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Implement INotifyPropertyChanged in a Class

I created the INotifyPropertyChanged in a class
public class BindableBase : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
protected void Set<T>(ref T storage, T value, [CallerMemberName]string propertyName = null)
{
if (Equals(storage, value))
{
return;
}
storage = value;
RaisePropertyChanged(propertyName);
}
protected void RaisePropertyChanged([CallerMemberName]string propertyName = null)
{
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
Now when I try to use it in usercontrol
public partial class myUserControl : UserControl, BindableBase
I encounter the following error
myUserControl can not have multiple base class

INotifyPropertyChanged is intended for view model classes, not for the views (or user controls) themselves. Therefore you don't normally need them in the views. You should use dependency properties instead, if you want to add fields to a user control.
See the example on UserControl:
/// <summary>
/// Identifies the Value dependency property.
/// </summary>
public static readonly DependencyProperty ValueProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register(
"Value", typeof(decimal), typeof(NumericUpDown),
new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(MinValue, new PropertyChangedCallback(OnValueChanged),
new CoerceValueCallback(CoerceValue)));
/// <summary>
/// Gets or sets the value assigned to the control.
/// </summary>
public decimal Value
{
get { return (decimal)GetValue(ValueProperty); }
set { SetValue(ValueProperty, value); }
}

Pass extra argument to command with InvokeCommandAction

Is there a way to pass an extra argument (alongside the default argument) to a command with InvokeCommandAction from Microsoft.Xaml.Behaviors.Wpf?
Like the following:
<behaviors:Interaction.Triggers>
<behaviors:EventTrigger EventName="MouseDown">
<behaviors:InvokeCommandAction Command="{Binding Command, Mode=OneWay}" PassEventArgsToCommand="True" />
</behaviors:EventTrigger>
</behaviors:Interaction.Triggers>
Here the passed argument is MouseButtonEventArgs:
<behaviors:Interaction.Triggers>
<behaviors:EventTrigger EventName="MouseDown">
<behaviors:InvokeCommandAction Command="{Binding Command, Mode=OneWay}" PassEventArgsToCommand="True">
<behaviors:InvokeCommandAction.CommandParameter>
<MultiBinding Converter="{StaticResource ResourceKey=CommandConverter}">
<Binding ElementName="OtherElement" Mode="OneWay" />
</MultiBinding>
</behaviors:InvokeCommandAction.CommandParameter>
</behaviors:InvokeCommandAction>
</behaviors:EventTrigger>
</behaviors:Interaction.Triggers>
And here I want to pass the OtherElement and MouseButtonEventArgs together. Is there a way to specify the MouseButtonEventArgs argument ?

The InvokeCommandAction supports exactly one CommandParameter, which is either the event arguments or the bound command parameter. If you try to do both, the command parameter will take precedence. Since the XAML behaviors are open source, you can see it yourself in the Invoke method of the class on Github.
In order to achieve passing both, you will have to write your own action. This would be an easy task, if you could simply create a derived type of InvokeCommandAction and override Invoke, but unfortunately it is sealed. That means, you have to copy the code for InvokeCommandAction and adapt it.
To start off, create a small class that encapsulates both the event arguments and the command parameter.
public class CompositeCommandParameter
{
public CompositeCommandParameter(EventArgs eventArgs, object parameter)
{
EventArgs = eventArgs;
Parameter = parameter;
}
public EventArgs EventArgs { get; }
public object Parameter { get; }
}
Next, copy the code from GitHub. In essence, you have to replace explicit references to the InvokeCommandAction type with your custom type, here AdvancedInvokeCommandAction and of course adapt the Invoke method so that it creates a CompositeCommandParameter instance and calls the command with it.
public sealed class AdvancedInvokeCommandAction : TriggerAction<DependencyObject>
{
private string commandName;
public static readonly DependencyProperty CommandProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("Command", typeof(ICommand), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), null);
public static readonly DependencyProperty CommandParameterProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("CommandParameter", typeof(object), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), null);
public static readonly DependencyProperty EventArgsConverterProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("EventArgsConverter", typeof(IValueConverter), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), new PropertyMetadata(null));
public static readonly DependencyProperty EventArgsConverterParameterProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("EventArgsConverterParameter", typeof(object), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), new PropertyMetadata(null));
public static readonly DependencyProperty EventArgsParameterPathProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("EventArgsParameterPath", typeof(string), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), new PropertyMetadata(null));
// ...other code.
public object CommandParameter
{
get { return this.GetValue(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction.CommandParameterProperty); }
set { this.SetValue(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction.CommandParameterProperty, value); }
}
// ...other code.
protected override void Invoke(object parameter)
{
if (this.AssociatedObject != null)
{
ICommand command = this.ResolveCommand();
if (command != null)
{
object eventArgs = null;
object commandParameter = this.CommandParameter;
//if no CommandParameter has been provided, let's check the EventArgsParameterPath
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(this.EventArgsParameterPath))
{
eventArgs = GetEventArgsPropertyPathValue(parameter);
}
//next let's see if an event args converter has been supplied
if (eventArgs == null && this.EventArgsConverter != null)
{
eventArgs = this.EventArgsConverter.Convert(parameter, typeof(object), EventArgsConverterParameter, CultureInfo.CurrentCulture);
}
//last resort, let see if they want to force the event args to be passed as a parameter
if (eventArgs == null && this.PassEventArgsToCommand)
{
eventArgs = parameter;
}
if (command.CanExecute(commandParameter))
{
var compositeCommandParameter = new CompositeCommandParameter((EventArgs) eventArgs, commandParameter);
command.Execute(compositeCommandParameter);
}
}
}
}
// ...other code.
}
In your XAML code, you can now use both. Since you will most probably use this action only with both parameters, you could further customize the action to remove the PassEventArgsToCommand parameter.
<b:Interaction.Triggers>
<b:EventTrigger EventName="MouseDown">
<local:AdvancedInvokeCommandAction Command="{Binding Command, Mode=OneWay}"
PassEventArgsToCommand="True"
CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=OtherElement}" />
</b:EventTrigger>
</b:Interaction.Triggers>
In your view model, the command will now get an object of type CompositeCommandParameter.
Here is the complete code for the AdvancedInvokeCommandAction.
public sealed class AdvancedInvokeCommandAction : TriggerAction<DependencyObject>
{
private string commandName;
public static readonly DependencyProperty CommandProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("Command", typeof(ICommand), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), null);
public static readonly DependencyProperty CommandParameterProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("CommandParameter", typeof(object), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), null);
public static readonly DependencyProperty EventArgsConverterProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("EventArgsConverter", typeof(IValueConverter), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), new PropertyMetadata(null));
public static readonly DependencyProperty EventArgsConverterParameterProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("EventArgsConverterParameter", typeof(object), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), new PropertyMetadata(null));
public static readonly DependencyProperty EventArgsParameterPathProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("EventArgsParameterPath", typeof(string), typeof(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction), new PropertyMetadata(null));
/// <summary>
/// Gets or sets the name of the command this action should invoke.
/// </summary>
/// <value>The name of the command this action should invoke.</value>
/// <remarks>This property will be superseded by the Command property if both are set.</remarks>
public string CommandName
{
get
{
this.ReadPreamble();
return this.commandName;
}
set
{
if (this.CommandName != value)
{
this.WritePreamble();
this.commandName = value;
this.WritePostscript();
}
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets or sets the command this action should invoke. This is a dependency property.
/// </summary>
/// <value>The command to execute.</value>
/// <remarks>This property will take precedence over the CommandName property if both are set.</remarks>
public ICommand Command
{
get { return (ICommand)this.GetValue(CommandProperty); }
set { this.SetValue(CommandProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets or sets the command parameter. This is a dependency property.
/// </summary>
/// <value>The command parameter.</value>
/// <remarks>This is the value passed to ICommand.CanExecute and ICommand.Execute.</remarks>
public object CommandParameter
{
get { return this.GetValue(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction.CommandParameterProperty); }
set { this.SetValue(AdvancedInvokeCommandAction.CommandParameterProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets or sets the IValueConverter that is used to convert the EventArgs passed to the Command as a parameter.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>If the <see cref="Command"/> or <see cref="EventArgsParameterPath"/> properties are set, this property is ignored.</remarks>
public IValueConverter EventArgsConverter
{
get { return (IValueConverter)GetValue(EventArgsConverterProperty); }
set { SetValue(EventArgsConverterProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets or sets the parameter that is passed to the EventArgsConverter.
/// </summary>
public object EventArgsConverterParameter
{
get { return (object)GetValue(EventArgsConverterParameterProperty); }
set { SetValue(EventArgsConverterParameterProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets or sets the parameter path used to extract a value from an <see cref= "EventArgs" /> property to pass to the Command as a parameter.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>If the <see cref="Command"/> propert is set, this property is ignored.</remarks>
public string EventArgsParameterPath
{
get { return (string)GetValue(EventArgsParameterPathProperty); }
set { SetValue(EventArgsParameterPathProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// Specifies whether the EventArgs of the event that triggered this action should be passed to the Command as a parameter.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>If the <see cref="Command"/>, <see cref="EventArgsParameterPath"/>, or <see cref="EventArgsConverter"/> properties are set, this property is ignored.</remarks>
public bool PassEventArgsToCommand { get; set; }
/// <summary>
/// Invokes the action.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="parameter">The parameter to the action. If the action does not require a parameter, the parameter may be set to a null reference.</param>
protected override void Invoke(object parameter)
{
if (this.AssociatedObject != null)
{
ICommand command = this.ResolveCommand();
if (command != null)
{
object eventArgs = null;
object commandParameter = this.CommandParameter;
//if no CommandParameter has been provided, let's check the EventArgsParameterPath
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(this.EventArgsParameterPath))
{
eventArgs = GetEventArgsPropertyPathValue(parameter);
}
//next let's see if an event args converter has been supplied
if (eventArgs == null && this.EventArgsConverter != null)
{
eventArgs = this.EventArgsConverter.Convert(parameter, typeof(object), EventArgsConverterParameter, CultureInfo.CurrentCulture);
}
//last resort, let see if they want to force the event args to be passed as a parameter
if (eventArgs == null && this.PassEventArgsToCommand)
{
eventArgs = parameter;
}
if (command.CanExecute(commandParameter))
{
var compositeCommandParameter = new CompositeCommandParameter((EventArgs) eventArgs, commandParameter);
command.Execute(compositeCommandParameter);
}
}
}
}
private object GetEventArgsPropertyPathValue(object parameter)
{
object commandParameter;
object propertyValue = parameter;
string[] propertyPathParts = EventArgsParameterPath.Split('.');
foreach (string propertyPathPart in propertyPathParts)
{
PropertyInfo propInfo = propertyValue.GetType().GetProperty(propertyPathPart);
propertyValue = propInfo.GetValue(propertyValue, null);
}
commandParameter = propertyValue;
return commandParameter;
}
private ICommand ResolveCommand()
{
ICommand command = null;
if (this.Command != null)
{
command = this.Command;
}
else if (this.AssociatedObject != null)
{
// todo jekelly 06/09/08: we could potentially cache some or all of this information if needed, updating when AssociatedObject changes
Type associatedObjectType = this.AssociatedObject.GetType();
PropertyInfo[] typeProperties = associatedObjectType.GetProperties(BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Instance);
foreach (PropertyInfo propertyInfo in typeProperties)
{
if (typeof(ICommand).IsAssignableFrom(propertyInfo.PropertyType))
{
if (string.Equals(propertyInfo.Name, this.CommandName, StringComparison.Ordinal))
{
command = (ICommand)propertyInfo.GetValue(this.AssociatedObject, null);
}
}
}
}
return command;
}
}

c# DataBinding does not update Control

I'm playing with databinding on c# compact framework. I develop a simple form with a Textbox and a Label. I want to change the data binded to Textbox (bindModelTextBox) and show these changes by the Label (bindModelLabel), which is binded to the same data. Here is the code:
public partial class CreateShipment : Form {
//simple bean. Just one property: id, a string
private BasicShipmentBean toBindBasicShipment = null;
public CreateShipment() {
InitializeComponent();
BindingSource bsProva = new BindingSource();
toBindBasicShipment = new BasicShipmentBean();
toBindBasicShipment.id = "boo";
bsProva.Add(toBindBasicShipment);
bindModelLabel.DataBindings.Add("Text", bsProva, "id", true, DataSourceUpdateMode.OnPropertyChanged);
bindModelTextBox.DataBindings.Add("Text", bsProva, "id", true, DataSourceUpdateMode.OnPropertyChanged);
bindModelTextBox.LostFocus += textLoseFocus;
}
...
private void textLoseFocus(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("focus lost. "+toBindBasicShipment.id);
}
When textbox loose focus I can see the data is updated in the bean, but, the label still shows bean's original id value. What am I missing?

You need to implement INotifyPropertyChanged on your BasicShipmentBean class. I forgot where exactly I found this originally, but here is an ObservableObject base class that implements INotifyPropertyChanged, that I use for all of my data sources.
public abstract class ObservableObject : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
#region Debugging Aides
/// <summary>
/// Warns the developer if this object does not have
/// a public property with the specified name. This
/// method does not exist in a Release build.
/// </summary>
[Conditional("DEBUG")]
[DebuggerStepThrough]
public virtual void VerifyPropertyName(string propertyName)
{
// Verify that the property name matches a real,
// public, instance property on this object.
if (TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(this)[propertyName] == null)
{
string msg = "Invalid property name: " + propertyName;
if (this.ThrowOnInvalidPropertyName)
throw new Exception(msg);
else
Debug.Fail(msg);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Returns whether an exception is thrown, or if a Debug.Fail() is used
/// when an invalid property name is passed to the VerifyPropertyName method.
/// The default value is false, but subclasses used by unit tests might
/// override this property's getter to return true.
/// </summary>
protected virtual bool ThrowOnInvalidPropertyName { get; private set; }
#endregion // Debugging Aides
#region INotifyPropertyChanged Members
/// <summary>
/// Raises the PropertyChange event for the property specified
/// </summary>
/// <param name="propertyName">Property name to update. Is case-sensitive.</param>
public virtual void RaisePropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
this.VerifyPropertyName(propertyName);
OnPropertyChanged(propertyName);
}
/// <summary>
/// Raised when a property on this object has a new value.
/// </summary>
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
/// <summary>
/// Raises this object's PropertyChanged event.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="propertyName">The property that has a new value.</param>
protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
this.VerifyPropertyName(propertyName);
PropertyChangedEventHandler handler = this.PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
{
var e = new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName);
handler(this, e);
}
}
#endregion // INotifyPropertyChanged Members
}
Then, you need to raise the OnPropertyChanged event in your setter for the id in BasicShipmentBean, e.g.:
private string _id;
public string id
{
get { return _id; }
set
{
if (value != _id)
{
_id = value;
OnPropertyChanged("id");
}
}
}
Data binding in the Compact Framework is a bit more tedious than in WPF, but much of the implementation is pretty similar.

Bind value from one class to another value in another class

I have the following classes gist with the classes.
I want to bind Item.Visible to Items.ItemsVisible - is it possible?, if so - how?
Item.cs:
using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
namespace WpfApplication85
{
/// <summary>
/// Item Object.
/// </summary>
public class Item : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
#region INotifyPropertyChanged
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged; //Event to notify when Property changed.
/// <summary>
/// Notify that Property has Changed.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="propertyName">The name of the Property</param>
protected void NotifyPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
#endregion
#region Private Variables
private bool _Visible; //Bool to determine if the Item is visible or not
#endregion
#region Public Properties
//Return the value of Visible / Set the value of Visible and Notify.
public bool Visible
{
get { return _Visible; }
set
{
_Visible = value;
NotifyPropertyChanged("Visible");
}
}
#endregion
#region Constructor
/// <summary>
/// Item Constructor
/// </summary>
public Item()
{
_Visible = true;
}
#endregion
}
}
Items.cs:
using System;
using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
using System.ComponentModel;
namespace WpfApplication85
{
/// <summary>
/// Items Object.
/// </summary>
public class Items : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
#region INotifyPropertyChanged
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged; //Event to notify when Property changed.
/// <summary>
/// Notify that Property has Changed.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="propertyName">The name of the Property</param>
protected void NotifyPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
#endregion
#region Private Variables
private bool _itemsVisible; //Bool to determine if the Items are visible or not
private ObservableCollection<Item> _itemsCollection; //Collection of Items.
#endregion
#region Public Properties
//Return the value of ItemsVisible / Set the value of ItemsVisible and Notify.
public bool ItemsVisible
{
get { return _itemsVisible; }
set
{
_itemsVisible = value;
NotifyPropertyChanged("ItemsVisible");
}
}
//Return the Items Collection / Set the Items Collection and Notify.
public ObservableCollection<Item> ItemsCollection
{
get
{
return _itemsCollection;
}
set
{
_itemsCollection = value;
NotifyPropertyChanged("ItemsCollection");
}
}
#endregion
#region Constructor
/// <summary>
/// Items Constructor
/// </summary>
public Items()
{
_itemsVisible = true;
_itemsCollection = new ObservableCollection<Item>();
}
#endregion
#region Methods
/// <summary>
/// Add Item to the ItemsCollection.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="item">Item Object</param>
public void AddItem(Item item)
{
//Bind item.Visible to this.ItemsVisible
_itemsCollection.Add(item);
}
#endregion
}
}

Setting data binding within Items and Item properties is nothing but listening PropertyChanged or CollectionChanged event from proper interfaces.
You can use either += clause for the subscription, or WeakEventListener pattern, using the PropertyChangedEventManager and CollectionChangedEventManager
I prefer the last one, because:
Listening for events can lead to memory leaks.
So, your Items class should implement IWeakEventListener interface:
public class Items : INotifyPropertyChanged, IWeakEventListener
{
#region IWeakEventListener
public bool ReceiveWeakEvent(Type managerType, Object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (sender == this._itemsCollection && managerType == typeof(CollectionChangedEventManager))
{
// Your collection has changed, you should add/remove
// subscription for PropertyChanged event
UpdateSubscriptions((NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs)e);
return true;
}
if (sender is Item && managerType == typeof(PropertyChangedEventManager))
{
// The Visible property of an Item object has changed
// You should handle it properly here, for example, like this:
this.ItemsVisible = this._itemsCollection.All(i => i.Visible);
return true;
}
return false;
}
private void UpdateSubscriptions(NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs e)
{
switch(e.Action)
{
case NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Add:
foreach (Item item in e.NewItems)
{
PropertyChangedEventManager.AddListener(item, this, "Visible");
}
break;
case NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Remove:
foreach (Item item in e.OldItems)
{
PropertyChangedEventManager.RemoveListener(item, this, "Visible");
}
break;
case NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Reset:
foreach (Item item in this._itemsCollection)
{
PropertyChangedEventManager.RemoveListener(item, this, "Visible");
PropertyChangedEventManager.AddListener(item, this, "Visible");
}
break;
default:
break;
}
}
...
public Items()
{
_itemsVisible = true;
_itemsCollection = new ObservableCollection<Item>();
CollectionChangedEventManager.AddListener(_itemsCollection, this);
}
}

Binding in the WPF sense only works on DependencyProperties, and does not apply between two standard properties (even when using INotifyPropertyChanged).
That said, if you are using these classes as View Models and are binding them to controls you could use a MultiConverter to set the visibility of the Control to collapsed when both the ItemsVisible and Visible property are true (for example).
Alternatively, you could add a Parent property to the Item class and set it to the parent Items class which would allow you to have the Item.Visible property return the parent's ItemsVisible property (or again whatever logic makes sense in your application).

Two Way Binding to AvalonEdit Document Text using MVVM

I want to include an AvalonEdit TextEditor control into my MVVM application. The first thing I require is to be able to bind to the TextEditor.Text property so that I can display text. To do this I have followed and example that was given in Making AvalonEdit MVVM compatible. Now, I have implemented the following class using the accepted answer as a template
public sealed class MvvmTextEditor : TextEditor, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty TextProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Text", typeof(string), typeof(MvvmTextEditor),
new PropertyMetadata((obj, args) =>
{
MvvmTextEditor target = (MvvmTextEditor)obj;
target.Text = (string)args.NewValue;
})
);
public new string Text
{
get { return base.Text; }
set { base.Text = value; }
}
protected override void OnTextChanged(EventArgs e)
{
RaisePropertyChanged("Text");
base.OnTextChanged(e);
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public void RaisePropertyChanged(string info)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(info));
}
}
Where the XAML is
<Controls:MvvmTextEditor HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
VerticalAlignment="Stretch"
FontFamily="Consolas"
FontSize="9pt"
Margin="2,2"
Text="{Binding Text, NotifyOnSourceUpdated=True, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
Firstly, this does not work. The Binding is not shown in Snoop at all (not red, not anything, in fact I cannot even see the Text dependency property).
I have seen this question which is exactly the same as mine Two-way binding in AvalonEdit doesn't work but the accepted answer does not work (at least for me). So my question is:
How can I perform two way binding using the above method and what is the correct implementation of my MvvmTextEditor class?
Thanks for your time.
Note: I have my Text property in my ViewModel and it implements the required INotifyPropertyChanged interface.

Create a Behavior class that will attach the TextChanged event and will hook up the dependency property that is bound to the ViewModel.
AvalonTextBehavior.cs
public sealed class AvalonEditBehaviour : Behavior<TextEditor>
{
public static readonly DependencyProperty GiveMeTheTextProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("GiveMeTheText", typeof(string), typeof(AvalonEditBehaviour),
new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(default(string), FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions.BindsTwoWayByDefault, PropertyChangedCallback));
public string GiveMeTheText
{
get { return (string)GetValue(GiveMeTheTextProperty); }
set { SetValue(GiveMeTheTextProperty, value); }
}
protected override void OnAttached()
{
base.OnAttached();
if (AssociatedObject != null)
AssociatedObject.TextChanged += AssociatedObjectOnTextChanged;
}
protected override void OnDetaching()
{
base.OnDetaching();
if (AssociatedObject != null)
AssociatedObject.TextChanged -= AssociatedObjectOnTextChanged;
}
private void AssociatedObjectOnTextChanged(object sender, EventArgs eventArgs)
{
var textEditor = sender as TextEditor;
if (textEditor != null)
{
if (textEditor.Document != null)
GiveMeTheText = textEditor.Document.Text;
}
}
private static void PropertyChangedCallback(
DependencyObject dependencyObject,
DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs dependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs)
{
var behavior = dependencyObject as AvalonEditBehaviour;
if (behavior.AssociatedObject!= null)
{
var editor = behavior.AssociatedObject as TextEditor;
if (editor.Document != null)
{
var caretOffset = editor.CaretOffset;
editor.Document.Text = dependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs.NewValue.ToString();
editor.CaretOffset = caretOffset;
}
}
}
}
View.xaml
<avalonedit:TextEditor
WordWrap="True"
ShowLineNumbers="True"
LineNumbersForeground="Magenta"
x:Name="textEditor"
FontFamily="Consolas"
SyntaxHighlighting="XML"
FontSize="10pt">
<i:Interaction.Behaviors>
<controls:AvalonEditBehaviour GiveMeTheText="{Binding Test, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"/>
</i:Interaction.Behaviors>
</avalonedit:TextEditor>
i must be defined as
xmlns:i="clr-namespace:System.Windows.Interactivity;assembly=System.Windows.Interactivity"
ViewModel.cs
private string _test;
public string Test
{
get { return _test; }
set { _test = value; }
}
That should give you the Text and push it back to the ViewModel.

Create a BindableAvalonEditor class with a two-way binding on the Text property.
I was able to establish a two-way binding with the latest version of AvalonEdit by combining Jonathan Perry's answer and 123 456 789 0's answer. This allows a direct two-way binding without the need for behaviors.
Here is the source code...
public class BindableAvalonEditor : ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.TextEditor, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
/// <summary>
/// A bindable Text property
/// </summary>
public new string Text
{
get
{
return (string)GetValue(TextProperty);
}
set
{
SetValue(TextProperty, value);
RaisePropertyChanged("Text");
}
}
/// <summary>
/// The bindable text property dependency property
/// </summary>
public static readonly DependencyProperty TextProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register(
"Text",
typeof(string),
typeof(BindableAvalonEditor),
new FrameworkPropertyMetadata
{
DefaultValue = default(string),
BindsTwoWayByDefault = true,
PropertyChangedCallback = OnDependencyPropertyChanged
}
);
protected static void OnDependencyPropertyChanged(DependencyObject obj, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs args)
{
var target = (BindableAvalonEditor)obj;
if (target.Document != null)
{
var caretOffset = target.CaretOffset;
var newValue = args.NewValue;
if (newValue == null)
{
newValue = "";
}
target.Document.Text = (string)newValue;
target.CaretOffset = Math.Min(caretOffset, newValue.ToString().Length);
}
}
protected override void OnTextChanged(EventArgs e)
{
if (this.Document != null)
{
Text = this.Document.Text;
}
base.OnTextChanged(e);
}
/// <summary>
/// Raises a property changed event
/// </summary>
/// <param name="property">The name of the property that updates</param>
public void RaisePropertyChanged(string property)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(property));
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
}

I like none of these solutions. The reason the author didn't create a dependency property on Text is for performance reason. Working around it by creating an attached property means the text string must be recreated on every key stroke. On a 100mb file, this can be a serious performance issue. Internally, it only uses a document buffer and will never create the full string unless requested.
It exposes another property, Document, which is a dependency property, and it exposes the Text property to construct the string only when needed. Although you can bind to it, it would mean designing your ViewModel around a UI element which defeats the purpose of having a ViewModel UI-agnostic. I don't like that option either.
Honestly, the cleanest(ish) solution is to create 2 events in your ViewModel, one to display the text and one to update the text. Then you write a one-line event handler in your code-behind, which is fine since it's purely UI-related. That way, you construct and assign the full document string only when it's truly needed. Additionally, you don't even need to store (nor update) the text in the ViewModel. Just raise DisplayScript and UpdateScript when it is needed.
It's not an ideal solution, but there are less drawbacks than any other method I've seen.
TextBox also faces a similar issue, and it solves it by internally using a DeferredReference object that constructs the string only when it is really needed. That class is internal and not available to the public, and the Binding code is hard-coded to handle DeferredReference in a special way. Unfortunately there doesn't seen to be any way of solving the problem in the same way as TextBox -- perhaps unless TextEditor would inherit from TextBox.

Another nice OOP approach is to download the source code of AvalonEdit (it's open sourced), and creating a new class that inherits from TextEditor class (the main editor of AvalonEdit).
What you want to do is basically override the Text property and implement an INotifyPropertyChanged version of it, using dependency property for the Text property and raising the OnPropertyChanged event when text is changed (this can be done by overriding the OnTextChanged() method.
Here's a quick code (fully working) example that works for me:
public class BindableTextEditor : TextEditor, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
/// <summary>
/// A bindable Text property
/// </summary>
public new string Text
{
get { return base.Text; }
set { base.Text = value; }
}
/// <summary>
/// The bindable text property dependency property
/// </summary>
public static readonly DependencyProperty TextProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Text", typeof(string), typeof(BindableTextEditor), new PropertyMetadata((obj, args) =>
{
var target = (BindableTextEditor)obj;
target.Text = (string)args.NewValue;
}));
protected override void OnTextChanged(EventArgs e)
{
RaisePropertyChanged("Text");
base.OnTextChanged(e);
}
/// <summary>
/// Raises a property changed event
/// </summary>
/// <param name="property">The name of the property that updates</param>
public void RaisePropertyChanged(string property)
{
if (PropertyChanged != null)
{
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(property));
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
}

For those wondering about an MVVM implementation using AvalonEdit, here is one of the ways it can be done, first we have the class
/// <summary>
/// Class that inherits from the AvalonEdit TextEditor control to
/// enable MVVM interaction.
/// </summary>
public class CodeEditor : TextEditor, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
// Vars.
private static bool canScroll = true;
/// <summary>
/// Default constructor to set up event handlers.
/// </summary>
public CodeEditor()
{
// Default options.
FontSize = 12;
FontFamily = new FontFamily("Consolas");
Options = new TextEditorOptions
{
IndentationSize = 3,
ConvertTabsToSpaces = true
};
}
#region Text.
/// <summary>
/// Dependancy property for the editor text property binding.
/// </summary>
public static readonly DependencyProperty TextProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("Text", typeof(string), typeof(CodeEditor),
new PropertyMetadata((obj, args) =>
{
CodeEditor target = (CodeEditor)obj;
target.Text = (string)args.NewValue;
}));
/// <summary>
/// Provide access to the Text.
/// </summary>
public new string Text
{
get { return base.Text; }
set { base.Text = value; }
}
/// <summary>
/// Return the current text length.
/// </summary>
public int Length
{
get { return base.Text.Length; }
}
/// <summary>
/// Override of OnTextChanged event.
/// </summary>
protected override void OnTextChanged(EventArgs e)
{
RaisePropertyChanged("Length");
base.OnTextChanged(e);
}
/// <summary>
/// Event handler to update properties based upon the selection changed event.
/// </summary>
void TextArea_SelectionChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
this.SelectionStart = SelectionStart;
this.SelectionLength = SelectionLength;
}
/// <summary>
/// Event that handles when the caret changes.
/// </summary>
void TextArea_CaretPositionChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
try
{
canScroll = false;
this.TextLocation = TextLocation;
}
finally
{
canScroll = true;
}
}
#endregion // Text.
#region Caret Offset.
/// <summary>
/// DependencyProperty for the TextEditorCaretOffset binding.
/// </summary>
public static DependencyProperty CaretOffsetProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("CaretOffset", typeof(int), typeof(CodeEditor),
new PropertyMetadata((obj, args) =>
{
CodeEditor target = (CodeEditor)obj;
if (target.CaretOffset != (int)args.NewValue)
target.CaretOffset = (int)args.NewValue;
}));
/// <summary>
/// Access to the SelectionStart property.
/// </summary>
public new int CaretOffset
{
get { return base.CaretOffset; }
set { SetValue(CaretOffsetProperty, value); }
}
#endregion // Caret Offset.
#region Selection.
/// <summary>
/// DependencyProperty for the TextLocation. Setting this value
/// will scroll the TextEditor to the desired TextLocation.
/// </summary>
public static readonly DependencyProperty TextLocationProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("TextLocation", typeof(TextLocation), typeof(CodeEditor),
new PropertyMetadata((obj, args) =>
{
CodeEditor target = (CodeEditor)obj;
TextLocation loc = (TextLocation)args.NewValue;
if (canScroll)
target.ScrollTo(loc.Line, loc.Column);
}));
/// <summary>
/// Get or set the TextLocation. Setting will scroll to that location.
/// </summary>
public TextLocation TextLocation
{
get { return base.Document.GetLocation(SelectionStart); }
set { SetValue(TextLocationProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// DependencyProperty for the TextEditor SelectionLength property.
/// </summary>
public static readonly DependencyProperty SelectionLengthProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("SelectionLength", typeof(int), typeof(CodeEditor),
new PropertyMetadata((obj, args) =>
{
CodeEditor target = (CodeEditor)obj;
if (target.SelectionLength != (int)args.NewValue)
{
target.SelectionLength = (int)args.NewValue;
target.Select(target.SelectionStart, (int)args.NewValue);
}
}));
/// <summary>
/// Access to the SelectionLength property.
/// </summary>
public new int SelectionLength
{
get { return base.SelectionLength; }
set { SetValue(SelectionLengthProperty, value); }
}
/// <summary>
/// DependencyProperty for the TextEditor SelectionStart property.
/// </summary>
public static readonly DependencyProperty SelectionStartProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("SelectionStart", typeof(int), typeof(CodeEditor),
new PropertyMetadata((obj, args) =>
{
CodeEditor target = (CodeEditor)obj;
if (target.SelectionStart != (int)args.NewValue)
{
target.SelectionStart = (int)args.NewValue;
target.Select((int)args.NewValue, target.SelectionLength);
}
}));
/// <summary>
/// Access to the SelectionStart property.
/// </summary>
public new int SelectionStart
{
get { return base.SelectionStart; }
set { SetValue(SelectionStartProperty, value); }
}
#endregion // Selection.
#region Properties.
/// <summary>
/// The currently loaded file name. This is bound to the ViewModel
/// consuming the editor control.
/// </summary>
public string FilePath
{
get { return (string)GetValue(FilePathProperty); }
set { SetValue(FilePathProperty, value); }
}
// Using a DependencyProperty as the backing store for FilePath.
// This enables animation, styling, binding, etc...
public static readonly DependencyProperty FilePathProperty =
DependencyProperty.Register("FilePath", typeof(string), typeof(CodeEditor),
new PropertyMetadata(String.Empty, OnFilePathChanged));
#endregion // Properties.
#region Raise Property Changed.
/// <summary>
/// Implement the INotifyPropertyChanged event handler.
/// </summary>
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
public void RaisePropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string caller = null)
{
var handler = PropertyChanged;
if (handler != null)
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(caller));
}
#endregion // Raise Property Changed.
}
Then in your view where you want to have AvalonEdit, you can do
...
<Grid>
<Local:CodeEditor
x:Name="CodeEditor"
FilePath="{Binding FilePath,
Mode=TwoWay,
NotifyOnSourceUpdated=True,
NotifyOnTargetUpdated=True}"
WordWrap="{Binding WordWrap,
Mode=TwoWay,
NotifyOnSourceUpdated=True,
NotifyOnTargetUpdated=True}"
ShowLineNumbers="{Binding ShowLineNumbers,
Mode=TwoWay,
NotifyOnSourceUpdated=True,
NotifyOnTargetUpdated=True}"
SelectionLength="{Binding SelectionLength,
Mode=TwoWay,
NotifyOnSourceUpdated=True,
NotifyOnTargetUpdated=True}"
SelectionStart="{Binding SelectionStart,
Mode=TwoWay,
NotifyOnSourceUpdated=True,
NotifyOnTargetUpdated=True}"
TextLocation="{Binding TextLocation,
Mode=TwoWay,
NotifyOnSourceUpdated=True,
NotifyOnTargetUpdated=True}"/>
</Grid>
Where this can be placed in a UserControl or Window or what ever, then in the ViewModel for this view we have (where I am using Caliburn Micro for the MVVM framework stuff)
public string FilePath
{
get { return filePath; }
set
{
if (filePath == value)
return;
filePath = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange(() => FilePath);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Should wrap?
/// </summary>
public bool WordWrap
{
get { return wordWrap; }
set
{
if (wordWrap == value)
return;
wordWrap = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange(() => WordWrap);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Display line numbers?
/// </summary>
public bool ShowLineNumbers
{
get { return showLineNumbers; }
set
{
if (showLineNumbers == value)
return;
showLineNumbers = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange(() => ShowLineNumbers);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Hold the start of the currently selected text.
/// </summary>
private int selectionStart = 0;
public int SelectionStart
{
get { return selectionStart; }
set
{
selectionStart = value;
NotifyOfPropertyChange(() => SelectionStart);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Hold the selection length of the currently selected text.
/// </summary>
private int selectionLength = 0;
public int SelectionLength
{
get { return selectionLength; }
set
{
selectionLength = value;
UpdateStatusBar();
NotifyOfPropertyChange(() => SelectionLength);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets or sets the TextLocation of the current editor control. If the
/// user is setting this value it will scroll the TextLocation into view.
/// </summary>
private TextLocation textLocation = new TextLocation(0, 0);
public TextLocation TextLocation
{
get { return textLocation; }
set
{
textLocation = value;
UpdateStatusBar();
NotifyOfPropertyChange(() => TextLocation);
}
}
And that's it! Done.
I hope this helps.
Edit. for all those looking for an example of working with AvalonEdit using MVVM, you can download a very basic editor application from http://1drv.ms/1E5nhCJ.
Notes. This application actually creates a MVVM friendly editor control by inheriting from the AvalonEdit standard control and adds additional Dependency Properties to it as appropriate - *this is different to what I have shown in the answer given above*. However, in the solution I have also shown how this can be done (as I describe in the answer above) using Attached Properties and there is code in the solution under the Behaviors namespace. What is actually implemented however, is the first of the above approaches.
Please also be aware that there is some code in the solution that is unused. This *sample* was a stripped back version of a larger application and I have left some code in as it could be useful to the user who downloads this example editor. In addition to the above, in the example code I access the Text by binding to document, there are some purest that may argue that this is not pure-MVVM, and I say "okay, but it works". Some times fighting this pattern is not the way to go.
I hope this of use to some of you.