I have this Markup:
<GroupBox BorderThickness="2">
<GroupBox.BorderBrush>
<SolidColorBrush x:Name="Border">
<SolidColorBrush.Color>
<MultiBinding Converter="{StaticResource ConnectionAndLoggedInToBorderBrush}">
<Binding Path="IsConnected"/>
<Binding Path="IsLoggedIn"/>
</MultiBinding>
</SolidColorBrush.Color>
</SolidColorBrush>
</GroupBox.BorderBrush>
In the code behind I have this line in the window_loaded method:
DataContext = uiManager;
uiManager is of type UIManager that has two public properties named IsConnected and IsLoggedIn.
This code fails at at startup because the values array in the Converter that is called by the Multibinding is not filled with booleans but have a value of DependencyProperty.UnsetValue.
When I use the markup below (and change the returntype of the converter) it does work.
<GroupBox BorderThickness="2">
<GroupBox.BorderBrush>
<MultiBinding Converter="{StaticResource ConnectionAndLoggedInToBorderBrush}">
<Binding Path="IsConnected"/>
<Binding Path="IsLoggedIn"/>
</MultiBinding>
</GroupBox.BorderBrush>
It seems that the binding set through the DataContext in the code behind fails in the first example, but works in the second one. Why?
For completeness below the UIManager class:
public class UIManager:IUIManager
{
#region Implementation of IUIManager
private const string IsLoggedInProperty = "IsLoggedIn";
private bool loggedIn;
private readonly object loggedInLock = new object();
public bool IsLoggedIn
{
get
{
lock (loggedInLock)
{
return loggedIn;
}
}
set
{
lock (loggedInLock)
{
if(value==loggedIn)return;
loggedIn = value;
OnPropertyChanged(IsLoggedInProperty);
}
}
}
private void OnPropertyChanged(string property)
{
if(PropertyChanged!=null)PropertyChanged(this,new PropertyChangedEventArgs(property));
}
private const string IsConnectedProperty = "IsConnected";
private bool isConnected;
private object isConnectedLock = new object();
public bool IsConnected
{
get
{
lock (isConnectedLock)
{
return isConnected;
}
}
set
{
lock (isConnectedLock)
{
if(value==isConnected)return;
isConnected = value;
OnPropertyChanged(IsConnectedProperty);
}
}
}
#endregion
#region Implementation of INotifyPropertyChanged
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
#endregion
}
EDIT: The conversion method for the failing XAML (it fails on the conversion to bool of values[0]:
public object Convert(object[] values, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
var is_connected = (bool) values[0];
var is_loggedin = (bool) values[1];
return is_loggedin
? is_connected
? Colors.YellowGreen
: Colors.Red
: Colors.Gray;
}
for the working XAML:
public object Convert(object[] values, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
var is_connected = (bool) values[0];
var is_loggedin = (bool) values[1];
return is_loggedin
? is_connected
? Brushes.YellowGreen
: Brushes.Red
: Brushes.Gray;
}