Setting a custom property within a WPF/Silverlight page

Question

This sounds like it should be simple. I have a Page declared in XAML in the normal way (i.e. with "Add new item...") and it has a custom property. I\'

Answer 1

My suggestion would be a DependencyProperty with a default:

    public int MyProperty
    {
        get { return (int)GetValue(MyPropertyProperty); }
        set { SetValue(MyPropertyProperty, value); }
    }

    public static readonly DependencyProperty MyPropertyProperty =
        DependencyProperty.Register("MyProperty", typeof(int), typeof(MyClass), 
               new PropertyMetadata(1337)); //<-- Default goes here

See the properties of controls as something you expose to the outside world to use.

If you wish to use your own property, you can use either ElementName or RelativeSource Bindings.

About the overkill thing, DependencyProperties go hand in hand with DependencyObjects ;)

No further XAML needed, the default in the PropertyMetadata will do the rest.

If you really wish to put it in the XAML, go for the base class solution, or gods forbid, introduce an attachable property, which can be used on any other control as well.