Introduction
Asp.net is a very interesting technology and its capability to support multiple languages makes us (developers) stand in the international world. Does it mean every asp.net application support multiple languages? Answer is no. We have to make it and for that we have to understand couple of terminologies and guidelines. In this article we will look in detail how to create a multi-lingual and multi-cultural applications using Asp.net.
Who is Audience?
If you have great experience in developing multi lingual Asp.Net application then you may find this article quite boring because lots of things you are about to read will be already known to you. But if you are developer who wants to learn to create web sites using Asp.Net targeting multiple cultures and languages or want to revise whatever you know, you are right place.
Why multi-lingual or multi-cultural?
In current IT world there is a huge competition when it comes to software sale. Customer need more than a system to run their business. While walking on the road when we come across a banner written in our native culture our facial expression changes, we feel happy. Everyone likes to see their native culture, it’s a normal human nature. Same rule even applies to even software applications. People are demanding applications in their native languages and culture.
Agenda
Globalization vs. Localization
How to make the application Globalized application.
How to make the application localized application.
Culture vs. UI Culture
How to explicitly set culture of a page or application.
How to manage user input data in globalized applications.
What is Sql Server collation?
How to deal with collation.
Collation and TempDb.
What is the difference between varchar and nvarchar
How to localize JavaScript messages in Asp.Net?
Globalization vs. Localization
As I have said earlier, everyone wants to see the application in their native language. To achieve this goal one thing we can do is, create multiple versions of same page (one page representing one language or culture) and as per user request show him/her the respective page. This is not the feasible solution as it violates the Object oriented principle DRY (Don’t repeat yourself). That means we have to create an application in such a way that it should be able to adapt to multiple cultures and languages. This process of designing and developing such application is called Globalization.
Now once such application is developed, some inputs will be added to every UI. For instance input means, telling system meaning of every word in every other language (system need to be displayed) so that it can be brought to local level. This process where globalized application is customized for a given culture is called Localization
How to make the application Globalized application.
In order to make the application a globalized application first step would be to identify those sections or parts of the application which do not allow the application to be a globalized application. And for that purpose first we need an application, so let’s create it.
Output
It’s a simple Login UI with 2 textboxes, labels and a button.
At the top section current date is shown in dd/mm/yyyy format.
