Generate Image Description

• May 12, 2026
• 2 minutes to read

The AI-powered “Generate Image Description” extension generates the description for the image.

Run Demo: Generate Image Description

Applies To

• Rich Text Edit
• Spreadsheet Control

How It Works

The following animation demonstrates the AI-powered “Generate Image Description” extension in the WPF Rich Text Editor creating alt text for an image:

Activate Generate Image Description

1. Install DevExpress NuGet Packages

1. DevExpress.AIIntegration.Wpf
2. DevExpress.Wpf

Refer to the following help topics for more information:

• How to Install DevExpress Products
• Install Packages from NuGet.org: Visual Studio, VS Code, and JetBrains Rider

2. Register AI Client

See the following help topic for information on required NuGet packages and system requirements: Register an AI Client.

The following code snippet registers an Azure OpenAI client at application startup within the AIExtensionsContainerDesktop container:

C#

using Azure.AI.OpenAI;
using DevExpress.AIIntegration;
using DevExpress.Xpf.Core;
using Microsoft.Extensions.AI;
using System;
using System.Windows;

namespace AIAssistantApp {
    public partial class App : Application {
        static App() {
            CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = true;
        }

        protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e) {
            base.OnStartup(e);
            ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Win11Light";

            // For example, ModelId = "gpt-4o-mini"
            IChatClient azureChatClient = new Azure.AI.OpenAI.AzureOpenAIClient(new Uri(AzureOpenAIEndpoint),
                new System.ClientModel.ApiKeyCredential(AzureOpenAIKey)).GetChatClient(ModelId).AsIChatClient();
            AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(azureChatClient);
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports Azure.AI.OpenAI
Imports DevExpress.AIIntegration
Imports DevExpress.Xpf.Core
Imports Microsoft.Extensions.AI
Imports System
Imports System.Windows

Namespace AIAssistantApp
    Partial Public Class App
        Inherits Application

        Shared Sub New()
            CompatibilitySettings.UseLightweightThemes = True
        End Sub

        Protected Overrides Sub OnStartup(ByVal e As StartupEventArgs)
            MyBase.OnStartup(e)
            ApplicationThemeHelper.ApplicationThemeName = "Win11Light"

            ' For example, ModelId = "gpt-4o-mini"
            Dim azureChatClient As IChatClient = New AzureOpenAIClient(New Uri(AzureOpenAIEndpoint), 
                New System.ClientModel.ApiKeyCredential(AzureOpenAIKey)).GetChatClient(ModelId).AsIChatClient()
            AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(azureChatClient)
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

3. Create and Configure Generate Image Description Behavior

To enable the “Generate Image Description” functionality in a DevExpress WPF Spreadsheet or Rich Text Editor, add mvvm and ai namespaces to the Window and attach GenerateImageDescriptionBehavior to the control:

XAML

<dx:ThemedWindow
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:dx="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/core"
    xmlns:dxsps="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/spreadsheet"
    xmlns:dxmvvm="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/mvvm" 
    xmlns:dxai="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/ai"
    x:Class="AIAssistant.MainWindow"
    Title="MainWindow" Height="800" Width="800">
    <Grid>
        <dxsps:SpreadsheetControl CommandBarStyle="Ribbon" ShowStatusBar="True" ShowFormulaBar="True">
            <dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
                <dxai:GenerateImageDescriptionBehavior x:Name="GenerateImageDescription"/>
            </dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
        </dxsps:SpreadsheetControl>
    </Grid>
</dx:ThemedWindow>

4. Define Shortcuts and Bind Commands

The following example defines the following shortcuts:

• Ctrl+E: executes the Explain Formula extension.
• Ctrl+G: executes the Generate Image Description extension.

XAML

<dx:ThemedWindow
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:dx="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/core"
    xmlns:dxsps="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/spreadsheet"
    xmlns:dxmvvm="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/mvvm" 
    xmlns:dxai="http://schemas.devexpress.com/winfx/2008/xaml/ai"
    x:Class="AIAssitant.MainWindow"
    Title="MainWindow" Height="800" Width="800">
    <Grid>
        <dxsps:SpreadsheetControl CommandBarStyle="Ribbon" ShowStatusBar="True" ShowFormulaBar="True">
            <dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
                <dxai:ExplainFormulaBehavior x:Name="ExplainFormula"/>
                <dxai:GenerateImageDescriptionBehavior x:Name="GenerateImageDescription"/>
            </dxmvvm:Interaction.Behaviors>
            <dxsps:SpreadsheetControl.InputBindings>
                <KeyBinding Gesture="Ctrl+E"
                    Command="{Binding ElementName=ExplainFormula, Path=ExplainFormulaCommand}"/>
                <KeyBinding Gesture="Ctrl+G"
                    Command="{Binding ElementName=GenerateImageDescription, Path=GenerateImageDescriptionCommand}"/>
            </dxsps:SpreadsheetControl.InputBindings>
        </dxsps:SpreadsheetControl>
        <Button Content="Explain Formula"
            Command="{Binding ElementName=ExplainFormula, Path=ExplainFormulaCommand}"/>
        <Button Content="Describe Picture"
            Command="{Binding ElementName=GenerateImageDescription, Path=GenerateImageDescriptionCommand}"/>
    </Grid>
</dx:ThemedWindow>