Setting up datacontext of the user control in client application in WPF

Question

I have created a third party user control and now want to use it in a client application. I am having a problem with setting the DataContext to the control.

UserControl :-

<Grid>
    <DataGrid x:Name="dataGrid" Width="400" Height="400"  ItemsSource="{Binding DataTableSource}"/>
</Grid>

Code behind:-

public partial class CustomGridControl : UserControl
{
    public CustomGridControl()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        this.DataContext = this;
    }

    public DataTable DataTableSource
    {
        get
        {
            return (DataTable)GetValue(GridSource);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(GridSource, value);
        }
    }

    public static readonly DependencyProperty GridSource = DependencyProperty.Register("DataTableSource", typeof(DataTable), typeof(CustomGridControl), new PropertyMetadata(null));
}

How do I set DataTableSource in the client application?

<Grid>
    <controls:CustomGridControl Name="myCustGrid" />
</Grid>


public MainWindow()
{
   InitializeComponent();
   ds = provider.GetDataSet();
   table = ds.Tables[0];
   //I have to set the table as DataTableSource. Here I am unable to access DataTableSource. 

}

I am unable to access myCustGrid.DataTableSource. It says CustomGridControl does not contain a definition for DataTableSource. Why?

Answer 1

I've tried your custom as inheriting from Grid:

public partial class CustomGridControl : Grid
{
    public DataTable DataTableSource
    {
        get
        {
            return (DataTable)GetValue(GridSource);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(GridSource, value);
        }
    }

    public static readonly DependencyProperty GridSource = DependencyProperty.Register("DataTableSource", typeof(DataTable), typeof(CustomGridControl), new PropertyMetadata(null));
}

This the xaml:

<local:CustomGridControl x:Name="testCustomGrid" />

And i am able to use from codebehing like this:

testCustomGrid.DataTableSource = new DataTable("dtName");

I've been able to inherit from a UserControl too:

 /// <summary>
/// Interaction logic for CustomGridControl.xaml
/// </summary>
public partial class CustomGridControl : UserControl, INotifyPropertyChanged
{
    public CustomGridControl()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }
    private DataTable _DataTableSource;

    public DataTable DataTableSource
    {
        get { return _DataTableSource; }
        set
        {
            _DataTableSource = value;
            PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs("DataTableSource"));
        }
    }


    public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged = delegate { };



    public DataTable DataTableSourceVersion2
    {
        get { return (DataTable)GetValue(DataTableSourceVersion2Property); }
        set { SetValue(DataTableSourceVersion2Property, value); }
    }

    // Using a DependencyProperty as the backing store for DataTableSourceVersion2.  This enables animation, styling, binding, etc...
    public static readonly DependencyProperty DataTableSourceVersion2Property =
        DependencyProperty.Register("DataTableSourceVersion2", typeof(DataTable), typeof(CustomGridControl), new PropertyMetadata(null));
}

And this is the XAML:

  <local:CustomGridControl DataTableSource="" DataTableSourceVersion2=""/>

So, both version of the DataSourceTable are available.