How to tell when a ToolWindow is visible from its DataContext (ViewModel)?

Hi Eric,

Check this blog post out:

http://blog.actiprosoftware.com/post/2015/08/24/DockingMDI-vNext-MVVM-Property-Improvements

In the work we're doing or vNext, we've really improved the data-binding features.  We now have properties like IsOpen, IsSelected, IsActive, and State.  And all of these are now settable.  So you'll be able to use those to let your VM know what's going on and alter things.

IsOpen and IsSelected are in the current version as settable too.  State is there as well but it's read-only.

Thanks for the reply. Yes I see the State (read-only) property now. So adding a setter for this property would be great but I think your going to have to add another value to the enum as well. Currently the enum contains Docked, Floating, Document, and AutoHide. Don't you also need a Hidden value? This is the case where the DockingWindow does have a parent container but its just not visible. Its been created bu not visible at this time.

So can I get my hands on a trial version of the vNext/docking API?

Hi Eric,

As a side note, in vNext there is no more Floating state.  We had to do this since the windows are really still in Docked or Document states, but in a floating DockHost instead.  vNext allows full MDI scenarios in floating windows, whereas the current version does not.

We shoudn't need a Hidden value for State.  What you are describing is the same as IsOpen=true and IsSelected=false.  The State needs to persist so that if a window is closed, it knows what state to restore back into when it is reopened.

As for the vNext beta, it's not available yet.  Please watch our blog for a notification of when it's ready.  We'll definitely want some testers when it's ready.

We are looking forward to trying out the beta for vNext but for now is there a way to tell when a DockingWindow changes visibility from a ViewModel? I do not mind using an attached behavior but I do not see any event that first when the visibility of the DockingWindow changes. Is that true?

Hi Eric,

Yes, the IsOpen property tells you if it's open in the layout or not.  If it's IsOpen and IsSelected, then it's visible in the tabs.

The DockSite.WindowOpened and WindowClosed events tell you when a window is added to (opened) or removed from (closed) the layout.

Hi,

we have few ToolWindows in ToolWindowContainer. By setting IsOpen and IsSelected for only one TooloWindow get all another Windows the same state. how can we solve this problem?

Do you mean that you want to open the first one and then open the rest as "attached" to it in the same tool window container? 

If so, in the 2015.1 version you could open the first one and then call secondTW.Dock(firstTW, Direction.Content) to attach to it and repeat for others.  Then you can call Activate() on the one that you want to be selected.

In the upcoming 2016.1 version, you can give each window the same WindowGroupName and then set IsOpen on all of them and IsActive on the one you want focused/selected.

So I found a different way to achieve this with XAML and a Command.

<userControl ....
             xmlns:i="clr-namespace:System.Windows.Interactifity;assembly=System.Windows.Interactivity"
             ...>

  <i:Interaction.Triggers>
    <i:EventTrigger EventName="Loaded">
      <i:InvokeCommandAction Command="{Binding InitializeCommand}" />
    </i:EventTrigger?
  </i:Interaction.Triggers>

  ...

</UserControl>

This UserControl is the View for a specific ToolWindow. Each time this ToolWindow becomes visible it will fire the InitializeCommand in my ViewModel. In the method for this command I keep track of two Booleans called IsInitialized and IsInitializing so I know if the ViewModel has already been initialized or if it’s currently being initialized. I like this approach much better because the method bound to the command can be an asyc method. We are also using the DelegateCommand from Prism. Thus my command is defined like the following.

InitializeCommand = DelegateCommand.FromAsyncHandler(DoInitializeAsync);

private async Task DoInitializeAsync(){
  ...
}

This is not exactly what the latest comment was about but it does address the original question. I hope this helps someone else in the future.

Thanks,

   -eric