FrameworkElement.DataContext Property (System.Windows)

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DataContext Property

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This page is specific to

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

Other versions are also available for the following:

.NET Framework Class Library

FrameworkElement..::.DataContext Property

Gets or sets the data context for an element when it participates in data binding. This is a dependency property.

Namespace: System.Windows
Assembly: PresentationFramework (in PresentationFramework.dll)
XMLNS for XAML: http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation, http://schemas.microsoft.com/netfx/2007/xaml/presentation

Syntax

Visual Basic (Declaration)

<LocalizabilityAttribute(LocalizationCategory.NeverLocalize)> _
Public Property DataContext As Object

Visual Basic (Usage)

Dim instance As FrameworkElement
Dim value As Object

value = instance.DataContext

instance.DataContext = value

[LocalizabilityAttribute(LocalizationCategory.NeverLocalize)]
public Object DataContext { get; set; }

Visual C++

[LocalizabilityAttribute(LocalizationCategory::NeverLocalize)]
public:
property Object^ DataContext {
    Object^ get ();
    void set (Object^ value);
}

JScript

public function get DataContext () : Object
public function set DataContext (value : Object)

XAML Property Element Usage

<object>
  <object.DataContext>
    <dataContextObject />
  </object.DataContext>
</object>

XAML Attribute Usage

<object DataContext="bindingUsage"/>
- or -
<object DataContext="{resourceExtension contextResourceKey}"/>

XAML Values

dataContextObject: A directly embedded object that serves as data context for any bindings within the parent element. Typically, this object is a Binding or another BindingBase derived class. Alternatively, raw data of any CLR object type intended for binding may be placed here, with the actual bindings defined later.
bindingUsage: A binding usage that evaluates to an appropriate data context. For details, see Binding Markup Extension.
resourceExtension: One of the following: StaticResource or DynamicResource. This usage is used when referring to raw data defined as an object in resources. See Resources Overview.
contextResourceKey: The key identifier for the object being requested from within a ResourceDictionary.

Property Value

Type: System..::.Object
The object to use as data context.

Dependency Property Information

Identifier field	DataContextProperty
Metadata properties set to true	Inherits

Remarks

Data context is a concept that allows elements to inherit information from their parent elements about the data source that is used for binding, as well as other characteristics of the binding, such as the path.

Data context can be set directly to a common language runtime (CLR) object, with the bindings evaluating to properties of that object. Alternatively, you can set the data context to a DataSourceProvider object.

This dependency property inherits property values. If there are child elements without other values for DataContext established through local values or styles, then the property system will set the value to be the DataContext value of the nearest parent element with this value assigned.

Alternatively, you can use one of the following properties of the Binding class to specify the binding source explicitly: ElementName, Source, or RelativeSource. For more information, see How to: Specify the Binding Source.

In XAML, DataContext is most typically set to as a Binding declaration. You can use either property element syntax or attribute syntax. Attribute syntax is shown in the example on this page. You can also use code to set DataContext.

DataContext is a bindable property, to facilitate scenarios where one context might be bound to another. However, if you bind to DataContext, be careful to not create circular binding references (do not bind a DataContext to itself, which is possible to do because of the property value inheritance nature of the DataContext property).

Examples

The following example illustrates how a data context acts on a binding and provides the information that defines the specific values of bound properties.

XAML

<Window.Resources>
  <src:LeagueList x:Key="MyList" />


...


</Window.Resources>


...


<DockPanel DataContext="{Binding Source={StaticResource MyList}}">

Platforms

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003

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.

Version Information

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 3.0

Reference

FrameworkElement Class

FrameworkElement Members

System.Windows Namespace

Other Resources

Data Binding Overview

How to: Use the Master-Detail Pattern with Hierarchical XML Data

Binding Sources Overview