Question

To describe my problem i have created a small application.
At first the Usercontrol:

<UserControl x:Class="WpfApplication10.UserControl1"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    x:Name="This" DataContext="{Binding ElementName=This}"
    >    
    <Image Source="{Binding Path=MyImageSource}" ></Image>
</UserControl>

second the TestApp:

<Window x:Class="WpfApplication10.Window1"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:WpfApplication10="clr-namespace:WpfApplication10"
    Title="Window1" Height="300" Width="300">
    <WpfApplication10:UserControl1
        MyImageSource="c:\test.png" >        
    </WpfApplication10:UserControl1>
</Window>

third the code behind the usercontrol

using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;
namespace WpfApplication10
{
    public partial class UserControl1 : UserControl
    {
        public static readonly DependencyProperty MyImageSourceProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("MyImageSource", 
                 typeof(BitmapImage),typeof(UserControl1),
                 new FrameworkPropertyMetadata((BitmapImage)new BitmapImage(),
                      FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions.None
                 ));

        public BitmapImage MyImageSource
        {
            get { return (BitmapImage)GetValue(MyImageSourceProperty); }
            set { SetValue(MyImageSourceProperty, value); }
        }


        public UserControl1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }
    }
}

I know that the Type BitMapImage (of the DP) doesnt work in this way, but i want to know how to implement this feature in a clean, typesave way.
I want to reach the same behaviour like the original Image.Source implementation.

thanks in advance, Scott

Answer 1

In your control, name your Image as:

<Image x:Name="someImage" Source="{Binding Path=MyImageSource}" ></Image>

Implement your dependency property as Uri:

public static readonly DependencyProperty MyImageSourceProperty =
    DependencyProperty.Register("MyImageSource", 
        typeof(Uri),typeof(UserControl1),
        new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(new PropertyChangedCallback(OnImageSourceChanged)));

And in OnImageSourceChanged:

private static void OnImageSourceChanged(DependencyObject sender, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
{
    UserControl1 userControl = (UserControl1)sender;

    userControl.someImage.Source = new BitmapImage((Uri) e.NewValue);
}

This way, you can supply a string path to the dependency property which will be converted to Uri automatically.

EDIT:
In Image, the source property is implemented as ImageSource instead of Uri (an abstract class, from which your implementation, i.e. BitmapSource, also derives). It also implements a OnSourceChanged event just like I have implemented one for Uri. The conclusion is, that you will have to use a change event if you want to set the source of an image.