Localization in .NET MAUI

Introduction

In this article, we will see how we can implement Localisation in the .NET MAUI project.

.NET MAUI, a cross-platform framework, empowers developers to build native mobile and desktop applications using C# and XAML. It enables the creation of apps that seamlessly operate on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, all from a unified codebase. This open-source platform is an advancement of Xamarin Forms, expanding its reach to desktop scenarios while enhancing UI controls for improved performance and extensibility.

Localization in .NET MAUI

Advantages of Localisation

Localization improves user experience by providing content and language that is culturally relevant and easily understandable to users in different regions, increasing engagement and satisfaction.
It expands market reach by making products or services accessible to a global audience, tapping into new markets, and driving business growth.
Localization helps build trust and credibility with international customers by demonstrating a commitment to their specific needs and preferences, fostering stronger relationships and customer loyalty.

Quick Links

Project Setup
Implementation
Demo
Full Code
Download Code

Project Setup

Launch Visual Studio 2022, and in the start window, click Create a new project to create a new project.
In the Create a new project window, select MAUI in the All project types drop-down, select the .NET MAUI App template, and click the Next button:
In the Configure your new project window, name your project, choose a suitable location for it, and click the Next button:
In the Additional information window, click the Create button:
Once the project is created, we can see the Android, iOS, Windows, and other running options in the toolbar. Press the emulator or run button to build and run the app

Screen Design

First, we need to implement the screen design as per our requirements. This tutorial will use 3 controls- 2 labels and a button like in the following code block.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             xmlns:resource="clr-namespace:MauiLocalization"
             x:Class="MauiLocalization.MainPage">

    <ScrollView>
        <VerticalStackLayout
            Spacing="25"
            Padding="30,0"
            VerticalOptions="Center">

            <Image
                Source="dotnet_bot.png"
                SemanticProperties.Description="Cute dot net bot waving hi to you!"
                HeightRequest="200"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

            <Label
                Text="{x:Static resource:LangResources.Helloworld}"
                SemanticProperties.HeadingLevel="Level1"
                FontSize="32"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

            <Label
                Text="{x:Static resource:LangResources.WelcomeNote}"
                SemanticProperties.HeadingLevel="Level2"
                SemanticProperties.Description="Welcome to dot net Multi platform App U I"
                FontSize="18"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

            <Button
                x:Name="CounterBtn"
                Text="Change to Tamil"
                SemanticProperties.Hint="Counts the number of times you click"
                Clicked="OnCounterClicked"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

        </VerticalStackLayout>
    </ScrollView>

</ContentPage>

Create RESX file

This step will show the steps to create a RESX file.

In the Solution Explorer, right-click on the project or folder where you want to add the RESX file.
Select "Add" from the context menu and then choose "New Item" or "New Folder" if you want to organize your resources in a separate folder.
In the "Add New Item" dialog box, search for "Resource File" or navigate to "General" -> "Text File" and name the file with the .resx extension.
Click the "Add" button to create the resource file.
We created two resources file. One is the default, and the other is prefixed with the language code.
1. LangResources.resx
2. LangResources.ta.resx (Contains the resource equivalent in Tamil)

RESX Files in XAML

To utilize your resources, you must first import the XML namespace associated with them.
```
xmlns:resource="clr-namespace:MauiLocalization"
```
Then, you can access your strings by using the [x: Static](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/xamarin-forms/xaml/xaml-basics/xaml-markup-extensions#the-xstatic-markup-extension) markup extension, treating them as properties.
```
Text="{x:Static resource:LangResources.Helloworld}"
```

Language Update

Add a click event to the button to change language based on the language code of the resource file.

private void OnCounterClicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
	if (CounterBtn.Text.Contains("Tamil"))
	{
		LangResources.Culture = new CultureInfo("ta");
		CounterBtn.Text = "Change to English";
	}
	else
	{
		LangResources.Culture = CultureInfo.InvariantCulture;
		CounterBtn.Text = "Change to Tamil";
	}
	App.Current.MainPage = new MainPage();
}

Here, "App.Current.MainPage = new MainPage();" is used to refresh page once the language changed

Then, we will add the below block in the page constructor to retain the language change once the button is clicked and the page is refreshed.

if (LangResources.Culture != null && LangResources.Culture.TwoLetterISOLanguageName.Contains("ta"))
{
	CounterBtn.Text = "Change to English";
}
else
{
	CounterBtn.Text = "Change to Tamil";
}

Full Code

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             xmlns:resource="clr-namespace:MauiLocalization"
             x:Class="MauiLocalization.MainPage">

    <ScrollView>
        <VerticalStackLayout
            Spacing="25"
            Padding="30,0"
            VerticalOptions="Center">

            <Image
                Source="dotnet_bot.png"
                SemanticProperties.Description="Cute dot net bot waving hi to you!"
                HeightRequest="200"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

            <Label
                Text="{x:Static resource:LangResources.Helloworld}"
                SemanticProperties.HeadingLevel="Level1"
                FontSize="32"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

            <Label
                Text="{x:Static resource:LangResources.WelcomeNote}"
                SemanticProperties.HeadingLevel="Level2"
                SemanticProperties.Description="Welcome to dot net Multi platform App U I"
                FontSize="18"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

            <Button
                x:Name="CounterBtn"
                Text="Change to Tamil"
                SemanticProperties.Hint="Counts the number of times you click"
                Clicked="OnCounterClicked"
                HorizontalOptions="Center" />

        </VerticalStackLayout>
    </ScrollView>

</ContentPage>

using System.Globalization;
namespace MauiLocalization;

public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    int count = 0;
    public MainPage()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        if (LangResources.Culture != null && LangResources.Culture.TwoLetterISOLanguageName.Contains("ta"))
        {
            CounterBtn.Text = "Change to English";
        }
        else
        {
            CounterBtn.Text = "Change to Tamil";
        }
    }

    private void OnCounterClicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        if (CounterBtn.Text.Contains("Tamil"))
        {
            LangResources.Culture = new CultureInfo("ta");
            CounterBtn.Text = "Change to English";
        }
        else
        {
            LangResources.Culture = CultureInfo.InvariantCulture;
            CounterBtn.Text = "Change to Tamil";
        }
        App.Current.MainPage = new MainPage();
    }
}

Download Code

You can download the code from GitHub. If you have any doubts, feel free to post a comment. If you liked this article and it is useful to you, do like, share the article & star the repository on GitHub.

References

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/extensions/resources