Calling a text message from an XML file
I am currently developing software that uses a layered architecture using Visual Studio 2008 and C #. On this system, I want to save all text messages (to be shown using message boxes when needed) in an XML file so that if I update any message I don't have to collect the whole system. How can i do this? What will be the structure of the XML file? How will the calls be called from C # code? Please describe and give an example. Thanks.
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The best choice for your scenario might be the Resource Satellite DLL. It is a separate DLL that contains a set of resources that are dynamically loaded into your application. This is how many different apps do localization. And most importantly, there are many tools that support this type of functionality.
Changing messages is simply due to a change in this DLL. This leads to compilation, but only to resources, not to the system.
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I would create a class that uses .NET DataSet and DataTable to store IDs and messages (and whatever else you need).
This way, the class can use DataSet.WriteXML () and DataSet.ReadXML () to save / load from whatever filename you specify, and you don’t have to worry about "manual development" of the XML format yourself.
It sounded like a convenience class, so I wrote it as a "proof of concept":
'*************************************************************************
' Class: MsgFile
' Author: Ron Savage
' Date: 05/14/2009
'
' This class is an example for using an XML file to hold messages to be
' displayed by an application.
'
' Modification History
' Date Init Comment
' 05/14/2009 RS Created.
'*************************************************************************
Imports Microsoft.VisualBasic
Imports System.IO
Public Class MsgFile
'*************************************************************************
' Class Variables
'*************************************************************************
Private MsgFile As String
Private msgData As DataSet
Private msgTable As DataTable
'*************************************************************************
' Sub: New()
' Author: Ron Savage
' Date: 05/14/2009
'
' Creates a new MsgFile from an existing file, or creates an empty one
' with the specified file name.
'*************************************************************************
Sub New(ByVal msg_File As String)
Dim srcFile As New FileInfo(msg_File)
If (srcFile.Exists()) Then
msgData = New DataSet()
Load(msg_File)
Else
NewFile(msg_File)
End If
End Sub
'*************************************************************************
' Sub: NewFile()
' Author: Ron Savage
' Date: 05/14/2009
'
' Creates a new XML message file.
'*************************************************************************
Sub NewFile(ByVal msg_File As String)
Me.MsgFile = msg_File
If (IsNothing(msgData)) Then
msgData = New DataSet("MyAppMessages")
msgTable = New DataTable("Messages")
msgTable.Columns.Add(New DataColumn("Id", GetType(System.Int32), Nothing, MappingType.Attribute))
msgTable.Columns.Add(New DataColumn("Text", GetType(System.String), Nothing, MappingType.Attribute))
msgData.Tables.Add(msgTable)
setMessage(0, "New file created")
End If
Save()
End Sub
'*************************************************************************
' Sub: Load()
' Author: Ron Savage
' Date: 05/14/2009
'
' Loads an existing XML message file into the dataset.
'*************************************************************************
Public Sub Load(ByVal msgFileName As String)
Dim srcFile As FileInfo = Nothing
Me.MsgFile = msgFileName
srcFile = New FileInfo(msgFileName)
msgData.Clear()
If (srcFile.Exists()) Then
msgData.ReadXml(msgFileName)
msgTable = msgData.Tables("Messages")
End If
End Sub
'*************************************************************************
' Sub: Save()
' Author: Ron Savage
' Date: 10/05/2008
'
' This routine saves the DataSet to an XML file.
'*************************************************************************
Public Overridable Sub Save()
If (Not IsNothing(msgData) And Not MsgFile.Equals("")) Then
Dim fileWriter As StreamWriter = New StreamWriter(MsgFile)
msgData.WriteXml(fileWriter)
fileWriter.Close()
End If
End Sub
'*************************************************************************
' Sub: getMessage()
' Author: Ron Savage
' Date: 05/14/2009
'
' This gets the text of the message.
'*************************************************************************
Public Function getMessage(ByVal msgId As String) As String
Dim rowsFound() As System.Data.DataRow
Dim msgText As String = ""
If (Not IsNothing(msgTable)) Then
rowsFound = msgTable.Select("Id = " + msgId.ToString)
If (rowsFound.Length > 0) Then
msgText = rowsFound(0).Item("Text").ToString
End If
End If
Return (msgText)
End Function
'*************************************************************************
' Sub: setMessage()
' Author: Ron Savage
' Date: 05/14/2009
'
' This sets the text of the message.
'*************************************************************************
Public Sub setMessage(ByVal msgId As Integer, ByVal msgText As String)
Dim rowsFound() As System.Data.DataRow
Dim msgRow As System.Data.DataRow
If (Not IsNothing(msgTable)) Then
rowsFound = msgTable.Select("Id = " + msgId.ToString)
If (rowsFound.Length > 0) Then
msgRow = rowsFound(0)
msgRow.Item("Id") = msgId
msgRow.Item("Text") = msgText
Else
msgRow = msgTable.NewRow()
msgRow.Item("Id") = msgId
msgRow.Item("Text") = msgText
msgTable.Rows.Add(msgRow)
End If
End If
Save()
End Sub
End Class
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You might want to add your own section to the app.config file to store your messages. However, this will require updating the app.config file whenever the message changes.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.configuration.configurationsection.aspx
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