WPF ListView Virtualization Grouping

Question

Does anyone know of a ListView implementation that support UI Virtualization when grouping is enabled? By default the VirtualizingStackPanel is disabled when grouping is setup.

It seems that Microsoft is not going to implement this within v4.0 of the .NET Framework so I am look for alternate solutions.

Answer 1

I have located a sample at Grouping and Virtualization MSDN Code Sample that converts the grouped ListView into a flat list which supports virtualization. However I can't work out how to imitate the expanding actions of the headers.

Answer 2

One option is to take a look a Bea Stollniz's series on improving a TreeView's performance: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. While what she does is more geared to TreeViews, which don't have any virtualization because they group by default, the lessons learned could definitely be applied to a custom ListView that has virtualizing groups. In fact, in part 3, she uses a ListBox as her base to create the virtualizing tree, which is a good start for virtualized grouping as well. Obviously displaying the items like in a TreeView has some diffrences, such as selection of the group nodes, from a ListView with grouping, but that could be fixed by catching the SelectionChanged.

Answer 3

wpf/.net 4.5 now supports this https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.controls.virtualizingpanel.isvirtualizingwhengrouping(v=vs.110).aspx

If you are still targeting 4.0 you can set it with reflection so at least some users can get the benefit.

Answer 4

I hope its not too much off topic but I had recently a similar problem. As stated above it is only .NET 4.0 issue. I would even agree that in most cases with combo box you should not normally need virtualization because it should not have that many items and if there is need for grouping then some kind of master-detail solution should be implemented. But there might be some gray areas.

The link provided by Luke about Grouping and Virtualization on MSDN helped me a lot. In my case that was the only approach which I was able to come up or find anywhere that is in a direction i need. It does not support all functionality from ListViewCollection. I had to override few methods otherwise selection of items would not work correctly. There are obviously more work to do.

So here is an updated solution of FlatGroupListCollectionView from here :

/// <summary>
///     Provides a view that flattens groups into a list
///     This is used to avoid limitation that ListCollectionView has in .NET 4.0, if grouping is used then Virtialuzation would not work
///     It assumes some appropriate impelmentation in view(XAML) in order to support this way of grouping
///     Note: As implemented, it does not support nested grouping
///     Note: Only overriden properties and method behaves correctly, some of methods and properties related to selection of item might not work as expected and would require new implementation 
/// </summary>
public class FlatGroupListCollectionView : ListCollectionView
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="FlatGroupListCollectionView"/> class.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="list">A list used in this collection</param>
    public FlatGroupListCollectionView(IList list)
        : base(list)
    {
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///     This currently only supports one level of grouping
    ///     Returns CollectionViewGroups if the index matches a header
    ///     Otherwise, maps the index into the base range to get the actual item
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="index">Index from which get an item</param>
    /// <returns>Item that was found on given index</returns>
    public override object GetItemAt(int index)
    {
        int delta = 0;
        ReadOnlyObservableCollection<object> groups = this.BaseGroups;
        if (groups != null)
        {
            int totalCount = 0;
            for (int i = 0; i < groups.Count; i++)
            {
                CollectionViewGroup group = groups[i] as CollectionViewGroup;
                if (group != null)
                {
                    if (index == totalCount)
                    {
                        return group;
                    }

                    delta++;
                    int numInGroup = group.ItemCount;
                    totalCount += numInGroup + 1;

                    if (index < totalCount)
                    {
                        break;
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        object item = base.GetItemAt(index - delta);
        return item;
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///     In the flat list, the base count is incremented by the number of groups since there are that many headers
    ///     To support nested groups, the nested groups must also be counted and added to the count
    /// </summary>
    public override int Count
    {
        get
        {
            int count = base.Count;

            if (this.BaseGroups != null)
            {
                count += this.BaseGroups.Count;
            }

            return count;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///     By returning null, we trick the generator into thinking  that we are not grouping
    ///     Thus, we avoid the default grouping code
    /// </summary>
    public override ReadOnlyObservableCollection<object> Groups
    {
        get
        {
            return null;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///     Gets the Groups collection from the base class
    /// </summary>
    private ReadOnlyObservableCollection<object> BaseGroups
    {
        get
        {
            return base.Groups;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///     DetectGroupHeaders is a way to get access to the containers by setting the value to true in the container style 
    ///     That way, the change handler can hook up to the container and provide a value for IsHeader
    /// </summary>
    public static readonly DependencyProperty DetectGroupHeadersProperty =
        DependencyProperty.RegisterAttached("DetectGroupHeaders", typeof(bool), typeof(FlatGroupListCollectionView), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(false, OnDetectGroupHeaders));

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets the Detect Group Headers property
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="obj">Dependency Object from which the property is get</param>
    /// <returns>Value of Detect Group Headers property</returns>
    public static bool GetDetectGroupHeaders(DependencyObject obj)
    {
        return (bool)obj.GetValue(DetectGroupHeadersProperty);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Sets the Detect Group Headers property
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="obj">Dependency Object on which the property is set</param>
    /// <param name="value">Value to set to property</param>
    public static void SetDetectGroupHeaders(DependencyObject obj, bool value)
    {
        obj.SetValue(DetectGroupHeadersProperty, value);
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///     IsHeader can be used to style the container differently when it is a header
    ///     For instance, it can be disabled to prevent selection
    /// </summary>
    public static readonly DependencyProperty IsHeaderProperty =
        DependencyProperty.RegisterAttached("IsHeader", typeof(bool), typeof(FlatGroupListCollectionView), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(false));

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets the Is Header property
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="obj">Dependency Object from which the property is get</param>
    /// <returns>Value of Is Header property</returns>
    public static bool GetIsHeader(DependencyObject obj)
    {
        return (bool)obj.GetValue(IsHeaderProperty);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Sets the Is Header property
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="obj">Dependency Object on which the property is set</param>
    /// <param name="value">Value to set to property</param>
    public static void SetIsHeader(DependencyObject obj, bool value)
    {
        obj.SetValue(IsHeaderProperty, value);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Raises the System.Windows.Data.CollectionView.CollectionChanged event.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="args">The System.Collections.Specialized.NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs object to pass to the event handler</param>
    protected override void OnCollectionChanged(NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs args)
    {
        switch (args.Action)
        {
            case NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Add:
                {
                    int flatIndex = this.ConvertFromItemToFlat(args.NewStartingIndex, false);
                    int headerIndex = Math.Max(0, flatIndex - 1);
                    object o = this.GetItemAt(headerIndex);
                    CollectionViewGroup group = o as CollectionViewGroup;
                    if ((group != null) && (group.ItemCount == args.NewItems.Count))
                    {
                        // Notify that a header was added
                        base.OnCollectionChanged(new NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs(NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Add, new object[] { group }, headerIndex));
                    }

                    base.OnCollectionChanged(new NotifyCollectionChangedEventArgs(NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Add, args.NewItems, flatIndex));
                }

                break;

            case NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Remove:
                // TODO: Implement this action
                break;

            case NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Move:
                // TODO: Implement this action
                break;

            case NotifyCollectionChangedAction.Replace:
                // TODO: Implement this action
                break;

            default:
                base.OnCollectionChanged(args);
                break;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Sets the specified item to be the System.Windows.Data.CollectionView.CurrentItem in the view
    /// This is an override of base method, an item index is get first and its needed to convert that index to flat version which includes groups
    /// Then adjusted version of MoveCurrentToPosition base method is called
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="item">The item to set as the System.Windows.Data.CollectionView.CurrentItem</param>
    /// <returns>true if the resulting System.Windows.Data.CollectionView.CurrentItem is within the view; otherwise, false</returns>
    public override bool MoveCurrentTo(object item)
    {
        int index = this.IndexOf(item);

        int newIndex = this.ConvertFromItemToFlat(index, false);

        return this.MoveCurrentToPositionBase(newIndex);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Sets the item at the specified index to be the System.Windows.Data.CollectionView.CurrentItem in the view
    /// This is an override of base method, Its called when user selects new item from this collection
    /// A delta is get of which is the possition shifted because of groups and we shift this position by this delta and then base method is called
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="position">The index to set the System.Windows.Data.CollectionView.CurrentItem to</param>
    /// <returns>true if the resulting System.Windows.Data.CollectionView.CurrentItem is an item within the view; otherwise, false</returns>
    public override bool MoveCurrentToPosition(int position)
    {
        int delta = this.GetDelta(position);

        int newPosition = position - delta;

        return base.MoveCurrentToPosition(newPosition);
    }

    private static void OnDetectGroupHeaders(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        // This assumes that a container will not change between being a header and not
        // If using ContainerRecycling this may not be the case
        ((FrameworkElement)d).Loaded += OnContainerLoaded;
    }

    private static void OnContainerLoaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
        FrameworkElement element = (FrameworkElement)sender;
        element.Loaded -= OnContainerLoaded; // If recycling, remove this line

        // CollectionViewGroup is the type of the header in this sample
        // Add more types or change the type as necessary
        if (element.DataContext is CollectionViewGroup)
        {
            SetIsHeader(element, true);
        }
    }

    private int ConvertFromItemToFlat(int index, bool removed)
    {
        ReadOnlyObservableCollection<object> groups = this.BaseGroups;
        if (groups != null)
        {
            int start = 1;
            for (int i = 0; i < groups.Count; i++)
            {
                CollectionViewGroup group = groups[i] as CollectionViewGroup;
                if (group != null)
                {
                    index++;
                    int end = start + group.ItemCount;

                    if ((start <= index) && ((!removed && index < end) || (removed && index <= end)))
                    {
                        break;
                    }

                    start = end + 1;
                }
            }
        }

        return index;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Move <seealso cref="CollectionView.CurrentItem"/> to the item at the given index.
    /// This is a replacement for base method
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="position">Move CurrentItem to this index</param>
    /// <returns>true if <seealso cref="CollectionView.CurrentItem"/> points to an item within the view.</returns>
    private bool MoveCurrentToPositionBase(int position)
    {
        // VerifyRefreshNotDeferred was removed
        bool result = false;

        // Instead of property InternalCount we use Count property
        if (position < -1 || position > this.Count)
        {
            throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("position");
        }

        if (position != this.CurrentPosition || !this.IsCurrentInSync)
        {
            // Instead of property InternalCount we use Count property from this class
            // Instead of InternalItemAt we use GetItemAt from this class
            object proposedCurrentItem = (0 <= position && position < this.Count) ? this.GetItemAt(position) : null;

            // ignore moves to the placeholder
            if (proposedCurrentItem != CollectionView.NewItemPlaceholder)
            {
                if (this.OKToChangeCurrent())
                {
                    bool oldIsCurrentAfterLast = this.IsCurrentAfterLast;
                    bool oldIsCurrentBeforeFirst = this.IsCurrentBeforeFirst;

                    this.SetCurrent(proposedCurrentItem, position);

                    this.OnCurrentChanged();

                    // notify that the properties have changed.
                    if (this.IsCurrentAfterLast != oldIsCurrentAfterLast)
                    {
                        this.OnPropertyChanged(PropertySupport.ExtractPropertyName(() => this.IsCurrentAfterLast));
                    }

                    if (this.IsCurrentBeforeFirst != oldIsCurrentBeforeFirst)
                    {
                        this.OnPropertyChanged(PropertySupport.ExtractPropertyName(() => this.IsCurrentBeforeFirst));
                    }

                    this.OnPropertyChanged(PropertySupport.ExtractPropertyName(() => this.CurrentPosition));
                    this.OnPropertyChanged(PropertySupport.ExtractPropertyName(() => this.CurrentItem));

                    result = true;
                }
            }
        }

        // Instead of IsCurrentInView we return result 
        return result;
    }

    private int GetDelta(int index)
    {
        int delta = 0;
        ReadOnlyObservableCollection<object> groups = this.BaseGroups;
        if (groups != null)
        {
            int totalCount = 0;
            for (int i = 0; i < groups.Count; i++)
            {
                CollectionViewGroup group = groups[i] as CollectionViewGroup;
                if (group != null)
                {
                    if (index == totalCount)
                    {
                        break;
                    }

                    delta++;
                    int numInGroup = group.ItemCount;
                    totalCount += numInGroup + 1;

                    if (index < totalCount)
                    {
                        break;
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        return delta;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Helper to raise a PropertyChanged event
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="propertyName">Name of the property</param>
    private void OnPropertyChanged(string propertyName)
    {
        base.OnPropertyChanged(new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
    }
}

XAML part stays as it is in sample code. View model stays as it is as well which means using FlatGroupListCollectionView and set up GroupDescriptions.

I prefer this solution because it separates grouping logic from my list of data in view model. Other solution would be to implement support of grouping on original list of items in view model which means somehow identify headers. For a one time usage it should be fine but the collection might need to be recreated for a purpose of different or no grouping which is not so nice.