# PropertyGrid Examples

This directory contains example applications demonstrating the Avalonia PropertyGrid control.

## Available Examples

### 1. QuickStartExample
**Difficulty:** Beginner  
**Focus:** Basic PropertyGrid usage

A simple example showing fundamental PropertyGrid features:
- Basic property types (string, int, decimal, bool, enum)
- Property categories
- Display names and descriptions
- Read-only properties
- DateTime properties

Perfect for getting started with PropertyGrid.

➡️ [View QuickStartExample](./QuickStartExample/)

**To run:**
```bash
dotnet run --project Examples/QuickStartExample/QuickStartExample.csproj
```

---

### 2. AdvancedExample ⭐ NEW
**Difficulty:** Advanced  
**Focus:** Complex scenarios and enterprise features

A comprehensive example demonstrating advanced PropertyGrid capabilities:
- **Nested Objects** - DatabaseSettings and NetworkSettings
- **Data Validation** - Required, Range, StringLength attributes
- **INotifyPropertyChanged** - Real-time property updates
- **Computed Properties** - Dynamic read-only properties
- **7 Categories** - Organized configuration sections
- **25+ Properties** - Complex data model
- **Multiple Data Types** - TimeSpan, Guid, Lists, and more
- **Enum Descriptions** - User-friendly enum values
- **Password Fields** - Secure property display

Ideal for understanding production-level usage.

➡️ [View AdvancedExample](./AdvancedExample/)

**To run:**
```bash
dotnet run --project Examples/AdvancedExample/AdvancedExample.csproj
```

---

## Feature Comparison

| Feature | QuickStartExample | AdvancedExample |
|---------|-------------------|-----------------|
| **Properties** | ~10 | 25+ |
| **Categories** | 5 | 7 |
| **Nested Objects** | ❌ | ✅ (2 levels) |
| **Validation** | ❌ | ✅ (Required, Range, Length) |
| **Change Notifications** | ❌ | ✅ (INotifyPropertyChanged) |
| **Computed Properties** | ❌ | ✅ |
| **Password Fields** | ❌ | ✅ |
| **Collections** | ❌ | ✅ (List<string>) |
| **Metadata** | ❌ | ✅ (Guid, DateTime tracking) |
| **Data Types** | Basic | Extended (TimeSpan, Guid, etc.) |
| **Read-Only Properties** | ✅ (1) | ✅ (4) |
| **Descriptions** | ✅ | ✅ (Detailed) |

## Building All Examples

Build all examples at once:
```bash
dotnet build
```

Or build individually:
```bash
dotnet build Examples/QuickStartExample/QuickStartExample.csproj
dotnet build Examples/AdvancedExample/AdvancedExample.csproj
```

## Learning Path

1. **Start with QuickStartExample** - Learn the basics
   - Property binding
   - Categories and descriptions
   - Basic data types

2. **Move to AdvancedExample** - Master advanced features
   - Nested objects
   - Validation
   - Change notifications
   - Complex data models

## Common Use Cases

### QuickStartExample is great for:
- Learning PropertyGrid basics
- Simple configuration editors
- Prototyping
- Single-level property editing

### AdvancedExample is great for:
- Enterprise applications
- Complex configuration management
- Settings dialogs with validation
- Hierarchical data editing
- Production-ready implementations

## Key PropertyGrid Features

Both examples demonstrate PropertyGrid's core capabilities:

### 🎨 Visual Features
- Category grouping with collapsible sections
- Property descriptions
- Search/filter functionality
- Modern Fluent UI design

### 🔧 Data Binding
- Two-way binding
- Multiple data types support
- Enum support with descriptions
- DateTime pickers

### 📋 Metadata Support
- `[Display]` - Names, descriptions, ordering
- `[Category]` - Logical grouping
- `[ReadOnly]` - Immutable properties
- `[Required]`, `[Range]`, `[StringLength]` - Validation
- `[PasswordPropertyText]` - Secure input
- `[EditorBrowsable]` - Advanced property grouping

### 🔄 Dynamic Features
- INotifyPropertyChanged support
- Real-time updates
- Computed properties
- Conditional property display

## Troubleshooting

### Build Issues
If you encounter build errors, ensure:
1. You're targeting .NET 10
2. Avalonia packages are version 12.1.0 or compatible
3. The solution includes the PropertyGrid project reference

### Runtime Issues
- Ensure `x:DataType` is set on the Window element for compiled bindings
- Verify all namespaces are correctly imported
- Check that model classes are public

## Contributing

Want to add more examples? Consider these ideas:
- Multi-object editing example
- Custom property editor example
- Dynamic property generation example
- Settings persistence example
- Theme customization example

## Support

For issues or questions about PropertyGrid:
1. Check the examples documentation
2. Review the PropertyGrid source code
3. Open an issue in the repository

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**Happy coding with PropertyGrid!** 🚀