Multi-Level Data Binding

[Joel Palmer]

I typically avoid binding.  I'm a bit old school and I've been burned many times by binding but I know I'd benefit from having another tool in my collection.  So, I thought I'd try again.  Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm comfortable with basic binding.  If I have a TextBox and I set the TextBox.Text value like this it seems to work fine:

<TextBox x:Name="txtFirstName"
 Text="{Binding Path=FirstName}" />

However, I created a UserControl in a WindowsHelper class called a LabelTextBox.  Pretty much any time you show a combobox or textbox (etc) on a form you place a Label to the left of it to explain what it is.  So, why not just have one control to define on a form instead of 2?

Now, I want to use DataBinding to show data in the TextBox from my DataContext.  This is where it gets a little complicated.  I expose a public DependencyProperty named Text from my LabelTextBox.  I did this so the programmer can define the UserControl by typing txtName.Text = "Joel".  This Text property then needs to bind to the TextBox.Text property inside the LabelTextBox.  So, any time a value changes on the ModelView (MV), it needs to propigate from MV --> LabelTextBox.Text --> TextBox.Text and back again.

        public string Text
        {
            get { return (string)GetValue(TextProperty); }
            set { SetValue(TextProperty, value); }
        }

        // Using a DependencyProperty as the backing store for Text.  This enables animation, styling, binding, etc...
        public static readonly DependencyProperty TextProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("Text", typeof(string), typeof(LabelTextBox));

Anyone have a quick example of how I accomplish this?

[Pavel Pavlov]

Hello Joel Palmer,

When registering the Text  dependency property of your user control , please add a DependencyPropertyChanged callback .

Within that callback you can update the value of the inner TextBox without any intenral binding needed.

Let me know if you need a sample on that.

Kind regards,
Pavel Pavlov
the Telerik team

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[Joel Palmer]

I've tried this 3 different ways now.  Can you provide a working example?  What I have:

private static void OnTextPropertyChanged(
    DependencyObject sender, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs args)
{
    // Uncomment this line to represent which control is being tied in.
    // Update the associated control's property when the Model View has updated this property.
    ((LabelTextBox)sender).txt.Text = args.NewValue.ToString();
    if (args.OldValue != null)
    {
        OriginalValue = args.OldValue.ToString();
    }
    // Update the property on the object that is bound to it when the View Model has updated this property.
    object dataContext = ((System.Windows.FrameworkElement)(sender)).DataContext;
    if (dataContext != null)
    {
        BindingExpression bindingExpression = ((BindingExpression)((LabelTextBox)sender).GetBindingExpression(TextProperty));
        string propertyName = bindingExpression.ParentBinding.Path.Path;
        PropertyInfo prop = bindingExpression.DataItem.GetType().GetProperty(propertyName);
        prop.SetValue(bindingExpression.DataItem, args.NewValue, new object[]{});
    }
}

[Joel Palmer]

Do you have a working example of this?  I have success updating the UserControl.Control.Text (MV) from the source.  However, even TwoWay binding doesn't seem to update the String.Property when I change the Control.Text.

<UserControl>
<Control.Text />
<DependencyProperty TextProperty />
</UserControl>
<Class>
<String Property />
</Class>

Once again, I want to map my "String Property" to the "Control.Text" property.  The UserControl contains a TextProperty that is exposed to the public.  When the Class String Property is updated I want the value to be shown in the Control.Text and when the Control.Text changes, I want it to propogate to the Class String Property.

So in the XAML, I bind the UserControl.TextProperty to the Class String Property.  Text={Binding Path=Text, Mode=TwoWay}

[Miroslav]

Hello Joel,

I am sorry for the delayed reply!

It seems that what you need here is a Control and not UserControls.

The problem here is that you cannot easily bind a property in the UserControl's content to one of its dependency properties.

It is possible if it has an internal ViewModel but that is a complication that  IMO is not offset in any way from the fact that you are using a UserControl.

I created a simple control that is matches what you describe - I hope that it will be useful.

Kind regards,
Miroslav
the Telerik team

[Joel Palmer]

Thats an unexpected twist.  I guess I never considered "Control" instead of "UserControl".  I'll take a look.  Thanks.