How Can I Determine if My WPF Application is Running in Design Mode or Runtime?

Determining WPF Execution Mode: DesignTime vs. Runtime

Are you developing a WPF application and require a way to distinguish between design time (e.g., within Visual Studio or Blend) and runtime execution? If so, you're not alone. Fortunately, WPF provides a reliable solution.

Identifying Design Time Mode

WPF offers a property called DesignerProperties.GetIsInDesignMode(), which takes a DependencyObject as its parameter. By utilizing this property, you can ascertain whether your code is being executed in design mode.

// 'this' represents your UI element
DesignerProperties.GetIsInDesignMode(this);

When targeting Silverlight or WP7, an alternate property, DesignerProperties.IsInDesignTool, is more appropriate as GetIsInDesignMode may sometimes yield false positives in Visual Studio.

DesignerProperties.IsInDesignTool

For WinRT, Metro, and Windows Store applications, the equivalent is Windows.ApplicationModel.DesignMode.DesignModeEnabled:

Windows.ApplicationModel.DesignMode.DesignModeEnabled

Example Scenario

You've mentioned the need to differentiate between design time and runtime in your ViewModel to display either mock customer data or live data based on the current mode.

By leveraging GetIsInDesignMode() within your GetAll property, you can seamlessly switch between the two data sources depending on the execution environment.

public ObservableCollection<Customer> GetAll
{
    get
    {
        try
        {
            if (DesignerProperties.GetIsInDesignMode(this))
            {
                return CustomerDesign.GetAll;
            }
            else
            {
                return Customer.GetAll;
            }
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            throw new Exception(ex.Message);
        }
    }
}

This approach provides a convenient and flexible way to manage data based on the application's execution context.

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