Question

How should one use Images that must not be embedded in the Assembly (e.g. because of licensing issues)?

The Images should be accessible from all Projects in the current Solution and have to be usable in Design-Time.

I tried using linked resources but had no luck.
The Designer wasn’t able to load the non-embedded resx-File.
I didn’t even try to use the Resource-File in multiple Projects.

Answer 1

Create a UserControl, set the size of the control then add a PictureBox and dock it to fill the control, on the code load the image you want from the place you want and then you just have to add the control where you would put the image.

It’s not a tiddy way but it works.

In the user control the code should look like this:

namespace TestImage
{
    public partial class ImageControl : UserControl
    {
        public ImageControl()
        {
            InitializeComponent();

            /// image.png should be placed in the IDE folder or use the fullpath/url instead and also in the output directory.

            this.pictureBox1.ImageLocation = @".\image.png";

        }
    }
}