resx-generator/README.md

RESX Designer Auto-Generator

A VS Code extension that automatically regenerates Designer.cs files when RESX resource files are saved.

Features

• Automatic Regeneration: Watches for changes to .resx files and automatically regenerates corresponding Designer.cs files
• Smart Detection: Automatically finds ResGen.exe on your system across different .NET SDK and Visual Studio installations
• Debounced Updates: Prevents excessive regeneration during rapid file changes
• Status Updates: Shows progress in the status bar with visual indicators
• Configurable: Customizable settings for different project needs
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux (where .NET SDK is available)

Requirements

• .NET SDK or Visual Studio installed (for ResGen.exe)
• VS Code 1.101.0 or higher

Quick Start

1. Install the extension
2. Open a workspace containing .resx files
3. Edit and save a .resx file
4. Watch as the Designer.cs file is automatically regenerated!

Configuration

The extension can be configured through VS Code settings:

resxDesignerAutoGenerator.enabled

• Type: boolean
• Default: true
• Description: Enable/disable automatic regeneration

resxDesignerAutoGenerator.showNotifications

• Type: boolean
• Default: true
• Description: Show success/error notifications

resxDesignerAutoGenerator.debounceDelay

• Type: number
• Default: 2000
• Range: 500-10000
• Description: Delay in milliseconds before regenerating after a file change

resxDesignerAutoGenerator.resGenPaths

• Type: array
• Default: []
• Description: Custom paths to ResGen.exe (auto-detected if empty)

resxDesignerAutoGenerator.watchPatterns

• Type: array
• Default: ["**/*.resx"]
• Description: Glob patterns for watching .resx files

Commands

RESX Designer: Regenerate Designer.cs

Manually regenerate the Designer.cs file for a selected .resx file. Available in:

• Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
• Explorer context menu (right-click on .resx files)

RESX Designer: Show Output

Show the extension's output channel for debugging and monitoring.

RESX Designer: Reload Configuration

Reload the extension configuration and restart file watchers.

How It Works

1. File Watching: The extension monitors .resx files in your workspace using VS Code's FileSystemWatcher API
2. Debouncing: When a .resx file changes, the extension waits for the configured delay to avoid rapid-fire regenerations
3. ResGen Detection: Automatically finds ResGen.exe in common locations:
   • .NET Framework SDK locations
   • Visual Studio installations (2019, 2022)
   • System PATH
4. Namespace Detection: Analyzes your project structure to determine the correct namespace for generated classes
5. Code Generation: Executes ResGen.exe with the appropriate parameters to generate strongly-typed Designer.cs files
6. Cleanup: Removes temporary .resources files that ResGen creates

Supported File Patterns

By default, the extension watches for files matching:

• **/*.resx - All .resx files in the workspace

You can customize this in the settings to watch specific folders or file patterns.

Troubleshooting

ResGen.exe Not Found

If you see this error, try:

1. Install the .NET SDK from https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download
2. Install Visual Studio with .NET development workload
3. Manually specify the path in resxDesignerAutoGenerator.resGenPaths setting

Designer.cs Not Generated

1. Check the Output panel (View → Output → RESX Designer Auto-Generator)
2. Ensure the .resx file is valid XML
3. Verify write permissions in the project directory
4. Try the manual regenerate command

Performance Issues

1. Adjust the debounceDelay setting to a higher value
2. Use more specific watchPatterns to exclude unnecessary files
3. Add large folders to VS Code's files.watcherExclude setting

Example Configuration

{
  "resxDesignerAutoGenerator.enabled": true,
  "resxDesignerAutoGenerator.showNotifications": false,
  "resxDesignerAutoGenerator.debounceDelay": 3000,
  "resxDesignerAutoGenerator.watchPatterns": [
    "**/Resources/**/*.resx",
    "**/Properties/**/*.resx"
  ]
}

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "RESX Designer Auto-Generator"
4. Click Install

From VSIX File

1. Download the .vsix file
2. Open VS Code
3. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
4. Type "Extensions: Install from VSIX"
5. Select the downloaded .vsix file

Development

To contribute or modify this extension:

git clone <repository-url>
cd resx-designer-auto-generator
npm install
code .

Press F5 to launch a new VS Code window with the extension loaded for testing.

License

This extension is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Report issues on GitHub Issues
• Feature requests welcome!

Changelog

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Automatic .resx file watching
• Designer.cs regeneration
• Configurable settings
• Status bar integration
• Command palette integration