SelectedItem="{Binding SelectedProperty, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"
AutoGenerateColumns="False"
CanUserAddRows="False"
MaxHeight="200"
IsReadOnly="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor,
AncestorType={x:Type Application}}, Path=DataContext.EditMode,
UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged,
Converter={StaticResource NegatedStringComparisonToBooleanConverter}, ConverterParameter=Admin}">
I have tried AncestorType of Window and Application but obviously these do not work.

Different windows have different visual trees. That's why you failed with the bindings. But why not to set the modal window's datacontext on the datacontext of the owner window? It'd do the trick. Of course you could also build a mediator to store the context but the first solution is so tempting simple.

Related

WPF MVVM Custom TItle

I decided to make a custom title for my program in WPF and encountered difficulties.
I started to study MVVM pattern and its essence to get rid of using standard events in View.
I wanted to make buttons to close, minimize and maximize window, but ran into difficulties. I can't understand where the logic of these buttons should be.
If you don't use standard events, but use commands, it won't work, because ViewModel doesn't know anything about the window. And I don't want to use events.
I found this solution for window close button
<i:Interaction.Triggers>
<i:EventTrigger EventName="Click">
<i:CallMethodAction MethodName="Close"
TargetObject="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource
Mode=FindAncestor,
AncestorType=Window}}" />
</i:EventTrigger>
</i:Interaction.Triggers>
But I don't know how to do the other two buttons the same way. I tried to find other MethodNames that can be used here, but I found only method Hide, but it does not suit me, because it hides the window completely, it is neither on the taskbar nor in the tray, but it is still running and visible in the task manager.
Can you tell me how I can do the same window minimizing and resizing through XAML code?
UPD:
I found a way to minimize the window, but I still do not know how to make a button that will change the WindowsState to Normal if the WindowState Maximized and vice versa.
<i:Interaction.Triggers>
<i:EventTrigger EventName="Click">
<i:ChangePropertyAction PropertyName="WindowState"
TargetObject="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type Window}}}"
Value="{Binding Source={x:Static sys:WindowState.Minimized}}"
/>
</i:EventTrigger>
</i:Interaction.Triggers>
In MVVM any UI related logic must be in the View. This should be clear.
Commands are not View Model only. Your View can also define commands. Special ICommand implementation is the RoutedCommand. Don't think that because it is a command, then it must be handled in the View Model.
You should not use the Interaction.Triggers, especially not in your scenario. Additionally, if you are not firm with MVVM, Interaction.Triggers will very likely introduce code smells.
Simply create an event handler for the Button.Click event in your Window class' code-behind e.g., MainWindow.xaml.cs file.
Also, there is no reason to bind to a static variable or a constant or an enum. Just reference it directly:
<i:ChangePropertyAction Value="{x:Static sys:WindowState.Minimized}" ... />
However, to solve your problem simply add an event handler in your code-behind:
MainWindow.xaml
<Button Click="OnMaximizeButtonClicked"
Content="Toggle Maximize" />
MainWindow.xaml.cs
// Toggle the WindowState between Maximized and Normal
private void OnMaximizeButtonClicked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
=> this.WindowState = this.WindowState == WindowState.Normal
? WindowState.Maximized
: WindowState.Normal;
Alternatively, use routed commands (How to: Create a RoutedCommand):
MainWindow.xaml
<Button Command="{x:Static local:MainWindow.ToggleMaximizeStateCommand}"
Content="Toggle Maximize" />
MainWindow.xaml.cs
partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public static RoutedCommand ToggleMaximizeStateCommand { get; } = new RoutedCommand("ToggleMaximizeStateCommand", typeof(MainWindow));
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
// Register the command handler
var toggleMaximizeStateCommandBinding = new CommandBinding(
ToggleMaximizeCommand,
ExecuteToggleMaximizeStateCommand,
CanExecuteToggleMaximizeStateCommand);
this.CommandBindings.Add(toggleMaximizeCommandBinding);
}
// Toggle the WindowState between Maximized and Normal
private void ExecuteToggleMaximizeStateCommand(object sender, ExecutedRoutedEventArgs e)
=> this.WindowState = this.WindowState == WindowState.Normal
? WindowState.Maximized
: WindowState.Normal;
private void CanExecuteToggleMaximizeStateCommand(object sender, CanExecuteRoutedEventArgs e)
=> e.CanExecute = true;
}

How can I bind a CommandParameter with a child UserControl's child element?

I have the following xaml view:
<UserControl x:Class="MyViews.PersonView"
xmlns:views="clr-namespace:MyViews"
[...]
>
[...]
<dxb:BarManager x:Name="MainBarManager">
<dxb:BarManager.Items>
<dxb:BarButtonItem x:Name="bbiPrint"
Content="{Binding Print, Source={StaticResource CommonResources}}"
Command="{Binding PrintPersonsCommand}"
CommandParameter="{Binding PersonsCardView, ElementName=CardUserControl}"
/>
</dxb:BarManager.Items>
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
[...]
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<views:CardView x:Name="CardUserControl" Grid.Row="2"/>
</Grid>
[...]
</UserControl>
The CardView is defined as follows:
<UserControl x:Class="MyViews.CardView"
[...]>
[...]
<dxg:GridControl ItemsSource="{Binding Persons}" SelectedItems="{Binding SelectedPersons}" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" SelectionMode="MultipleRow">
[...]
<dxg:GridControl.View>
<dxg:CardView x:Name="PersonsCardView"
[...]
CardTemplate="{StaticResource DisplayCardTemplate}"
PrintCardViewItemTemplate="{StaticResource PrintCardTemplate}"/>
</dxg:GridControl.View>
[...]
</dxg:GridControl>
</UserControl>
The PrintPersonsCommand is defined as follows in my ViewModel:
public class PersonViewModel
{
public PersonViewModel(...)
{
[...]
PrintPersonsCommand = new Prism.Commands.DelegateCommand<DataViewBase>(PrintPersons, CanPrintPersons);
}
public Prism.Commands.DelegateCommand<DataViewBase> PrintPersonsCommand { get; private set; }
private void PrintPersons(DataViewBase view)
{
_printService.ShowGridViewPrintPreview(view);
}
private bool CanPrintPersons(DataViewBase view)
{
return true;
}
}
Now, when I click the Print button, the above PrintPersons method is always fed with null. How do I pass CardUserControl.PersonsCardView in my MyViews.PersonView xaml above, how do I pass that PersonCardView to my command? In other words, how do I fix
CommandParameter="{Binding PersonsCardView, ElementName=CardUserControl}"
to make it work?
Currently, the only solution I've found to this problem is to replace the Command and CommandParameter with
ItemClick="OnPrintBtnClick"
and then in the PersonView's code-behind file to do:
private void OnPrintBtnClick(object sender, ItemClickEventArgs e)
{
var ctxt = DataContext as PersonViewModel;
ctxt.PrintPersonsCommand.Execute(CardUserControl.PersonsCardView);
}
That works but I can't believe there is no other way. I'm not happy with that solution because I don't have the benefits of using the Command any more, like e.g. the automatic evaluation of the Command's CanExecute method. I could also put the CardView's xaml code in the PersonView.xaml but I like my controls to be in separate files because I have the feeling it's more structured and each user control has its own responsibilities which can nicely be split into separate files. Also, that solution binds my view to my view model too tightly.
Can someone help me out please?
Without changing your existing view and viewmodel hierarchy, I was able to pass the GridControl.View to the PersonViewModel using the Tag property
You can assign the CardView to the Tag property at the bottom of your CardView UserControl, and then access this Tag as CommandParameter.
CardView UserControl
<UserControl x:Class="MyViews.CardView"
[...]>
[...]
<dxg:GridControl ItemsSource="{Binding Persons}" SelectedItems="{Binding SelectedPersons}" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" SelectionMode="MultipleRow">
[...]
<dxg:GridControl.View>
<dxg:CardView x:Name="PersonsCardView"
[...]
CardTemplate="{StaticResource DisplayCardTemplate}"
PrintCardViewItemTemplate="{StaticResource PrintCardTemplate}"/>
</dxg:GridControl.View>
[...]
</dxg:GridControl>
<UserControl.Tag>
<Binding ElementName="PersonsCardView"/>
</UserControl.Tag>
</UserControl>
Print Button Xaml:
<dxb:BarButtonItem x:Name="bbiPrint"
Content="{Binding Print, Source={StaticResource CommonResources}}"
Command="{Binding PrintPersonsCommand}"
CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=CardUserControl, Path=Tag}"
/>
Based on the valuable input of Insane, I came up with the following two cleaner fixes:
Code-behind solution
In the PersonView, use the ItemClick event handler on the Print button:
<dxb:BarButtonItem x:Name="bbiPrint"
Content="{Binding Print, Source={StaticResource CommonResources}}"
ItemClick="OnPrintBtnClick"/>
Adapt the corresponding code-behind file like this:
public partial class PersonView : UserControl
{
readonly IPrintService _printService;
public PersonView(IPrintService printService)
{
_printService = printService;
InitializeComponent();
}
private void OnPrintBtnClick(object sender, ItemClickEventArgs e)
{
_printService.ShowGridViewPrintPreview(CardUserControl.PersonsCardView);
}
}
Because I want to gray-out the Print button when there is no selection, I still need to add some code to make that happen. I can get it by
1. updating the button code to
<dxb:BarButtonItem x:Name="bbiPrint"
Content="{Binding Print, Source={StaticResource CommonResources}}"
ItemClick="OnPrintBtnClick" IsEnabled="{Binding CanPrintPersons}"/>
refreshing the CanPrintPersons property in the PersonViewModel upon Persons selection change
That's it.
CardViewModel solution
In that solution, we have a PersonView with its underlying PersonViewModel and a CardView with its underlying CardViewModel. I will not describe that solution with all the details as it is overkill in my situation but for the sake of completeness, I'll give the main points. Upon clicking the Print button on the PersonView, the PersonViewModel's PrintCommand is called. That command emits a Print event to the CardViewModel which in turn calls its own PrintCommand. That latter command calls
_printService.ShowGridViewPrintPreview(View);
where the View is a CardViewModel's property that is set upon CardView loading with e.g.
<dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
<dxmvvm:EventToCommand EventName="Loaded" Command="{Binding ViewLoadedCommand}" CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=PersonsCardView}" />
</dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
Because I have two child views I want to print, I'd need to add a view model for each one of those. In addition, those two view models plus the PersonViewModel need access to the list of Persons to be printed. In particular, they need a shared access to the same data, so that they are synchronized. A simple way to do that is explained here and is totally doable. But I think it is not worth the trouble for the simple use case I have as it adds more complexity than necessary.

MVVM Light RelayCommand binding not working in user control

I'm working on a WPF application which uses the MVVM Light toolkit. I'm creating a wizard and I want to show buttons for navigating to the previous step and the next step on every page. In order to avoid code duplication, I use a user control which provides the buttons.
I'm trying to bind the next button's Command property to a dependency property , which is defined in the code behind file, called NextStepCommand. The type of this property is RelayCommand. The user control's dependency property NextStepCommand should then be bound to the window's property with the exact same name NextStepCommand; of course it also is of type RelayCommand.
However, the binding from the window's property NextStepCommand to the button's property Command doesn't work. Binding the window's property NextStepCommand to an arbitrary button defined in the window's XAML file works fine; so does implementing a RelayCommand in the user control's code behind class and binding it to the next button defined in the user control. Nevertheless, the full link from the window's property to the user control's button does not work and I can't figure out a solution.
The user control's XAML code is shown below.
<UserControl DataContext="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Self}}">
<DockPanel>
<Button DockPanel.Dock="Left"
IsEnabled="{Binding Path=PreviousStepEnabled}"
Command="{Binding Path=PreviousStepCommand}">Back</Button>
<Button DockPanel.Dock="Right"
IsEnabled="{Binding Path=NextStepEnabled}"
Command="{Binding Path=NextStepCommand, Mode=OneWay}">Next</Button>
<Label/>
</DockPanel>
</UserControl>
The user control's NextStepCommand is defined the following way:
public RelayCommand NextStepCommand
{
get { return (RelayCommand)GetValue(NextStepCommandProperty); }
set { SetValue(NextStepCommandProperty, value); }
}
public static readonly DependencyProperty NextStepCommandProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register(nameof(NextStepCommand), typeof(RelayCommand), typeof(WizardStepSwitchBar), new PropertyMetadata(default(RelayCommand)));
The window's XAML is displayed below.
<MahApps:MetroWindow
xmlns:MahApps="clr-namespace:MahApps.Metro.Controls;assembly=MahApps.Metro"
DataContext="{Binding Source={StaticResource Locator}, Path=BasicSettings}">
<Grid Style="{StaticResource MainContainerMargin}">
<control:WizardStepSwitchBar Grid.Row="4" Grid.Column="0" Grid.ColumnSpan="3" PreviousStepEnabled="False" NextStepCommand="{Binding Path=NextStepCommand, Mode=OneWay}"/>
</Grid>
</MahApps:MetroWindow>
The implementation of the window's NextStepCommand property is quite simple:
public RelayCommand NextStepCommand
{
get
{
return new RelayCommand(this.OnNextStep);
}
}
private void OnNextStep()
{
MessageBox.Show("It works!");
}
I tried using this answer, but didn't provide a solution to my issue. Thank you in advance for your support!

Bind ICommand to parent ViewModel

I have two user controls LeftPanel and DeviceList. DeviceList is inside the LeftPanel. I want the context menu in device list to be able to call a command on the parent view model, which is set on a grid that hosts DeviceList. I have tried the following but it does not work.
Here is the ContextMenu within DeviceList
<MenuItem Command="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Mode=FindAncestor,
AncestorType={x:Type local:LeftPanel}},
Path=DeviceListViewModel.RemoveDevice}">
Here is the LeftPanel usercontrol
<UserControl x:Class="Tool.LeftPanel" .... >
<Grid DataContext="{Binding DeviceListViewModel}" Grid.Column="1">
<local:DeviceList Grid.Row="1" Margin="0,0,0,10"/>
I had a similar problem, but the ContextMenu does not see the DataContext of the ViewModel or the Parent.
A possible solution is here Access ViewModel / DataConext inside ContextMenu .
the contextmenu is not part of the visualtree, so i think your binding is simply wrong because the datacontext is not what you think of.
use Snoop to check your DataContext and bindings at runtime
i assume that you have to work with PlacementTarget in your bindings

Bind button in DataTemplate to command in the form's ViewModel

My problem is similar to the one described in this question:
WPF MVVM Button Control Binding in DataTemplate
Here is my XAML:
<Window x:Class="MissileSharp.Launcher.MainWindow"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="MissileSharp Launcher" Height="350" Width="525">
<Grid>
<!-- when I put the button here (outside the list), the binding works -->
<!--<Button Content="test" Command="{Binding Path=FireCommand}" />-->
<ListBox ItemsSource="{Binding CommandSets}">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<!-- I need the button here (inside the list), and here the binding does NOT work -->
<Button Content="{Binding}" Command="{Binding Path=FireCommand}" />
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
</Grid>
</Window>
It's just a ListBox, bound to an ObservableCollection<string> named CommandSets (which is in the ViewModel).
This binding works (it displays a button for each item in the collection).
Now I want to bind the button to a command (FireCommand), which is also in the ViewModel.
Here's the relevant part of the ViewModel:
public class MainWindowViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public ICommand FireCommand { get; set; }
public ObservableCollection<string> CommandSets { get; set; }
public MainWindowViewModel()
{
this.FireCommand = new RelayCommand(new Action<object>(this.FireMissile));
}
private void FireMissile(Object obj)
{
System.Windows.MessageBox.Show("fire");
}
}
The binding of this button does NOT work.
From what I've understood from the question I linked above, the binding doesn't work because:
(correct me if I'm wrong)
The button is inside the ListBox, so it only "knows" the binding of the ListBox (the ObservableCollection, in this case), but not the binding of the main window
I'm trying to bind to a command in the main ViewModel of the main window (which the button doesn't "know")
The command itself is definitely correct, because when I put the button outside the ListBox (see the XAML above for an example), the binding works and the command is executed.
Apparently, I "just" need to tell the button to bind to the main ViewModel of the form.
But I'm not able to figure out the right XAML syntax.
I tried several approaches that I found after some googling, but none of them worked for me:
<Button Content="{Binding}" Command="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource Window}, Path=DataContext.FireCommand}" />
<Button Content="{Binding}" Command="{Binding Path=FireCommand, Source={StaticResource MainWindow}}" />
<Button Content="{Binding}" Command="{Binding Path=FireCommand, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type Window}}}" />
Could someone please:
give me the proper XAML to bind the button inside the ListBox to a command in the form's MainViewModel?
point me to a link where this advanced binding stuff is explained in a way that a WPF/MVVM beginner can understand?
I'm feeling like I'm just copying and pasting arcane XAML incantations, and so far I don't have any clue (and can't find any good documentation) how I would figure out by myself in which cases I'd need RelativeSource or StaticResource or whatever instead of a "normal" binding.
It's:
{Binding DataContext.FireCommand,
RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=ListBox}}
No need to walk up to the root unless you actually change the DataContext along the way, but as the ListBox seems to bind to a property on the main VM this should be enough.
The only thing i recommend reading is the Data Binding Overview, and the Binding class documentation (including its properties).
Also here is a short explanation on how bindings are constructed: A binding consists of a source and a Path relative to that source, by default the source is the current DataContext. Sources that can be set explicitly are: Source, ElementName & RelativeSource. Setting any of those will override the DataContext as source.
So if you use a source like RelativeSource and want to access something in the DataContext on that level the DataContext needs to appear in the Path.
This may be considered unrelated by most, but this search is only 1 of 3 results that you'll find searching for data binding commands to controls inside a data template--as it relates to Xamarin Forms. So, maybe it'll help someone now-a-days.
Like me you may wonder how to bind commands inside a BindableLayout. Credit jesulink2514 for answering this at Xamarin Forums, where it's probably overlooked by many because of all the comments. Here's his solution, but I'm including the link below:
<ContenPage x:Name="MainPage">
<ListView Grid.Row="1"
ItemsSource="{Binding Customers}"
VerticalOptions="Fill"
x:Name="ListviewCustomer">
<ListView.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<Label Text="{Binding Property}"/>
<Button Command="{Binding BindingContext.ItemCommand, Source={x:Reference MainPage}}"
CommandParameter="{Binding .}">Click me</Button>
</DataTemplate>
</ListView.ItemTemplate>
</ListView>
</ContentPage>
https://forums.xamarin.com/discussion/comment/217355/#Comment_217355

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