How do I get around this lambda expression outer variable issue?

Question

I'm playing with PropertyDescriptor and ICustomTypeDescriptor (still) trying to bind a WPF DataGrid to an object, for which the data is stored in a Dictionary.

Since if you pass WPF DataGrid a list of Dictionary objects it will auto generate columns based on the public properties of a dictionary (Comparer, Count, Keys and Values) my Person subclasses Dictionary and implements ICustomTypeDescriptor.

ICustomTypeDescriptor defines a GetProperties method which returns a PropertyDescriptorCollection.

PropertyDescriptor is abstract so you have to subclass it, I figured I'd have a constructor that took Func and an Action parameters that delegate the getting and setting of the values in the dictionary.

I then create a PersonPropertyDescriptor for each Key in the dictionary like this:

            foreach (string s in this.Keys)
            {
                var descriptor = new PersonPropertyDescriptor(
                        s,
                        new Func<object>(() => { return this[s]; }),
                        new Action<object>(o => { this[s] = o; }));
                propList.Add(descriptor);
            }

The problem is that each property get's its own Func and Action but they all share the outer variable s so although the DataGrid autogenerates columns for "ID","FirstName","LastName", "Age", "Gender" they all get and set against "Gender" which is the final resting value of s in the foreach loop.

How can I ensure that each delegate uses the desired dictionary Key, i.e. the value of s at the time the Func/Action is instantiated?

Much obliged.

---

Here's the rest of my idea, I'm just experimenting here these are not 'real' classes...

// DataGrid binds to a People instance
public class People : List<Person>
{
    public People()
    {
        this.Add(new Person());
    }
}

public class Person : Dictionary<string, object>, ICustomTypeDescriptor
{
    private static PropertyDescriptorCollection descriptors;

    public Person()
    {
        this["ID"] = "201203";
        this["FirstName"] = "Bud";
        this["LastName"] = "Tree";
        this["Age"] = 99;
        this["Gender"] = "M";        
    }        

    //... other ICustomTypeDescriptor members...

    public PropertyDescriptorCollection GetProperties()
    {
        if (descriptors == null)
        {
            var propList = new List<PropertyDescriptor>();

            foreach (string s in this.Keys)
            {
                var descriptor = new PersonPropertyDescriptor(
                        s,
                        new Func<object>(() => { return this[s]; }),
                        new Action<object>(o => { this[s] = o; }));
                propList.Add(descriptor);
            }

            descriptors = new PropertyDescriptorCollection(propList.ToArray());
        }

        return descriptors;
    }

    //... other other ICustomTypeDescriptor members...

}

public class PersonPropertyDescriptor : PropertyDescriptor
{
    private Func<object> getFunc;
    private Action<object> setAction;

    public PersonPropertyDescriptor(string name, Func<object> getFunc, Action<object> setAction)
        : base(name, null)
    {
        this.getFunc = getFunc;
        this.setAction = setAction;
    }

    // other ... PropertyDescriptor members...

    public override object GetValue(object component)
    {
        return getFunc();
    }

    public override void SetValue(object component, object value)
    {
        setAction(value);
    }
}

Answer 1

Simply:

        foreach (string s in this.Keys)
        {
            string copy = s;
            var descriptor = new PersonPropertyDescriptor(
                    copy,
                    new Func<object>(() => { return this[copy]; }),
                    new Action<object>(o => { this[copy] = o; }));
            propList.Add(descriptor);
        }

With captured variables, it is where it is declared that is important. So by declaring the captured variable inside the loop, you get a different instance of the capture-class per iteration (the loop variable, s, is technically declared outside the loop).

Answer 2

create a local copy of s inside your for loop and use that.

for(string s in this.Keys) {
string key = s;
//...
}

Answer 3

Marc's solution is of course correct, but I thought I'd expand upon WHY below. As most of us know, if you declare a variable in a for or foreach statement, it only lives as long as what's inside, which makes it seem like the variable is the same as a variable declared in the statement-block of such a statement, but that's not right.

To understand it better, take the following for-loop. Then I'll re-state the "equivalent" loop in a while-form.

for(int i = 0; i < list.Length; i++)
{
    string val;
    list[i] = list[i]++;
    val = list[i].ToString();
    Console.WriteLine(val);
}

This works out to in while-form like below: (it isn't exactly the same, because continue will act differently, but for scoping rules, it's the same)

{
    int i = 0;
    while(i < list.Length)
    {
        {
            string val;
            list[i] = list[i]++;
            val = list[i].ToString();
            Console.WriteLine(val);
        }
        i++;
    }
}

When "exploded" out this way, the scope of the variables becomes clearer, and you can see why it always captures the same "s" value in your program, and why Marc's solution shows where to place your variable so that a unique one is captured every time.

Answer 4

For some additional thoughts on this issue see

http://blogs.msdn.com/ericlippert/archive/2009/11/12/closing-over-the-loop-variable-considered-harmful.aspx

and

http://blogs.msdn.com/ericlippert/archive/2009/11/16/closing-over-the-loop-variable-part-two.aspx