Binding.ElementName Property (System.Windows.Data)

ElementName Property

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.NET Framework 3.0

Other versions are also available for the following:

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

Binding.ElementName Property

Gets or sets the name of the element to use as the binding source object.

Namespace: System.Windows.Data
Assembly: PresentationFramework (in presentationframework.dll)
XML Namespace: http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation

Syntax

Visual Basic (Declaration)

Public Property ElementName As String

Visual Basic (Usage)

Dim instance As Binding
Dim value As String

value = instance.ElementName

instance.ElementName = value

public string ElementName { get; set; }

C++

public:
property String^ ElementName {
    String^ get ();
    void set (String^ value);
}

/** @property */
public String get_ElementName ()

/** @property */
public void set_ElementName (String value)

JScript

public function get ElementName () : String

public function set ElementName (value : String)

XAML Attribute Usage

<object ElementName="string" .../>

Property Value

The value of the Name property or x:Name Attribute of the element of interest. You can refer only to elements that are created in code if they are registered to the appropriate NameScope through RegisterName. For more information, see WPF Namescopes. The default value is a null reference (Nothing in Visual Basic).

Remarks

This property is useful when you want to bind to the property of another element in your application. For example, if you want to use a Slider to control the height of another control in your application, or if you want to bind the Content of your control to the SelectedValue property of your ListBox control.

By default, bindings inherit the data context specified by the DataContext property, if one has been set. However, the ElementName property is one of the ways you can explicitly set the source of a Binding and override the inherited data context. For more information, see How to: Specify the Binding Source.

The Source and RelativeSource properties of the Binding class also enable you to set the source of the binding explicitly. However, only one of the three properties, ElementName, Source, and RelativeSource, should be set for each binding, or a conflict might occur. This property throws an exception if there is a binding source conflict.

Example

This example shows how to bind the property of one instantiated control to that of another using the ElementName property.

The following example shows how to bind the Background property of a Canvas to the SelectedItem.Content property of a ComboBox:

XAML

<Window
  xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
  xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
  Width="460" Height="200"
  Title="Binding the Properties of Two Controls">

  <Window.Resources>
    <Style TargetType="TextBlock">
      <Setter Property="FontSize" Value="16"/>
      <Setter Property="FontWeight" Value="Bold"/>
      <Setter Property="DockPanel.Dock" Value="Top"/>
      <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Center"/>
    </Style>
    <Style TargetType="Canvas">
      <Setter Property="Height" Value="50"/>
      <Setter Property="Width" Value="50"/>
      <Setter Property="Margin" Value="8"/>
      <Setter Property="DockPanel.Dock" Value="Top"/>
    </Style>
    <Style TargetType="ComboBox">
      <Setter Property="Width" Value="150"/>
      <Setter Property="Margin" Value="8"/>
      <Setter Property="DockPanel.Dock" Value="Top"/>
    </Style>
  </Window.Resources>

  <Border Margin="10" BorderBrush="Silver" BorderThickness="3" Padding="8">
    <DockPanel>
      <TextBlock>Choose a Color:</TextBlock>
      <ComboBox Name="myComboBox" SelectedIndex="0">
        <ComboBoxItem>Green</ComboBoxItem>
        <ComboBoxItem>Blue</ComboBoxItem>
        <ComboBoxItem>Red</ComboBoxItem>
      </ComboBox>
      <Canvas>
        <Canvas.Background>
          <Binding ElementName="myComboBox" Path="SelectedItem.Content"/>
        </Canvas.Background>
      </Canvas>
    </DockPanel>
  </Border>
</Window>

When this example is rendered it looks like the following:

For the complete sample, see Binding the Properties of UI Elements Sample.

Note The binding target property (in this example, the Background property) must be a dependency property. For more information, see Data Binding Overview.

More Code

How to: Specify the Binding Source

In data binding, the binding source object refers to the object you obtain your data from. This topic describes the different ways of specifying the binding source.

Platforms

Windows 98, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows CE, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Starter Edition

The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 is supported on Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP2, and Windows Server 2003 SP1.

Version Information