ComponentResourceKey Markup Extension

Defines and references keys for resources that are loaded from external assemblies. This enables a resource lookup to specify a target type in an assembly, rather than an explicit resource dictionary in an assembly.

XAML Attribute Usage (setting key, compact)

<object x:Key="{ComponentResourceKey {x:Type targetTypeName}, targetID}" .../>

XAML Attribute Usage (setting key, verbose)

<object x:Key="{ComponentResourceKey TypeInTargetAssembly={x:Type targetTypeName}, ResourceID=targetID}" .../>

XAML Attribute Usage (requesting resource, compact)

<object property="{DynamicResource {ComponentResourceKey {x:Type targetTypeName}, targetID}}" .../>

XAML Attribute Usage (requesting resource, verbose)

<object property="{DynamicResource {ComponentResourceKey TypeInTargetAssembly={x:Type targetTypeName}, ResourceID=targetID}}" .../>

XAML Values

Remarks

The TypeInTargetAssembly identifies a type that exists as a type in the target assembly where the resource is actually defined. A ComponentResourceKey can be defined and used independently of knowing exactly where the TypeInTargetAssembly is defined, but eventually must resolve the type through referenced assemblies.

A common usage for ComponentResourceKey is to define keys that are then exposed as members of a class. For this usage, you use the ComponentResourceKey class constructor, not the markup extension.

Attribute syntax is commonly used for the ComponentResourceKey markup extension. The compact syntax shown relies on the System.Windows.ComponentResourceKey.#ctor(System.Type,System.Object) constructor signature, and the order in which the targetTypeName and targetID are given is important. The verbose syntax relies on the System.Windows.ComponentResourceKey.#ctor default constructor, and then sets the TypeInTargetAssembly and ResourceId in a way that is analogous to a true attribute syntax on an object element. In the verbose syntax, order in which the properties are set is not important. The relationship and mechanisms of these two alternatives (compact and verbose) is described in more detail in the topic Markup Extensions and XAML.

ComponentResourceKey can be used in object element syntax. In this case, specifying the value of both the TypeInTargetAssembly and ResourceId properties is required to properly initialize the extension.

In the WPF XAML reader implementation, the handling for this markup extension is defined by the ComponentResourceKey class.

ComponentResourceKey is a markup extension. Markup extensions are typically implemented when there is a requirement to escape attribute values to be other than literal values or handler names, and the requirement is more global than just putting type converters on certain types or properties. All markup extensions in XAML use the { and } characters in their attribute syntax, which is the convention by which a XAML reader recognizes that a markup extension must process the attribute. For more information, see Markup Extensions and XAML.

See Also

Reference

ComponentResourceKey
Style
ControlTemplate

Concepts

Styling and Templating
XAML Overview
Markup Extensions and XAML