Extract String to Resource

• Aug 03, 2020
• 2 minutes to read

Purpose

This Refactoring is used to create resource entities from string literals. The best programming practices require each string literal to be declared in a resources file. This approach makes software localization much easier.

Availability

Available when the caret is on a string literal.

Usage

1. Place the caret on a string literal.

   Note

   The blinking cursor shows the caret’s position at which the Refactoring is available.

   C#

   static void Main(string[] args) {
       string helloWorld = │"Hello World!";
       Console.Write(helloWorld);
       Console.ReadKey();
   }
   

   VB.NET

   Sub Main()
       Dim helloWorld As String = "Hello World!"
       Console.Write(helloWorld)
       Console.ReadKey()
   End Sub
   

2. Press the Ctrl + . or Ctrl + ~ shortcut to invoke the Code Actions menu.
3. Select Extract String to Resource from the menu.
4. If the submenu expands, select the target RESX file or create a new one using the (Create new resource file) item.
5. Enter the name for the new resource and press Enter.

After execution, the Refactoring creates a new entity in the selected resource file or creates a new resource file and adds the selected string to it. After that, it replaces the string literal with the resource link and creates a Text Field on the resource name.

C#

static void Main(string[] args) {
    string helloWorld = Properties.Resources.HelloWorld;
    Console.Write(helloWorld);
    Console.ReadKey();
}

VB.NET

Sub Main()
    Dim helloWorld As String = Resources1.HelloWorld
    Console.Write(helloWorld)
    Console.ReadKey()
End Sub

In the example above you can also use the Remove Type Qualifier refactoring (C# only) and then Inline Temp on a helloWorld variable to make your code shorter.

C#

using CRRDemo.Properties;
//...

static void Main(string[] args) {
    Console.Write(Resources.HelloWorld);
    Console.ReadKey();
}

VB.NET

Sub Main()
    Console.Write(Resources1.HelloWorld)
    Console.ReadKey()
End Sub

Note

The Extract String to Resource (replace all) menu item extracts all string literals within the current method or accessor.