Setting up color spline key frame animation in C#

Question

Hey, I'm trying to set up a color spline key frame animation directly in code, so I'm doing something like this:

mouseEnterStoryboard = new Storyboard();
ColorAnimationUsingKeyFrames colorAnimation = new ColorAnimationUsingKeyFrames();
colorAnimation.SetValue<string>(Storyboard.TargetNameProperty, "rectangle");
colorAnimation.SetValue<string>(Storyboard.TargetPropertyProperty, "(Shape.Fill).(SolidColorBrush.Color)");

SplineColorKeyFrame startFrame = new SplineColorKeyFrame();
startFrame.KeyTime = KeyTime.FromTimeSpan(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(.5));
startFrame.SetValue<string>(SplineColorKeyFrame.ValueProperty, "#FF0000FF"); // Issue is here
colorAnimation.KeyFrames.Add(startFrame); // When I try to add, startFrame.Value throws an ArgumentException (when viewed in debugger).  Crashes silently here

How can I correctly set the Value property?  I've tried everything from using the dependency properties to directly setting Value, all seem to pass that line fine, but the Value property isn't what I want it to be.  Any ideas?

Thanks!

Matt

Answer 1

Hello.

There's a nice question. I've noticed some weird behaviors when comparing what you'd be writing in c# with what you normally write in xaml (for instance, if you have a storyboard defined on xaml with several timeline objects placed inside, you ccan't access them through the Children property). What i have seen is that people are using xaml strings that get inserted on the page on the fly and normally this solves the problem. Here's a quick example of what i mean:

<Canvas

xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/client/2007"

xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"

x:Name="parentCanvas"

Loaded="Page_Loaded"

x:Class="SilverlightTests.Page;assembly=ClientBin/SilverlightTests.dll"

Width="640"

Height="480"

Background="White"

>

 

<Rectangle x:Name="rectangle" Width="100" Height="200" Fill="#FFC13131" />

</Canvas>

and for the code:

namespace SilverlightTests

{

public partial class Page : Canvas

{

public void Page_Loaded(object o, EventArgs e)

{

try

{

// Required to initialize variables

InitializeComponent();

string xaml = "<Storyboard><ColorAnimationUsingKeyFrames BeginTime=\"00:00:00\" Storyboard.TargetName=\"rectangle\" Storyboard.TargetProperty=\"(Shape.Fill).(SolidColorBrush.Color)\"><SplineColorKeyFrame KeyTime=\"00:00:00\" Value=\"#FF2C0606\"/><SplineColorKeyFrame KeyTime=\"00:00:01\" Value=\"#FFDD4848\"/></ColorAnimationUsingKeyFrames></Storyboard>";

Storyboard anim = (Storyboard)XamlReader.Load(xaml);

this.Resources.Add(anim);

anim.Begin();

}

catch (Exception ex)

{

Debug.WriteLine(ex.ToString());

}

}

}

}