Layout Serialization for the multiple Docksites.

Hi Keshav,

You appear to be doing four level nesting of DockSites and allowing linked DockSites between.  That is a far more complex than our product is intended for, but I suppose it works for you.

I'd probably recommend using layout serialization features (as described in the documentation) starting from the outermost DockSite and move inward from there.  So when you go to restore layouts, do it on the outermost DockSite first, then its child DockSite, etc.

Hi,

I am not able to serialize the toolwindows that are moved to the another Workspace.

Code used in the Sample application is belowed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<docking:DockSite Grid.Row="0" x:Name="BaseDocksite">

<docking:SplitContainer>

<docking:Workspace>

<Grid><Grid.RowDefinitions><RowDefinition Height="*" /><RowDefinition Height="Auto" /></Grid.RowDefinitions>

<docking:DockSite Grid.Row="0"UseHostedAutoHidePopups="False"VerticalAlignment="Top"Background="#6682b0"AllowDrop="True" CanDocumentWindowsRaft="False"x:Name="Docksite1" cal:RegionManager.RegionName="{x:Static sample:RegionNames.MainRegion}">

<docking:Workspace>

<docking:TabbedMdiHost />

</docking:Workspace></docking:DockSite>

<docking:DockSite x:Name="Docksite2"Grid.Row="1">

<docking:ToolWindowContainer><docking:ToolWindow Title="Toolwindow2"></docking:ToolWindow></docking:ToolWindowContainer>

</docking:DockSite></Grid>

</docking:Workspace>

</docking:SplitContainer>

</docking:DockSite>

Above code is having the BaseDocksite(With Worspace) named BaseDocksite and two other Docksites named Docksite1,Docksite2.

As Docksite2 is linked to the BaseDocksite which means Docksiet2 toolwindow can be moved to the BaseDocksite workspace.

Code used to link the Docksites is

Docksite2.LinkDockSite(BaseDocksite);

------->So when i drag the Docksite2 toolwindow and moved to the BaseDocksite workspace and then i close the application.

After that ,i am saving the Layout of the Docksite2 and the BaseDocksite using

dockSiteLayout = layoutSerializer.SaveToString(BaseDocksite);

dockSiteLayout1 = layoutSerializer1.SaveToString(Docksite2);

layoutSerializer.SaveToFile(@"D:\abc.xml");

layoutSerializer1.SaveToFile(@"D:\abcIn2.xml");

And when i again load the application , its loading the saved Layout using the belowed code--

dockSiteLayout = System.IO.File.ReadAllText(@"D:\abc.xml");

dockSiteLayout1 = System.IO.File.ReadAllText(@"D:\abcIn2.xml");

this.layoutSerializer.LoadFromString(dockSiteLayout, BaseDocksite);

this.layoutSerializer1.LoadFromString(dockSiteLayout1, Docksite2);

------> But i am not getting the toolwindow that was moved in the BaseDocksite Workspace.

So how to save the Layout for the Toolwindows that are moved to the Different Docksite workspace and How to  load e Layout for the Toolwindows that are moved to the Different Docksite workspace ?

Hi Keshav,

Well here you had your tool window defined in one DockSite (via the XAML) but the layout for the other DockSite is where you intend to restore it.  That other DockSite doesn't know about it at the time you do the load, so it can't load it.

There are workarounds for that though.  You need to read through the "Layout Serialization" documentation topic because that describes how to handle this sort of thing.

You also are missing a critical thing (giving the tool window an x:Name) that is described in that topic.  If it's not named, it can't be found by the deserializer.

Hi,

I read the Layout Serialization topic and  also using the toolwindow names for the Serializing  and Desaerializing these toolwindows.

But its not working in case of LinkDockSites.

                                           Please read the steps Carefully

Step1---------->Suppose i have two docksites named Docksite1 and Docksite2 and these having toolwindows named toolwindow1 and toolwindow2 respectively.

Step2------------>These Docksites(Docksite1 and Docksite2 ) are Linked to each other using Docksite1.LinkDockSite(Docksite2);

Step3------------->So i drag the Toolwindow1 from the Docksite1 and dock it to the Docksite2(with respect to the toolwindow2).

Step4-------------->Now both the toolwindows are in the same Docksite named Docksite2.

Step5--------------->Now i close the application.

Step6--------------->Saving the Layout of the Both docksites(Docksite1 and Docksite2) in XML. 

Step7--------------->Now again i run the application.

Step8--------------->Loads the saved XML layout and it should display the toolwindow1 and toolwindow2 in the Docksite2 which means when they were last docked before closing of  the application.

But its Not happpening. Its NOT displaying the toolwindow2 in the Docksite2(According to the XML Layout) But toolwindow2 is saved in the Docksite2 XML layout.

In the scenario you give, I would expect toolwindow2 to definitely show up as long as you have set its x:Name, since that is a normal layout serialization use case (it's already defined in the target DockSite).

In order for toolwindow1 to show up, it would also need an x:Name AND you'd have to follow the steps in that documentation topic for handling deserialization when a DockSite doesn't know about the tool window.

If you'd like us to look into it further, please make a new simple sample project with this minimum example that you are explaining and send that to our support address.  Please reference this post and rename the .zip file extension so it doesn't get spam blocked.