How-to define Empty DataTemplate for the ItemsControl based controls like ListView or DataGrid

Question

ASP.NET controls like ListView allows providing a custom template by setting the ListView.EmptyDataTemplate property, this template will be rendered in case of empty data source

Answer 1

you can use DataTemplate selector to do that.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.controls.datatemplateselector.aspx

UPDATE 1

Code:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Data;
using System.Windows.Documents;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;
using System.Windows.Navigation;
using System.Windows.Shapes;

namespace EmptyRowsTemplate
{
    /// 

    /// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
    /// 
    public partial class MainWindow : Window
    {
        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();

            this.Loaded += (o, e) => 
            {
                this.l.ItemsSource = new List(3)
                {
                    "A",
                    null,
                    "B"
                };
            };
        }
    }

    public class TemplateManager : DependencyObject
    {
        public static readonly DependencyProperty BlankDataTemplateProperty =
            DependencyProperty.RegisterAttached("BlankDataTemplate",
            typeof(DataTemplate),
            typeof(TemplateManager),
            new PropertyMetadata(new PropertyChangedCallback((o, e) => 
            {
                ((ItemsControl)o).ItemTemplateSelector = new BlankDataTemplateSelector();
            })));

        public static void SetBlankDataTemplate(DependencyObject o, DataTemplate e)
        {
            o.SetValue(TemplateManager.BlankDataTemplateProperty, e);
        }

        public static DataTemplate GetBlankDataTemplate(DependencyObject o)
        {
            return (DataTemplate)o.GetValue(TemplateManager.BlankDataTemplateProperty);
        }

        private class BlankDataTemplateSelector : DataTemplateSelector
        {
            public BlankDataTemplateSelector()
                : base()
            {
            }

            public override DataTemplate SelectTemplate(object item, DependencyObject container)
            {
                ItemsControl itemControl =
                    (ItemsControl)ItemsControl.ItemsControlFromItemContainer(ItemsControl.ContainerFromElement(null, container));

                if (item == null)
                {
                    return TemplateManager.GetBlankDataTemplate(itemControl);
                }
                else
                {
                    return base.SelectTemplate(item, container);
                }

            }
        }
    }
}

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