Is it possible to move to a separate file?

Question

I've got a couple of animations as storyboards in window resources.

Is there a way to move them to a separate file and still access them? If yes, please tell me how.

Just to be clear, I want to move the following generated code from my MainWindow.xaml file to a separate file so I can keep code tidy and organized:

<Window.Resources>
        <Storyboard x:Key="sbShowWindow">
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.RenderTransform).(TransformGroup.Children)[0].(ScaleTransform.ScaleX)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="0.874">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseInOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="1">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseInOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.RenderTransform).(TransformGroup.Children)[0].(ScaleTransform.ScaleY)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="0.874">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseInOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="1">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseInOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.RenderTransform).(TransformGroup.Children)[3].(TranslateTransform.X)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseInOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseInOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.RenderTransform).(TransformGroup.Children)[3].(TranslateTransform.Y)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseInOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseInOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.Opacity)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseIn"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="0.595">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseIn"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.5" Value="1">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseIn"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
        </Storyboard>
        <Storyboard x:Key="sbHideWindow">
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.RenderTransform).(TransformGroup.Children)[0].(ScaleTransform.ScaleX)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="1">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="0.874">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.RenderTransform).(TransformGroup.Children)[0].(ScaleTransform.ScaleY)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="1">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="0.874">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.RenderTransform).(TransformGroup.Children)[3].(TranslateTransform.X)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.RenderTransform).(TransformGroup.Children)[3].(TranslateTransform.Y)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CircleEase EasingMode="EaseOut"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
            <DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames Storyboard.TargetProperty="(UIElement.Opacity)" Storyboard.TargetName="layoutRoot">
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0" Value="1">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CubicEase EasingMode="EaseIn"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.3" Value="0.245">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CubicEase EasingMode="EaseIn"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
                <EasingDoubleKeyFrame KeyTime="0:0:0.5" Value="0">
                    <EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                        <CubicEase EasingMode="EaseIn"/>
                    </EasingDoubleKeyFrame.EasingFunction>
                </EasingDoubleKeyFrame>
            </DoubleAnimationUsingKeyFrames>
        </Storyboard>
    </Window.Resources>

Dennis · Accepted Answer · 2020-02-03T07:58:42.843

9

You can put this code into a separate resource dictionary, either in the same assembly, or in another one. Then all you need is to add that dictionary into merged dictionaries collection of window's resources:

<Window.Resources>
    <ResourceDictionary>
        <ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
            <ResourceDictionary Source="pack://application:,,,/YourAssembly;component/Folder/YourResourceDictionary.xaml"/>
        </ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
    </ResourceDictionary>
</Window.Resources>

Here's the syntax of pack URIs.

edited Feb 03 '20 at 07:58

answered Sep 24 '12 at 13:08

Dennis

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Problem is I have never done this before. I do not know how to correctly move the code from my question to a resource dictionary. I have created a new resource dictionary file and pasted the code in, but I get a couple of `Ambiguous reference` errors... – IneedHelp Sep 24 '12 at 13:31
Update: Ok, seems I got rid of the rrors by deleting the `` tags. – IneedHelp Sep 24 '12 at 13:33

dodsky · Answer 2 · 2012-09-24T13:57:14.457

One solution would be to put them in App.xaml as resources. That way you would have resources which can be globally accessible.

One other way (which I prefer) is to define resource-related things in separate resource dictionary and load it in code on Application_StartUp event. It gives me more flexibility when choosing which resource files to load.

Some sample code:

        var basicUriString   = String.Format("/{0}.Base;component/Basic.xaml", skinName);

        try
        {
            var uri = new Uri(basicUriString, UriKind.RelativeOrAbsolute);
            newDict = new ResourceDictionary { Source = uri };
            if (!Application.Current.Resources.MergedDictionaries.Any(dic => dic.Source.OriginalString.Contains(basicUriString)))
            {
                Application.Current.Resources.MergedDictionaries.Add(newDict);
            }
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            // log error
        }

This method adds resource dictionary to app resources assuming that there exists an assembly called {skinName}.Base which I pass in as a method paramter.

Ok, adding these couple of animations to a resource dictionary and load them at application startup sounds good. Could you provide some steps for me to follow? Like, what do I have to do to accomplish this? Cut the code, create a new file, paste it there, or? — IneedHelp, Sep 24 '12 at 13:00
I created a new resource dictionary (which is a xaml file with a ResourceDictionary tag) and pasted the code in it, but I get a couple of errors. I'm still investigating. — IneedHelp, Sep 24 '12 at 13:04

Is it possible to move to a separate file?

2 Answers2