Fixed parser so it can handle explicit lists.

src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/WpfDesign/WpfDesign.XamlDom/Project/XamlParser.cs

@@ -285,22 +285,41 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.WpfDesign.XamlDom
 		void ParseObjectContent(XamlObject obj, XmlElement element, XamlPropertyInfo defaultProperty, XamlTextValue initializeFromTextValueInsteadOfConstructor)
 		{
 			bool isDefaultValueSet = false;
-			object defaultPropertyValue = null;
-			XamlProperty defaultCollectionProperty = null;
 			
-			if (defaultProperty != null && defaultProperty.IsCollection && !element.IsEmpty) {
+			XamlProperty collectionProperty = null;
-				defaultPropertyValue = defaultProperty.GetValue(obj.Instance);
+			object collectionInstance = null;
-				obj.AddProperty(defaultCollectionProperty = new XamlProperty(obj, defaultProperty));
+			Type collectionType = null;
+			XmlElement collectionPropertyElement = null;
+			var elementChildNodes = GetNormalizedChildNodes(element);
+			
+			if (defaultProperty == null && obj.Instance != null && CollectionSupport.IsCollectionType(obj.Instance.GetType())) {
+				XamlObject parentObj = obj.ParentObject;
+				var parentElement = element.ParentNode;
+				XamlPropertyInfo propertyInfo = GetPropertyInfo(settings.TypeFinder, parentObj.Instance, parentObj.ElementType, parentElement.NamespaceURI, parentElement.LocalName);
+				collectionProperty = FindExistingXamlProperty(parentObj, propertyInfo);
+				collectionInstance = obj.Instance;
+				collectionType = obj.ElementType;
+				collectionPropertyElement = element;
+			} else if (defaultProperty != null && defaultProperty.IsCollection && !element.IsEmpty) {
+				foreach (XmlNode childNode in elementChildNodes) {
+					XmlElement childElement = childNode as XmlElement;
+					if (childElement == null || !ObjectChildElementIsPropertyElement(childElement)) {
+						obj.AddProperty(collectionProperty = new XamlProperty(obj, defaultProperty));
+						collectionType = defaultProperty.ReturnType;
+						collectionInstance = defaultProperty.GetValue(obj.Instance);
+						break;
+					}
+				}
 			}
 			
-			foreach (XmlNode childNode in GetNormalizedChildNodes(element)) {
+			foreach (XmlNode childNode in elementChildNodes) {
 				XmlElement childElement = childNode as XmlElement;
 				if (childElement != null) {
 					if (childElement.NamespaceURI == XamlConstants.XamlNamespace)
 						continue;
 					
 					if (ObjectChildElementIsPropertyElement(childElement)) {
-						ParseObjectChildElementAsPropertyElement(obj, childElement, defaultProperty, defaultPropertyValue);
+						ParseObjectChildElementAsPropertyElement(obj, childElement, defaultProperty);
 						continue;
 					}
 				}
@@ -308,9 +327,9 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.WpfDesign.XamlDom
 					continue;
 				XamlPropertyValue childValue = ParseValue(childNode);
 				if (childValue != null) {
-					if (defaultProperty != null && defaultProperty.IsCollection) {
+					if (collectionProperty != null) {
-						defaultCollectionProperty.ParserAddCollectionElement(null, childValue);
+						collectionProperty.ParserAddCollectionElement(collectionPropertyElement, childValue);
-						CollectionSupport.AddToCollection(defaultProperty.ReturnType, defaultPropertyValue, childValue);
+						CollectionSupport.AddToCollection(collectionType, collectionInstance, childValue);
 					} else {
 						if (defaultProperty == null)
 							throw new XamlLoadException("This element does not have a default value, cannot assign to it");
@@ -386,6 +405,16 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.WpfDesign.XamlDom
 			return null;
 		}
 		
+		static XamlProperty FindExistingXamlProperty(XamlObject obj, XamlPropertyInfo propertyInfo)
+		{
+			foreach (XamlProperty existing in obj.Properties) {
+				if (existing.propertyInfo.FullyQualifiedName == propertyInfo.FullyQualifiedName)
+					return existing;
+			}
+
+			throw new XamlLoadException("Existing XamlProperty " + propertyInfo.FullyQualifiedName + " not found.");
+		}
+		
 		static XamlPropertyInfo GetDefaultProperty(Type elementType)
 		{
 			foreach (ContentPropertyAttribute cpa in elementType.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(ContentPropertyAttribute), true)) {
@@ -531,7 +560,12 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.WpfDesign.XamlDom
 			return element.LocalName.Contains(".");
 		}
 		
-		void ParseObjectChildElementAsPropertyElement(XamlObject obj, XmlElement element, XamlPropertyInfo defaultProperty, object defaultPropertyValue)
+		static bool IsElementChildACollectionForProperty(XamlTypeFinder typeFinder, XmlElement element, XamlPropertyInfo propertyInfo)
+		{
+			return element.ChildNodes.Count == 1 && propertyInfo.ReturnType.IsAssignableFrom(FindType(typeFinder, element.FirstChild.NamespaceURI, element.FirstChild.LocalName));
+		}
+		
+		void ParseObjectChildElementAsPropertyElement(XamlObject obj, XmlElement element, XamlPropertyInfo defaultProperty)
 		{
 			Debug.Assert(element.LocalName.Contains("."));
 			// this is a element property syntax
@@ -540,23 +574,29 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.WpfDesign.XamlDom
 			bool valueWasSet = false;
 			
 			object collectionInstance = null;
+			bool isElementChildACollectionForProperty = false;
 			XamlProperty collectionProperty = null;
 			if (propertyInfo.IsCollection) {
 				if (defaultProperty != null && defaultProperty.FullyQualifiedName == propertyInfo.FullyQualifiedName) {
-					collectionInstance = defaultPropertyValue;
 					foreach (XamlProperty existing in obj.Properties) {
 						if (existing.propertyInfo == defaultProperty) {
 							collectionProperty = existing;
 							break;
 						}
 					}
-				} else {
-					collectionInstance = propertyInfo.GetValue(obj.Instance);
 				}
+				
 				if (collectionProperty == null) {
 					obj.AddProperty(collectionProperty = new XamlProperty(obj, propertyInfo));
 				}
-				collectionProperty.ParserSetPropertyElement(element);
+				
+				isElementChildACollectionForProperty = IsElementChildACollectionForProperty(settings.TypeFinder, element, propertyInfo);
+				if (isElementChildACollectionForProperty)
+					collectionProperty.ParserSetPropertyElement((XmlElement)element.FirstChild);
+				else {
+					collectionInstance = collectionProperty.propertyInfo.GetValue(obj.Instance);
+					collectionProperty.ParserSetPropertyElement(element);
+				}
 			}
 			
 			XmlSpace oldXmlSpace = currentXmlSpace;
@@ -568,7 +608,10 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.WpfDesign.XamlDom
 				XamlPropertyValue childValue = ParseValue(childNode);
 				if (childValue != null) {
 					if (propertyInfo.IsCollection) {
-						if (collectionInstance!=null) {
+						if (isElementChildACollectionForProperty) {
+							collectionProperty.PropertyValue = childValue;
+						}
+						else {
 							CollectionSupport.AddToCollection(propertyInfo.ReturnType, collectionInstance, childValue);
 							collectionProperty.ParserAddCollectionElement(element, childValue);
 						}

src/AddIns/DisplayBindings/WpfDesign/WpfDesign.XamlDom/Project/XamlProperty.cs

@@ -286,11 +286,43 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.WpfDesign.XamlDom
                 );
         }
 		
+		static XmlNode FindChildNode(XmlNode node, string localName, string namespaceURI)
+		{
+			foreach (XmlNode childNode in node.ChildNodes) {
+				if (childNode.LocalName == localName && childNode.NamespaceURI == namespaceURI)
+					return childNode;
+			}
+
+			return null;
+		}
+
+		bool IsNodeCollectionForThisProperty(XmlNode node)
+		{
+			return _propertyElement == null && this.PropertyName != this.ParentObject.ContentPropertyName && this.ReturnType.IsAssignableFrom(this.ParentObject.OwnerDocument.TypeFinder.GetType(node.NamespaceURI, node.LocalName));
+		}
+		
 		internal void AddChildNodeToProperty(XmlNode newChildNode)
 		{
 			if (this.IsCollection) {
-				// this is the default collection
+				if (IsNodeCollectionForThisProperty(newChildNode)) {
-				InsertNodeInCollection(newChildNode, collectionElements.Count);
+					XmlNode parentNode = FindChildNode(parentObject.XmlElement, parentObject.ElementType.Name + "." + this.PropertyName, parentObject.OwnerDocument.GetNamespaceFor(parentObject.ElementType));
+
+					if (parentNode == null) {
+						parentNode = CreatePropertyElement();
+
+						parentObject.XmlElement.AppendChild(parentNode);
+					}
+					else if (parentNode.ChildNodes.Count > 0)
+						throw new XamlLoadException("Collection property node must have no children when adding collection element.");
+
+					parentNode.AppendChild(newChildNode);
+					_propertyElement = (XmlElement)newChildNode;
+				}
+				else {
+					// this is the default collection
+					InsertNodeInCollection(newChildNode, collectionElements.Count);
+				}
+				
 				return;
 			}
 			if (_propertyElement == null) {