Add a BusyIndicator dynamically to a Silverlight ChildWindow

This post describes how to add a BusyIndicator to your Silverlight Childwindows or Pages dynamically (at run-time).

I used the following code to add a BusyIndicator dynamically to a ChildWindow in a Silverlight 4 application, I made it according to the following premises:

 

1. If it's a ChildWindow the Content property should be setted to a Grid.

2. If it's a Silverlight Page the Content property could be a ScrollViewer or a Grid.

 

After this, I created a static class name Utilities in which I wrote the following code:

 

public static void SetBusyState(Object Content, bool IsBusy)
        {
            Grid pageGrid = null;  //a variable to handle the page/Window main Grid
            BusyIndicator _indicator = null;  //the busyIndicator content (Silverlight 4 SDK)
            try
            {
                pageGrid = (Grid)Content;  //tries to parse the content into a Grid
            }
            catch  //If an exception is thrown (is not a grid)
            {
                try
                {
                    pageGrid = ((Grid)((ScrollViewer)Content).Content);  //we look if it's a ScrollViewer
                }
                catch  //If an exception is Thrown (content is not a ScrollViewer)
                {
                    pageGrid = null;  //if not the control is set to null (you can try to parse another
                                                                          //type)
                }
            }
            if (pageGrid != null)  //if the above code found the Grid
            {
                try
                {
                    foreach (UIElement p in pageGrid.Children)  //Now we interate the Grid Children until
                    {
                        try
                        {
                            _indicator = (BusyIndicator)p;  //the busyIndicator is found
                            if (_indicator != null && IsBusy)//if we find it (and we want to set it to busy)
                            {
                                 //set the busyIndicator to Busy (with a default message stored on the App resources).
                                _indicator.BusyContent = ApplicationStrings.PleaseWaitMessage;
                                _indicator.IsBusy = IsBusy;
                            }
                            else if (_indicator != null && !IsBusy) //if we find it but is set to false
                            {
                                pageGrid.Children.Remove(_indicator);  //just remove it from the Grid
                            }
                        }
                        catch
                        {
                            continue;  //continues the cycle after every exception (control not found)
                        }
                    }
                    if (_indicator == null && IsBusy)  //if the control is not added to the page/window
                    {
                        _indicator = new BusyIndicator();  //creates a new BusyIndicator
                        _indicator.Margin = new Thickness(0, 0, 0, 0);   //Set its position
                        _indicator.Width = pageGrid.Width;  //Set its widht as the same as Grid
                        _indicator.Height = pageGrid.Height;  //Set its height as the same as Grid
                        _indicator.BusyContent = ApplicationStrings.PleaseWaitMessage;  //The Message
                        _indicator.IsBusy = IsBusy;  //Set it to busy
                        pageGrid.Children.Add(_indicator);  //Adds the control the Grid
                    }
                }
                catch
                {
                    Ocupado(Content, IsBusy);//this line here helps you when the Content state is not valid
                    //generally happens when a IvalidOperationException is thron, so we call the method
                    //until the state is valid
                }
            }
        }

To use the SetBusyState function you just have to call it by passing the Page/Window Content property and the value you want to set to the BusyIndicator.

 

This is working for me right now, but I will also accept recommendations.

 

Regards,

José