WPF: MenuItem Icon

Question

I would like to add an icon to my MenuItems. Is this the smartest way to do this:

                <MenuItem Header="Settings" Name="menuEditSettings" Click="menuEditSettings_Click">
                    <MenuItem.Icon>
                        <Image Height="16" Width="16" Source="Icons/menuSettings.png" />
                    </MenuItem.Icon>
                </MenuItem>

Why would something like this not work:

                <MenuItem Header="Settings" Name="menuEditSettings" Icon="Icons/menuSettings.png" Click="menuEditSettings_Click"/>

I just get the text as icon instead of the current bitmap!

Answer 1

Hi,

I would like to give in a suggestion here actually. It would be better here to give the image in Application Resources,and get that from there using the key.Doing in this way ,even if u want to change the image at a later point of time u need to change only at one place(if u are using the same icon in a multiple place) and need not change everywhere u have used it

Thank You

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Answer 2

Thanks. I do this:

Click my project -> Add -> Resource Dictionary.
Here I select "Icon file" and I got a default Icon.

After this I change my menuItem to this:
<MenuItem Header="_Settings" Name="menuEditSettings" Icon="Icon1.ico" Click="menuEditSettings_Click">

But still I see the String "Icon1.ico" instead of the icon. Hope you can help me?

Is there a easy way to import my PNG or JPEG image to the icon-file?

Answer 3

Hi,

You have to give the key name here.

Icon="{DynamicResource KeyName}"

Add the icon files to your project(using Add Existing item--right click on project).Club all the icons into a folder in your project if u want.Create a resource dictionary for your icons.Specify all Images in the resource dictionary(by giving source of image as \Folder\ImageName.extn) and associate with a key.Dont forget to put this resource dictionary entry in applications resources.

Then use the key from wherever you want as i have shown above

Hope it helps

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Answer 4

Thanks. Now I'm almost there!

I've a "Dictionary.xaml" like this:
<ResourceDictionary xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">
    <ImageSource x:Key="imageWindowMain">Images/windowMain.png</ImageSource>
    <ImageSource x:Key="imageMenuSettings">Images/menuSettings.png</ImageSource>
</ResourceDictionary>

How can I add this to my "App.xaml"?

Thanks!

Answer 5

I found the answer.

My Icon on the Window works - but still problems with my MenuItem:
<MenuItem Header="_Settings" Name="menuEditSettings" Icon="{DynamicResource imageMenuEditSettings}" Click="menuEditSettings_Click"/>

This gives me a string instead of the icon in the menu. The String says something like:

 pack://application:,,,Icons/menuEditSettings.png

Hope you can help me?

Answer 6

Hi,

in App.xaml

<ResourceDictionary>

<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>

<ResourceDictionary Source="ResourceDictionaryName.xaml"/>

</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>

</ResourceDictionary>

also its not ImageSource use
<Image Source="\Folder\ImageName.extn" x:Key="KEY"/>

Hope it helps

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Answer 7

Well, after chaning to Image-type:
<Image Source="/Images/windowMain.png" x:Key="imageWindowMain"/>

Instead of ImageSource-type I get this exception on start up:
Cannot convert the value in attribute 'Icon' to object of type 'System.Windows.Media.ImageSource'. 'System.Windows.Controls.Image' is not a valid value for property 'Icon'.

Why do you say, that I should use the Image-type instead of ImageSource-type?

Answer 8

Well, I discover that I should use ImageSource for menuItems and Image for my Window.

Finally I get this:
    <ImageSource x:Key="imageWindowMain">Images/windowMain.png</ImageSource>
    <Image Source="/Images/menuEditSettings.png" x:Key="imageMenuEditSettings"/>

Is this the way to trick it?

Answer 9

Hi,

Was it working with ImageSource??

ImageSource is a abstract class i think.

And that error wont come .Hope the Image type u used in resource dictionary is of type Windows.Controls.Image

Thank You


PS: Please mark the post as answered if it helps you

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