C# WPF Set animated gif as background

Question

I’m stuck on a problem with XAML in a WPF project where I want to have an animated gif as the background of the whole program window.

I have gone with an external library called WpfAnimatedGif which, to my understanding, must be within an Image-element to work. The problem I'm facing is that I can't set the Image-element as the background of the window.

I get it to set as background with the ImageBrush-element like this:

<Grid.Background>
    <ImageBrush ImageSource="Resources/animated.gif"/>
</Grid.Background>

The problem with this solution is that the gif doesn't animate, so it's just a static image. For the gif to animate I get it to work with the external library like this:

<Border>
    <Image gif:ImageBehavior.AnimatedSource="Resources\animated.gif"
           gif:ImageBehavior.AutoStart="True"
           gif:ImageBehavior.RepeatBehavior="1"/>
</Border>

With my limited knowledge of XAML, I don't know how to set that animated gif to fit nicely in the background of the program window like the first example did.

Is there any easy solution to this?

Clemens Clemens · Accepted Answer · 2020-08-25T07:58:32

A VisualBrush with an Image might work:

<Grid.Background>
    <VisualBrush>
        <VisualBrush.Visual>
            <Image gif:ImageBehavior.AnimatedSource="Resources\animated.gif"
                   gif:ImageBehavior.AutoStart="True"
                   gif:ImageBehavior.RepeatBehavior="1"/>
        </VisualBrush.Visual>
    </VisualBrush>
</Grid.Background>

C# WPF Set animated gif as background

1 Answers