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You use a DataTemplate to specify the visualization of your data objects. 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.

For an in-depth discussion, see Data Templating Overview.

The following example shows how to create a DataTemplate inline. The DataTemplate specifies that each data item appears as three TextBlock elements within a StackPanel. In this example, the data object is a class called Task. Note that each TextBlock element in this template is bound to a property of the Task class.

<ListBox Width="400" Margin="10"
         ItemsSource="{Binding Source={StaticResource myTodoList}}">
   <ListBox.ItemTemplate>
     <DataTemplate>
       <StackPanel>
         <TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=TaskName}" />
         <TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Description}"/>
         <TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Priority}"/>
       </StackPanel>
     </DataTemplate>
   </ListBox.ItemTemplate>
 </ListBox>

It is more common to define a DataTemplate in the resources section so it can be a reusable object, as in the following example:

<Window.Resources>


...


<DataTemplate x:Key="myTaskTemplate">
  <StackPanel>
    <TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=TaskName}" />
    <TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Description}"/>
    <TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Priority}"/>
  </StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>


...


</Window.Resources>

Now you can use myTaskTemplate as a resource, as in the following example:

<ListBox Width="400" Margin="10"
         ItemsSource="{Binding Source={StaticResource myTodoList}}"
         ItemTemplate="{StaticResource myTaskTemplate}"/>

For the complete sample, see Introduction to Data Templating Sample.

Windows Vista

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

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