WinUI3Localizer 1.0.1

🌏WinUI3Localizer

WinUI3Localizer is a NuGet package that helps you localize your WinUI 3 app.

• Switch languages without app restarting
• You/users can edit localized strings even after deployment
• You/users can add new languages even after deployment
• Use standard Resources.resw (see Microsoft docs)

🙌 Quick Start

Note: This is a quick start guide. Check the sample app for details.

Install WinUI3Localizer

Install WinUI3Localizer from the NuGet Package Manager.

Create localized strings

Create a "Strings" folder in your app project and populate it with your string resources files for each language you need. For example, this is a basic structure for English (en-US), es-ES (Spanish) and Japanese (ja) resources files.

• Strings
  • en-US
    • Resources.resw
  • es-ES
    • Resources.resw
  • ja
    • Resources.resw

Add this ItemGroup in the project file (*.csproj) of your app.

<ItemGroup>
  <Content Include="Strings\**\*.resw">
    <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
  </Content>
</ItemGroup>

Note: The "Strings" folder can be anywhere as long the app can access it. Usually, aside the app executable for non-packaged apps, or in the "LocalFolder" for packaged-apps.

Build WinUI3Localizer

• Non-packaged apps:

  In App.xaml.cs, build WinUI3Localizer like this:

  private async Task InitializeLocalizer()
  {
      // Initialize a "Strings" folder in the executables folder.
      StringsFolderPath = Path.Combine(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory(), "Strings");
      StorageFolder stringsFolder = await StorageFolder.GetFolderFromPathAsync(StringsFolderPath);
  
      ILocalizer localizer = await new LocalizerBuilder()
          .AddStringResourcesFolderForLanguageDictionaries(StringsFolderPath)
          .SetOptions(options =>
          {
              options.DefaultLanguage = "en-US";
              options.UseUidWhenLocalizedStringNotFound = true;
          })
          .Build();
  }
  

• Packaged apps:

  In App.xaml.cs, build WinUI3Localizer like this:

  private async Task InitializeLocalizer()
  {
  
      // Initialize a "Strings" folder in the "LocalFolder" for the packaged app.
      StorageFolder localFolder = ApplicationData.Current.LocalFolder;
      StorageFolder stringsFolder = await localFolder.CreateFolderAsync(
        "Strings",
         CreationCollisionOption.OpenIfExists);
  
      // Create string resources file from app resources if doesn't exists.
      string resourceFileName = "Resources.resw";
      await CreateStringResourceFileIfNotExists(stringsFolder, "en-US", resourceFileName);
      await CreateStringResourceFileIfNotExists(stringsFolder, "es-ES", resourceFileName);
      await CreateStringResourceFileIfNotExists(stringsFolder, "ja", resourceFileName);
  
      ILocalizer localizer = await new LocalizerBuilder()
          .AddStringResourcesFolderForLanguageDictionaries(stringsFolder.Path)
          .SetOptions(options =>
          {
              options.DefaultLanguage = "en-US";
              options.UseUidWhenLocalizedStringNotFound = true;
          })
          .Build();
  }
  
  private static async Task CreateStringResourceFileIfNotExists(StorageFolder stringsFolder, string language, string resourceFileName)
  {
      StorageFolder languageFolder = await stringsFolder.CreateFolderAsync(
          language,
          CreationCollisionOption.OpenIfExists);
  
      if (await languageFolder.TryGetItemAsync(resourceFileName) is null)
      {
          string resourceFilePath = Path.Combine(stringsFolder.Name, language, resourceFileName);
          StorageFile resourceFile = await LoadStringResourcesFileFromAppResource(resourceFilePath);
          _ = await resourceFile.CopyAsync(languageFolder);
      }
  }
  
  private static async Task<StorageFile> LoadStringResourcesFileFromAppResource(string filePath)
  {
      Uri resourcesFileUri = new($"ms-appx:///{filePath}");
      return await StorageFile.GetFileFromApplicationUriAsync(resourcesFileUri);
  }
  

Localizing controls

This is an example of how to localize the Content of a Button.

First, we need to asign an Uid to the Button.

<Page
    x:Class="WinUI3Localizer.SampleApp.TestPage"
    ...
    xmlns:l="using:WinUI3Localizer">
    <StackPanel>
        <Button l:Uids.Uid="TestPage_Button" />
    </StackPanel>
</Page>

Then in each language resources file, we need to add an item that corresponds to the Uid.

• en-US

  • Resources.resw

    Name	Value
    TestPageButton.Content	Awesome!

• es-ES:

  • Resources.resw

    Name	Value
    TestPageButton.Content	¡Increíble!

• ja:

  • Resources.resw

    Name	Value
    TestPageButton.Content	素晴らしい！

Getting localized strings

If we need to localize strings in code-behind or in ViewModels, we can use the GetLocalizedString() method.

List<string> colors = new()
{
    "Red",
    "Green",
    "Blue",
};

ILocalizer localizer = Localizer.Get();
List<string> localizedColors = colors
    .Select(x => localizer.GetLocalizedString(x))
    .ToList();

In this case, we just use the Uid as Name.

• en-US

  • Resources.resw

    Name	Value
    Red	Red
    Green	Green
    Blue	Blue

• es-ES:

  • Resources.resw

    Name	Value
    Red	Rojo
    Green	Verde
    Blue	Azul

• ja:

  • Resources.resw

    Name	Value
    Red	赤
    Green	緑
    Blue	青