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Creating .resource file in windows forms

I am trying to create a .resource file which will contain all the strings being used in the application. I don't want to do it manually.
I know there are certain ways to do it. But my problem is, I don't want to have it done manually, where I need to add each string resource. Is there a way to do this without I having to put each string, and it automatically detects all the strings resources corresponding to different pages.
Any insights on this would be helpful.

Yes, there is a way to do this.
You can try with R#, although the tool is commercial, there is a 30-days trial period.
As a regular user, I can tell you that it worth every cent.
There are suggestion for every string, and moving to the resource file is accomplished by one click.

C# Forms App Localization

I have modified my question after the comment which refers to article.
I have a c# Win forms app which contains some forms and dialog boxes/message boxes for user interaction.
I want to localize it to a set of languages.
Most forms are created through the forms designer and the text/strings are set via the properties
Strings for message boxes and other runtime messages come from the code.
I have read the article here
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/y99d1cd3(v=vs.71).aspx
Which points to 2 approaches,
First is to have Visual Studio create resouece files for you - this is done for forms designer gernerated code
The second is to manually add resource files and access them code using GetString("strMessage") method
The problem I have in my mind is for desingner generated code I have to use first approch in which VS will create resource files by itself.
To localize my run time messages and mssage boxes I have to use the second approach which means I have to manually add resource files.
I will end up in two sets of resources files for each language. Can I not use just one method and have both form of strings localized in one place ?
Thanks,

Unfortunately you can't (easily) have your cake and eat it too. It's just how MSFT designed things. You can't add message strings to the code-behind ".resx" files generated by the VS forms designer since those ".resx" files will be re-generated by VS any time you make changes to them (overwriting your message strings). VS even warns you about this if you try to add your own resources to these files (using the ".resx" editor in VS). And the converse isn't true either, i.e., you can't add the code-behind ".resx" resources to your manually created ".resx" files (without enormous difficulties). The situation really isn't that bad though. It's been done for years this way and it works. While I would personally prefer a central repository for all resources, every system has its pros and cons. BTW, you should use "strongly typed" resources for your message strings and any other resources in your ".resx" files (the ones you manually add yourself). Don't use "GetString()" IOW (or whatever other function you might find). Strongly typed resources are much easier. Google for the details and after learning how to use them (not hard), also search for the Strongly Typed Resource Generator by Dmytro Kryvko (a very useful tool for VS that improves things even more).

There is nothing stopping you using a combination of both techniques. Go through step 1 to create all of the language resource files, and then add your own strings to those files.

Visual Studio - Tool to replace hard coded strings with resources

I have a big ASP.NET project full of hard coded strings, that now have to be extracted to resources. Such strings can be found almost anywhere (in .cs files, .aspx files, .ascx files, etc.) and the amount of files is huge. What I'm looking for is a tool (or any way) to find all these hard coded strings in one shot and put them all together in the resource file, instead of me going manually through each file. Does anything like this exist?
Note: I'm aware that it would have been better to put the strings in resources straight away when they were needed the first time, but this is a 2 years old project where nobody really cared (typical example of "not my problem" philosophy).
Thank you very much.
UPDATE: I tried CodeRush (I couldn't try RGreatEx for obvious reasons), and I'm having difficulties using it. The main issue is that the strings I'm looking for are located mainly in .aspx files, and strings in those files don't have the "Refactor to resource" command available.
For example, I can have elements like this:
<dxwgv:ASPxSummaryItem DisplayFormat="{0}" FieldName="TOTAL" ShowInColumn="Total" SummaryType="Sum" />
The part I need to change is ShowInColumn="Total" and make it like ShowInColumn="<%$ Resources:PortalResource, Total %>". This is not a string assignment in a strict way, but an attribute assignment, so the "Refactor!" command of CodeRush doesn't appear.
My target is to find all of them in one shot and change them in a specific interface (i.e. like a localization tool) instead of looking for them one by one and manually creating the corresponding resource. Refactoring one by one inside each file would be an improvement, but still very time consuming...

You could take a look at the resource refactoring tool at
http://www.codeplex.com/ResourceRefactoring
It's an instance-by-instance tool rather than a batch replacement tool. It's free and standalone so you don't need Resharper or Coderush.

Check out the new open source project VisualLocalizer on CodePlex: VisualLocalizer page. If you have some ideas, post them as issues - the project is under development and we welcome feedback.

VisualStudio lets you search and replace with RegEx. It won't be the "fix all in one shot" solution, but it should cut back on the amount manual work significantly.
Just a thought.

If you have a look at DevExpress' CodeRush it has the functionaility you are looking for, you may need to automate it to do it a all in one shot.
It has a great deal more too!
Kindness,
Dan

Try RGreatEx. This is a plugin for ReSharper:
RGreatEx is the most powerful localizer and coding helper for Visual Studio. Once installed, it lets you localize .NET applications and produce safer code, saving up to 95% of time the developer usually spends on doing the same by hand. Empower yourself with time-saving refactorings, such as "Move to resource" and "Rename resource". The plug-in will automatically analyze string and resource usage and suggest moving strings to resources.

Do you have ReSharper? Then you perhaps should wait for version 5.0. It will have RGreatEx (mentioned by Anton) functionality included. Read the thread from the R# forum on this topic.
Update: The feature will be in R# 5.0. See the official announcement.

I've just published new tool called Jinnee.Package for string refactor. You can find it on Visual Studio gallery:
http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/7ec5a225-dea4-47ae-8ebc-450d2980937f?SRC=Home

Are there any performance issues or caveats with resource (.resx) files? [closed]

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Resource files seem great for localization of labels and messages, but are they perfect?
For example:
Is there a better solution if there is a huge amount of resources? Like 100,000 strings in a .resx file? (Theoretically, I do not actually have this problem)
Is this a good method for storing the other types of data, such as images, icons, audio files, regular files, etc.?
Is it a best practice to store your .resx files in a stand-alone project for easier updates/compiling?
Are there any other issues that you have run into when using .resx files?

1. Is there a better solution if there is a huge amount of resources? Like 100,000 strings in a .resx file? (Theoretically, I do not actually have this problem)
I've used Alfresco as an alternative content repository on Java projects. RESX files, from a maintaince standpoint (because of encoding issues I guess) can really stink.
2. Is this a good method for storing the other types of data, such as images, icons, audio files, regular files, etc.?
I've seen it work with images...but that's it. (not sure with other media/files)
3. Is it a best practice to store your .resx files in a stand-alone project for easier updates/compiling?
I don't, but you can edit a resx file on a live site and then edit will go through, I believe. Certainly that's the way it works in development (except for the global resx, I think)
4. Are there any other issues that you have run into when using .resx files?
Besides being really annoying to maintain, and the fact that visual studio doesn't provide the neatest tools for working with them...no.

I recently used a .resx file with 5 million strings (normal length, like this sentence), compiled in different DLLS about 1 GB in size. It still works fine in an Azure web project.
The load time is unknown, maybe few seconds or so, since it always can heat up in stages, I never noticed it.

We have been using resource files on a relatively large .NET Windows Forms application (over 500 various forms, approximately 20 resource strings per form) and we've had no performance issues regarding resources from .resx files.
We have used Babylon.NET as a tool for managing translations (has a free version just for translators).
You did not specify if your project will be web or desktop application. One functionality that resource files offers for desktop applications is the ability to also localize control positions and size which IMHO is not possible using other tools (unless you are using something like DevExpress layout control which has automatic sizing).

Never seen any problems with resx resources, they are being cached perfectly. We have used them in WinForms, asp.net mvc, wpf, etc...
One thing you should do is use the Microsoft MAT (Multilingual App Toolkit) extension for Visual Studio.
You can control your translations, export them to send to translators (e.g. not the locked translations), import them again and verify them or comment on it, recycle existing translations (saving you a lot of time!)
and it works with the industry standard xlf format!
If you sign up with the Azure api you can even automatically translate resources (you have a few thousand words free of monthly credit on azure).
See: https://multilingualapptoolkit.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/1167898-microsoft-translator-moves-to-the-azure-portal
you can even see how much work already has been done in a project:
Oh and it comes with a handy editor which your translators can also use!
To get started:
install the MAT Visual Studio extension
Go to your project in Visual Studio
Click Properties --> open AssemblyInfo.cs
Add this attribute: [assembly: System.Resources.NeutralResourcesLanguage("en")]
Select your project in Solution Explorer and to in Visual Studio to [Tools] --> [Multilingual App Toolkit] --> [Enable selection]
This will add a new folder "MultilingualResources" to your project
Right mouse click your project --> [Multilingual App Toolkit] --> [Add translation languages…] --> select the language you want to translate (e.g. Dutch).
In the "MultilingualResources" folder you will see a new file "....nl.xlf", double click it, it will open with the Multilingual Editor. (if not right mouse click and change the default "Open With" to the multilingual editor)
Now you only add strings to your default Resources.resx file (the language should be same as the "NeutralResourcesLanguage" you added in AssemblyInfo.cs.
For the translations you DONT add strings to the ...nl.resx files, you work with the .xlf files, located in the MultiLingualResources folder.
(after you have done lots of translations, a rebuild might be needed so that the translated .xlf files update the translated .resx files)
Where to get it:
feedback: https://multilingualapptoolkit.uservoice.com/
visual studio extension: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MultilingualAppToolkit.MultilingualAppToolkit-18308
knowledge base: https://multilingualapptoolkit.uservoice.com/knowledgebase
github of Cameron (Microsoft) who manages this project: https://github.com/TheMATDude

I have had two problems with resource files, both about performance of the translators (people), rather than the speed of string lookup.
The sales staff at the oversee office
that did the translators could not
cope with editing XML or learning any
new tool.
So they just used Excel to edit the translations. Therefore, we might as well have stored the translated strings as a CVS file, so avoiding having to copy the translated strings into the resource files.
A new build needs to be done so as to
see the effect of any translations.
Once again if the translated strings were stored as a CSV file, we could have cached them in the ASP.NET cache. Then any changes to the translations would show up on the next page load.
So we could have used a custom implementation of the resource provider and keep to the standard ASP.NET resource lookup system. Or just ignore the standard resource lookup system if it does not help in your case – it depends on how your pages are written.
You may find at some point that you wish to be able to override strings for a single customer, if so you will need a multi-stage lookup system. Otherwise, you have to merge the customer’s custom strings with the translated string each time you ship a new version of the system.

For point#4.
I have been using .resx files for all strings on our site that must be localized into many languages and haven't had any major issues with them.
The one thing that you need to think about is if you want this text to be searchable. For some of the sites I work on there are some localized resources that need to be searchable so I must keep them in the database. However, when I have the choice I prefer the .resx file for similar reasons mentioned above.

I will simply add that you should look for custom implementations (or do you own) of the resource provider (provider model like the membership provider) to store your resources in a database. That's what we did for our CMS, and it's very useful.
When we first looked for an example back then we found Creating a Data Driven ASP.NET Localization Resource Provider and Editor.

Here is my take on resource files:
I would assume that if there is a LARGE amount of string, that using a database might be the best method to allow for searching and sorting of the data. It would probably not be too difficult to account for multiple languages in a resource table, and the speed should best fast.
I would think that this is a good method for storing static resources, or things that might be changed by a client. As for dynamic resources, it might be better to use a database, either alone, or in conjunction with the file system. I think in the new SQL Server there is a new type that is an optimal hybrid of using a database and the file system.
I read in another question (don't know which) that using resource files in an external project is a good practice, because you wouldn't have to recompile an entire project when resources change. Just recompile the resource project. This would also allow for (fairly) easy edits to be made by clients, where they would only need to "source code" for the resource project, and not your other real code (API code, etc.).
I have not used resource files enough to make any claims about their reliability, extensibility, or any potential issues that you might have when working with them.

I've been using resource files in a .net razor page app after dumping our previous proxy server that used a custom regular expression language to replace strings as they passed through the proxy.
We dumped the proxy method as it was more suited to large strings (paragraphs) and pretty awkward for all the dynamic fragments and stuff we had.
Had no problem at all and it's faster so far than the proxy server. I store all the target pages, comments, names, en and all other available languages in a DB..trivial to add a new column for a new language.
We have about 5k entries in multiple resx files so far
I then use a builder process to create all the resx files and place them in the correct local and global folders any time something is updated.
Dead easy to build a simple interface for translators to search for pages, languages, comments, names etc and update. We choose not to auto rebuild the resx files on a change but you could if you trust your translators ;)
We also allow translators to add new fragments/text to translate but as yet we've not had any bright ideas on how to include them automatically and have to manually substitute the string in the source file and recompile.
For editing resx files I've used zeta,
https://www.zeta-resource-editor.com/index.html
Which can open all your languages in one go and highlights differences in placeholders and also missing translations. You can edit all the languages on one row and save all the files in one go. We don't use it now as everything is in the DB but recommend it.

C# XML language file

I want to have my ASP C# application to be multi-language. I was planned to do this with a XML file. The thing is, i don't have any experience with this. I mean how, do i start? Is it a good idea to store the languages in an xml file? And how in the code do i set the values for ie my menu buttons? I'd like to work with XML because i never worked before with XML, i want to learn how to deal with cases like this.

You want to look into RESX resource files. These are XML files that can contain texts (and images) and they have standardized handling of localization/translations.
Support for this is built right into ASP.NET. There is a guide for how to use it and set it up at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/fw69ke6f(VS.80).aspx.
The walkthough is pretty detailed and should help you to understand the concepts. My preferred is method described a bit down in the document in the section "Explicit Localization with ASP.NET". Using this you will get a set of XML files with your texts and translations in a fully standardized format.

Do you know about the .Net From automatic translatation (based on .resx) resources ?

You're in luck, this sort of stuff is built directly into .Net
The way it's done is that for every page you have a language specific resx file.
eg
Homepage.aspx
Homepage.aspx.cs
Homepage.aspx.en.resx
Homepage.aspx.fr.resx
you simply dynamically figure out what resource file to use, and all the appropriate labels come through in French for example.
Helpful Tutorials and Videos
A Simple Example
Good luck.

If internationalization in .net is something you want to get into seriously, you might want to consider this
(and no - I have no stake in it)