Properly binding list ItemsSource to Linq Table - linq

Question

I'm trying to bind a list box's items source to a Linq Table, the same way you would usually bind a ObservableCollection to it.
I want my list to update with the table when items are removed, added and changed.
I've implemented the INotifyPropertyChanged on the classes of which the table consists. This makes the list update the properties that my items contain, however, in order to update the list when items are added or removed, I have to programmatically rebind the ItemsSource in order to forcefully update the list.
Data context
public class LocalDatabase : DataContext
{
public static string connectionString = "Data Source=isostore:/Database.sdf";
public LocalDatabase() : base(connectionString) { }
public Table<Connection> Connections;
}
Table objects
[Table]
public class Connection : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private string name;
private string ip;
private ushort port;
[Column(IsPrimaryKey=true, IsDbGenerated=true)]
public int ID { get; set; }
[Column]
public string Name { get { return name; } set { name = value; NotifyPropertyChanged("Name"); } }
[Column]
public string IP { get { return ip; } set { ip = value; NotifyPropertyChanged("IP"); } }
[Column]
public ushort Port { get { return port; } set { port = value; NotifyPropertyChanged("Port"); } }
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private void NotifyPropertyChanged(String propertyName)
{
PropertyChangedEventHandler handler = PropertyChanged;
if (null != handler)
{
handler(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
}
Target list
<ListBox Name="listBoxConnections" SelectionChanged="listBoxConnections_SelectionChanged">
<ListBox.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<StackPanel Margin="0,0,0,17" Width="432" Height="78">
<toolkit:ContextMenuService.ContextMenu>
<toolkit:ContextMenu>
<toolkit:MenuItem Header="Edit" Click="ConnectionEdit" Tag="{Binding ID}" />
<toolkit:MenuItem Header="Delete" Click="ConnectionDelete" Tag="{Binding ID}" />
</toolkit:ContextMenu>
</toolkit:ContextMenuService.ContextMenu>
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Name}" TextWrapping="Wrap" Style="{StaticResource PhoneTextExtraLargeStyle}"/>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" Margin="12,-6,12,0">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding IP}" Style="{StaticResource PhoneTextSubtleStyle}" Margin="0" />
<TextBlock Text=":" Margin="2,0,2,0" />
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Port}" Style="{StaticResource PhoneTextSubtleStyle}" Margin="0" />
</StackPanel>
</StackPanel>
</DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>
</ListBox>
Current binding method
public LocalDatabase Database { get; set; }
public MainPage()
{
InitializeComponent();
Database = new LocalDatabase();
if (!Database.DatabaseExists()) Database.CreateDatabase();
listBoxConnections.ItemsSource = Database.Connections;
DataContext = this;
}
I'm afraid there might be a duplicate somewhere, but I've been searching for the last 2 days, and found no solution or similar question. Probably using the wrong queries.
So, in summary, I want to know the correct way to bind a Table to a list, with it updating upon item removal or addition, and all of that good stuff.
I'm working with Windows Phone 7.1

Answer 1

The best way is to separate your UI code from your DB code. Let your ListBox bind to an ObservableCollection, instead of a Table.
Try reading this:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsphone/develop/jj207023%28v=vs.105%29.aspx