How to bind a value for a SemanticDescription within a DataTemplate?

[mrlacey]

I have items in a CollectionView that I wish to set the semantic description for (so Narrator doesn't say that every element is "Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Platform.ItemTemplateContext") but I can't work out how to bind the value when method only takes a string.

I'm sure this is obvious but I can't find any examples or work it out from the docs.

Here's what I'm working from:

		var itemTemplate = new DataTemplate(() => new Border()
		{
			StrokeShape = new RoundRectangle { CornerRadius = 8, StrokeThickness = 2 },
			GestureRecognizers = {
				new TapGestureRecognizer().BindCommand(source: ViewModel, path: nameof(ListDetailViewModel.GoToDetailsCommand), parameterPath: "."),
			},
			Content = new Label().Bind(Label.TextProperty, nameof(SampleItem.Title))
		}.SemanticDescription("what goes here?"));

		Content = new RefreshView
		{
			Content = new CollectionView
			{
				RemainingItemsThreshold = 10,
			}.ItemTemplate(itemTemplate)
			 .Bind(CollectionView.ItemsSourceProperty, nameof(ListDetailViewModel.Items))
			 .Bind(CollectionView.RemainingItemsThresholdReachedCommandProperty, nameof(ListDetailViewModel.LoadMoreCommand))

		}.Bind(RefreshView.IsRefreshingProperty, nameof(ListDetailViewModel.IsRefreshing))
		 .BindCommand(nameof(ListDetailViewModel.RefreshingCommand));

I need to set the SemanticDescription on the Border to get MAUI to expose the text correctly to the A11Y tooling.

Is there a simple way to get that bound value and pass it as a string to the method?

Or is there another way to do this entirely? (I looked at creating the Border separately and then trying to set the property, but I still don't see how to set the specific value for the instance in the ItemsSource of the CollectionView.)

Related: How to bind attached properties inside a DataTemplate that doesn't have custom extension methods as part of the library?

I'm also surprised there's not an easy way within a Template to be able to pass a bound item value to any extension method that accepts a string. Or have I missed that in the docs also?

[mrlacey]

@TheCodeTraveler @bijington any ideas?

[bijington]

I have a thought but I'm not at my laptop now. I'll try and write it down later

[TheCodeTraveler]

You would bind to the BindableProperty in Semantic Description

.Bind(SemanticProperties.DescriptionProperty, nameof(YourModel.YourProperty))

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/microsoft.maui.controls.semanticproperties.descriptionproperty?view=net-maui-9.0

[mrlacey]

Thanks. I knew the property, I think I just overlooked Bind() as being the "magic" fallback method for binding anywhere.
I think I even looked at the signature of the Bind method at one point but got overwhelmed by all the overloads and properties.
I guess I don't use this enough that I remember these things when I've become used to their being specific methods for most of what I want to set.