Data binding in a layout

As you add apps and graphics to a layout, the exposed properties of the apps and the public properties of graphics are added to the MyContent Namespace. For more information, see About the MyContent namespace. You can view and edit the property values of a selected app or graphic you select the Properties grid of the Layout Editor. The properties can be used in runtime, both directly by setting references and through scripting.

A unique content name is generated and displayed in the Layout Editor at the time you drag and drop an app or graphic onto a layout pane. The generated name uses the original graphic or app name and appends a number. For example, if you drop a graphic named "MyGraphic" on the pane, the unique generated name will be "MyGraphic1" for the first usage of the graphic; if you drop the same graphic on another pane the generated name will be "MyGraphic2." The syntax for referencing a custom property in MyGraphic1 is:

MyContent.Mygraphic1.CustomPropertyName

The autocomplete function of the Layout Editor works with the MyContent namespace and presents a dropdown list of apps, graphics, custom properties, and exposed app properties contained within the namespace. The items in dropdown list are filtered by context, so only valid items are listed in the dropdown.

In addition to exposed app properties, any WPF dependency properties contained within apps are also exposed, and you can bind to them as well.

If you attempt to bind to a property that does not exist, an error is displayed in the Layout Editor. If you do not correct the error before saving and/or closing the layout, a warning is displayed that the reference could not be resolved, and if you save the layout, it will be shown to be in a warning state in the Visualization folder.