Feed XML into XAML/PowerShell WPF Form

Question

I had a question along a similar topic last week which ultimatly is the same issue but in that scenario I managed to get round this with a PowerShell array on static data thanks to someone on the forum suggesting.

This time round I cant use static so I am somewhat back to my root problem.

I have created a WPF XAML form in Visual Studio and am taking this back to Powershell as my remit with the customer is 'low-code'. The item in question is loading an xml file into the form to populate a list box. Reason for a list box is cleanliness of changing the colour of the background.

Now in VS this works find with a Data Provider but for reasons I cannot find an answer to, this just simply will not work when taken back to PowerShell so I have looked for alternate way.

So I have a simple XML as below:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Configuration>
  <AllowedAutoStart>Application 1</AllowedAutoStart>
  <DenyRemoveAutoStart>Application 2</DenyRemoveAutoStart>
</Configuration>

I want to feed this into my PowerShell/XAML Hybrid Script and simply bind the contents to the appropriate list box (below code is just starting with allowed apps)

I have tried a few different ideas from across the forum before posting but none quite get there. Below is the code I have at present, it doesnt work but doesnt produce any errors either :-)

Appreciate any guidance.

# Load Assembly
Add-Type -AssemblyName PresentationFramework
Add-Type -AssemblyName PresentationCore
Add-Type -AssemblyName WindowsBase



#Declare XAML Code
[xml]$AppGeneratorWindow = @"
<Window 
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        Title="App Config Generator" Height="350" Width="600" WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen" Top="5" ResizeMode="NoResize">
    <Window.Background>
        <LinearGradientBrush EndPoint="0.5,1" StartPoint="0.5,0">
            <GradientStop Color="Black" Offset="0"/>
            <GradientStop Color="#FFAA3D3D" Offset="1"/>
        </LinearGradientBrush>
    </Window.Background>
    
    <Grid>
        <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
            <ColumnDefinition Width="5*"/>
            <ColumnDefinition Width="115*"/>
            <ColumnDefinition Width="132*"/>
            <ColumnDefinition Width="543*"/>
        </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
        <Grid.RowDefinitions>
            <RowDefinition Height="381*"/>
            <RowDefinition Height="241*"/>
        </Grid.RowDefinitions>
        <Label Name="AllProgramsLabel" Content="All Programs" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="28.333,20,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Foreground="#FFFEFBFB" FontSize="14" FontWeight="Bold" RenderTransformOrigin="2.696,-3.142" Grid.Column="1" Grid.ColumnSpan="2"/>
        <Button Name="AddButton" Content="Add &gt;&gt;" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="34,83,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="166" FontWeight="Bold" FontSize="14" Height="28" BorderBrush="#FF070606" Background="#FF933838" Foreground="#FFFCFAFA" Grid.Column="3" RenderTransformOrigin="0.416,-0.906"/>
        <Label Name="WindowsStartupLabel" Content="Windows Startup" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="236,20,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Foreground="#FFFEFBFB" FontSize="14" FontWeight="Bold" RenderTransformOrigin="2.696,-3.142" Grid.Column="3"/>
        <Button Name="RemoveButton" Content="&lt;&lt; Remove" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="34,169,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="166" FontWeight="Bold" FontSize="14" Height="28" BorderBrush="#FF070606" Background="#FF933838" Foreground="#FFFCFAFA" Grid.Column="3" Grid.RowSpan="2" RenderTransformOrigin="0.51,-0.503"/>
        <ListBox Name="AllProgramsListBox" Grid.ColumnSpan="2" Grid.Column="1" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Height="132" Margin="28,65,0,0" Background="#FFAA3D3D" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="123" Grid.RowSpan="2"/>
        <ListBox Name="StartupListBox" Grid.Column="3" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Height="132" Margin="237,65,0,0" Background="#FFAA3D3D" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="123" Grid.RowSpan="2"/>


    </Grid>
</Window>
"@




#List Boxes
$AllProgramsListBox = $window.FindName("AllProgramsListBox")

$ConfigurationFile = "$env:ProgramData\WindowsStartupTool\AutoStartConfig.XML"
[xml]$ConfigFile = Get-Content $ConfigurationFile

foreach ($entry in $ConfigFile.Configuration.AllowedAutoStart.add)

    {
        write-host $entry
     
      $AllProgramsListBox.Items.Add($($entry))
    
    }



#Declare & Create the form
$reader=(New-Object System.Xml.XmlNodeReader $AppGeneratorWindow)
$window = [Windows.Markup.XamlReader]::Load($reader)

##########################################
#Launch the User Interface               #
       [void]$window.ShowDialog()        # 
##########################################

This is launched from PowerShell which is where I have to get it to work from in some capacity.

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

You're very close. All you really have to do is move the part where you read the config file and do the foreach ($entry.. to below the creation of the window.

As the code is now, you're trying to use variable $window where it is not yet defined.

Directly below the XAML code put:

#Declare & Create the form
$reader = New-Object System.Xml.XmlNodeReader $AppGeneratorWindow
$window = [Windows.Markup.XamlReader]::Load($reader)

#List Boxes
$AllProgramsListBox = $window.FindName("AllProgramsListBox")

$ConfigurationFile = "$env:ProgramData\WindowsStartupTool\AutoStartConfig.XML"
[xml]$ConfigFile = Get-Content $ConfigurationFile -Raw

foreach ($entry in $ConfigFile.Configuration.AllowedAutoStart) {
      Write-Host $entry
      $AllProgramsListBox.Items.Add($entry)
}

##########################################
#Launch the User Interface               #
       [void]$window.ShowDialog()        # 
##########################################