How to load all files in a folder with XNA?

Question

I want to load all files in a folder "Content/textures" into the game using Content.Load("filename");

However, I am unable to "find" files located inside Content this way (the program rather looks at "bin/debug/../Content/textures", but I get an error when trying to load the jpg/png files there with Content.Load.

How can I achieve what I'm trying to do? I want to load all files in a folder inside Content (which content folder is the right one?) into the game, so that I dont have to specify every single texture.

Thanks.

Cyral Cyral · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-16T12:33:39

You can use this helper class to do this. It works by taking a given directory and using the GetFiles() method to create a list of all the textures that are needed to be loaded. It then loads them as normal with your ContentManager, and puts them into a dictionary so you can use them.

 public static class TextureContent
    {
        public static Dictionary<string, T> LoadListContent<T>(this ContentManager contentManager, string contentFolder)
        {
            DirectoryInfo dir = new DirectoryInfo(contentManager.RootDirectory + "/" + contentFolder);
            if (!dir.Exists)
                throw new DirectoryNotFoundException();
            Dictionary<String, T> result = new Dictionary<String, T>();

            FileInfo[] files = dir.GetFiles("*.*");
            foreach (FileInfo file in files)
            {
                string key = Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(file.Name);


                result[key] = contentManager.Load<T>(contentFolder + "/" + key);
            }
            return result;
        }
    }

Create a dictionary to store the textures, rather than line after line of Texture2Ds

  public Dictionary<string, Texture2D> spriteContent;

...And call the method in your LoadContent method

 spriteContent = TextureContent.LoadListContent<Texture2D>(content, "textures");

Now whenever you need a texture from it, just do:

Whatever.Image = spriteContent["WhateverTexture"]

Make sure the TextureName is the asset name of your texture.

How to load all files in a folder with XNA?

3 Answers