Resources in .NET

I l @ ve RuBoard

Unlike Win32 and MFC, .NET applications do not rely heavily on resources for dialog and form layout. However, resources are required for localization of applications, integration of images and icons, and for custom data that can be easily modified without needing to recompile an application.

The resource model under .NET is that of a default resource for an application and an optional set of additional resources that provide localization, or more properly internationalization, data for a specific culture. For example, an application might have a default resource culture of US ”English but require localization for the UK ”English, where the currency symbol would be different, or for French, where the text strings associated with menus and dialogs would be in the correct language.

The default resource is usually contained within the assembly that holds the application code. Other assemblies, called satellite assemblies, have resources that can be loaded and used when needed. This approach is similar to the idea of an application using a resource DLL under Win32 or MFC.

A good "global citizen" application should always be localizable and should always provide a resource for any culture in which that the software is used. It is also true that not every application needs to be a global citizen, so you must choose your level of culture ”friendliness ”according to your distribution and target audience needs.

I l @ ve RuBoard