Why can't get validation error display in validationSummary? - silverlight-4.0

Question

I have a form with some validations set in entity metadata class. and then binding entity instance to UI by VM. Something as below:
Xaml like:
<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot">
<StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Top">
<input:ValidationSummary />
</StackPanel>
<TextBox Text="{Binding Name, Mode=TwoWay}" />
<ComboBox x:Name="xTest" ItemsSource="{Binding MyList}"
SelectedItem="{Binding MyItem,Mode=TwoWay,
DisplayMemberPath="MyName"
ValidatesOnDataErrors=True,
ValidatesOnNotifyDataErrors=True,
ValidatesOnExceptions=True,
NotifyOnValidationError=True,UpdateSourceTrigger=Explicit}" />
</Grid>
Code-behind like:
public MyForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.xTest.BindingValidationError +=new EventHandler<ValidationErrorEventArgs>((s,e)=>{
BindingExpression be = this.xTest.GetBindingExpression(ComboBox.SelectedItemProperty);
be.UpdateSource();
if (e.Action == ValidationErrorEventAction.Added)
((ComboBox)s).Foreground = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.Red);
});
}
Metadata like:
[Required]
public string Name { get; set; }
[RequiredAttribute]
public int MyItemID { get; set; }
But when running the app, I got nothing display in valudationSummary.
For CombBox, even there is error, looks like BindingValidationError event is never fired.
How to resolve it?

Answer 1

Why are you using an Explicit UpdateSourceTrigger?
Silverlight validation happens inside the binding framework, when the binding is updating the source object. The way you have this, there won't be a binding validation error because you never tell the binding to update the source object. Well, actually you do, but it happens inside the validation error event handler. You've written chicken-and-egg code.
Remove your UpdateSourceTrigger on your binding or set it to Default.
Remove the explicit call to BindingExpression.UpdateSource.
Remove setting the ComboBox foreground to red - you are using NotifyOnValidationError=True, which eliminates any need to manually color the control.
Remove the DisplayMemberPath from the binding
So your XAML:
<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot">
<StackPanel VerticalAlignment="Top">
<input:ValidationSummary />
<ComboBox x:Name="xTest" ItemsSource="{Binding MyList}"
SelectedItem="{Binding MyItem,
Mode=TwoWay,
ValidatesOnDataErrors=True,
ValidatesOnNotifyDataErrors=True,
ValidatesOnExceptions=True,
NotifyOnValidationError=True}" />
</StackPanel>
</Grid>
And your code:
public MyForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
// you don't need anything here to have the validations work
}