Xceed DataGrid for WPF v7.2 Documentation
Validating Data

Welcome to Xceed DataGrid, Editors, and 3D Views for WPF v7.2 > Xceed DataGrid for WPF > DataGrid Fundamentals > Manipulating Data > Editing and Validating Data > Validating Data
Prerequisite Knowledge
DataGrid Fundamentals: Providing Data 

Xceed DataGrid for WPF offers data validation support at various levels, including cells, row, and business-objects. How and when data is validated is determined by binding- and UI-level validation rules, which are queried when a cell or row is about to end its edit process, when a cell's content is changed, or when data is loaded into a grid.

Binding-level Validation

Through a column's DisplayMemberBindingInfo property, information about a column's binding to its corresponding field in the underlying data source can be defined. In addition, the validation rules to apply to the data as it is read from and written to the data source (e.g., ExceptionValidationRule and DataErrorValidationRule) can be provided by adding the desired validation rules to the ValidationRules collection (see Example 1).

Built-in support for IDataErrorInfo provides business-object level validation that can be used in combination with validation rules.

Unless the ValidationRules collection is cleared, it will always contain an ExceptionValidationRule and DataErrorValidationRule. If the DataErrorValidationRule is excluded from the collection of validation rules, validation errors reported by IDataErrorInfo will be ignored.

The ValidationRules collection cannot be cleared once the binding has been established.

The moment when the data is written to the underlying data source, and therefore validated, is determined by the value of a grid's UpdateSourceTrigger property, which indicates whether the source is updated when a cell or row is ending its edit process or when a cell's content is changed.

UI-level Validation

Through the use of cell validation rules, the content of any cell can be validated before it is committed to the underlying data source. These rules can be provided for all the cells in a column by adding one or more CellValidationRule objects to a CellValidationRules collection or on a per-cell basis (see Example 2).

Validation Errors

When the value of a cell fails the validation process, its HasValidationError property will return true, and its ValidationError property will contain a CellValidationError, which provides information on the cell in error, the error content, the exception (if one was thrown), and the validation rule that failed.  If the validation rule that failed is a binding-level ValidationRule, it will be wrapped in a PassthroughCellValidationRule. Validation errors will also be reported by a row when the value of one or more of its cells fail the validation process. Like cells, when a row contains validation errors, its HasValidationError property will return true, and its ValidationError property will contain a RowValidationError, which provides information on the row in error, the error content, the exception, and the validation rule that failed.

The IsValidationErrorRestrictive property indicates whether the validation error that failed prevents the focus from moving to another row until the error is fixed. Usually, all errors are restrictive; however, validation errors reported through IDataErrorInfo are considered non-restrictive.

Any validation rule created from the ValidationRule class can be reused in a grid by using a  PassthroughCellValidationRule, which wraps any validation rule and exposes it as a CellValidationRule.

Validation Order and Chained Validations

Data is validated first by UI-level validation rules when data is modified, followed by the binding-level rules when the modified data is written back to the source.

When a cell is successfully validated, an attempt will be made to re-validate any sibling cells that have validation errors. If more than one sibling cell has validation errors, their data will be re-validated at the same time. If, once the sibling cells have been successfully validated, other siblings have validation errors, they will be re-validated and so forth. 

Examples

All examples in this topic assume that the grid is bound to a list of Composer objects, unless stated otherwise.

Example 1: Providing binding-level validation

The following example demonstrates how to create a custom ValidationRule and apply it to a column's binding to provide binding-level validation.

The implementation for the YearValidationRule is provided below.

XAML
Copy Code
<Grid xmlns:xcdg="http://schemas.xceed.com/wpf/xaml/datagrid"

     xmlns:local="clr-namespace:Xceed.Wpf.Documentation">

  <Grid.Resources>

     <xcdg:DataGridCollectionViewSource x:Key="cvs_composers"

                                        Source="{Binding Source={x:Static Application.Current}, 

                                                         Path=Composers}"/>

  </Grid.Resources>

 

  <xcdg:DataGridControl ItemsSource="{Binding Source={StaticResource cvs_composers}}"

                        UpdateSourceTrigger="RowEndingEdit">

     <xcdg:DataGridControl.Columns> 

       <xcdg:Column FieldName="BirthYear">

          <xcdg:Column.DisplayMemberBindingInfo>

             <xcdg:DataGridBindingInfo Path="BirthYear">

                <xcdg:DataGridBindingInfo.ValidationRules>

                   <local:YearValidationRule />

                </xcdg:DataGridBindingInfo.ValidationRules>

             </xcdg:DataGridBindingInfo>

          </xcdg:Column.DisplayMemberBindingInfo>

       </xcdg:Column>

       <xcdg:Column FieldName="DeathYear">

          <xcdg:Column.DisplayMemberBindingInfo>

             <xcdg:DataGridBindingInfo Path="DeathYear">

                <xcdg:DataGridBindingInfo.ValidationRules>

                   <local:YearValidationRule />

                </xcdg:DataGridBindingInfo.ValidationRules>

             </xcdg:DataGridBindingInfo>

          </xcdg:Column.DisplayMemberBindingInfo>

       </xcdg:Column>      

    </xcdg:DataGridControl.Columns>

  </xcdg:DataGridControl>

</Grid>

Implementation of the YearValidationRule validation rule.

VB.NET
Copy Code
Imports System

Imports System.Windows.Controls

Imports System.Globalization

Namespace Xceed.Wpf.Documentation

  Public Class YearValidationRule

               Inherits ValidationRule

    Public Overrides Function Validate( ByVal value As Object, _

                                        ByVal cultureInfo As CultureInfo ) As ValidationResult

      Dim year As Integer = CInt( value )

      If year > DateTime.Now.Year Then

        Return New ValidationResult( False, "Chosen year cannot be greater than this year." )

      End If

      Return ValidationResult.ValidResult

    End Function

  End Class

End Namespace
C#
Copy Code
using System;

using System.Windows.Controls;

using System.Globalization;

namespace Xceed.Wpf.Documentation

{

 public class YearValidationRule : ValidationRule

 {

   public override ValidationResult Validate( object value, CultureInfo cultureInfo )

   {

     int year = ( int )value;

     if( year > DateTime.Now.Year )

       return new ValidationResult( false, "Chosen year cannot be greater than this year." );

     return ValidationResult.ValidResult;

   }

 }

}

Example 2: Providing UI-level validation

The following example demonstrates how to create a custom CellValidationRule and add it to a column's CellValidationRules collection to provide UI-level validation.

The implementation for the PeriodVSCompositionCountCellValidationRule and Person class are provided below.

XAML
Copy Code
<Grid xmlns:xcdg="http://schemas.xceed.com/wpf/xaml/datagrid"

     xmlns:local="clr-namespace:Xceed.Wpf.Documentation">

  <Grid.Resources>

     <xcdg:DataGridCollectionViewSource x:Key="cvs_composers"

                                        Source="{Binding Source={x:Static Application.Current},

                                                         Path=Composers}"/>

     <!--A data provider to bind to the Period enum-->

     <ObjectDataProvider x:Key="periods"

                         MethodName="GetValues"

                         ObjectType="{x:Type local:Period}">

        <ObjectDataProvider.MethodParameters>

           <x:Type TypeName="local:Period"/>

        </ObjectDataProvider.MethodParameters>

     </ObjectDataProvider>

     <!--A cell editor that will be used to edit a Period column with a combo box-->

     <xcdg:CellEditor x:Key="periodEditor">

        <xcdg:CellEditor.EditTemplate>

           <DataTemplate>

              <ComboBox BorderThickness="0"

                        MinHeight="22"

                        VerticalContentAlignment="Top"

                        SelectedValuePath="."

                        ItemsSource="{Binding Source={StaticResource periods}}"

                        SelectedValue="{xcdg:CellEditorBinding}">

                 <ComboBox.Resources>

                    <Style TargetType="Popup">

                       <Setter Property="TextElement.Foreground"

                               Value="{DynamicResource {x:Static SystemColors.WindowTextBrushKey}}" />

                    </Style>

                 </ComboBox.Resources>

              </ComboBox>

           </DataTemplate>

        </xcdg:CellEditor.EditTemplate>

     </xcdg:CellEditor>

  </Grid.Resources>

  <xcdg:DataGridControl ItemsSource="{Binding Source={StaticResource cvs_composers}}"

                        UpdateSourceTrigger="RowEndingEdit">

     <xcdg:DataGridControl.Columns>

       <xcdg:Column FieldName="Period"

                    CellEditor="{StaticResource periodEditor}">                                   

          <xcdg:Column.CellValidationRules>

             <local:PeriodVSCompositionCountCellValidationRule/>

          </xcdg:Column.CellValidationRules>

       </xcdg:Column>

       <xcdg:Column FieldName="CompositionCount">

          <xcdg:Column.CellValidationRules>

             <local:PeriodVSCompositionCountCellValidationRule />

          </xcdg:Column.CellValidationRules>

       </xcdg:Column>

     </xcdg:DataGridControl.Columns>

  </xcdg:DataGridControl>

</Grid>

Implementation of the PeriodVSCompositionCountCellValidationRule validation rule.

VB.NET
Copy Code
Imports System

Imports Xceed.Wpf.DataGrid.ValidationRules

Imports Xceed.Wpf.DataGrid

Imports System.Globalization

Imports System.Windows.Controls

Namespace Xceed.Wpf.Documentation

  Public Class PeriodVSCompositionCountCellValidationRule

               Inherits CellValidationRule

    Public Overrides Function Validate( ByVal value As Object, ByVal culture As CultureInfo, _

                                        ByVal context As CellValidationContext ) As ValidationResult

      Dim parentRow As Row = context.Cell.ParentRow

      Dim compositionCount As Integer

      Dim period As Period

      If context.Cell.FieldName = "Period" Then

        period = CType( value, Period )

        compositionCount = CInt( parentRow.Cells( "CompositionCount" ).Content )

      Else

        period = CType( parentRow.Cells( "Period" ).Content, Period )

        compositionCount = CInt( value )

      End If

      If( ( period = Period.Modern ) And ( compositionCount > 40 ) ) Then

        Return New ValidationResult( False, "Composition count must be less than 50 when the period is set to Modern." );

      End If

      Return ValidationResult.ValidResult

    End Function

  End Class

End Namespace
C#
Copy Code
using System;

using Xceed.Wpf.DataGrid.ValidationRules;

using Xceed.Wpf.DataGrid;

using System.Globalization;

using System.Windows.Controls;

namespace Xceed.Wpf.Documentation

{ 

public class PeriodVSCompositionCountCellValidationRule : CellValidationRule

 {

   public override ValidationResult Validate( object value, CultureInfo culture,

                                              CellValidationContext context )

   {

     Row parentRow = context.Cell.ParentRow;

     int compositionCount;

     Period period;

     if( context.Cell.FieldName == "Period" )

     {

       period = ( Period )value;       

       compositionCount = ( int )parentRow.Cells[ "CompositionCount" ].Content;

     }

     else

     {

       period = ( Period )parentRow.Cells[ "Period" ].Content;

       compositionCount = ( int )value;

     }

     if( ( period == Period.Modern ) && compositionCount > 40 )

       return new ValidationResult( false, "Composition count must be less than 50 when the period is set to Modern." );

     return ValidationResult.ValidResult;

   }

 }

}

Implementation of the Person class

VB.NET
Copy Code
Imports System.ComponentModel

Imports System.Windows.Media

Namespace Xceed.Wpf.Documentation

  Public Class Person

               Implements INotifyPropertyChanged

    Public Sub New( personID As Integer, firstName As String, lastName As String, age As Integer )

      m_personID = personID

      m_firstName = firstName

      m_lastName = lastName

      m_age = age

    End Sub

    public Sub New()

    End sub   

    Public ReadOnly Property PersonID As Integer

      Get

        Return m_personID

      End Get

    End Property

    Public Property FirstName As String

      Get

        Return m_firstName

      End Get

      Set( ByVal value As String )

        If m_firstName <> value Then

          m_firstName = value

          Me.OnPropertyChanged( "FirstName" )

        End If

      End Set

    End Property

    Public Property LastName As String

      Get

        Return m_lastName

      End Get

      Set( ByVal value As String )

        If m_lastName <> value Then

          m_lastName = value

          Me.OnPropertyChanged( "LastName" )

        End If

      End Set

    End Property

    Public Property Age As Integer

      Get

        Return m_age

      End Get

      Set( ByVal value As Integer )

        If m_age = value Then

          Return

        End If

        m_age = value

        Me.OnPropertyChanged( "Age" )

      End Set

    End Property

    ' INotifyPropertyChanged implementation

    Public Event PropertyChanged As PropertyChangedEventHandler Implements INotifyPropertyChanged.PropertyChanged

    Private Sub OnPropertyChanged( ByVal propertyName As String )

      If Not Me.PropertyChanged Is Nothing Then

        Me.PropertyChanged( Me, New PropertyChangedEventArgs( propertyName ) )

      End If

    End Sub

    private string m_firstName = string.Empty;

    private string m_lastName = string.Empty;

    private m_personID As Integer

    Private m_age As Integer = 18

  End Class

End Namespace
C#
Copy Code
using System.ComponentModel;

using System.Windows.Media;

namespace Xceed.Wpf.Documentation

{

  public class Person: INotifyPropertyChanged, IDataErrorInfo

  {

    public Person( int personID, string firstName, string lastName, int age )

    {

      m_personID = personID;

      m_firstName = firstName;

      m_lastName = lastName;

      m_age = age;

    }

    public Person()

    {

    }

    public int PersonID

    {

      get

      {

        return m_personID;

      }

    }

    public string FirstName

    {

      get

      {

        return m_firstName;

      }

      set

      {

        if( m_firstName != value )

        {

          m_firstName = value;

          this.OnPropertyChanged( "FirstName" );

        }

      }

    }

    public string LastName

    {

      get

      {

        return m_lastName;

      }

      set

      {

        if( m_lastName != value )

        {

          m_lastName = value;

          this.OnPropertyChanged( "LastName" );

        }

      }

    }

    public int Age

    {

      get

      {

        return m_age;

      }

      set

      {

        if( m_age == value )

          return;

        m_age = value;

        this.OnPropertyChanged( "Age" );

      }

    }

    // INotifyPropertyChanged implementation

    public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;

    private void OnPropertyChanged( string propertyName )

    {

      if( this.PropertyChanged != null )

        this.PropertyChanged( this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs( propertyName ) );

    }

    // IDataErrorInfo implementation

    [EditorBrowsable( EditorBrowsableState.Never ) ]

    [Browsable( false )]

    public string Error

    {

      get

      {

        return "IDataErrorInfo Error Message";

      }

    }

    [EditorBrowsable( EditorBrowsableState.Never )]

    [Browsable( false )]

    public string this[ string propertyName ]

    {

      get

      {

        if( propertyName == "Age" )

        {

          if( m_age < 18 )

            return "An employee must be 18 years or older.";

        }

        return string.Empty;

      }

    }   

    private string m_firstName = string.Empty;

    private string m_lastName = string.Empty;

    private int m_personID;

    private int m_age = 18;

  }

}
Show AllShow All
Hide AllHide All

 

See Also