Describes the visual structure of a data object.
(in System.Windows.dll)
Visual Basic (Declaration)
Public Class DataTemplate _
Inherits FrameworkTemplate
Dim instance As DataTemplate
public class DataTemplate : FrameworkTemplate
XAML Object Element Usage
<DataTemplate ...>
templateContent
</DataTemplate>
XAML Values
- templateContent
The tree of objects that defines this DataTemplate. The tree must have a single root element, and that root element can have zero or more child elements.
You typically use a DataTemplate to specify the visual representation of your data. DataTemplate objects are particularly useful when you are binding an ItemsControl such as a ListBox to an entire collection. Without specific instructions, a ListBox displays the string representation of the objects in a collection. In that case, you can use a DataTemplate to define the appearance of your data objects. The content of your DataTemplate becomes the visual structure of your data objects.
You can use data binding in a DataTemplate. For example, suppose that a ListBox is bound to a collection of Customer objects and has the ItemTemplate property set to a DataTemplate. When the ListBox is created, a ListBoxItem is created for each Customer in the collection, and the DataContext of the ListBoxItem is set to the appropriate customer. In other words, the DataContext of the first ListBoxItem is set to the first customer, the DataContext of the second ListBoxItem is set to the second customer, and so on. You can bind elements in the DataTemplate to properties of the Customer object.
You can also use a DataTemplate to share UIElement objects across multiple ContentControl objects. For example, suppose you need multiple buttons on your application to have the same graphic. You can create a DataTemplate that contains the graphic and use it as the ContentTemplate for the buttons. For more information, see ContentControl..::.ContentTemplate.
You can place a DataTemplate as the direct child of an object.ItemTemplate property element. You can also define a DataTemplate as a resource and then reference the resource as the value of the ItemTemplate property.
The XAML usage that defines the content for creating a data template is not exposed as a settable property. It is special behavior built into the XAML processing of a DataTemplate object element.
The following example uses a DataTemplate in display the items of a ListBox. In this example, the ListBox is bound to a collection of Customer objects. The DataTemplate contains TextBlock controls that bind to the FirstName, LastName, and Address properties. For more information on data binding, see Data Binding.
<Grid>
<Grid.Resources>
<src:Customers x:Key="customers"/>
</Grid.Resources>
<ListBox ItemsSource="{StaticResource customers}" Width="350" Margin="0,5,0,10">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBlock Padding="5,0,5,0"
Text="{Binding FirstName}" />
<TextBlock Text="{Binding LastName}" />
<TextBlock Text=", " />
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Address}" />
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
</Grid>
The following example shows the Customer class and the collection that the ListBox is bound to.
Public Class Customer
Private _firstName As String
Private _lastName As String
Private _address As String
Public Property FirstName() As String
Get
Return _firstName
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_firstName = value
End Set
End Property
Public Property LastName() As String
Get
Return _lastName
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_lastName = value
End Set
End Property
Public Property Address() As String
Get
Return _address
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_address = value
End Set
End Property
Public Sub New(ByVal firstName As String, ByVal lastName As String, ByVal address As String)
Me.FirstName = firstName
Me.LastName = lastName
Me.Address = address
End Sub
End Class
Public Class Customers
Inherits ObservableCollection(Of Customer)
Public Sub New()
Add(New Customer("Michael", "Anderberg", "12 North Third Street, Apartment 45"))
Add(New Customer("Chris", "Ashton", "34 West Fifth Street, Apartment 67"))
Add(New Customer("Cassie", "Hicks", "56 East Seventh Street, Apartment 89"))
Add(New Customer("Guido", "Pica", "78 South Ninth Street, Apartment 10"))
End Sub
End Class
public class Customer
{
public String FirstName { get; set; }
public String LastName { get; set; }
public String Address { get; set; }
public Customer(String firstName, String lastName, String address)
{
this.FirstName = firstName;
this.LastName = lastName;
this.Address = address;
}
}
public class Customers : ObservableCollection<Customer>
{
public Customers()
{
Add(new Customer("Michael", "Anderberg",
"12 North Third Street, Apartment 45"));
Add(new Customer("Chris", "Ashton",
"34 West Fifth Street, Apartment 67"));
Add(new Customer("Cassie", "Hicks",
"56 East Seventh Street, Apartment 89"));
Add(new Customer("Guido", "Pica",
"78 South Ninth Street, Apartment 10"));
}
}
System..::.Object
System.Windows..::.DependencyObject
System.Windows..::.FrameworkTemplate
System.Windows..::.DataTemplate
System.Windows..::.HierarchicalDataTemplate
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.
For a list of the operating systems and browsers that are supported by Silverlight, see Supported Operating Systems and Browsers.
Reference
Other Resources