Binding ElementName from context menu can't find target

Question

I am trying to bind to an element from a context menu inside a drop-down menu button (from http://shemesh.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/wpf-menubutton/). Even though outside the context menu the binding seems to work, the binding inside the context menu does not.

This is the XAML (very simplified):

<Window x:Class="WpfApplication1.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:local="clr-namespace:WpfApplication1"
        Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
    <Grid>
        <ScrollViewer Grid.Row="1" VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Auto" CanContentScroll="False">
            <ListBox x:Name="lbScenarios"  HorizontalContentAlignment="Stretch">
                <ItemsControl.Template>
                    <ControlTemplate TargetType="ItemsControl">
                        <ItemsPresenter Width="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource FindAncestor, AncestorType={x:Type ListBox}}, Path=ActualWidth}"/>
                    </ControlTemplate>
                </ItemsControl.Template>
                <ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
                    <DataTemplate>
                        <Border>
                            <Expander>
                                <Expander.Header>
                                    <Grid>
                                        <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                                            <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
                                            <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
                                            <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
                                            <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
                                            <ColumnDefinition Width="*" />
                                        </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                                        <TextBlock Margin="5,0,0,0" Grid.Column="0" VerticalAlignment="Center">Results</TextBlock>
                                        <local:MenuButton Grid.Column="3" Content="Menu" Margin="5,0,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Center">
                                            <local:MenuButton.Menu>
                                                <ContextMenu>
                                                    <MenuItem Header="Save pie chart as image"
                                                                              Command="{Binding SaveChartImageCommand}"
                                                                              CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=pieChart}" />
                                                    <MenuItem Header="Save bar chart as image"
                                                                              Command="{Binding SaveChartImageCommand}"
                                                                              CommandParameter="{Binding ElementName=barChart}" />
                                                </ContextMenu>
                                            </local:MenuButton.Menu>
                                        </local:MenuButton>
                                    </Grid>
                                </Expander.Header>
                                <Expander.Content>
                                    <StackPanel>
                                        <Image x:Name="pieChart" />
                                        <Image x:Name="barChart" />
                                    </StackPanel>
                                </Expander.Content>
                            </Expander>
                        </Border>
                    </DataTemplate>
                </ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
            </ListBox>
        </ScrollViewer>
    </Grid>
</Window>

The binding that does not work is the {Binding ElementName=pieChart}, which is funny because the command is being found. I couldn't seem to get a RelativeSource to work, but can someone help me with getting the binding correct?

Answer 1

Since ContextMenu doesn't lie in same Visual tree as that of its placement target so ElementName binding won't work because it requires both controls to be in same Visual tree.

Try using x:Reference which doesn't have this constraint of to be in same visual tree.

CommandParameter="{Binding Source={x:Reference pieChart}}"

OR

use it like this

CommandParameter="{x:Reference pieChart}"

Note - x:Reference will be found in WPF 4.0 or later.