IT Bytes

As you may have read in my previous posts I’m currently trying to iron out some nagging issues with Windows Phone 7 keyboard (SIP). Another problem I’ve hit is when using it in combination with binding and the ApplicationBar. My scenario is straight forward, I have a TextBox for the user’s name which, via binding, changes a view model’s representation of the name (and vice versa). I then have what amounts to a save button in the Application Bar (application bar icon button). When I press the save button I want; a) the keyboard to disappear b) the view model updated with the current text entered for the user name. Sounds simple, and yet it doesn’t work. Making the keyboard disappear is easy enough, I’ve extended the Keyboard helper class to have a HideKeyboard method – which simply does page.Focus(). So what’s the problem? When the save button is pressed it;

1. calls HideKeyboard which sets the focus to the page
2. which in turn causes the text box to lose focus and fire the OnPropertyChanged for data binding
3. calls my SaveName service.

Again seems simple, but the problem is the timing of the events. What actually happens is the execution order is 1->3->2. Why? Well the binding events are only executed once control returns from the function that caused the focus to change. Therefore my service is trying to save the name before the name has been updated, argh! The simplest solution I can think of (please say if you have a better method) is this hack;

void Default_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{

    this.keyboardHelper = new KeyboardHelper(this, LayoutRoot);
    this.keyboardHelper.AddKeyUpHander(typeof(TextBox), TabControls_KeyUp);
    this.DataContext = viewModel;
    this.viewModel.PropertyChanged +=
        new PropertyChangedEventHandler(viewModel_PropertyChanged);
}


void saveButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    // hide the keyboard
    this.keyboardHelper.HideKeyboard();
    // [Edit] If you edit one control and then tab to the next this won't work
    // because the 1st control fires the property change but we've not yet pressed saved
    // so I now have to push the values into the view model, i.e. lose some of the clean adv of binding
    this.viewModel.Name = TextBoxName.Text;

    // [Edit 2] Please see comments; 'SS' suggested queing the save via the dispatcher, which is much nicer
    // I'm not sure if you can guarantee the binding will occur first but it's much nicer
    //  Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(() => viewModel.VerifyProfile());
    // remember that we actually want to verify this change
    this.doesWantToVerify = true;
}

private bool doesWantToVerify;
void viewModel_PropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
    // some view model property has changed but 
    // did we really want to verify as well?
    if (doesWantToVerify)
    {
        doesWantToVerify = false;
        viewModel.VerifyProfile();
    }
}