OutWit.Common.MVVM 1.0.0

Simplifying DependencyProperty Management with the Bindable Aspect

When working with WPF, dealing with DependencyProperty can be tedious and error-prone. Typically, you need to:

1. Declare the static DependencyProperty:

   public static readonly DependencyProperty ValueProperty =
       DependencyProperty.Register("Value", typeof(int), typeof(MyControl),
           new PropertyMetadata(0, new PropertyChangedCallback(OnValueChanged)));
   

2. Create a property for accessing the value:

   public int Value
   {
      get => (int)GetValue(ValueProperty);
      set => SetValue(ValueProperty, value);
   }
   

This boilerplate code is verbose and introduces multiple opportunities for errors.

Using BindingUtils for Cleaner Registration

The BindingUtils utility makes DependencyProperty registration more concise:

public static readonly DependencyProperty ValueProperty =
    BindingUtils.Register<MyControl, int>(nameof(Value), OnValueChanged); 

This utility reduces boilerplate and improves readability.

Eliminating GetValue and SetValue with the Bindable Aspect

The Bindable aspect simplifies property definitions further by eliminating the need to explicitly call GetValue and SetValue. For example:

[Bindable]
public int Value { get; set; }

This reduces the code significantly, making classes cleaner and easier to maintain.

Customizing DependencyProperty Names

By default, the aspect assumes the DependencyProperty for a property named [Name] is declared as [Name]Property. For instance, a property named Value is expected to use ValueProperty.

If the DependencyProperty uses a custom name, you can specify it explicitly:

[Bindable("CustomDependencyProperty")]
public int Value { get; set; }

Key Benefits

• Reduces repetitive code.
• Ensures consistency and readability.
• Simplifies working with DependencyProperty in WPF applications.

For more details, check out the article.