FrameworkElement.DataContext Property
Gets or sets the data context for an element when it participates in data binding. This is a dependency property.
Assembly: PresentationFramework (in PresentationFramework.dll)
XMLNS for XAML: http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation, http://schemas.microsoft.com/netfx/2007/xaml/presentation
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).
The following example illustrates how a data context acts on a binding and provides the information that defines the specific values of bound properties.
<Window.Resources> <src:LeagueList x:Key="MyList" /> ... </Window.Resources> ... <DockPanel DataContext="{Binding Source={StaticResource MyList}}">
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.