WPF ImageSource binding with Custom converter

Question

I have a simple template for a combobox structured in this way:

<ComboBox DockPanel.Dock="Left" MinWidth="100" MaxHeight="24"
          ItemsSource="{Binding Actions}">
    <ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
                <TextBlock Text="{Binding Name}" Width="100" />
                <Image Source="{Binding Converter={StaticResource TypeConverter}}" />
            </StackPanel>
        </DataTemplate>
    </ComboBox.ItemTemplate>
</ComboBox>

So, if I use this code, everything works:

<TextBlock Text="{Binding Name}" Width="100" />
<!--<Image Source="{Binding Converter={StaticResource TypeConverter}}" /> -->
<Image Source="{StaticResource SecurityImage}" />

But if I use the converter it doesn't work anymore. This is the converter, but I don't know how I can refer to the static resource from there ...

public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture)
{
    var type = (Action)value;
    var img = new BitmapImage();
    switch (type.ActionType)
    {
        case ActionType.Security:
            img.UriSource = new Uri("StructureImage", UriKind.Relative);
            break;
        case ActionType.Structural:
            img.UriSource = new Uri("SecurityImage", UriKind.Relative);
            break;
    }

    return img;
}

Answer 1

Try to use the Switch Converter written by Josh, should work for you:

SwitchConverter –

A "switch statement" for XAML - http://josheinstein.com/blog/index.php/2010/06/switchconverter-a-switch-statement-for-xaml/

No need to write your converter, your code will look like this -

<Grid.Resources>  
    <e:SwitchConverter x:Key="ActionIcons">  
        <e:SwitchCase When="Security" Then="SecurithImage.png" />  
        <e:SwitchCase When="Structural" Then="StructureImage.png" />             
    </e:SwitchConverter>  
</Grid.Resources>  

<Image Source="{Binding Converter={StaticResource ActionIcons}}" />  

Update1:

Here is code of SwitchConverter as Josh's site seems to be down -

/// <summary>
/// A converter that accepts <see cref="SwitchConverterCase"/>s and converts them to the 
/// Then property of the case.
/// </summary>
[ContentProperty("Cases")]
public class SwitchConverter : IValueConverter
{
    // Converter instances.
    List<SwitchConverterCase> _cases;

    #region Public Properties.
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets an array of <see cref="SwitchConverterCase"/>s that this converter can use to produde values from.
    /// </summary>
    public List<SwitchConverterCase> Cases { get { return _cases; } set { _cases = value; } }
    #endregion
    #region Construction.
    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="SwitchConverter"/> class.
    /// </summary>
    public SwitchConverter()
    {
        // Create the cases array.
        _cases = new List<SwitchConverterCase>();
    }
    #endregion

    /// <summary>
    /// Converts a value.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="value">The value produced by the binding source.</param>
    /// <param name="targetType">The type of the binding target property.</param>
    /// <param name="parameter">The converter parameter to use.</param>
    /// <param name="culture">The culture to use in the converter.</param>
    /// <returns>
    /// A converted value. If the method returns null, the valid null value is used.
    /// </returns>
    public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
    {
        // This will be the results of the operation.
        object results = null;

        // I'm only willing to convert SwitchConverterCases in this converter and no nulls!
        if (value == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("value");

        // I need to find out if the case that matches this value actually exists in this converters cases collection.
        if (_cases != null && _cases.Count > 0)
            for (int i = 0; i < _cases.Count; i++)
            {
                // Get a reference to this case.
                SwitchConverterCase targetCase = _cases[i];

                // Check to see if the value is the cases When parameter.
                if (value == targetCase || value.ToString().ToUpper() == targetCase.When.ToString().ToUpper())
                {
                    // We've got what we want, the results can now be set to the Then property
                    // of the case we're on.
                    results = targetCase.Then;

                    // All done, get out of the loop.
                    break;
                }
            }

        // return the results.
        return results;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Converts a value.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="value">The value that is produced by the binding target.</param>
    /// <param name="targetType">The type to convert to.</param>
    /// <param name="parameter">The converter parameter to use.</param>
    /// <param name="culture">The culture to use in the converter.</param>
    /// <returns>
    /// A converted value. If the method returns null, the valid null value is used.
    /// </returns>
    public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
    {
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }
}

/// <summary>
/// Represents a case for a switch converter.
/// </summary>
[ContentProperty("Then")]
public class SwitchConverterCase
{
    // case instances.
    string _when;
    object _then;

    #region Public Properties.
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the condition of the case.
    /// </summary>
    public string When { get { return _when; } set { _when = value; } }
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the results of this case when run through a <see cref="SwitchConverter"/>
    /// </summary>
    public object Then { get { return _then; } set { _then = value; } }
    #endregion
    #region Construction.
    /// <summary>
    /// Switches the converter.
    /// </summary>
    public SwitchConverterCase()
    {
    }
    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="SwitchConverterCase"/> class.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="when">The condition of the case.</param>
    /// <param name="then">The results of this case when run through a <see cref="SwitchConverter"/>.</param>
    public SwitchConverterCase(string when, object then)
    {
        // Hook up the instances.
        this._then = then;
        this._when = when;
    }
    #endregion

    /// <summary>
    /// Returns a <see cref="System.String"/> that represents this instance.
    /// </summary>
    /// <returns>
    /// A <see cref="System.String"/> that represents this instance.
    /// </returns>
    public override string ToString()
    {
        return string.Format("When={0}; Then={1}", When.ToString(), Then.ToString());
    }
}

Update2:

Another SwitchConverter implementation from Microsoft Reference Source.

Answer 2

When using Image.UriSource you need to specify the relative file path to your images if the images have been added to your project and their "Build Action" has been set to "Resource". E.g. if you have put your images in a project folder in Visual Studio called "images", you can refer to the images in the following way:

img.UriSource = new Uri("/Images/StructureImage.png", UriKind.Relative);

If the images are not build as a resource, you have to use the full file path i.e.

img.UriSource = new Uri("http://server/Images/StructureImage.png", UriKind.Absolute);

---

EDIT:

If you put your images in your Application resourcedictionary, you can always access it in the following way:

Application.Current.Resources["StructureImage"];

If you put the resources somewhere else you may use a IMultiValueConverter instead of IValueConverter for your converter. Then your typeconverter would look something like the following:

class TestValueConverter : IMultiValueConverter
{
    #region IMultiValueConverter Members

    public object Convert(object[] values, Type targetType, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
    {
        // Validation of parameters goes here...

        var type = (Action) values[0];
        var image1 = values[1];
        var image2 = values[2];

        if (type.ActionType == ActionType.Security)
        {
            return image1;
        }
        else
        {
            return image2;
        }
    }

    public object[] ConvertBack(object value, Type[] targetTypes, object parameter, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture)
    {
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }

    #endregion
}

and your XAML would look similar to this:

    <Image>
        <Image.Source>
            <MultiBinding Converter="{StaticResource testValueConverter}">
                <Binding Path="Action" />
                <Binding Source="{StaticResource SecurityImage}" />
                <Binding Source="{StaticResource StructureImage}" />
            </MultiBinding>
        </Image.Source>
    </Image>

Finally, this would be how you'd define your resources:

<imaging:BitmapImage x:Key="StructureImage" UriSource="StructureImage.png" />
<imaging:BitmapImage x:Key="SecurityImage" UriSource="SecurityImage.png" />
<local:TestValueConverter x:Key="testValueConverter" />

The above code is untested!