Creating Multi-lingual Applications and Websites with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005

1. Creating Multi-lingual Applications and Websites with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Achim Ruopp International Program Manager Microsoft Corporation

2. Agenda • Resource Improvements • Strongly Typed Resources • Fallback to Satellite Assembly • Editing Resources • ASP.NET Localization • Detecting the Browser Language • Declarative Localization Model with designer support • Extensibility • Deployment • Bidirectional Web Pages • Smart Client Applications • Windows Forms • Table Layout/Grid Layout Controls • Bidirectional Languages • Performance Improvements • ClickOnce Deployment

3. Visual Studio and .NET Framework Versions

4. Strongly Typed Resources • Resources have types • Strings • Boolean • Images • Audio Files • … • Strongly Typed Resources • What are they? • Provide ability to creates classes containing read-only properties for resources • Benefits: • Eliminates mismatches between code and resource identifiers • Provides Intellisense on resource identifiers • ResourceManager is created for you • No need to cast objects to other types

5. Resources Then and Now .NET Framework v1.0/v1.1 private ResourceManager rm; rm = new ResourceManager("MyImages", this.GetType().Assembly); PictureBox.Image = (System.Drawing.Image)rm.GetObject("MyImage"); .NET Framework v2.0 PictureBox.Image = ResourceFilename.MyImage;

6. Fallback To Satellite Assembly • Fallback • Best fit UI language for user (CurrentUICulture) • Example: fr-CA → fr → fallback (e.g. de) • Additional fallback resource location • v 1.0/1.1 – ResourceManager only loaded fallback resources from the main assembly • v 2.0 – Adds ability to build fallback resources in a satellite assembly • [assembly: NeutralResourcesLanguageAttribute("de" , UltimateResourceFallbackLocation.Satellite)] • Clean separation of code and user interface • Useful for servicing • Can potentially reduce download size for updates

7. Editing Resources • New Resource Editor • Integrated in Visual Studio 2005 • For .resx format • Uses link syntax for complex type resources (images, sounds, …) • XML editors and localization tools can still be used • More on Windows Forms and ASP.NET resource editing later

8. Creating and Using Resources

9. ASP.NET Localization • v. 1.0/1.1 • .NET resource model can be used • No design time assistance • v. 2.0 • Uses .NET resource model • Provides a simple declarative model for localization • Automatic generation of resources in designer • Editing of resources using the resource editor • Server side compilation of .resx files • Auto-detection of browser culture

10. Detecting the Browser Language • HTTP Accept-Language header • v 1.0/1.1 • Write code to detect browser language • Specify preferred culture in web.config, page or code • 2.0 • Use “auto” for automatically detecting browser language • Can override in InitializeCulture() • It is still possible to specify preferred culture in web.config, page or code <%@ Page Culture=“auto:fr” UICulture=“auto:fr-FR” .. %>

11. ASP.NET Resources • Local Resources • Use for page resources • Stored in \App_LocalResources folder • Generated through the designer • Tools/Generate Local Resources command used in design view of the page • Global Application Resources • Use for global strings or binary types • Stored in \App_GlobalResources folder • Strongly-typed, available to all pages through Resources member • Default Resource format • Author .resx in the resource or XML editor • Other formats possible through extensibility

12. Retrieving Resources • Declaratively • Explicit or implicit expressions • Programmatic • GetLocalResourceObject()/GetGlobalResourceObject() • System.Web.UI.TemplateControl Class • System.Web.HttpContext Class foo.aspx \App_LocalResources foo.aspx.resx foo.aspx.fr.resx Declaratively: <asp:label runat="server" text="<%$ Resources:foo %>" /> <asp:label runat="server" meta:ResourceKey="LabelResource1" %> Programmatically: foo.Text = (string)GetLocalResourceObject(“foo");

13. Expressions • Declarative syntax • Access local or global resources • Interpreted at parse time • Explicit and implicit forms • Can be mixed, but should not collide • Designer creates implicit expression syntax • Explicit expressions can be edited in Expressions property of controls Explicit form: <%$ Resources:[classKey,]resourceKey %> <asp:label runat=“server” text=“<%$ Resources:MainTitle %>” /> <asp:button runat=“server” text=“<%$ Resources:MyStrings,OK_Key %>”/> Implicit form: meta:ResourceKey=“keyprefix” <asp:label runat=“server” meta:resourcekey=“LabelResource1” />

14. Extensibility • Other resource formats • Databases • Existing XML formats • … • Option 1: Localization expressions can be extended • Subclass ResourceProviderFactory • Allows design-time support for custom resource formats • Option 2: Create expression builder for new resource format • Subclass System.Web.Compilation.ExpressionBuilder • Design-time support only through ExpressionEditor • Deployment of e.g. a database is more difficult

15. Deployment • ASP.NET v2.0 has 3 compilation models • Uncompiled • Source files including .resx files are copied to server • Resources are compiled on server • Compiled resources are cached on first use • Precompiled excluding markup • Deploy .resx/.aspx files like in uncompiled case • Page design changeable • Global resource satellite assemblies precompiled • Precompiled including markup • Page design cannot be changed • Everything precompiled into assemblies • Additional languages can be added in all 3 models • Application domain needs to be restarted

16. Bidirectional Web Pages • Direction property on <asp:panel> • Can be explicitly defined • Can be loaded using a resource expression • Useful for mixed left-to-right/right-to-left pages • Full right-to-left pages • Set DIR attribute on HTML tag using an explicit resource expression <asp:panel runat=“server” meta:resourcekey=“MainTitle” /> <data name=“MainTitle.Direction”> <value>RightToLeft</value> </data>

17. ASP .NET Localization

18. Windows Forms Localization v1.0/v1.1 • Each form has a Localizable property • Creates single .resx file for default resources • Each form has Language property • Creates one additional .resx file per selected language • Edit source/localized .resx files in • Visual Studio Windows Forms designer • XML editor • WinRes tool (.NET Framework SDK tool) • Images serialized into .resx file • Pulled each localizable property from the .resx file • Built satellite assemblies directly in VS • Setup projects available in 9 languages

19. Windows Forms Localization v2.0 • Localizable/Language properties remain the same • One .resx file per form per language • Edit source/localized .resx files in • Visual Studio Windows Forms designer • WinRes tool (.NET Framework SDK tool) • Visual Studio Resource Editor • XML editor • Images • Linked into .resx files rather than serialized • Default to application-wide .resx file • New code generation using the ComponentResourceManager improves performance • New layout functionality reduces resizing during localization • Deploy Click Once projects in any language

20. Localize Without Resizing • v1.0/v1.1 • Use docking and anchoring properties • new layout controls in v2.0 • Use TableLayoutPanel for • Resizing a group of controls proportionally • Dynamically generating UI with customizable fields • Creating a fixed size UI while still allowing localization • Use FlowLayoutPanel for • Creating a series of horizontal controls which may wrap vertically but aren’t proportional to each other • Mechanism for “bumping” controls relative to other controls

21. RightToLeft Languages • RightToLeft property (v 1.0/v 1.1/v 2.0) • Determines reading order for text • Affects layout for some controls • RightToLeftLayout (v 2.0) • Determines layout of controls • Form, TabControl, TreeView, ListView, TrackBar, ProgressBar, MonthCalendar and DateTimePicker • Does not inherit down control hierarchy • Controls support full “mirroring” • Set both RightToLeft and RightToLeftLayout • Determining text direction for culture • CultureInfo.TextInfo.IsRightToLeft

22. Click Once • New deployment mechanism • versioning • update service • installation over the web • … • Deploy multiple languages from a single project • Language property determines • language satellite assemblies • language external dependencies • ClickOnce language resources (.xml files) • Can extend ClickOnce resource languages by localizing setup.xml

23. Layout Controls and ClickOnce

24. References • Visual Studio 2005/.NET Framework v2.0 • http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/vs2005/ • Microsoft Globaldev website • http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/ • Newsgroup • news:microsoft.public.dotnet.internationalization • Blogs • http://blogs.msdn.com/michkap • http://blogs.msdn.com/AchimR • http://www.dasblonde.net/ • http://blogs.msdn.com/BCLTeam

26. AppendixASP.NET Localization Expressions

27. Implicit Expressions • Used to partially or fully localize an ‘object’ with minimal syntax • Controls, sub-objects, page directive • Only used to access local resources • Generated by the designer

28. Implicit Expressions • Runtime • Default .resx interrogated for keyprefix and properties set • Key: filter, keyprefix, control property, sub-property • Design-time • Control properties marked [Localizable(true)] are ‘pushed’ to .resx <asp:label runat=“server” meta:resourcekey=“MainTitle” /> <data name=“MainTitle.Text”> <value xml:space=“preserve”>Welcome to the site</value> </data> <data name=“MainTitle.Font.Bold”> <value>true</value> </data>

29. Explicit Expressions • Used on any control or object property • Fine-grained handling for properties which are not localizable by default • Can be used for HTML attributes • Access global or local resources • Runtime • Used to obtain resource value and perform property assignment • Design-time • Developer can create expressions against control properties in “Expressions…” dialog