CustomResource markup extension
[This article is for Windows 8.x and Windows Phone 8.x developers writing Windows Runtime apps. If you’re developing for Windows 10, see the latest documentation]
Provides a value for any XAML attribute by evaluating a reference to a resource that comes from a custom resource-lookup implementation. Resource lookup is performed by a CustomXamlResourceLoader class implementation.
XAML attribute usage
<object property="{CustomResource key}" .../>
XAML values
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
key |
The key for the requested resource. How the key is initially assigned is specific to the implementation of the CustomXamlResourceLoader class that is currently registered for use. |
Remarks
CustomResource is a technique for obtaining values that are defined elsewhere in a custom resource repository. This technique is relatively advanced and isn't used by most Windows Runtime app scenarios.
How a CustomResource resolves to a resource dictionary is not described in this topic, because that can vary widely depending on how CustomXamlResourceLoader is implemented.
The GetResource method of the CustomXamlResourceLoader implementation is called by the Windows Runtime XAML parser whenever it encounters a {CustomResource} usage in markup. The resourceId that is passed to GetResource comes from the key argument, and the other input parameters come from context, such as which property the usage is applied to.
A {CustomResource} usage doesn't work by default (the base implementation of GetResource is incomplete). To make a valid {CustomResource} reference, you must perform each of these steps:
- Derive a custom class from CustomXamlResourceLoader and override GetResource method. Do not call base in the implementation.
- Set CustomXamlResourceLoader.Current to reference your class in initialization logic. This must happen before any page-level XAML that includes the
{CustomResource}extension usage is loaded. One place to set CustomXamlResourceLoader.Current is in the Application subclass constructor that's generated for you in the App.xaml code-behind templates. - Now you can use
{CustomResource}extensions in the XAML that your app loads as pages, or from within XAML resource dictionaries.
CustomResource 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 processor recognizes that a markup extension must process the attribute.