ASP.NET meta:resourcekey

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The meta:resourcekey syntax allows you use declarative syntax for Implicit Resource expressions. This is used when localizing a site for international use. As the Quickstarts (linked below) explain, these kind of expressions are linked to .resx files located in the App_LocalResources folder.

The benefit of this kind of expression is that it can use multiple properties for a single control which are defined in the .resx file instead of the ASPX itself.

For instance, take the label below:

<asp:Label ID="myLabel" runat="server" Text="This text is localizable" meta:resourcekey="myLabelResource1">
</asp:Label>

The resx file for this page could contain data for multiple properties attached to the label such as:

  <data name="myLabelResource1.Font-Name">
    <value xml:space="preserve">Default Font name</value>
  </data>
  <data name="myLabelResource1.Text">
    <value xml:space="preserve">Text in default language.</value>
  </data>
  <data name="myLabelResource1.ToolTip">
    <value>Tooltip in default language.</value>
  </data>

The ASP.NET quickstarts provide a great primer if you want to understand the concept.

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