Question: I created a user control in WPF:

```
<UserControl x:Class="TestUserControl.Controls.GetLatest"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
        <TextBlock Name="theTextBlock"/>
</UserControl>

```

The code behind has a parameter called "FirstMessage" which it sets as the text of my user control TextBlock:

```
public partial class GetLatest : UserControl
{
    public string FirstMessage { get; set; }

    public GetLatest()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        theTextBlock.Text = this.FirstMessage;
    }
}

```

In my main code I can set the FirstMessage parameter in my user control with intellisense:

```
<Window x:Class="TestUserControl.Window1"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    Title="Window1" Height="300" Width="300"
    xmlns:controls="clr-namespace:TestUserControl.Controls"
    >
    <StackPanel>
        <controls:GetLatest FirstMessage="This is the title"/>
    </StackPanel>
</Window>

```

However, it still doesn't set the text. I've tried Text="{Binding Path=FirstMessage}" and other syntaxes I have found but nothing works.

How can I access the FirstMessage value in my user control?

Answer: 
FirstMessage is set after the constructor has been called.
You should change your Text from the setter of FirstMessage.

When initializing object from XAML, first the default constructor is called, then the properties are set on the object.
You can also use:

```
public partial class GetLatest : UserControl
{
    private string _firstMessage;
    public string FirstMessage 
    {
        get { return _firstMessage; }
        set { _firstMessage = value; theTextBlock.Text = value; }
    }

    public GetLatest()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }
}

```