Dynamic LiveTile - render a custom font TextBlock on LiveTile with background task

Question

I'm having problems in rendering custom textblock with custom font resource on liveTile ?

My project updates a live tile in background. but it should be personalized.

Im using this code. but its does not woks, the text shows blank when i try to use an embedded font the bitmap background works just fine. But the fonts does not works.

When i use this same code in "foreground agent" the fonts shows perfectly.

Grid grid = new Grid();

// load your image 
StreamResourceInfo info = Application.GetResourceStream(new Uri("tile.jpg", UriKind.Relative));

// create source bitmap for Image control (image is assumed to be alread 173x173)
WriteableBitmap wbmp2 = new WriteableBitmap(1, 1);
wbmp2.SetSource(info.Stream);
Image img = new Image();
img.Source = wbmp2;

// add Image to Grid
grid.Children.Add(img);

TextBlock text = new TextBlock() 
{
    FontFamily = new FontFamily("/MyTaskAgent;component/Fonts/Fonts.zip#Buxton Sketch"),
    Foreground = new SolidColorBrush(Colors.Black) ,
    TextWrapping = TextWrapping.Wrap,
};

text.Text = "Test";

// this is our final image containing custom text and image
WriteableBitmap wbmp = new WriteableBitmap(173, 173);

// now render everything - this image can be used as background for tile
wbmp.Render(grid, null);
wbmp.Invalidate();

Answer 1

I had a similar problem, and found a solution, please have a look here or here

I boils down to either 1. creating a hidden textblock that use the font before doing the conversion, or 2. creating a FontSource.

I used the first because it was simpler for now.

The textblock is hidden, but it ensures that the embedded font is loaded.

Inside my control, I added the following:

void Grid_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
#if SILVERLIGHT
    Grid Grid = (Grid)sender;
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs Road Features");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs G Old");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs G");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs G1");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs G2");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs G3");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs Info");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs Regulatory");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs Regulatory1");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Road Manager");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs Temporary");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Road Manager");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs Warning");
    AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid, "Signs Warning1");
#endif
}

#if SILVERLIGHT
void AddFontLoaderTextBox(Grid Grid, string fontName) {

    TextBlock TextBlock = new TextBlock();
    TextBlock.FontFamily = new FontFamily(string.Format(
        "pack://application:,,,/ITIS.Controls.LinearViewer.Silverlight;component/Fonts/{0}.ttf#{0}", fontName));
    TextBlock.Opacity = 0; /* hide the text block, we only load it for the font to be cached */
    Grid.SetRowSpan(TextBlock, 3); /* just to ensure the text block doesn't affect the size of the first row */
    Grid.Children.Insert(0, TextBlock); /* keep underneath other children */
}
#endif