Close Window from ViewModel [duplicate]

Im creating a Login using a window control to allow a user to login into a WPF application that I am creating.

So far, I have created a method that checks whether the user has entered in the correct credentials for the username and password in a textbox on the login screen, binding two properties.

I have achieved this by creating a bool method, like so;

public bool CheckLogin()
{
    var user = context.Users.Where(i => i.Username == this.Username).SingleOrDefault();

    if (user == null)
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Unable to Login, incorrect credentials.");
        return false;
    }
    else if (this.Username == user.Username || this.Password.ToString() == user.Password)
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Welcome " + user.Username + ", you have successfully logged in.");

        return true;
    }
    else
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Unable to Login, incorrect credentials.");
        return false;
    }
}

public ICommand ShowLoginCommand
{
    get
    {
        if (this.showLoginCommand == null)
        {
            this.showLoginCommand = new RelayCommand(this.LoginExecute, null);
        }
        return this.showLoginCommand;
    }
}

private void LoginExecute()
{
    this.CheckLogin();
} 

I also have a command that I bind to my button within the xaml like so;

<Button Name="btnLogin" IsDefault="True" Content="Login" Command="{Binding ShowLoginCommand}" />

When I enter in the username and password it executes the appropriated code, whether it being right, or wrong. But how can I close this window from the ViewModel when both username and password are correct?

I have previously tried using a dialog modal but it didn't quite work out. Furthermore, within my app.xaml, I have done something like the following, which loads the login page first, then once true, loads the actual application.

private void ApplicationStart(object sender, StartupEventArgs e)
{
    Current.ShutdownMode = ShutdownMode.OnExplicitShutdown;

    var dialog = new UserView();

    if (dialog.ShowDialog() == true)
    {
        var mainWindow = new MainWindow();
        Current.ShutdownMode = ShutdownMode.OnMainWindowClose;
        Current.MainWindow = mainWindow;
        mainWindow.Show();
    }
    else
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Unable to load application.", "Error", MessageBoxButton.OK);
        Current.Shutdown(-1);
    }
}

Question: How can I close the Login Window control from the ViewModel?

Thanks in advance.


You can pass the window to your ViewModel using the CommandParameter. See my Example below.

I've implemented an CloseWindow Method which takes a Windows as parameter and closes it. The window is passed to the ViewModel via CommandParameter. Note that you need to define an x:Name for the window which should be close. In my XAML Window i call this method via Command and pass the window itself as a parameter to the ViewModel using CommandParameter.

Command="{Binding CloseWindowCommand, Mode=OneWay}" 
CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=TestWindow}"

ViewModel

public RelayCommand<Window> CloseWindowCommand { get; private set; }

public MainViewModel()
{
    this.CloseWindowCommand = new RelayCommand<Window>(this.CloseWindow);
}

private void CloseWindow(Window window)
{
    if (window != null)
    {
       window.Close();
    }
}

View

<Window x:Class="ClientLibTestTool.ErrorView"
        x:Name="TestWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:localization="clr-namespace:ClientLibTestTool.ViewLanguages"
        DataContext="{Binding Main, Source={StaticResource Locator}}"
        Title="{x:Static localization:localization.HeaderErrorView}"
        Height="600" Width="800"
        ResizeMode="NoResize"
        WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen">
    <Grid> 
        <Button Content="{x:Static localization:localization.ButtonClose}" 
                Height="30" 
                Width="100" 
                Margin="0,0,10,10" 
                IsCancel="True" 
                VerticalAlignment="Bottom" 
                HorizontalAlignment="Right" 
                Command="{Binding CloseWindowCommand, Mode=OneWay}" 
                CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=TestWindow}"/>
    </Grid>
</Window>

Note that i'm using the MVVM light framework, but the principal applies to every wpf application.

This solution violates of the MVVM pattern, because the view-model shouldn't know anything about the UI Implementation. If you want to strictly follow the MVVM programming paradigm you have to abstract the type of the view with an interface.

MVVM conform solution (Former EDIT2)

the user Crono mentions a valid point in the comment section:

Passing the Window object to the view model breaks the MVVM pattern IMHO, because it forces your vm to know what it's being viewed in.

You can fix this by introducing an interface containing a close method.

Interface:

public interface ICloseable
{
    void Close();
}

Your refactored ViewModel will look like this:

ViewModel

public RelayCommand<ICloseable> CloseWindowCommand { get; private set; }

public MainViewModel()
{
    this.CloseWindowCommand = new RelayCommand<IClosable>(this.CloseWindow);
}

private void CloseWindow(ICloseable window)
{
    if (window != null)
    {
        window.Close();
    }
}

You have to reference and implement the ICloseable interface in your view

View (Code behind)

public partial class MainWindow : Window, ICloseable
{
    public MainWindow()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }
}

Answer to the original question: (former EDIT1)

Your Login Button (Added CommandParameter):

<Button Name="btnLogin" IsDefault="True" Content="Login" Command="{Binding ShowLoginCommand}" CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=LoginWindow}"/>

Your code:

 public RelayCommand<Window> CloseWindowCommand { get; private set; } // the <Window> is important for your solution!

 public MainViewModel() 
 {
     //initialize the CloseWindowCommand. Again, mind the <Window>
     //you don't have to do this in your constructor but it is good practice, thought
     this.CloseWindowCommand = new RelayCommand<Window>(this.CloseWindow);
 }

 public bool CheckLogin(Window loginWindow) //Added loginWindow Parameter
 {
    var user = context.Users.Where(i => i.Username == this.Username).SingleOrDefault();

    if (user == null)
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Unable to Login, incorrect credentials.");
        return false;
    }
    else if (this.Username == user.Username || this.Password.ToString() == user.Password)
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Welcome "+ user.Username + ", you have successfully logged in.");
        this.CloseWindow(loginWindow); //Added call to CloseWindow Method
        return true;
    }
    else
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Unable to Login, incorrect credentials.");
        return false;
    }
 }

 //Added CloseWindow Method
 private void CloseWindow(Window window)
 {
     if (window != null)
     {
         window.Close();
     }
 }

I usually put an event on the view model when I need to do this and then hook it up to the Window.Close() when binding the view model to the window

public class LoginViewModel
{
    public event EventHandler OnRequestClose;

    private void Login()
    {
        // Login logic here
        OnRequestClose(this, new EventArgs());
    }
}

And when creating the login window

var vm = new LoginViewModel();
var loginWindow = new LoginWindow
{
    DataContext = vm
};
vm.OnRequestClose += (s, e) => loginWindow.Close();

loginWindow.ShowDialog(); 

Staying MVVM, I think using either Behaviors from the Blend SDK (System.Windows.Interactivity) or a custom interaction request from Prism could work really well for this sort of situation.

If going the Behavior route, here's the general idea:

public class CloseWindowBehavior : Behavior<Window>
{
    public bool CloseTrigger
    {
        get { return (bool)GetValue(CloseTriggerProperty); }
        set { SetValue(CloseTriggerProperty, value); }
    }

    public static readonly DependencyProperty CloseTriggerProperty =
        DependencyProperty.Register("CloseTrigger", typeof(bool), typeof(CloseWindowBehavior), new PropertyMetadata(false, OnCloseTriggerChanged));

    private static void OnCloseTriggerChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        var behavior = d as CloseWindowBehavior;

        if (behavior != null)
        {
            behavior.OnCloseTriggerChanged();
        }
    }

    private void OnCloseTriggerChanged()
    {
        // when closetrigger is true, close the window
        if (this.CloseTrigger)
        {
            this.AssociatedObject.Close();
        }
    }
}

Then in your window, you would just bind the CloseTrigger to a boolean value that would be set when you wanted the window to close.

<Window x:Class="TestApp.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:i="clr-namespace:System.Windows.Interactivity;assembly=System.Windows.Interactivity"
        xmlns:local="clr-namespace:TestApp"
        Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
    <i:Interaction.Behaviors>
        <local:CloseWindowBehavior CloseTrigger="{Binding CloseTrigger}" />
    </i:Interaction.Behaviors>

    <Grid>

    </Grid>
</Window>

Finally, your DataContext/ViewModel would have a property that you'd set when you wanted the window to close like this:

public class MainWindowViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
    private bool closeTrigger;

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or Sets if the main window should be closed
    /// </summary>
    public bool CloseTrigger
    {
        get { return this.closeTrigger; }
        set
        {
            this.closeTrigger = value;
            RaisePropertyChanged(nameof(CloseTrigger));
        }
    }

    public MainWindowViewModel()
    {
        // just setting for example, close the window
        CloseTrigger = true;
    }

    protected void RaisePropertyChanged(string propertyName)
    {
        if (PropertyChanged != null)
        {
            PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
        }
    }

    public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
}

(set your Window.DataContext = new MainWindowViewModel())


it may be late, but here is my answer

foreach (Window item in Application.Current.Windows)
{
    if (item.DataContext == this) item.Close();
}