Question

I would think that this would be incredibly simple, but I’ve searched all over and can’t seem to find an answer. I have a DataGridTemplateColumn that I want to use to display a value that isn’t in the DataContext of the DataGrid. I.e. I have an entity that has different names based on the culture. When the grid loads, I want to go get the appropriate name based on the current culture. Every time I see anything about DataGridTemplateColumns, they’re always using the Binding syntax. I can’t do that here. What C# code do I need to access the “nameValue” TextBlock in the following XAML, and in what event handler should I access it:

<Datagrid:DataGridTemplateColumn Header="Name" x:Name="nameField">
    <Datagrid:DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <StackPanel>
                <TextBlock x:Name="nameValue" />
            </StackPanel>
        </DataTemplate>
    </Datagrid:DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
</Datagrid:DataGridTemplateColumn>

Thanks to all in advance and I’m sorry for the super n00b question.

Answer 1

You can still use the binding syntax, it sounds like you just need to bind to a static method instead of the data context of the grid. There is a good reference here http://blog.mrlacey.co.uk/2011/03/binding-to-static-classes-in-windows.html Taking that as an example and modifying for your case.

First: Setup your grid as you would normally, item source and columns, standard data binding. This will take care of any columns you need from the database or other source.

Second: In your project add your static class

namespace StaticBinding
{
        public class MyStaticClass
        {   
            private static string myStaticProperty;
            public static string MyStaticProperty
                {
                    get
                    {    return 
                            (CultureInfo.CurrentCulture.Name == "en-US" ? "US" : "Other");
                    }
                set { myStaticProperty = value; } }
        }
} 

Third: Add your new resource to app resources

 <Application xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
         xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml" 
         xmlns:SampleData="clr-namespace:Expression.Blend.SampleData.SampleDataSource" xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008" xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006" mc:Ignorable="d" 
         x:Class="SilverlightApplication28.App"
         xmlns:myns="clr-namespace:StaticBinding"
         >
<Application.Resources>
    <myns:MyStaticClass x:Name="MyStaticClass"></myns:MyStaticClass>
</Application.Resources>

Finally: Set the binding in your TextBlock, if you’ve built your project, you should be able to see the property in the binding editor window.

   <sdk:DataGrid AutoGenerateColumns="False" Height="171" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="61,53,0,0" Name="dataGrid1" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="263" ItemsSource="{Binding Collection}" LoadingRow="dataGrid1_LoadingRow"   Loaded="dataGrid1_Loaded"     >
        <sdk:DataGrid.Columns>
            <sdk:DataGridTextColumn Binding="{Binding Property1}" Header="Property1"/>
            <sdk:DataGridCheckBoxColumn Binding="{Binding Property2}" Header="Property2"/>
            <sdk:DataGridTextColumn Binding="{Binding Property3}" Header="Property3"/>
            <sdk:DataGridTemplateColumn>
                <sdk:DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
                    <DataTemplate>
                        <StackPanel>
                            <TextBlock x:Name="nameValue" Text="{Binding Source={StaticResource MyStaticClass}, Path=MyStaticProperty}" />
                        </StackPanel>
                    </DataTemplate>
                </sdk:DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
            </sdk:DataGridTemplateColumn>
        </sdk:DataGrid.Columns>
    </sdk:DataGrid>