RadControls for WinForms
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Binding to Business Objects

What if your scheduling data originates from somewhere other than an easily accessible database? An API that accesses a legacy system or an email based system are two examples that might fit this description. RadScheduler allows binding to objects of any arbitrary structure.

Binding to objects follows the same basic pattern as binding to database tables. You must assign a collection of objects to an instance of SchedulerBindingDataSource. You also need to define mappings so that the appointment data expected in the scheduler (Start, End, Subject, etc.) is satisfied by specific properties in the bound objects.

The code below is an example appointment. Keep in mind that the particular construction of the CustomAppointment class and the names of its properties are arbitrary. The mappings will decide where properties are used. Notice that the object implements the INotifyPropertyChanged interface. Without this interface implementation the populated appointment object data will not show up in the scheduler.

Copy[C#] Sample appointment class
public class CustomAppointment : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
    private DateTime start = DateTime.Now;
    private DateTime end = DateTime.Now;
    private string subject = string.Empty;
    private string description = string.Empty;
    private string location = string.Empty;
    private Guid id = Guid.NewGuid();
    private List<CustomAppointment> exceptions;

    public CustomAppointment()
    {
    }

    public CustomAppointment(DateTime start, DateTime end, string subject, string description, string location)
    {
        this.start = start;
        this.end = end;
        this.subject = subject;
        this.description = description;
        this.location = location;
        List<CustomAppointment> exceptions = new List<CustomAppointment>();
    }

    public List<CustomAppointment> Exceptions
    {
        get
        {
            return this.exceptions;
        }
        set
        {
            if (this.exceptions != value)
            {
                this.exceptions = value;
                this.OnPropertyChanged("Exceptions");
            }
        }
    }

    public Guid Id
    {
        get
        {
            return this.id;
        }
        set
        {
            if (this.id != value)
            {
                this.id = value;
                this.OnPropertyChanged("Id");
            }
        }
    }

    public DateTime Start
    {
        get
        {
            return this.start;
        }
        set
        {
            if (this.start != value)
            {
                this.start = value;
                this.OnPropertyChanged("Start");
            }
        }
    }

    public DateTime End
    {
        get
        {
            return this.end;
        }
        set
        {
            if (this.end != value)
            {
                this.end = value;
                this.OnPropertyChanged("End");
            }
        }
    }

    public string Subject
    {
        get
        {
            return this.subject;
        }
        set
        {
            if (this.subject != value)
            {
                this.subject = value;
                this.OnPropertyChanged("Subject");
            }
        }
    }

    public string Description
    {
        get
        {
            return this.description;
        }
        set
        {
            if (this.description != value)
            {
                this.description = value;
                this.OnPropertyChanged("Description");
            }
        }
    }

    public string Location
    {
        get
        {
            return this.location;
        }
        set
        {
            if (this.location != value)
            {
                this.location = value;
                this.OnPropertyChanged("Location");
            }
        }
    }

    public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
    protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
    {
        if (this.PropertyChanged != null)
        {
            this.PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
        }
    }
Copy[VB.NET] Sample appointment class
Public Class CustomAppointment
    Implements INotifyPropertyChanged

    Private _start As Date = Date.Now
    Private _end As Date = Date.Now
    Private _subject As String = String.Empty
    Private _description As String = String.Empty
    Private _location As String = String.Empty
    Private _id As Guid = Guid.NewGuid()

    Private _exceptions As List(Of CustomAppointment)

    Public Sub New()
    End Sub

    Public Sub New(ByVal start As Date, ByVal [end] As Date, ByVal subject As String, ByVal description As String, ByVal location As String)
        Me._start = start
        Me._end = [end]
        Me._subject = subject
        Me._description = description
        Me._location = location
        Dim _exceptions As New List(Of CustomAppointment)()
    End Sub

    Public Property Exceptions() As List(Of CustomAppointment)
        Get
            Return Me._exceptions
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value As List(Of CustomAppointment))
            If Me._exceptions IsNot value Then
                Me._exceptions = value
                Me.OnPropertyChanged("Exceptions")
            End If
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property Id() As Guid
        Get
            Return Me._id
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value As Guid)
            If Me._id <> value Then
                Me._id = value
                Me.OnPropertyChanged("Id")
            End If
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property Start() As Date
        Get
            Return Me._start
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value As Date)
            If Me._start <> value Then
                Me._start = value
                Me.OnPropertyChanged("Start")
            End If
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property [End]() As Date
        Get
            Return Me._end
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value As Date)
            If Me._end <> value Then
                Me._end = value
                Me.OnPropertyChanged("End")
            End If
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property Subject() As String
        Get
            Return Me._subject
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value As String)
            If Me._subject <> value Then
                Me._subject = value
                Me.OnPropertyChanged("Subject")
            End If
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property Description() As String
        Get
            Return Me._description
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value As String)
            If Me._description <> value Then
                Me._description = value
                Me.OnPropertyChanged("Description")
            End If
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property Location() As String
        Get
            Return Me._location
        End Get
        Set(ByVal value As String)
            If Me._location <> value Then
                Me._location = value
                Me.OnPropertyChanged("Location")
            End If
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Event PropertyChanged As PropertyChangedEventHandler Implements INotifyPropertyChanged.PropertyChanged
    Protected Overridable Sub OnPropertyChanged(ByVal propertyName As String)
        If Me.PropertyChangedEvent IsNot Nothing Then
            RaiseEvent PropertyChanged(Me, New PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName))
        End If
    End Sub

To use your custom object, create CustomAppointment instances and place them in a generic list before mapping and binding to the SchedulerBindingDataSource component.

Copy[C#] Binding to a list of business objects
// create a list of CustomAppointment objects
BindingList<CustomAppointment> appointments = new BindingList<CustomAppointment>();
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
    // add every other appointment, populate with sample data
    if ((i % 2) == 0)
    {
        int appointmentNumber = i + 1;
        CustomAppointment myAppointment =
        new CustomAppointment(
        DateTime.Now.AddHours(appointmentNumber),
        DateTime.Now.AddHours(appointmentNumber + 2),
        "Appointment " + appointmentNumber.ToString(),
        "Description for Appointment " + appointmentNumber.ToString(),
        "Conference room " + appointmentNumber.ToString());
        appointments.Add(myAppointment);
    }
}
// create and configure a scheduler binding source
SchedulerBindingDataSource dataSource = new SchedulerBindingDataSource();
// map the MyAppointment properties to the scheduler
AppointmentMappingInfo appointmentMappingInfo = new AppointmentMappingInfo();
appointmentMappingInfo.Start = "Start";
appointmentMappingInfo.End = "End";
appointmentMappingInfo.Summary = "Subject";
appointmentMappingInfo.Description = "Description";
appointmentMappingInfo.Location = "Location";
appointmentMappingInfo.UniqueId = "Id";
appointmentMappingInfo.Exceptions = "Exceptions";
dataSource.EventProvider.Mapping = appointmentMappingInfo;
// assign the generic List of CustomAppointment as the EventProvider data source
dataSource.EventProvider.DataSource = appointments;
this.radScheduler1.DataSource = dataSource;
Copy[VB.NET] Binding to a list of business objects
' create a list of CustomAppointment objects
Dim appointments As New BindingList(Of CustomAppointment)()
For i As Integer = 0 To 9
    ' add every other appointment, populate with sample data
    If (i Mod 2) = 0 Then
        Dim appointmentNumber As Integer = i + 1
        Dim myAppointment As New CustomAppointment(DateTime.Now.AddHours(appointmentNumber), DateTime.Now.AddHours(appointmentNumber + 2), "Appointment " + appointmentNumber.ToString(), "Description for Appointment " + appointmentNumber.ToString(), "Conference room " + appointmentNumber.ToString())
        appointments.Add(myAppointment)
    End If
Next
' create and configure a scheduler binding source
Dim dataSource As New SchedulerBindingDataSource()
' map the MyAppointment properties to the scheduler
Dim appointmentMappingInfo As New AppointmentMappingInfo()
appointmentMappingInfo.Start = "Start"
appointmentMappingInfo.[End] = "End"
appointmentMappingInfo.Summary = "Subject"
appointmentMappingInfo.Description = "Description"
appointmentMappingInfo.Location = "Location"
appointmentMappingInfo.UniqueId = "Id"
appointmentMappingInfo.Exceptions = "Exceptions"
dataSource.EventProvider.Mapping = appointmentMappingInfo
' assign the generic List of CustomAppointment as the EventProvider data source
dataSource.EventProvider.DataSource = appointments
Me.radScheduler1.DataSource = dataSource

When the application is run, a series of CustomAppointment objects show up in the scheduler.

scheduler-data-binding-binding-to-business-objects 001

Grouping by resources

To use grouping by resource in this scenario, first you will need to create the business object that represents the resources:

Copy[C#] Create the resource object
public class CustomResource : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
    private int id;
    private string name;

    public int Id
    {
        get
        {
            return this.id;
        }
        set
        {
            if (this.id != value)
            {
                this.id = value;
                this.OnPropertyChanged("Id");
            }
        }
    }

    public string Name
    {
        get
        {
            return this.name;
        }
        set
        {
            if (this.name != value)
            {
                this.name = value;
                this.OnPropertyChanged("Name");
            }
        }
    }

    public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
    protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
    {
        if (this.PropertyChanged != null)
        {
            this.PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
        }
    }
}
Copy[VB.NET] Create the resource object
Public Class CustomResource
    Implements INotifyPropertyChanged
    Private m_id As Integer
    Private m_name As String

    Public Property Id() As Integer
        Get
            Return Me.m_id
        End Get
        Set(value As Integer)
            If Me.m_id <> value Then
                Me.m_id = value
                Me.OnPropertyChanged("Id")
            End If
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Property Name() As String
        Get
            Return Me.m_name
        End Get
        Set(value As String)
            If Me.m_name <> value Then
                Me.m_name = value
                Me.OnPropertyChanged("Name")
            End If
        End Set
    End Property

    Public Event PropertyChanged As PropertyChangedEventHandler Implements INotifyPropertyChanged.PropertyChanged
    Protected Overridable Sub OnPropertyChanged(propertyName As String)
        RaiseEvent PropertyChanged(Me, New PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName))
    End Sub
End Class

Now we need to bind the ResourceProvider of SchedulerBindingDataSource to a collection of CustomResource objects:

Copy[C#] Bind the ResourceProvider
BindingList<CustomResource> resources = new BindingList<CustomResource>();
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
{
    CustomResource resource = new CustomResource();
    resource.Id = i;
    resource.Name = "Resource " + i;
    resources.Add(resource);
}

ResourceMappingInfo resourceMappingInfo = new ResourceMappingInfo();
resourceMappingInfo.Name = "Name";
resourceMappingInfo.Id = "Id";
dataSource.ResourceProvider.Mapping = resourceMappingInfo;
dataSource.ResourceProvider.DataSource = resources;
Copy[VB.NET] Bind the ResourceProvider
Dim resources As New BindingList(Of CustomResource)()
For i As Integer = 0 To 4
    Dim resource As New CustomResource()
    resource.Id = i
    resource.Name = "Resource " & i
    resources.Add(resource)
Next

Dim resourceMappingInfo As New ResourceMappingInfo()
resourceMappingInfo.Name = "Name"
resourceMappingInfo.Id = "Id"
dataSource.ResourceProvider.Mapping = resourceMappingInfo
dataSource.ResourceProvider.DataSource = resources

Next we need to create the relation between appointments and resources. We can create either one-to-many relation or many-to-many relation. The following two sections cover each of these scenarios.

One-to-many relation

To create a one-to-many relation between appointments and resources we need to add a property of type EventId to the business object that represents an appointment:

Copy[C#] Additional field and property to the CustomAppointment class
//other fields…
private EventId resourceId;

//other properties…

public EventId ResourceId
{
    get
    {
        return this.resourceId;
    }
    set
    {
        if (this.resourceId != value)
        {
            this.resourceId = value;
            this.OnPropertyChanged("ResourceId");
        }
    }
}
Copy[VB.NET] Additional field and property to the CustomAppointment class
'other fields…
Private _resourceId As EventId

'other properties…
Public Property ResourceId() As EventId
    Get
        Return Me._resourceId
    End Get
    Set(value As EventId)
        If Not Object.Equals(Me._resourceId, value) Then
            Me._resourceId = value
            Me.OnPropertyChanged("ResourceId")
        End If
    End Set
End Property

To map the new property, add the following setting to your AppointmentMappingInfo instance:

Copy[C#]
appointmentMappingInfo.ResourceId = "ResourceId";
Copy[VB.NET]
appointmentMappingInfo.ResourceId = "ResourceId"
Note

In this scenario you should not set the Resources property of the AppointmentMappingInfo

Copy[C#]
CustomAppointment myAppointment =
new CustomAppointment(
DateTime.Now.AddHours(appointmentNumber),
DateTime.Now.AddHours(appointmentNumber + 2),
"Appointment " + appointmentNumber.ToString(),
"Description for Appointment " + appointmentNumber.ToString(),
"Conference room " + appointmentNumber.ToString());
appointments.Add(myAppointment);
//set the resource id
myAppointment.ResourceId = new EventId(i % 2);
Copy[VB.NET]
Dim myAppointment As New CustomAppointment(DateTime.Now.AddHours(appointmentNumber), DateTime.Now.AddHours(appointmentNumber + 2), "Appointment " + appointmentNumber.ToString(), "Description for Appointment " + appointmentNumber.ToString(), "Conference room " + appointmentNumber.ToString())
appointments.Add(myAppointment)
'set the resource id

To test this scenario, assign each appointment with a ResourceId and enable grouping by setting RadScheduler’s GroupType property:

Copy[C#]
this.radScheduler1.GroupType = GroupType.Resource;
Copy[VB.NET]
Me.radScheduler1.GroupType = GroupType.Resource

scheduler-data-binding-binding-to-business-objects 002

Many-to-many relation

This scenario can be implemented similarly to the previous one. Instead of the ResourceId property, we should add a Resources property which represents a collection of EventId objects:

Copy[C#] Additional field and property to the CustomAppointment class
//other fields…
private List<EventId> resources = new List<EventId>();

//other properties…
public List<EventId> Resources
{
    get
    {
        return this.resources;
    }
    set
    {
        if (this.resources != value)
        {
            this.resources = value;
            this.OnPropertyChanged("Resources");
        }
    }
}
Copy[VB.NET] Additional field and property to the CustomAppointment class
'other fields…
Private _resources As New List(Of EventId)

'other properties…
Public Property Resources() As List(Of EventId)
    Get
        Return Me._resources
    End Get
    Set(value As List(Of EventId))
        If Not Me._resources.Equals(value) Then
            Me._resources = value
            Me.OnPropertyChanged("Resources")
        End If
    End Set
End Property

In the AppointmentMappingInfo settings the ResourceId property should be left unset and the Resources property should be set with the name of the collection:

Copy[C#]
appointmentMappingInfo.Resources = "Resources";
Copy[VB.NET]
appointmentMappingInfo.Resources = "Resources"

Now we can add a resource to an appointment by adding its id in the Resources collection of our business objects:

Copy[C#]
myAppointment.Resources.Add(new EventId(resources[i%3].Id));
Copy[VB.NET]
myAppointment.Resources.Add(New EventId(resources(i Mod 3).Id))

scheduler-data-binding-binding-to-business-objects 003