title: DataGrid: Same Column, Different Input Methods?
body: <p>I am not a WPF expert. After tinkering for a few projects, this is my first full-fleged attempt. It isn't as simple as "Windows Forms", but the flexibility more than makes up for it!</p>
  
  <p>I have an entity that houses all application settings. The user interfaces with them via a DatGrid. The Column is TextBox, but the content could be anything that a string can represent (text/string, date, integer, double, etc.).</p>
  
  <p>To make things very easy for the user, and less bug-prone, I'd like to offer a [User?] Control that is appropriate for the data to be inserted (fictional approach below, might be impossible/impractical... consider it <em>pseudo-code-ish</em>):</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>In a not visible column/attribute of the instance/entity I would specify "date"/"DatePicker", drop-down, etc.</li>
  <li>The "value" column in the DataGrid would hold/accept the setting for that row.</li>
  <li>If a date is involved, a datepicker would be made available for that row of the setting column.</li>
  <li>A TextBox would look like a normal DataGrid cell... You get the idea...</li>
  <li><p>I already have all the CRUD operations resolved, all the way back to the DB (that took a while to figure out, but with DBContext/Entities I am now a huge convert to WPF/EF6!</p></li>
  <li><p>This app is in VB (VS2012Ult), but since I write in C# as well, I have no trouble converting any sample/example code.</p></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>disclaimer: This may seem clunky/silly as an approach, but users are notorious at entering things the wrong way, in the wrong format, etc. This approach is intended for non techies/coders to be able to reliably use the app without calling helpdesk as often.</p>
  
  <p>note: A long time ago, <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7496470/different-kinds-of-cells-in-the-same-column">this thread</a> asked an extremely similar, if not identical, question. I am asking to see what has improved since then. I am not a WPF expert.</p>