# Resources

Resources are `.resx` files with string values that we use for error messages and such.
They live in `src\<project>\resources` folders.

At the moment `dotnet cli` doesn't support generating C# bindings (strongly typed resource files).

We are using our own `Start-ResGen` to generate them.

Usually it's called as part of the regular build with

```
PS C:\> Start-PSBuild -ResGen
```

If you see compilation errors related to resources, try to call `Start-ResGen` explicitly.

```
PS C:\> Start-ResGen
```

## Editing resx files

**Don't edit** resx files from Visual Studio. 
It will try to create `.cs` files for you and you will get whole bunch of hard-to-understand errors.

To edit resource file, use any **plain text editor**. 
Resource file is a simple xml, and it's easy to edit.


## Convert txt resource files into resx

`dotnet cli` doesn't support embeeding old-fashioned txt resource.
You can do a one-time convertion of `.txt` resources into `.resx` files with a helper function

```
# example, converting all .txt resources under src\Microsoft.WSMan.Management\resources
PS C:\> Convert-TxtResourceToXml -Path src\Microsoft.WSMan.Management\resources
```

`.resx` files would be placed next to `.txt` files.