Chapter 15: Globalizing Web Applications

Chapter 15

Globalizing Web Applications

About This Chapter

Globalization is the process of creating an application that meets the needs of users from multiple cultures. This process involves more than just translating the user interface elements of an application into multiple languages it also includes using the correct currency, date and time format, calendar, writing direction, sorting rules, and other issues. Accommodating these cultural differences in an application is called localization.

Fortunately, the Microsoft .NET Framework simplifies localization tasks substantially by making its formatting, date/time, sorting, and other classes culturally aware. Using classes from the System.Globalization namespace, you can set your application s current culture, and much of the work is done for you automatically!

In this chapter, you ll learn how to detect a user s culture and create appropriate responses, ranging from redirecting the user to a separate, localized Web application to handing cultural differences within code and displaying a localized user interface.

Before You Begin

To complete this chapter, you must:

• Be familiar with HTML

• Be comfortable creating Web forms in HTML mode