How do I bind multiple properties in an Android layout element - xamarin.android

I'm using MvvmCross to databind my ViewModel to an Android View layout.
From the SimpleBinding example I can see that to bind a value to a property I do this:
<EditText
android:hint="Subtotal"
android:gravity="left"
android:inputType="numberDecimal"
android:maxLines="1"
android:numeric="decimal"
local:MvxBind="{'Text':{'Path':'SubTotal','Converter':'Float'}}"
/>
so Text is bound to the SubTotal property of the ViewModel. But how do I bind to more than one property? In my case I want to bind a ViewModel property called HigherLower to the TextColor attribute of the layout element. I can't add another MvxBind and I can't set MvxBind to an array.

The format of the JSON used in the binding expression is a Dictionary of named MvxJsonBindingDescriptions
public class MvxJsonBindingDescription
{
public string Path { get; set; }
public string Converter { get; set; }
public string ConverterParameter { get; set; }
public string FallbackValue { get; set; }
public MvxBindingMode Mode { get; set; }
}
This is used with:
the dictionary Key name being the target (View) property for the binding.
the binding Path property being the source (DataContext) property for the binding - if Path is not specified then the whole DataContext itself is the binding source.
For Activity/View level axml the DataContext is the ViewModel - but for sub-View axml then the DataContext will normally be a child object of the ViewModel - e.g. inside a ListView the DataContext might be an item inside a List or ObservableCollection owned by the ViewModel.
To specify multiple bindings you can use JSON like:
{
'TargetProperty1':{'Path':'SourceProperty1'},
'TargetProperty2':{'Path':'SourceProperty2'}
}
For your particular example this might be:
local:MvxBind="
{
'Text':{'Path':'SubTotal','Converter':'Float'},
'TextColor':{'Path':'HigherLower','Converter':'MyColorConverter'}
}"
where your ViewModel is something like:
public class MyViewModel : IMvxViewModel
{
public float SubTotal { get; set; }
public bool HigherLower { get; set; }
// more code here
}
and your converter is something like:
public class MyColorConverter : MvxBaseColorConverter
{
protected override MvxColor Convert(object value, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
return ((bool)value) ? new MvxColor(255,0,0) : new MvxColor(0,255,0);
}
}
and where that converter is initialized during Setup - e.g. see how the properties of the Converters class are used in TwitterSearch
One sample that shows Multiple Bindings at work is BestSellers - see Click and Text bound in the list item https://github.com/slodge/MvvmCross/blob/master/Sample%20-%20BestSellers/BestSellers/BestSellers.Droid/Resources/Layout/ListItem_Category.axml

Path':'HigherLowerYou must do this:
local:MvxBind="{'Text':{'Path':'SubTotal','Converter':'Float'}, 'TextColor':{'Path':'HigherLower','Converter':'Color'}}"
Note the:
bind="{ 'Text':{xx}, 'Other':{yy} }"

Related

Get property name in Tag Helper

ASP.NET Core introduced custom tag helpers which can be used in views like this:
<country-select value="CountryCode" />
However, I don't understand how can I get model property name in my classes:
public class CountrySelectTagHelper : TagHelper
{
[HtmlAttributeName("value")]
public string Value { get; set; }
public override void Process(TagHelperContext context, TagHelperOutput output)
{
...
// Should return property name, which is "CountryCode" in the above example
var propertyName = ???();
base.Process(context, output);
}
}
In the previous version I was able to do this by using ModelMetadata:
var metadata = ModelMetadata.FromLambdaExpression(expression, html.ViewData);
var property = metadata.PropertyName; // return "CountryCode"
How can I do the same in the new ASP.NET tag helpers?
In order to get property name, you should use ModelExpression in your class instead:
public class CountrySelectTagHelper : TagHelper
{
public ModelExpression For { get; set; }
public override void Process(TagHelperContext context, TagHelperOutput output)
{
var propertyName = For.Metadata.PropertyName;
var value = For.Model as string;
...
base.Process(context, output);
}
}
You can pass a string via the tag helper attribute.
<country-select value="#Model.CountryCode" />
The Value property will be populated by Razor with the value of Model.CountryCode by prepending #. So you get the value directly without the need to pass the name of a model property and accessing that afterwards.
I am not sure whether you got what you wanted. If you are looking to pass the complete model from view to the custom tag helper, this is how i do it.
You can pass in your current model from the view using any custom attributes. See the example below.
Assuming your model is Country
public class Country
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Code { get; set; }
}
Now declare a property in your custom tag helper of the same type.
public Country CountryModel { get; set; }
Your controller would look something like this
public IActionResult Index()
{
var country= new Country
{
Name = "United States",
Code = "USA"
};
return View("Generic", country);
}
In this setup, to access your model inside the taghelper, just pass it in like any other custom attribute/property
Your view should now look like something like this
<country-select country-model="#Model"></country-select>
You can receive it in your tag helper like any other class property
public override void Process(TagHelperContext context, TagHelperOutput output)
{
...
// Should return property name, which is "CountryCode" in the above example
var propertyName = CountryModel.Name;
base.Process(context, output);
}
Happy coding!

ASP.Net MVC Controller FromUri to Model - Can we define the order?

In my applicantion, I browse to the URL by supplying the parameters through query string. Based on the URI, the respective controller's action is triggered, and the parameters supplied are auto-mapped to my model.
URL: http://{host}:{port}/{website}/{controller}/{action}?{querystring}
URI:
/{controller}/{Action}?{QueryString}
My URI: Employee/Add?EmployeeCode=Code3&EmployeeId=103
EmployeeModel
public class EmployeeModel
{
public Employee()
{
}
public string EmployeeId { get; set; }
public string EmployeeCode { get; set; }
//Some more properties here
}
EmployeeController
[HttpGet]
[Route("Add")]
public IActionResult Add([FromUri] EmployeeModel model)
{
//Some code here
}
While this all works fabulous, when I browse through, below is the order in which break-points hit,
Add method of EmployeeController
Default constructor of EmployeeModel
set method of EmployeeId property of EmployeeModel
set method of EmployeeCode property of EmployeeModel
I suspect the order in which the properties get initialized is based on the order they are declared in the class.
But, to create an instance and initialize the properties the framework must be using reflection. And as per the MSDN documentation for Type.GetProperties the order is not guarateed.
The GetProperties method does not return properties in a particular
order, such as alphabetical or declaration order. Your code must not
depend on the order in which properties are returned, because that
order varies.
I basically want the initialization to take place in a specific order, is this possible?
You can't get the model binding mechanism to do things in a specific order, but you can make sure that the order is applied where it has to be.
Presumably, EmployeeModel is a domain model object on which the order actually matters, and you're now model binding directly to this type. Instead, introduce an edit model1 which you model bind to, and then map that to your model type:
public class EmployeeEditModel
{
public string EmployeeId { get; set; }
public string EmployeeCode { get; set; }
}
// and change your action signature to this:
[HttpGet]
[Route("Add")]
public IActionResult Add([FromUri] EmployeeEditModel model)
1 For an explanation of what an edit model is, see the final remarks on this old answer of mine.
To perform the mapping you have numerous alternatives, some better than others. Pick one that suits you - however, since the reason the order matters is probably something inherent in the domain model object, I'd advice you to put the logic inside it (e.g. in a constructor), to make it easier to remember to change it if the requirements change.
Map via a constructor on the model object
public class EmployeeModel
{
public EmployeeModel(string employeeId, string employeeCode /* , ... */)
{
// do stuff in whatever order you need
EmployeeId = employeeId;
EmployeeCode = employeeCode;
}
// Now your properties can be get-only
public string EmployeeId { get; }
public string EmployeeCode { get; }
}
Map via an extension method that does everything in the right order
public static class EmployeeEditModelExtensions
{
public EmployeeModel AsDomainModel(this EmployeeEditModel editModel)
{
// do stuff in whatever order you need
var model = new EmployeeModel();
model.EmployeeId = editModel.EmployeeId;
model.EmployeeCode = editModel.EmployeeCode;
// ...
}
// Now your properties can be get-only
public string EmployeeId { get; }
public string EmployeeCode { get; }
}
Use an external framework such as AutoMapper, with custom configuration to make sure that the ordering is correct
Do something else. The only purpose is to get you from an EmployeeEditModel instance to an EmployeeModel instance, assigning to the properties of the EmployeeModel in the correct order. Since you write this code yourself, you can do what you want.

MVC Razor helpers do not render proper ID and Name attributes for fields of interface derived classes

I have a class which looks like this:
public class ApplicationFormModel
{
protected ApplicationFormModel()
{
CurrentStep = ApplicationSteps.PersonalInfo;
PersonalInfoStep = new PersonalInfo();
}
public PersonalInfo PersonalInfoStep { get; set; }
public IEducationalBackground EducationalBackgroundStep { get; set; }
public IAboutYou AboutYouStep { get; set; }
public IOther OtherStep { get; set; }
}
where IEducationalBackground, IAboutYou, and IOther are interfaces. I do not use this class directly, but I use derived classes of this one which upon instantiation create the proper instances of EducationalBackgroundStep, AboutYouStep, and OtherStep.
In my view, I am using Razor Helpers such as
#Html.TextBoxFor(model => (model.EducationalBackgroundStep as ApplicationFormModels.EducationalBackgroundAA).University, new {#class = "form-control", type = "text", autocomplete = "off"})
The field 'University', for example, is NOT part of the Interface and I therefore need the cast to access it. Everything is fine for properties of the interface itself, but those which I need to cast for do not end up having the correct ID and Name properties.
For example, instead of EducationalBackgroundStep_University as ID, I only get University. This causes the form to not include this value when submitting it.
I did not have this issue before when I used a base class instead of an interface, but then I had to include the EducationalBackgroundStep, AboutYouStep, and OtherStep in each derived class (and have it then of the correct derived type), but that is what I wanted to avoid.
Is there any way around this? Thank you very much!
The issue with the ID generation is because you are using casting (x as y) and the TextBoxFor expression handler can't determine what the original model property was (more to the point, it doesn't make sense to use the original model property as you're not using it any more, you're using the cast property)
Example fiddle: https://dotnetfiddle.net/jQOSZA
public class c1
{
public c2 c2 { get; set; }
}
public class c2
{
public string Name { get; set; }
}
public ActionResult View(string page, bool pre = false)
{
var model = new c1 { c2 = new c2 { Name = "xx" } };
return View(model);
}
View
#model HomeController.c1
#Html.TextBoxFor(x=>Model.c2.Name)
#Html.TextBoxFor(x=>(Model.c2 as HomeController.c2).Name)
The first textboxfor has ID c2_Name while the second has just Name
You have two options:
1) use concrete classes rather than interfaces for your viewmodel
2) don't use TextBoxFor and instead use TextBox and specify the ID manually (but then you'll lose refactoring)
#Html.TextBox("c2_Name", (Model.c2 as HomeController.c2).Name)
This will give you the ID you're expecting, but as #StephenMuecke rightly points out, this might not bind correctly when you do the POST - so you may still be stuck... but at least it answers the question.
#freedomn-m explained to me why my code wouldn't work and he put me on the right track to find a solution, so he gets the accepted answer.
The workaround I used is the following - so I now have the following classes:
public class ApplicationFormViewModel {
public PersonalInfo PersonalInfoStep { get; set; }
// constructors which take the other classes and
// initialize these fields in an appropriate manner
public IEducationalBackground EducationalBackgroundStep { get; set; }
public IAboutYou AboutYouStep { get; set; }
public IOther OtherStep { get; set; }
}
// in our case, XX can be one of 3 values, so we have 3 classes
public class ApplicationFormXX {
public PersonalInfo PersonalInfoStep { get; set; }
// constructor which take the ApplicationFormViewModel and
// initialize these fields in an appropriate manner
public EducationalBackgroundXX EducationalBackgroundStep { get; set; }
public AboutYouXX AboutYouStep { get; set; }
public OtherXX OtherStep { get; set; }
}
To the main View I send the ApplicationFormViewModel and for each of the fields, I call a separate Partial View.
The Partial views render the common fields which are present in the Interfaces and then, depending on the type of the object held by the interface, it calls a different partial view which accepts the correct Model.
Example:
In the main View I have (NOTE: The actions return a partial view):
#model Applications.Models.ApplicationFormModels.ApplicationFormViewModel
// CODE, CODE, CODE
#Html.Action("RenderEducationalBackgroundStep", "ApplicationFormsLogic", routeValues: new {model = Model})
In the Partial View of for the EducationalBackgroundStep, I have:
#model ApplicationFormModels.ApplicationFormViewModel
// CODE, CODE, CODE
#{
var educationalBackgroundType = Model.EducationalBackgroundStep.GetType();
if (educationalBackgroundType == typeof(EducationalBackgroundXX))
{
<text>#Html.Partial("~\\Views\\Partials\\ApplicationForm\\Partials\\ApplicationSteps\\EducationalBackground\\_EducationalBackgroundXX.cshtml", new ApplicationFormModels.ApplicationFormModelXX { EducationalBackgroundStep = Model.EducationalBackgroundStep as EducationalBackgroundXX })</text>
}
// OTHER ELSE IF CASES
}
And then, the _EducationalBackgroundXX.cshtml partial view expects a model like this:
#model ApplicationFormModels.ApplicationFormModelXX
This way, no casting is required and everything works fine with the ModelBinder. Again, thank you #freedomn-m for setting me on the right track.
NOTE: In practice I need more fields than the ones presented here (for navigation and some custom logic), so actually all of these classes inherit an abstract base class (this makes it redundant to have the PersonalInfoStep declared in each of the classes, for example, because it can be inherited from the abstract base class). But for the intents and purposes of this method, what's present here suffices.

MVC "Write-Once" Fields in Model and View

I want DRY/reuse as much editor code (View and Model) as possible. Some of my fields can only be set at creation, and never edited. Are there any pre-existing MVC/DataAnnotation features I should look at?
For example, maybe there is a data attribute that causes EditorFor to operate like DisplayFor if the value is non-null.
Model.cs
[Unchangeable]
string UserReferenceId { get; set; }
string Description { get; set; }
edit: to clarify my goal, I've added an answer with sample code for the approach I'm currently planning. If there's a better way/pre-existing feature for this, please let me know.
There are both the System.ComponentModel.ReadOnlyAttribute and System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.EditableAttribute (I think EditableAttribute is .NET 4). When model metadata is created for properties marked with either of these, you can see ModelMetadata.IsReadOnly will be set correctly.
Frustratingly, however, the built-in editor templates will still show editable fields, even if ModelMetadata.IsReadOnly is true.
You can, however, create your own shared editor template for each data type where you want this metadata property respected, and handle it specifically.
~/Views/Shared/EditorTemplates/String.cshtml
#model String
#if (ViewData.ModelMetadata.IsReadOnly)
{
#Html.Hidden(string.Empty, Model)
}
#(ViewData.ModelMetadata.IsReadOnly ? Html.DisplayText(string.Empty) : Html.TextBox(string.Empty))
View Model
[Editable(false)]
public string UserReferenceId { get; set; }
You'll note that in the event the metadata for the model indicates IsReadOnly, I draw a hidden field. This is so the value of that property is persisted across posts.
If you don't want the field displayed at all, but persisted across posts, you can use System.Web.Mvc.HiddenInputAttribute. In this case, only the hidden is drawn.
[HiddenInput(DisplayValue=false)]
public string UserReferenceId { get; set; }
Here's what I'm thinking of implementing if nothing similar is pre-existing:
EditableWhenNewModel.cs
public class EditableWhenNewModel : IIsNew
{
public bool IsNew { get { return recordId == 0; } }
string UserReferenceId { get; set; }
string Description { get; set; }
public void Save(RepositoryItem record) {
if (IsNew) { record.UserReferenceId = UserReferenceId; }
record.Description = Description;
... etc.
View.cshtml
#model EditableWhenNewModel
#Html.EditorWhenNewFor(m => m.UserReferenceId)
#Html.EditorFor(m => m.Description)
EditorWhenNewFor.cs
public static MvcHtmlString EditorWhenNewFor<TModel, TProperty>(
this HtmlHelper<TModel> htmlHelper,
Expression<Func<TModel, TProperty>> expression
) where TModel : IIsNew {
return htmlHelper.ViewData.Model.IsNew ?
htmlHelper.EditorFor(expression) :
htmlHelper.DisplayFor(expression);
}

MVC Validation Attribute

How do you validate a class using Validation attributes when validating strongly typed view models.
Suppose you have a view model like so:
[PropertiesMustMatch("Admin.Password", "Admin.ConfirmPassword")]
public class AdminsEditViewModel
{
public AdminsEditViewModel()
{
this.Admin = new Admin(); // this is an Admin class
}
public IEnumerable<SelectListItem> SelectAdminsInGroup { get; set; }
public IEnumerable<SelectListItem> SelectAdminsNotInGroup { get; set; }
public Admin Admin { get; set; }
}
I get null exception when on this line of PropertiesMustMatchAttribute
object originalValue = properties.Find(OriginalProperty, true /* ignoreCase */).GetValue(value);
since Password field is a property of Admin class and NOT AdminsEditViewModel. How do I make it so that it will go so many levels deep until it does find property of Admin in the ViewModel AdminsEditViewModel?
thanks
You need to modify the PropertiesMustMatchAttribute class to parse the property name and search deeply.
This attribute is not part of the framework; it's included in the default MVC template (in AccountModels.cs)
You can therefore modify it to suit your needs.
Specifically, you would call name.Split('.'), then loop through splitted names and get the property values.
It would look something like
object GetValue(object obj, string properties) {
foreach(strong prop in properties)
obj = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(obj)
.Find(prop, ignoreCase: true)
.GetValue(obj);
}
return obj;
}

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