I have defined a Reource Dictionary in a WPF Class Library containing colors and brushes, called BrushResources.xaml.
<ResourceDictionary xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
<Lots of Colors and Brushes here>
</ResourceDictionary>
I want to use some of the Brushes in code from another assembly, which references this library project. How do get an Instance of ResourceDictionary
of it?
What you're asking is a component of the functionality necessary to provide true skinning in an application. Getting resources from a separate assembly involves reading the compiled XAML, or BAML from the other assembly. Here is a method I use in a skinning library to retrieve the BAML from an assembly:
//Relevant Namespaces:
//using System.Windows.Baml2006;
//using System.Xaml;
public static List<Stream> GetBamlStreams(AssemblyName skinAssemblyName)
{
List<Stream> bamlStreams = new List<Stream>();
Assembly skinAssembly = Assembly.Load(skinAssemblyName);
string[] resourceDictionaries = skinAssembly.GetManifestResourceNames();
foreach (string resourceName in resourceDictionaries)
{
ManifestResourceInfo info = skinAssembly.GetManifestResourceInfo(resourceName);
if (info.ResourceLocation != ResourceLocation.ContainedInAnotherAssembly)
{
Stream resourceStream = skinAssembly.GetManifestResourceStream(resourceName);
using (ResourceReader reader = new ResourceReader(resourceStream))
{
foreach (DictionaryEntry entry in reader)
{
//TODO: Figure out if this is a ResourceDictionary I care about
//Key will be name of the RD (BrushResources.baml, in your case)
if (IsRelevantResource(entry))
{
bamlStreams.Add(entry.Value as Stream);
}
}
}
}
}
return bamlStreams;
}
Then, to convert the BAML to specific resources, you do the following:
//If .NET 3.5, need this initialization:
//Type xamlType = typeof(System.Windows.Markup.XamlReader);
//LoadBamlMethod = xamlType.GetMethod(LOAD_BAML_METHOD, BindingFlags.NonPublic | BindingFlags.Static);
public static T LoadBaml<T>(Stream stream)
{
//For .net 3.5:
//ParserContext parserContext = new ParserContext();
//object[] parameters = new object[] { stream, parserContext, null, false };
//object bamlRoot = LoadBamlMethod.Invoke(null, parameters);
//return (T)bamlRoot;
//For .net 4.0
var reader = new Baml2006Reader(stream);
var writer = new XamlObjectWriter(reader.SchemaContext);
while (reader.Read())
writer.WriteNode(reader);
return (T)writer.Result;
}
And in order to merge the resources from the other assembly into the current assembly:
private void LoadResources()
{
List<Stream> bamlStreams = GetBamlStreams(FullName);
foreach (Stream stream in bamlStreams)
{
ResourceDictionary rd = LoadBaml<ResourceDictionary>(stream);
Application.Current.Resources.MergedDictionaries.Add(rd)
}
}
This example does the work in a very generic manner for skinning purposes, but you can streamline this to accomplish your specific goal if necessary. You can see a skinning library that uses this method here on github, with a few examples to demonstrate.
You dont have to put your ResourceDictionary inside a "App.xaml". If you have a UserControl or Window you could link to your ResourceDictionary.
<UserControl.Resources>
<ResourceDictionary>
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<ResourceDictionary Source="/MyProjectName;component/BrushResources.xaml" />
</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
</ResourceDictionary>
</UserContro.Resources>
why not simply use MergedDictionaries in your other assembly?
<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
<ResourceDictionary Source="pack://application:,,,/BrushesLib;Component/BrushResources.xaml" />
</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
If you know the other assembly
structure then use below code:
XAML Solution
ResourceDictionary dictionary = new ResourceDictionary();
dictionary.Source = new Uri("pack://application:,,,/WpfControlLibrary1;Component/RD1.xaml", UriKind.Absolute);
foreach (var item in dictionary.Values)
{
//operations
}
Output: If we want to use ResourceDictionary
RD1.xaml
of Project WpfControlLibrary1
into StackOverflowApp
project.
Structure of Projects:
Resource Dictionary
Code Output:
c# Solution:
use this link.