Access parent DataContext from DataTemplate

user_240040 0
Viewed 128957

I have a ListBox which binds to a child collection on a ViewModel. The listbox items are styled in a DataTemplate based on a property on the parent ViewModel:

<Style x:Key="curveSpeedNonConstantParameterCell">
   <Style.Triggers>
      <DataTrigger Binding="{Binding Path=DataContext.CurveSpeedMustBeSpecified, 
          ElementName=someParentElementWithReferenceToRootDataContext}" 
          Value="True">
          <Setter Property="Control.Visibility" Value="Hidden"></Setter>
      </DataTrigger>
   </Style.Triggers>
</Style>

I get the following output error:

System.Windows.Data Error: 39 : BindingExpression path error: 
 'CurveSpeedMustBeSpecified' property not found on 
   'object' ''BindingListCollectionView' (HashCode=20467555)'. 
 BindingExpression:Path=DataContext.CurveSpeedMustBeSpecified; 
 DataItem='Grid' (Name='nonConstantCurveParametersGrid');
 target element is 'TextBox' (Name=''); 
 target property is 'NoTarget' (type 'Object')

So if I change the the binding expression to "Path=DataContext.CurrentItem.CurveSpeedMustBeSpecified" it works, but only as long as the DataContext of the parent user control is a BindingListCollectionView. This is not acceptable because the rest of the user control binds to the properties of the CurrentItem on the BindingList automatically.

How can I specify the binding expression inside the style so that it works regardless of the parent data context being a collection view or a single item?

datatemplate data-binding xaml wpf .net
6 Answers

the issue is that a DataTemplate isn't part of an element its applied to it.

this means if you bind to the template you're binding to something that has no context.

however if you put a element inside the template then when that element is applied to the parent it gains a context and the binding then works

so this will not work

<DataTemplate >
    <DataTemplate.Resources>
        <CollectionViewSource x:Key="projects" Source="{Binding Projects}" >

but this works perfectly

<DataTemplate >
    <GroupBox Header="Projects">
        <GroupBox.Resources>
            <CollectionViewSource x:Key="projects" Source="{Binding Projects}" >

because after the datatemplate is applied the groupbox is placed in the parent and will have access to its Context

so all you have to do is remove the style from the template and move it into an element in the template

note that the context for a itemscontrol is the item not the control ie ComboBoxItem for ComboBox not the ComboBox itself in which case you should use the controls ItemContainerStyle instead

user_7358970

Yes, you can solve it using the ElementName=Something as suggested by Juve.

BUT!

If a child element (on which you use this kind of binding) is a user control which uses the same element name as you specify in the parent control, then the binding goes to the wrong object!!

I know this post is not a solution but I thought everyone who uses the ElementName in the binding should know this, since it's a possible runtime bug.

<UserControl x:Class="MyNiceControl"
             x:Name="TheSameName">
   the content ...
</UserControl>

<UserControl x:Class="AnotherUserControl">
        <ListView x:Name="TheSameName">
            <ListView.ItemTemplate>
                <DataTemplate>
                    <MyNiceControl Width="{Binding DataContext.Width, ElementName=TheSameName}" />
                </DataTemplate>
            </ListView.ItemTemplate>
        </ListView>
</UserControl>
user_52648290
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