Xceed DataGrid for WPF v7.3 Documentation
Welcome to Xceed DataGrid, Editors, and 3D Views for WPF v7.3 / Xceed DataGrid for WPF / DataGrid Fundamentals / Manipulating Data / Providing, Inserting, and Removing Data / Master/Detail / Detail Descriptions / Custom Detail Descriptions
In This Topic
    Custom Detail Descriptions
    In This Topic

    Prerequisite Knowledge
    Object Model Overview: DataGridDetailDescription Class

    The DataGridDetailDescription class provides information about a detail relation whose content will be displayed as the details of the data items in a grid or another detail. By default, detail descriptions are automatically created for:

    Detail descriptions can also be explicitly defined by adding them to DetailDescriptions collection of their parent DataGridCollectionViewDataGridCollectionViewSource, or detail description.

    Although the most common types of detail relations are automatically detected, it is also possible to create and use custom detail descriptions that will return detail items for a parent item, whatever the definition of the detail relation is. 

    Creating a Detail Description

    Custom detail descriptions can be created by deriving from the DataGridDetailDescription class and overriding the GetDetailsForParentItem method to return the appropriate detail items, as an IEnumerable, for the received parent item (see Example 1). In the case where there are no detail items for a parent item, an empty IEnumerable or null (Nothing in Visual Basic) must be returned.

    If a detail description requires information that cannot be provided through XAML, such as a PropertyDescriptor, the Initialize method can be overridden and the information provided.

    Examples

    All examples in this topic assume that the grid is bound to the Employees table of a LINQ  data context, unless stated otherwise.

    Example 1: Creating a custom detail description

    The following example demonstrates how to create and use a custom detail description that handles LINQ detail relations, which are provided by properties to which the AssociationAttribute is applied.

    VB.NET
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    Imports System
    Imports System.Collections.Generic
    Imports System.Linq
    Imports System.Text
    Imports Xceed.Wpf.DataGrid
    Imports System.Reflection
    Imports System.Data.Linq.Mapping
    Imports System.Diagnostics
    Imports System.Collections
    Namespace Xceed.Wpf.Documentation
      Public Class LinqToSqlDetailDescription
                   Inherits DataGridDetailDescription
        Protected Overrides Function GetDetailsForParentItem( ByVal parentCollectionView As DataGridCollectionView, _
                                                              ByVal parentItem As Object ) As IEnumerable
          Dim parentItemType As Type = parentItem.GetType()
          Dim foundProperty As PropertyInfo = Nothing
          Dim properties() As PropertyInfo = parentItemType.GetProperties()
          Dim propertyInfo As PropertyInfo
          For Each propertyInfo In properties
            Dim attributes() As Object = propertyInfo.GetCustomAttributes( Type.GetType( AssociationAttribute ), _
                                                                            False)
            If attributes.GetLength( 0 ) = 0 Then
              continue
            End If
            Dim associationAttribute As AssociationAttribute = CType( attributes( 0 ), AssociationAttribute )
            If associationAttribute.Name = Me.RelationName Then
              foundProperty = propertyInfo
              Exit Property
            End If
          Next
          If foundProperty Is Nothing Then
            Return New Object()
          Else
            Dim details As Object = foundProperty.GetValue( parentItem, Nothing )
            Dim detailsType As Type = details.GetType()
            Dim getNewBindingList As MethodInfo = detailsType.GetMethod( "GetNewBindingList" )
            Return CType( getNewBindingList.Invoke( details, Nothing), IEnumerable )
          End If
        End Function
      End Class
    End Namespace
    C#
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    using System;
    using System.Collections.Generic;
    using System.Linq;
    using System.Text;
    using Xceed.Wpf.DataGrid;
    using System.Reflection;
    using System.Data.Linq.Mapping;
    using System.Diagnostics;
    using System.Collections;
    namespace Xceed.Wpf.Documentation
    {
     public class LinqToSqlDetailDescription: DataGridDetailDescription
     {
       protected override IEnumerable GetDetailsForParentItem( DataGridCollectionView parentCollectionView,
                                                               object parentItem )
       {
         Type parentItemType = parentItem.GetType();
         PropertyInfo foundProperty = null;
        
         PropertyInfo[] properties = parentItemType.GetProperties();
         foreach( PropertyInfo propertyInfo in properties )
         {
           object[] attributes = propertyInfo.GetCustomAttributes( typeof( AssociationAttribute ), false );
           if( attributes.GetLength( 0 ) == 0 )
             continue;
           AssociationAttribute associationAttribute = ( AssociationAttribute )attributes[ 0 ];
           if( associationAttribute.Name == this.RelationName )
           {
             foundProperty = propertyInfo;
             break;
           }
         }
         if( foundProperty == null )
         {
           return new object[] { };
         }
         else
         {
           object details = foundProperty.GetValue( parentItem, null );
           Type detailsType = details.GetType();
           MethodInfo getNewBindingList = detailsType.GetMethod( "GetNewBindingList" );
           return ( IEnumerable )getNewBindingList.Invoke( details, null );
         }
       }
     }
    }
    XAML
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    <Grid>
      <Grid.Resources>
        <xcdg:DataGridCollectionViewSource x:Key="cvs_employees"
                                           Source="{Binding Source={x:Static Application.Current},
                                                            Path=LinqDataContext.Employees}">
           <xcdg:DataGridCollectionViewSource.DetailDescriptions>
              <local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription RelationName="Employee_Employees"
                                                Title="Employees" />
              <local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription RelationName="Employee_Customer"
                                                Title="Customers">
                 <local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription.DetailDescriptions>
                    <local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription RelationName="Customer_Order"
                                                      Title="Orders">
                       <local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription.DetailDescriptions>
                          <local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription RelationName="Order_Order_Detail"
                                                            Title="Order Details" />
                       </local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription.DetailDescriptions>
                    </local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription>
                 </local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription.DetailDescriptions>
              </local:LinqToSqlDetailDescription>
           </xcdg:DataGridCollectionViewSource.DetailDescriptions>
        </xcdg:DataGridCollectionViewSource>
      </Grid.Resources>
     
      <xcdg:DataGridControl x:Name="EmployeesGrid"
                          ItemsSource="{Binding Source={StaticResource cvs_employees}}"
                          ItemsSourceName="Employee Information"
                          AutoCreateDetailConfigurations="True" />
    </Grid>
    VB.NET
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    Dim context As New NorthwindDataContext()
    Dim collectionView As New DataGridCollectionView( context.Employees, GetType( Employee ), True, False )
    collectionView.DetailDescriptions.Add( New LinqToSqlDetailDescription( "Employee_Employees", "Employees" ) )
    Dim employeeCustomerDetail As New LinqToSqlDetailDescription( "Employee_Customer", "Customers" )
    Dim customerOrderDetail As New LinqToSqlDetailDescription( "Customer_Order", "Orders" )
    customerOrderDetail.DetailDescriptions.Add( New LinqToSqlDetailDescription( "Order_Order_Detail", "Order Details" ) )
    employeeCustomerDetail.DetailDescriptions.Add( customerOrderDetail )
    collectionView.DetailDescriptions.Add( employeeCustomerDetail )
    dataGridControl.AutoCreateDetailConfigurations = True
    dataGridControl.ItemsSourceName = "Employee Information"
    dataGridControl.ItemsSource = collectionView
    C#
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    NorthwindDataContext context = new NorthwindDataContext();      
    DataGridCollectionView collectionView = new DataGridCollectionView( context.Employees, typeof( Employee ), true, false );      
    collectionView.DetailDescriptions.Add( new LinqToSqlDetailDescription( "Employee_Employees", "Employees" ) );
    LinqToSqlDetailDescription employeeCustomerDetail = new LinqToSqlDetailDescription( "Employee_Customer", "Customers" );
    LinqToSqlDetailDescription customerOrderDetail = new LinqToSqlDetailDescription( "Customer_Order", "Orders" );
    customerOrderDetail.DetailDescriptions.Add( new LinqToSqlDetailDescription( "Order_Order_Detail", "Order Details" ) );
    employeeCustomerDetail.DetailDescriptions.Add( customerOrderDetail );
    collectionView.DetailDescriptions.Add( employeeCustomerDetail );
    dataGridControl.AutoCreateDetailConfigurations = true;
    dataGridControl.ItemsSourceName = "Employee Information";
    dataGridControl.ItemsSource = collectionView;