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Introduction

I wrote this article to show how to associate data of TreeView and PropertyGrid.

Background 

I have described this on my blog but in French. (That's the reason why my English in not good.)

Using the Code 

You get data from XML (XmlDocument with XmlNodeCollection), and you use a TreeView (TreeView with TreeNode) to display them. 

When the user clicks on the TreeView, you want to display the XmlNode object in propertyGrid.

Then you have to associate the XmlNode with TreeNode, to display them for a propertyGrid, like that:  

propertyGrid1.SelectedObject = yourObject; 

The first and bad solution is to use Index or Name of TreeNode to find in XmlDocument, the XmlNode used to build the TreeNode.

So, you can try, but you'll be crazy, for example associate XmlNode and TreeNode in a List, or Array... something strange like that.

My solution might not be better, but I like it.

Derive the TreeNode, to an XmlNodeTree associated TreeNode and XmlNode.

 public class XmlNodeTree : TreeNode
        {
            private XmlNode mNode;
            public XmlNode Node
            {
                get { return mNode; }
            }

             public XmlNodeTree(XmlNode node)
            {
                mNode = node;
                if (node.NodeType == XmlNodeType.Text)
                {
                    Text = node.InnerText;
                }
                else
                {
                    Text = node.Name;
                }

                if (node.Attributes != null)
                {
                    foreach (XmlAttribute a in node.Attributes)
                    {
                        Text += " " + a.OuterXml;
                    }
                }
            }
        }	

And for filling the TreeView, it's really easy:

  private void FillTreeView(TreeNodeCollection c,XmlNodeList l)
        {
            if (l == null)
            {
                return;
            }

            foreach (XmlElement e in l)
            {
                XmlNodeTree n = new XmlNodeTree(e);
                c.Add(n);
                FillTreeView(n.Nodes, e.ChildNodes);
            }
        }

Call this method by:

 XmlNodeTree root = new XmlNodeTree(doc.LastChild);
 treeView1.Nodes.Add(root);
 FillTreeView(root.Nodes,doc.LastChild.ChildNodes);

Then when the user clicks on the TreeView:

XmlNodeTree currentNode = (XmlNodeTree) e.Node;
propertyGrid1.SelectedObject = currentNode.Node;

Points of Interest

So in one hundred lines of code, you have an XML viewer.  

You can modify it easily to make a real editor. I add a text widget to view the XML content.

History 

I tried to use FireBall editor to see XML in FireBall.CodeEditor with some problem, so I deliver the project to you without it.  

Please see other stuff here.

I will publish an XML introspector later to make this more complete.

Thanks to acton101 for helping to resolve a bug.

There's a problem in FillTreeView.
Replace foreach (XmlElement e in l) with foreach (XmlNode e in l).
This is because XmlText can't be cast to XmlElement.

Read the hierarchy of XmlText.

Added another test about the existence of XmlAttribute.

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Generalthanks
Member 4191366
1:35 1 Aug '09  
hi i got exactly what i was looking for thanks for this article
GeneralIt cannot open a valid XML file properly
acton101
11:54 19 Jan '09  
Hi,

I tried to run your demo, but it can not read a valid XML file properly. When I open some simple and valid XML files xxx using the demo, this demo application reports "File xxx no valid xml file". Is this error a bug? Could you provide a valid xml file into your demo?

The simple and valid XML file is locate at :
http://www.w3schools.com/xml/simple.xml
GeneralRe: It cannot open a valid XML file properly
zebulon75018
14:47 26 Jan '09  
You right there's a problem, not during xml reading , but filling the treeview.

The exception appears in :
foreach (XmlElement e in l)
{"Unable to cast object of type 'System.Xml.XmlText' to type 'System.Xml.XmlElement'."}

There's a bug in this case :
Belgian Waffles
( without attribut and text between ).

I change to make it good : XmlElement to XmlNode.

Ok, I understand, you right, thanks for reporting.

GeneralRe: It cannot open a valid XML file properly
acton101
6:15 27 Jan '09  
Thank you very much. That Bug is fixed. The new version works very well for opening simple.xml file or other xml files.


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