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How to: Find DataTemplate-Generated Elements

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This example shows how to find elements that are generated by a DataTemplate.

Example

In this example, there is a ListBox that is bound to some XML data:

<ListBox Name="myListBox" ItemTemplate="{StaticResource myDataTemplate}"
         IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem="True">
  <ListBox.ItemsSource>
    <Binding Source="{StaticResource InventoryData}" XPath="Books/Book"/>
  </ListBox.ItemsSource>
</ListBox>

The ListBox uses the following DataTemplate:

<DataTemplate x:Key="myDataTemplate">
  <TextBlock Name="textBlock" FontSize="14" Foreground="Blue">
    <TextBlock.Text>
      <Binding XPath="Title"/>
    </TextBlock.Text>
  </TextBlock>
</DataTemplate>

If you want to retrieve the TextBlock element generated by the DataTemplate of a certain ListBoxItem, you need to get the ListBoxItem, find the ContentPresenter within that ListBoxItem, and then call FindName on the DataTemplate that is set on that ContentPresenter. The following example shows how to perform those steps. For demonstration purposes, this example creates a message box that shows the text content of the DataTemplate-generated text block.

// Getting the currently selected ListBoxItem
// Note that the ListBox must have
// IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem set to True for this to work
ListBoxItem myListBoxItem =
    (ListBoxItem)(myListBox.ItemContainerGenerator.ContainerFromItem(myListBox.Items.CurrentItem));

// Getting the ContentPresenter of myListBoxItem
ContentPresenter myContentPresenter = FindVisualChild<ContentPresenter>(myListBoxItem);

// Finding textBlock from the DataTemplate that is set on that ContentPresenter
DataTemplate myDataTemplate = myContentPresenter.ContentTemplate;
TextBlock myTextBlock = (TextBlock)myDataTemplate.FindName("textBlock", myContentPresenter);

// Do something to the DataTemplate-generated TextBlock
MessageBox.Show("The text of the TextBlock of the selected list item: "
    + myTextBlock.Text);

' Getting the currently selected ListBoxItem
' Note that the ListBox must have
' IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem set to True for this to work
Dim myListBoxItem As ListBoxItem = CType(myListBox.ItemContainerGenerator.ContainerFromItem(myListBox.Items.CurrentItem), ListBoxItem)

' Getting the ContentPresenter of myListBoxItem
Dim myContentPresenter As ContentPresenter = FindVisualChild(Of ContentPresenter)(myListBoxItem)

' Finding textBlock from the DataTemplate that is set on that ContentPresenter
Dim myDataTemplate As DataTemplate = myContentPresenter.ContentTemplate
Dim myTextBlock As TextBlock = CType(myDataTemplate.FindName("textBlock", myContentPresenter), TextBlock)

' Do something to the DataTemplate-generated TextBlock
MessageBox.Show("The text of the TextBlock of the selected list item: " & myTextBlock.Text)

The following is the implementation of FindVisualChild, which uses the VisualTreeHelper methods:

private childItem FindVisualChild<childItem>(DependencyObject obj)
    where childItem : DependencyObject
{
    for (int i = 0; i < VisualTreeHelper.GetChildrenCount(obj); i++)
    {
        DependencyObject child = VisualTreeHelper.GetChild(obj, i);
        if (child != null && child is childItem)
        {
            return (childItem)child;
        }
        else
        {
            childItem childOfChild = FindVisualChild<childItem>(child);
            if (childOfChild != null)
                return childOfChild;
        }
    }
    return null;
}

Private Function FindVisualChild(Of childItem As DependencyObject)(ByVal obj As DependencyObject) As childItem
    For i As Integer = 0 To VisualTreeHelper.GetChildrenCount(obj) - 1
        Dim child As DependencyObject = VisualTreeHelper.GetChild(obj, i)
        If child IsNot Nothing AndAlso TypeOf child Is childItem Then
            Return CType(child, childItem)
        Else
            Dim childOfChild As childItem = FindVisualChild(Of childItem)(child)
            If childOfChild IsNot Nothing Then
                Return childOfChild
            End If
        End If
    Next i
    Return Nothing
End Function

See also