Generated members

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For each .resx file, the generator writes two classes in the same namespace: the resource class, named after the file (Sample for Sample.resx), and the names class (SampleNames). The localized files of a resource (Sample.fr.resx, Sample.fr-CA.resx...) are grouped with the neutral one: they share the classes.

One member per resource

Resource	Generated members
A string	A `static string?` property that returns the string for the current culture.
A string with placeholders (`{0}`, `{1:N2}`...)	The property, and two `Format<Name>` methods: one with the arguments, one with a `CultureInfo? provider` first.
A file (`ResXFileRef`)	A property of the type of the file: `string?` for a text file, `byte[]?` for a binary file, or the declared type.
Another typed value	A property of the declared type, read with `GetObject`.

The names of the resources are converted to C# identifiers: invalid characters are replaced by _ (Error.Title gives Error_Title), and a name that starts with a digit gets a _ prefix. When two resources would get the same member name, or a member name used by the class, the later ones get a number suffix (Name1...). A resource whose type cannot be determined gets no property.

The Format methods take one argument per placeholder, up to the highest index: Hello {0}, {2} has three arguments. They are named arg0, arg1... and typed object?, unless the .resx file describes them. The version with provider uses that culture both to look up the string and to format the arguments:

var french = CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo("fr");

// Resource1.resx and Resource1.fr.resx
Assert.Equal("valeur", Resource1.GetString(french, "Sample"));
Assert.Equal("Bonjour le monde!", Resource1.FormatHello(french, "le monde"));

Files referenced by the .resx file get a property of their type, read from the embedded resource:

// Resources\Image1.png;System.Byte[]
byte[]? image = Resource1.Image1;
Assert.Equal([0x89, 0x50, 0x4E, 0x47], image!.AsSpan()[..4]);

// Resources\TextFile1.txt;System.String
string? text = Resource1.TextFile1;
Assert.Equal("test", text);

Members of the resource class

Member	Description
`ResourceManager`	The `ResourceManager` that reads the resources of the file, created on first use.
`Culture`	A `CultureInfo?` that replaces the current UI culture for every lookup of this class, when it is set.
`GetString(name)`, `GetString(culture, name)`	The string of a resource, or `null` when it does not exist.
`GetString(name, defaultValue)`	The string, or `defaultValue` when the resource does not exist.
`GetString(name, params args)`, `GetString(culture, name, params args)`	The string formatted with the arguments.
`GetStringWithDefault(...)`	The same, with a default value and arguments.
`GetObject(...)`	The object of a resource, with an optional culture and default value.
`GetStream(name)`, `GetStream(culture, name)`	The content of a resource as a `Stream`.

These methods are useful when the name of the resource is only known at run time:

Assert.Equal("Hello {0}!", Sample.GetString("Hello"));

// Unknown resources
Assert.Null(Sample.GetString("Unknown"));
Assert.Equal("Default value", Sample.GetString("Unknown", defaultValue: "Default value"));

When a culture is null, the Culture property is used, then the current UI culture.

The names class

The names class has a const string field per resource, whose value is the name of the resource. Use it instead of a string literal when you pass a name to GetString, to an attribute or to another API:

Assert.Equal("Hello", SampleNames.Hello);
Assert.Equal("Hello {0}!", Sample.GetString(SampleNames.Hello));

Each class can be disabled for a file: see Configuration.

Documentation comments

The string properties and the Format methods have a <summary> that contains the name of the resource and its value, so the IDE shows the text when you hover a member.