I am localizing a WPF application using .resx files. I created copies of main Resources files like Resources.en-US.resx or Resources.cs-CZ.resx. Works well for strings. However, I can't figure out how to localize other files like images or documents in resource files.
When I add a new image to Resources file (either Resources.en-US.resx or Resources.cs-CZ.resx), a copy of the file is always copied to /Resources directory. So there cannot be multiple versions of one file for multiple languages, because in one directory there can be only one file with same name.
Ideal solution would be if images from localized resources would be copied in subdirectories like /Resources/en-Us. In current conditions, I am unable to localize images and documents using .resx files. Any ideas how I can achieve this? Thank you.
The following MSDN post Resources and Localization in ASP.NET 2.0 - Displaying Localized Images states:
While ASP.NET 2.0 doesn't directly support localizing image files, it doesn't require too much custom code to achieve the desired effect.
And provides the following work around:
You can start by adding the localized versions of an image file to localized versions of a global resource file. For example, the English version of LitwareSlogan.png has been added to the global resource file named Litware.resx while the French version of LitwareSlogan.fr.png has been added to Litware.fr.resx. The resources in both resource files have been given the same name of LitwareSlogan.
Complete sample code is provided at the site.
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In a c# application I have a resource file with English strings (strings.resx) and several localized versions of that (strings.es.resx, strings.fr.resx, etc.). When compiling, the base strings are included in the assembly, each extra localized resource file is compiled into a .dll file that is put in a folder named like the language code (e.g. es/<appname>.resource.dll).
So far I bundled all the localized dll files with the app. I guess most users only need at most one extra localized resource file, so I want to ship the app without the extra localized files and only download them if needed. Assuming the user installed the app in program files or another protected folder, I want to save the localized files in a folder in %localAppData%.
How do I load the localized resource file if they are not in the app folder? Currently they're all in the source folder local/strings.resx, local/strings.es.resx, etc. and I can load them with
var rm = new ResourceManager("MyApplication.local.strings", typeof(Form1).Assembly);
to have the strings with the current CultureInfo.
I'd like to tell the app: load the strings but also check this specific folder (e.g. %localAppData%/MyApplication/local) for localized versions of that resource file.
I have an app on Windows Embedded which uses .resx files to translate the app to different languages.
Also I create an installation .cab file but I can't include the resx file to this cab.
How can I achieve this?
Thanks for any tip
A few things:
You'd not told us how you're trying to add the file. Are you using a custom INF file and just calling CABWIZ or are you using a Visual Studio Installer Project?
What have you done to try to include the file?
Most importantly, a RESX file does not contain the run-time resources and you rarely would deploy it. The RESX resources get compiled into a *.resource.dll assembly, that is typically in a subfolder with a name for the locale (e.g. en-us or fr-ca). You need to deploy those files/folders which is challenging because CABWIZ doesn't allow duplicate file names (and all resources have the same file name, just different folders). That scenario is handled by this SO question.
I have my auto generated Resource.resx file set up with keys and strings. I also have three other resx files for German, French and Spanish given to me from translators. I'm not able to get the localization functioning and I suspect that the resx files aren't being called correctly. I added them to the project by dragging them into the solution explorer under "Properties". I have a nagging suspicion that just dragging them in isn't creating the proper connections behind the scene.
Now It's totally possible my issue lies somewhere else. If anyone can tell me whether it's ok to add resource files this way or if not, what the correct way is, it would save me tons of time spent chasing my tail. Thanks!
Resx files in Visual Studio include a special tool which is run at build time and translates them into embedded resources. Right-click your original VS-created resx file and click Properties. You should see Build Tool or something similar. Also note the resource type (Embedded, etc.). Make sure that you match these settings for your manually added files.
Once this is set up, you will need to use the CurrentUICulture property to tell .NET to pick up the appropriate resources. You can choose to change the culture/language at install-time or run-time. Here is a comprehensive tutorial which describes the various options available to you:
WPF Localization Using RESX Files
That said, as a best practice, translated Resx files are generally deployed as satellite assemblies. The main application DLL/EXE contains only the language neutral resources file. Other resource files are compiled into separate assemblies and deployed side-by-side with specific naming conventions. This allows you to dynamically add translations, localizations, etc. even after the application is deployed. Here's an introduction: Packaging and Deploying Resources in Desktop Apps
I have created a C# WinForms application. It has some additional files that it uses, such as help files and some external data files. I want to put these files in folders under the Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.ProgramFiles) path so that the application can find and read them.
This path doesn't get created until the application is installed right? So where do I put these files in my VS2010 project, or how do I tell my project that these files exist so that when I am running (debugging) the application from VS it will find the files.
Thanks
EDIT: I did think about adding the files as resource files, but unfortunately some files may get added after the project is built and deployed. Therefore we decided to make the program search and find the data files (and associated help files) at a specific location and load them if they exist.
Thing is that your application should not need to use 'Environment.SpecialFolder.ProgramFiles'. It "should" be location agnostic. The quick answer to your question is "from the folder that the application was launched from". The real answer is how you reference these files.
Your help files and data files need to be deployed to folder with a known relationship to the application. That is, the same folder or a child folder. Consider making the file resources.
Now if the files are user configurable or run time writable then they should not be in the program files area but be in the application data area. If so, then there is your path!
Hope this helps.
You should add these files to the main (exe) project inside your solution.
(Right click on Project Name, Select Add Existing Item)
Then set its property Copy to Output Directory = Always
(not sure of the translation because I use a localized version of VS)
Of course, it should be noted that, when you deploy your files in the Environment.SpecialFolder.ProgramFiles, you could not be able to write to them (Windows7, Vista) for security reasons.
Add the files as resources in your project. Take a look at this MSDN article. You can add resources to a project by right-clicking the Properties node under your project in Solution Explorer, clicking Open, and then clicking the Add Resource button on the Resources page in Project Designer.
You can add resources to your project either as linked resources, which are external files, or as embedded resources, which are embedded directly into the .resx file.
When you add a linked resource, the .resx file that stores your project resource information includes only a relative path to the resource file on disk. If you add images, videos, or other complex files as linked resources, you can edit them using a default editor that you associate with that file type in the Resource Designer.
When you add an embedded resource, the data is stored directly in the project's resource (.resx) file. Strings can only be stored as embedded resources.
My question is this I have a console app that sends out emails and i have a html email template setup thats placed into a resx file, now i want to be able to update the html or add text to the html file at runtime how can i do this???
As the resx file is compiled into a dll or exe it is not easily possible to change its contents. You could offer a configuration gui or use some xml configuration files like the app.xml.
If you want to offer updates to the template file like localization you could create multiple resx files File.resx for default language, File.en.resx for english, File.de.resx,...
Visual Studio then creates multiple dll files en\Resources.dll, de\Resources.dll. Whenever a user starts your application it will autmatically search the installation path for these files und use the one best suited for the language selected in the user's operating system.
I think you would have a much easier time if you moved the template from a direct resource string into a project-level file that is stored as Content or an Embedded Resource.