Automatically Create Data Grids from Your Models
Using a data source to drag and drop a template onto a WPF control is an excellent and fast way to get up and running!
(Can, and would the original author "JWP" please provide a link to the book or web page where this technique is (hopefully) inspired from? A source that provides a little more tutoring and background would provide a more gentle learning curve.)
Start by doing this: In your project create a folder named Models, then use either Entity Framework Database-First (DB) first or code by hand the models you want to show.
OR see discussion below on Object binding...
In that same folder create a dummy class that is a property for IEnumerable like this..
public IEnumerable<MyClassModel> MyCollection { get; set; }
From there go to the Main Visual Studio menu, to View/Other Windows/Data Source and click that link.
Click on Object and find the MyCollection property just created above.
Now open a user control or window in WPF but keep the datasources toolbox opened.
It should default to a DataGrid, but you can right click on the datasource and change it to detail, datagrid or select individual properties of the class it represents.
Simply drag that datasource onto the XAML's grid area. The right click on the new stuff you see and click reset to set the content to be the size of the entire window.
After having done this you will have code injected into the code behind of the view as follows in the window loaded event of that window, usercontrol etc.
// Do not load your data at design time.
if (!System.ComponentModel.DesignerProperties.GetIsInDesignMode(this))
{
//Load your data here and assign the result to the CollectionViewSource.
System.Windows.Data.CollectionViewSource myCollectionViewSource = (System.Windows.Data.CollectionViewSource)this.Resources["Resource Key for CollectionViewSource"];
myCollectionViewSource.Source = your data
// }
Go back to the XAML and look for the CollectionViewSource KEY property that was also inserted when you dragged the property to the XAML. It looks like this:
Use the Key name in the code behind, and then "Bind" the CVS to your data source which is an enumerable of type MyClassModel it can live in the View Model or in the code behind of the view as you choose.
If you only use the CollectionViewSource to as the datacontext of the grid you do not need to implement (the PropertyChanged event and OnPropertyChanged method of) the INotifyPropertyChanged interface (INPC) for any underlying collections! The CVS updates the view automatically everytime the source is updated! Once you get good at this you can create working View prototypes of data in 2 minutes! Forget hand-coding XAML that just takes too long.
Object Binding
Create a static class with a static method that returns something like this:
When using the datasource wizard choose the "Object" selection.
Click Ok and you should see something like this:
You have just mapped all of the properties into the data source definition.
