Edit Data

• May 12, 2026
• 5 minutes to read

Obtain and Set Node Values in Code

You can use TreeViewControl‘s methods to obtain and change node values:

GetNodeValue(TreeListNode)

Returns the value of the specified node.

GetNodeDisplayText(TreeListNode)

Returns the text displayed in the specified node.

SetNodeValue(TreeListNode, Object)

Sets the value of the specified node.

For information on how to obtain nodes, refer to the following help topic: Obtain Nodes and Their Row Handles.

In-place Editors

The TreeViewControl uses DevExpress Data Editors to edit node values.

To allow users to edit TreeViewControl, set the AllowEditing property to true.

The TreeViewControl uses an in-place editor based on the data type. For example, TreeViewControl uses TextEdit to edit text/string values, and the CheckEdit to edit Boolean values.

Use the EditSettings property to manually define the editor.

The following code sample applies a mask that allows users to enter letters, dots, and spaces.

XAML

<dxg:TreeViewControl ...
                     AllowEditing="True">
    <dxg:TreeViewControl.EditSettings>
        <dxe:TextEditSettings MaskType="Regular" Mask="[A-Za-z. ]*"/>
    </dxg:TreeViewControl.EditSettings>
</dxg:TreeViewControl>

Each editor has a helper class responsible for the editor’s functionality.

Helper Classes

• BarCodeEditSettings
• CheckEditSettings
• ColorEditSettings
• HyperlinkEditSettings
• ImageEditSettings
• ListBoxEditSettings
• PasswordBoxEditSettings
• RatingEditSettings
• SparklineEditSettings
• TextEditSettings
• CalcEditSettings
• DateEditSettings
• LookUpEditSettingsBase
• MemoEditSettings
• PopupColorEditSettings
• PopupImageEditSettings
• SpinEditSettings
• ToggleSwitchEditSettings

Editor Methods

Use the following methods to manage in-place editors:

PostEditor()

Saves the active editor value to a data source without closing the editor.

HideEditor()

Closes an active editor and discards pending changes.

CloseEditor()

Closes the active in-place editor and saves pending changes.

ShowEditor()

Activates an in-place editor within the focused node.

ShowEditor(Boolean)

Activates an in-place editor within the focused node. The optional parameter allows you to automatically select all text within the editor.

Use the ActiveEditor property to access the active in-place editor within a TreeViewControl node. Refer to the following help topic for detailed information on this property: Edit Data.

NodeContent Template

The editor’s helper class has a limited number of settings. If these settings are not suitable for your task, you can use the NodeContentTemplate property. In the template, set an editor for the TreeViewControl and configure editor settings.

The following code sample displays wrapped text in TreeViewControl‘s nodes and corresponding editors:

XAML

<dxg:TreeViewControl ...
                     AllowEditing="True">
    <dxg:TreeViewControl.NodeContentTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <dxe:TextEdit Name="PART_Editor" TextWrapping="Wrap" MaxWidth="100"/>
        </DataTemplate>
    </dxg:TreeViewControl.NodeContentTemplate>
</dxg:TreeViewControl>

For DevExpress Data Editors (the BaseEdit class descendants), you can set the editor’s Name property to PART_Editor. In this scenario, TreeViewControl adjusts its appearance and synchronizes the editor with the source field specified using the TreeViewFieldName property.

Display and Edit Templates

You can use different in-place editors to display and edit data. The TreeViewControl includes templates that allow you to define editors that display (when the control is in browse mode) and edit (when the control is in edit mode) node values:

NodeContentDisplayTemplate

Gets or sets a template that displays node values. This is a dependency property.

NodeContentEditTemplate

Gets or sets a template that displays a custom editor used to edit node values. This is a dependency property.

The following code sample wraps text in browse mode and adds a delete button in edit mode:

XAML

<dxg:TreeViewControl ...
                     AllowEditing="True">
    <dxg:TreeViewControl.NodeContentDisplayTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <dxe:TextEdit Name="PART_Editor" TextWrapping="Wrap" MaxWidth="130"/>
        </DataTemplate>
    </dxg:TreeViewControl.NodeContentDisplayTemplate>
    <dxg:TreeViewControl.NodeContentEditTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <dxe:ButtonEdit Name="PART_Editor" AllowDefaultButton="False">
                <dxe:ButtonEdit.Buttons>
                    <dxe:DeleteButtonInfo IsDefaultButton="True" />
                </dxe:ButtonEdit.Buttons>
            </dxe:ButtonEdit>
        </DataTemplate>
    </dxg:TreeViewControl.NodeContentEditTemplate>
</dxg:TreeViewControl>

For DevExpress Data Editors (the BaseEdit class descendants), you can set the editor’s Name property to PART_Editor. In this scenario, the TreeViewControl adjusts its appearance and synchronizes the editor with the source field specified using the TreeViewFieldName property.

Editor Events

The TreeViewControl includes the following events designed to process user actions:

ShowingEditor

Occurs before a node’s editor is opened. Allows you to prevent the activation of the editor.

ShownEditor

Occurs after a node’s editor is opened.

HiddenEditor

Occurs after a node’s editor is closed.

GetActiveEditorNeedsKey

Allows you to specify whether the active editor responds to certain keystrokes.

GetIsEditorActivationAction

Allows you to specify an action (key down, text input, or left mouse button click) to activate the focused editor.

ProcessEditorActivationAction

Allows you to specify whether the focused node should process an editor activation action.

The following code sample prevents the root node editor’s activation:

XAML

<dxg:TreeViewControl x:Name="treeview"
                     ...
                     AllowEditing="True"
                     ShowingEditor="treeview_ShowingEditor"/>

C#

void treeview_ShowingEditor(object sender, DevExpress.Xpf.Grid.TreeList.TreeViewShowingEditorEventArgs e) {
    e.Cancel = e.Node.Level == 0;
}

VB.NET

Private Sub treeview_ShowingEditor(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As DevExpress.Xpf.Grid.TreeList.TreeViewShowingEditorEventArgs)
    e.Cancel = e.Node.Level = 0
End Sub

Validate Data

The TreeViewControl allows you to validate data input.

1. Handle the ValidateNode event.

2. Use the ValidationEventArgs.Value property to obtain an entered value as a validation target. If a node’s value fails validation, set the ValidationEventArgs.IsValid property to false. In this scenario, a user cannot move focus to another node until a valid value is specified. To allow users to input invalid values, set the AllowLeaveInvalidEditor property to true.

3. Use ValidationEventArgs.ErrorType and ValidationEventArgs.ErrorContent properties to specify an icon and error description.

XAML

<dxg:TreeViewControl x:Name="treeview"
                     AllowEditing="True"
                     ValidateNode="treeview_ValidateNode"
                     ... />

C#

void treeview_ValidateNode(object sender, DevExpress.Xpf.Grid.TreeList.TreeViewNodeValidationEventArgs e) {
    e.IsValid = (e.Value != null) && (e.Value.ToString().Length >= 5);
    e.ErrorType = DevExpress.XtraEditors.DXErrorProvider.ErrorType.Warning;
    e.ErrorContent = "The name must contain at least 5 characters.";
}

VB.NET

Private Sub treeview_ValidateNode(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As DevExpress.Xpf.Grid.TreeList.TreeViewNodeValidationEventArgs)
    e.IsValid = (e.Value IsNot Nothing) AndAlso (e.Value.ToString().Length >= 5)
    e.ErrorType = DevExpress.XtraEditors.DXErrorProvider.ErrorType.Warning
    e.ErrorContent = "The name must contain at least 5 characters."
End Sub

TreeViewControl does not raise the ValidateNode event when you change node values in code. To validate these changes, set the AllowLeaveInvalidEditor property to true.