c# - Setting DataContext in XAML in WPF -

i have following code:

mainwindow.xaml

<window x:class="sampleapplication.mainwindow"         xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"         xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"         title="mainwindow" height="350" width="525"         datacontext="{binding employee}">     <grid>                <grid.rowdefinitions>             <rowdefinition height="auto" />             <rowdefinition height="auto" />         </grid.rowdefinitions>         <grid.columndefinitions>             <columndefinition width="auto" />             <columndefinition width="200" />         </grid.columndefinitions>          <label grid.row="0" grid.column="0" content="id:"/>         <label grid.row="1" grid.column="0" content="name:"/>         <textbox grid.column="1" grid.row="0" margin="3" text="{binding empid}" />         <textbox grid.column="1" grid.row="1" margin="3" text="{binding empname}" />      </grid> </window> 

employee.cs

namespace sampleapplication {     public class employee     {         public employee()         {             employeedetails employeedetails = new employeedetails();             employeedetails.empid = 123;             employeedetails.empname = "abc";         }     }      public class employeedetails     {         private int empid;         public int empid         {                         {                 return empid;             }             set             {                 empid = value;             }         }          private string empname;         public string empname         {                         {                 return empname;             }             set             {                 empname = value;             }         }     } } 

this simple code , want bind empid , empname properties in employee.cs class text properties of textboxes in mainwindow.xaml nothing appearing in these textboxes when running code. binding right?

this code fail.

as written, says: "look property named "employee" on datacontext property, , set datacontext property". isn't right.

to code work, is, change window declaration to:

<window x:class="sampleapplication.mainwindow"     xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"     xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"     xmlns:local="clr-namespace:sampleapplication"     title="mainwindow" height="350" width="525"> <window.datacontext>    <local:employee/> </window.datacontext> 

this declares new xaml namespace (local) , sets datacontext instance of employee class. cause bindings display default data (from constructor).

however, highly unlikely want. instead, should have new class (call mainviewmodel) employee property bind to, this:

public class mainviewmodel {    public employee myemployee { get; set; } //in reality should utilize inotifypropertychanged! } 

now xaml becomes:

<window x:class="sampleapplication.mainwindow"         xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"         xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"         xmlns:local="clr-namespace:sampleapplication"         title="mainwindow" height="350" width="525">     <window.datacontext>        <local:mainviewmodel/>     </window.datacontext>     ...     <textbox grid.column="1" grid.row="0" margin="3" text="{binding myemployee.empid}" />     <textbox grid.column="1" grid.row="1" margin="3" text="{binding myemployee.empname}" /> 

now can add other properties (of other types, names), etc. more information, see implementing model-view-viewmodel pattern