Use a text file as a resource file in C#

[nelsonbrodyk]

Hey all,
I am trying to separate my translation text from my application. To do this, I would like to use resources, but as a text file. I saw that you can create a text file that looks like the following:

MyKey=MyText
MyKey2=MyText2

etc.

What I am wondering is, is there a nice way to access this file and get it by the key, like properties files in java?

I tried this, but it doesn't seem to work:
ResourceManager manager1 = ResourceManager.CreateFileBasedResourceManager("Te stResources.en-US.txt", loc, typeof(string));
Console.WriteLine("Reached: {0}", manager1.GetString("MyTestResource"));

Thanks in advance.

[Curtis Rutland]

Hey all,
I am trying to separate my translation text from my application. To do this, I would like to use resources, but as a text file. I saw that you can create a text file that looks like the following:

MyKey=MyText
MyKey2=MyText2

etc.

What I am wondering is, is there a nice way to access this file and get it by the key, like properties files in java?

I tried this, but it doesn't seem to work:
ResourceManager manager1 = ResourceManager.CreateFileBasedResourceManager("Te stResources.en-US.txt", loc, typeof(string));
Console.WriteLine("Reached: {0}", manager1.GetString("MyTestResource"));

Thanks in advance.

Try Settings. If you are using a Windows Forms solution in Visual Studio, look in your project's Properties file. There will be a file called Settings.settings
If you open it, you can create keys and set default values. You can also set whether these are user-level or application-level settings.

You can get to this from your code with:

Properties.Settings.Default["keyname"];
 

For that matter, it doesn't even have to be a Windows Forms project. Even in a console application you can add a Settings.settings file and move it to the properties folder.

[nelsonbrodyk]

Try Settings. If you are using a Windows Forms solution in Visual Studio, look in your project's Properties file. There will be a file called Settings.settings
If you open it, you can create keys and set default values. You can also set whether these are user-level or application-level settings.

You can get to this from your code with:

Properties.Settings.Default["keyname"];
 

For the translations, we want to allow them to be updatable outside of compile time. Ie, so that someone can edit the translations, and the application just uses them. Is there a way to basically do a properties file (or ResourceBundle in Java), that will achieve this?

Ideally, I would like to have a file called: Translations.txt, and then use the resource manager to handle it, and allow me to use ResourceManager.GetString("Key");

Is this possible with resources, or should I be looking else where? My understanding is the Settings file isn't updatable after compiling?

[Curtis Rutland]

For the translations, we want to allow them to be updatable outside of compile time. Ie, so that someone can edit the translations, and the application just uses them. Is there a way to basically do a properties file (or ResourceBundle in Java), that will achieve this?

Ideally, I would like to have a file called: Translations.txt, and then use the resource manager to handle it, and allow me to use ResourceManager.GetString("Key");

Is this possible with resources, or should I be looking else where? My understanding is the Settings file isn't updatable after compiling?

It actually is updateable. If you look in your bin\(debug/release) folder, you should see an exe file. Also, there is a .config file with the same name as the .exe. That config file is an xml file that holds the keys that you defined. So, if you just want to be able to edit the keys with a text editor after compile, you still can. Also, if you are making a windows installer package, it should install both the exe and the .config file, so you can make configuration changes there.

Maybe not quite what you were looking for, but that's how I know how to do it.

[nelsonbrodyk]

It actually is updateable. If you look in your bin\(debug/release) folder, you should see an exe file. Also, there is a .config file with the same name as the .exe. That config file is an xml file that holds the keys that you defined. So, if you just want to be able to edit the keys with a text editor after compile, you still can. Also, if you are making a windows installer package, it should install both the exe and the .config file, so you can make configuration changes there.

Maybe not quite what you were looking for, but that's how I know how to do it.

Will that still give the ability to change the language? With the resource files, you can have english, french, etc easily.

[Curtis Rutland]

Will that still give the ability to change the language? With the resource files, you can have english, french, etc easily.

Hmm. Tough one. I haven't ever had to work with translations, so I guess I was missing the point. So I'm not really sure. But if you just want to set up a file with keys and values, and then edit those values later with a text editor, then yes this will work.