How do I reference a StaticResource in code-behind?

Question

In XAML I do it like this:

<Button Style="{StaticResource NavigationBackButtonNormalStyle}" />

How do I do the same thing in code-behind?

score 57 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 01 '15 at 16:04

57

The page-level Resources object has the ability to find local, app-level, static, and theme resources. This means you simply do this:

foo2.Style = this.Resources["NavigationBackButtonNormalStyle"] as Style;

Best of luck!

answered Jul 01 '15 at 16:04

Jerry Nixon

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How to do it just for background color? XAML: `#100c00` xaml.CS: `btnLogout.BackgroundColor = this.Resources["Accent"] as BackgroundColor;` result in editor error > the type or namespace BackgroundColor does not exist... – s3c Jan 20 '20 at 09:32
There's no such thing as "BackgroundColor " in "XAML", you must use "Background" for that purpose. @s3c – ATR Aug 09 '20 at 03:07
Got null as @Josh Bowden explains in his answer. I recommend that instead of this. – z33k Sep 17 '21 at 10:21

Josh Bowden · Answer 2 · 2016-06-21T22:37:31.957

22

During design-time, it seems that trying to resolve a "system resource" using Resources[key] will fail to find the resource and will return null. For example, to get the base Style for a TextBox using Resources[typeof(TextBox)] will return null.

Instead, use TryFindResource(key) since this will first try Resources[key] and then will otherwise try searching through the "system resources" and will return what you're looking for (as per MSDN and Reference Source).

In other words, try this instead:

var style = Application.Current.TryFindResource(key) as Style;

edited Jun 21 '16 at 22:37

answered Jun 21 '16 at 22:12

Josh Bowden

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3

This is for WPF only - doesn't exist for Xamarin – Edgaras May 05 '20 at 09:36

score 15 · Answer 3 · answered May 26 '20 at 13:34

15

Try with this

Application.Current.Resources["key"]

answered May 26 '20 at 13:34

Ders

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2

What are the benefits of your approach over the established answers on this thread? – Jeremy Caney May 27 '20 at 03:51
2

@JeremyCaney local Resources don't contain StaticResources for me. – Benjol Aug 03 '22 at 12:40

score 3 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 13 '18 at 15:44

Here's a generic helper class that can be used. The advantage of going this route, is tha tyou will be able to use the same helper to get other types of resources (like Brushes, or DataTemplate for example)

public static class Helper
{
    public static T Get<T>(string resourceName) where T : class
    {
        return Application.Current.TryFindResource(resourceName) as T;
    }
}

And how you would use in code:

yourButton.Style = Helper.Get<Style>("NavigationBackButtonNormalStyle");

And if you wanted to get a brush resource you'd use

ItemTemplate = Helper.Get<DataTemplate>("MyDataTemplate");

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Sep 26 '20 at 10:46

If you are working in the ViewModel, you wont be able to use the answer above.

To bring up to date the answer from Eternal21, you could so this:

public static T Get<T>(string resourceName) 
        {   
            try{
                var success = Application.Current.Resources.TryGetValue(resourceName, out var outValue);
                if(success && outValue is T)
                {
                    return (T)outValue;
                }
                else
                {
                    return default(T);
                }
            }
            catch
            {
                return default(T);
            }
        }

Note the where clause is missing here. I didn't want to restrict it to classes, so I could use it with Color too which is a struct... so removed it.

How do I reference a StaticResource in code-behind?

5 Answers5

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