#87 – Type Converters

In XAML, you often set a property value by specifying a single string value.  However, when setting the value of a property that is not a System.String, the specified string must be converted into the proper type.  This is done automatically by the XAML parser using a type converter.

For example, in the example below, we set the background color of a button by specifying the string “Azure”.

 <Button Content="Click Me" Background="Azure" Height="25" Width="50" />

Because the Button.Background property is of type System.Windows.Media.Brush, the parser must convert the string “Azure” to a Brush object.

The XAML parser will attempt to convert the value if either:

• The property in question has a TypeConverter attribute
• The class that implements the property’s type has a TypeConverter attribute

For the Button.Background property, the value is converted from a string to a SolidColorBrush by the System.Windows.Media.BrushConverter class.