Better way to trigger OnPropertyChanged
Solution 1:
You could have a look at PostSharp. They even have a sample at Data Binding. The code taken from there:
/// <summary>
/// Aspect that, when apply on a class, fully implements the interface
/// <see cref="INotifyPropertyChanged"/> into that class, and overrides all properties to
/// that they raise the event <see cref="INotifyPropertyChanged.PropertyChanged"/>.
/// </summary>
[Serializable]
[IntroduceInterface( typeof(INotifyPropertyChanged),
OverrideAction = InterfaceOverrideAction.Ignore )]
[MulticastAttributeUsage( MulticastTargets.Class,
Inheritance = MulticastInheritance.Strict )]
public sealed class NotifyPropertyChangedAttribute : InstanceLevelAspect,
INotifyPropertyChanged
{
/// <summary>
/// Field bound at runtime to a delegate of the method <c>OnPropertyChanged</c>.
/// </summary>
[ImportMember( "OnPropertyChanged", IsRequired = false)]
public Action<string> OnPropertyChangedMethod;
/// <summary>
/// Method introduced in the target type (unless it is already present);
/// raises the <see cref="PropertyChanged"/> event.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="propertyName">Name of the property.</param>
[IntroduceMember( Visibility = Visibility.Family, IsVirtual = true,
OverrideAction = MemberOverrideAction.Ignore )]
public void OnPropertyChanged( string propertyName )
{
if ( this.PropertyChanged != null )
{
this.PropertyChanged( this.Instance,
new PropertyChangedEventArgs( propertyName ) );
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Event introduced in the target type (unless it is already present);
/// raised whenever a property has changed.
/// </summary>
[IntroduceMember( OverrideAction = MemberOverrideAction.Ignore )]
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
/// <summary>
/// Method intercepting any call to a property setter.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="args">Aspect arguments.</param>
[OnLocationSetValueAdvice,
MulticastPointcut( Targets = MulticastTargets.Property,
Attributes = MulticastAttributes.Instance)]
public void OnPropertySet( LocationInterceptionArgs args )
{
// Don't go further if the new value is equal to the old one.
// (Possibly use object.Equals here).
if ( args.Value == args.GetCurrentValue() ) return;
// Actually sets the value.
args.ProceedSetValue();
// Invoke method OnPropertyChanged (our, the base one, or the overridden one).
this.OnPropertyChangedMethod.Invoke( args.Location.Name );
}
}
Usage is then as simple as this:
[NotifyPropertyChanged]
public class Shape
{
public double X { get; set; }
public double Y { get; set; }
}
Examples taken from PostSharp site and inserted for completing the answer
Solution 2:
It looks like as if the Framework 4.5 slightly simplifies this:
private string m_Fieldname;
public string Fieldname
{
get { return m_Fieldname; }
set
{
m_Fieldname = value;
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
private void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = "none passed")
{
// ... do stuff here ...
}
This doesn't quite automate things to the extent you're looking for, but using the CallerMemberNameAttribute
makes passing the property name as a string unnecessary.
If you're working on Framework 4.0 with KB2468871 installed, you can install the Microsoft BCL Compatibility Pack via nuget, which also provides this attribute.