Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
The APIs of the IResourceManager interface
provide localization support for Flex applications.
There are three main concepts involved in localization:
locales, resources, and resource bundles.
A locale specifies a language and a country
for which your application has been localized.
For example, the locale "en_US"
specifies English as spoken in the United States.
(See the mx.resources.Locale class for more information.)
A resource is a named value that is locale-dependent.
For example, your application might have a resource
whose name is "OPEN"
and whose value for an English locale is "Open"
but whose value for a French locale is "Ouvrir"
.
A resource bundle is a named group of resources
whose values have been localized for a particular locale.
A resource bundle is identified by the combination of its
bundleName
and its locale
,
and has a content
object that contains
the name-value pairs for the bundle's resources.
See the documentation for mx.resources.IResourceBundle
for information about how you typically create resource
bundles from properties files.
A single ResourceManager object implementing the IResourceManager
interface manages multiple resource bundles, possibly for multiple
locales, and provides access to the resources that they contain.
For example, you can retrieve a specific resource as a String by calling
resourceManager.getString(bundleName, resourceName)
.
All classes that extend UIComponent, Formatter, or Validator
have a resourceManager
property
that provides a reference to the object implementing this interface.
Other classes can call ResourceManager.getInstance()
to obtain this object.
Resource retrieval methods such as getString()
search for resources in the locales specified
by the localeChain
property.
By changing this property, you can make your application
suddenly use, for example, Japanese rather than English resources.
When your application starts, the ResourceManager is automatically
populated with whatever resource bundles were compiled
into the application.
If you create a code module, by default the resources that its classes
need are compiled into the module.
When the module is loaded into an application, any bundles that the
application does not already have are added to the ResourceManager.
You can compile "resource modules" which have only resources in them,
and load them with the loadResourceModule()
method
of IResourceManager.
With resource modules, you can support multiple locales by loading
the resources you need at run time rather than compiling them into
your application.
Although the ResourceManager is normally populated with resource bundles
that were compiled into your application or loaded from modules,
you can also programmatically create resource bundles and add them
to the ResourceManager yourself with the addResourceBundle()
method.
localeChain:Array
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
An Array of locale Strings, such as [ "en_US" ]
,
which specifies one or more locales to be searched for resources.
When you call the ResourceManager methods getObject()
,
getString()
, getStringArray()
,
getNumber()
, getInt()
,
getUint()
, getBoolean()
, or
getClass()
to get the value of a resource,
you specify a bundle name and a resource name,
but not a locale.
The ResourceManager starts with the first locale in the
localeChain
and looks for a ResourceBundle
with the specified bundle name for that locale.
If such a ResourceBundle exists, and the specified resource
exists in it, then the value of that resource is returned.
Otherwise, the ResourceManager proceeds on to the other
locales in the localeChain
.
This scheme makes it possible to have locales that do not
necessarily contain a complete set of localized resources.
For example, if you are localizing your application for
Indian English rather than U.S. English, you need only
supply resources for the en_IN
locale in which the
Indian spelling or usage differs from that in the U.S.,
and then set the localeChain
property
to [ "en_IN", "en_US" ]
.
Many framework classes assume that they can always
obtain, from some locale, the resources that they expect,
and they will throw errors if they cannot do so.
Therefore, you must ensure that the localeChain
always contains a complete set of resources.
Unless you have done a complete localization of all the
framework's resources as well as your own application's
resources, you can keep the "en_US"
locale
at the end of your localeChain
to ensure this.
Setting this property causes the ResourceManager to dispatch
a "change"
Event.
Implementation public function get localeChain():Array
public function set localeChain(value:Array):void
public function addResourceBundle(resourceBundle:IResourceBundle):void
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Adds the specified ResourceBundle to the ResourceManager
so that its resources can be accessed by ResourceManager
methods such as getString()
.
Parameters
public function findResourceBundleWithResource(bundleName:String, resourceName:String):IResourceBundle
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Searches the locales in the localeChain
for the specified resource and returns
the first resource bundle in which it is found.
If the resource isn't found, this method returns null
.
Parameters
| bundleName:String — A bundle name such as "MyResources" .
|
|
| resourceName:String — The name of a resource in the resource bundle.
|
Returns | IResourceBundle — The first ResourceBundle in the localeChain
that contains the specified resource, or null .
|
public function getBoolean(bundleName:String, resourceName:String, locale:String = null):Boolean
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Gets the value of a specified resource as a Boolean.
This method first calls getString()
and converts the result to lowercase.
It then returns true
if the result was "true"
.
and false
otherwise.
If the specified resource is not found,
this method returns false
.
Parameters
| bundleName:String — The name of a resource bundle.
|
|
| resourceName:String — The name of a resource in the resource bundle.
|
|
| locale:String (default = null ) — A specific locale to be used for the lookup,
or null to search all locales
in the localeChain .
This parameter is optional and defaults to null ;
you should seldom need to specify it.
|
Returns | Boolean — The resource value, as a Boolean,
or false if it is not found.
|
public function getBundleNamesForLocale(locale:String):Array
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Returns an Array of Strings specifying the bundle names
for all ResourceBundle objects that exist in the ResourceManager
and that belong to the specified locale.
The order of bundle names in this Array is not specified.
Parameters
| locale:String — A locale string such as "en_US" .
|
Returns | Array — An Array of bundle names.
|
See also
public function getClass(bundleName:String, resourceName:String, locale:String = null):Class
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Gets the value of a specified resource as a Class.
This method calls getObject()
and coerces it to type Class using the as
operator.
The result will be null
if the resource value
was not a class reference.
It is useful if you have written a lines such as
IMAGE=Embed("image.jpg")
BUTTON_SKIN=ClassReference("skins.ButtonSkin_en_US")
in a properties file and want to obtain
the Class that the Embed()
or ClassReference()
directive produced.
If the specified resource is not found,
this method returns null
.
Parameters
| bundleName:String — The name of a resource bundle.
|
|
| resourceName:String — The name of a resource in the resource bundle.
|
|
| locale:String (default = null ) — A specific locale to be used for the lookup,
or null to search all locales
in the localeChain .
This parameter is optional and defaults to null ;
you should seldom need to specify it.
|
Returns | Class — The resource value, as a Class ,
or null if it is not found.
|
public function getInt(bundleName:String, resourceName:String, locale:String = null):int
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Gets the value of a specified resource as an int.
This method calls getObject()
and casts the result to an int.
It is useful if you have written a line such as:
MINIMUM=5
in a properties file and want to obtain the value
5 rather than "5"
.
If the specified resource is not found,
this method returns 0.
Parameters
| bundleName:String — The name of a resource bundle.
|
|
| resourceName:String — The name of a resource in the resource bundle.
|
|
| locale:String (default = null ) — A specific locale to be used for the lookup,
or null to search all locales
in the localeChain .
This parameter is optional and defaults to null ;
you should seldom need to specify it.
|
Returns | int — The resource value, as an int,
or 0 if it is not found.
|
public function getLocales():Array
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Returns an Array of Strings specifying all locales for which
ResourceBundle objects exist in the ResourceManager.
The order of locales in this array is not specified.
Returns | Array — An Array of locale Strings.
|
public function getNumber(bundleName:String, resourceName:String, locale:String = null):Number
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Gets the value of a specified resource as a Number.
This method calls getObject()
and casts the result to a Number.
It is useful if you have written a line such as:
LONGITUDE=170.3
in a properties file and want to obtain the value
170.3 rather than "170.3"
.
If the specified resource is not found,
this method returns NaN
.
Parameters
| bundleName:String — The name of a resource bundle.
|
|
| resourceName:String — The name of a resource in the resource bundle.
|
|
| locale:String (default = null ) — A specific locale to be used for the lookup,
or null to search all locales
in the localeChain .
This parameter is optional and defaults to null ;
you should seldom need to specify it.
|
Returns | Number — The resource value, as a Number,
or NaN if it is not found.
|
public function getObject(bundleName:String, resourceName:String, locale:String = null):*
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Gets the value of a specified resource as an Object.
The value is returned exactly as it is stored
in the content
Object of the ResourceBundle,
with no conversion.
If the resource was compiled from a properties files,
the resource value in the content
Object
is always a String unless you used the Embed()
or ClassReference()
directive, in which case
it is a Class.
Use the getString()
, getStringArray()
,
getNumber()
, getInt()
getUint()
, getBoolean()
, and
getClass()
methods to convert the value
to more specific types.
If the specified resource is not found,
this method returns undefined
.
Parameters
| bundleName:String — The name of a resource bundle.
|
|
| resourceName:String — The name of a resource in the resource bundle.
|
|
| locale:String (default = null ) — A specific locale to be used for the lookup,
or null to search all locales
in the localeChain .
This parameter is optional and defaults to null ;
you should seldom need to specify it.
|
Returns | * — The resource value, exactly as it is stored
in the content Object,
or undefined if the resource is not found.
|
public function getPreferredLocaleChain():Array
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Returns an Array of Strings specifying all locales for which
ResourceBundle objects exist in the ResourceManager,
ordered using user preferences as reported by
Capabilities.language
or
Capabilities.languages
.
Returns | Array — An Array of locale Strings.
|
public function getResourceBundle(locale:String, bundleName:String):IResourceBundle
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Returns a ResourceBundle with the specified locale
and bundleName
that has been previously added
to the ResourceManager with addResourceBundle()
.
If no such ResourceBundle exists, this method returns null
.
Parameters
| locale:String — A locale string such as "en_US" .
|
|
| bundleName:String — A bundle name such as "MyResources" .
|
Returns | IResourceBundle — The ResourceBundle with the specified locale
and bundleName if one exists; otherwise null .
|
See also
public function getString(bundleName:String, resourceName:String, parameters:Array = null, locale:String = null):String
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Gets the value of a specified resource as a String,
after substituting specified values for placeholders.
This method calls getObject()
and then casts the result to a String.
If a parameters
Array is passed to this method,
the parameters in it are converted to Strings
and then substituted, in order, for the placeholders
"{0}"
, "{1}"
, and so on, in the String
before it is returned.
If the specified resource is not found,
this method returns null
.
Parameters
| bundleName:String — The name of a resource bundle.
|
|
| resourceName:String — The name of a resource in the resource bundle.
|
|
| parameters:Array (default = null ) — An Array of parameters that are
substituted for the placeholders.
Each parameter is converted to a String with the toString() method
before being substituted.
|
|
| locale:String (default = null ) — A specific locale to be used for the lookup,
or null to search all locales
in the localeChain .
This parameter is optional and defaults to null ;
you should seldom need to specify it.
|
Returns | String — The resource value, as a String,
or null if it is not found.
|
public function getStringArray(bundleName:String, resourceName:String, locale:String = null):Array
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Gets the value of a specified resource as an Array of Strings.
This method assumes that the resource value is a String
containing a comma-separated list of items.
It calls the getString()
method, splits the String
into items at the commas, and trims white space
before and after each item.
It is useful if you have written a line such as:
COUNTRIES=India, China, Japan
in a properties file and you want to obtain the value
[ "India", "China", "Japan" ]
rather than the value "India, China, Japan"
.
If the specified resource is not found,
this method returns null
.
Parameters
| bundleName:String — The name of a resource bundle.
|
|
| resourceName:String — The name of a resource in the resource bundle.
|
|
| locale:String (default = null ) — A specific locale to be used for the lookup,
or null to search all locales
in the localeChain .
This parameter is optional and defaults to null ;
you should seldom need to specify it.
|
Returns | Array — The resource value, as an Array of Strings,
or null if it is not found.
|
public function getUint(bundleName:String, resourceName:String, locale:String = null):uint
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Gets the value of a specified resource as a uint.
This method calls the getObject()
method
and casts the result to a uint.
It is useful if you have written a line such as:
MINIMUM=5
in a properties file and want to obtain the value
5 rather than "5"
.
If the specified resource is not found,
this method returns 0.
Parameters
| bundleName:String — The name of a resource bundle.
|
|
| resourceName:String — The name of a resource in the resource bundle.
|
|
| locale:String (default = null ) — A specific locale to be used for the lookup,
or null to search all locales
in the localeChain .
This parameter is optional and defaults to null ;
you should seldom need to specify it.
|
Returns | uint — The resource value, as a uint,
or 0 if it is not found.
|
public function initializeLocaleChain(compiledLocales:Array):void
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Used only by classes which implement IFlexModuleFactory.
Parameters
public function installCompiledResourceBundles(applicationDomain:ApplicationDomain, locales:Array, bundleNames:Array):void
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Used only by classes which implement IFlexModuleFactory.
Parameters
public function loadResourceModule(url:String, update:Boolean = true, applicationDomain:ApplicationDomain = null, securityDomain:SecurityDomain = null):IEventDispatcher
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Begins loading a resource module containing resource bundles.
Each call to this method returns a new event-dispatching object
that you can use to learn how the loading is progressing
and whether it completes successfully or results in an error.
This object dispatches ResourceEvent.PROGRESS
,
ResourceEvent.COMPLETE
, and
ResourceEvent.ERROR
events.
When the module has been loaded, the resource bundles
are added to the ResourceManager, but the localeChain
is left unchanged.
If the update
parameter is true
,
the update()
method will be called.
Parameters
| url:String — The URL from which to load the resource module.
|
|
| update:Boolean (default = true ) — Whether to call
the update() method when the module finishes loading.
|
|
| applicationDomain:ApplicationDomain (default = null ) — The ApplicationDomain passed to the
load() method of the IModuleInfo class
that loads the resource module.
This parameter is optional and defaults to null .
|
|
| securityDomain:SecurityDomain (default = null ) — The SecurityDomain passed to the
load() method of the IModuleInfo class
that loads the resource module.
This parameter is optional and defaults to null .
|
Returns | IEventDispatcher — An object that is associated with this particular load operation
that dispatches ResourceEvent.PROGRESS ,
ResourceEvent.COMPLETE , and
ResourceEvent.ERROR events.
|
See also
public function removeResourceBundle(locale:String, bundleName:String):void
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Removes the specified ResourceBundle from the ResourceManager
so that its resources can no longer be accessed by ResourceManager
methods such as getString()
.
Parameters
| locale:String — A locale string such as "en_US" .
|
|
| bundleName:String — A bundle name such as "MyResources" .
|
See also
public function removeResourceBundlesForLocale(locale:String):void
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Removes all ResourceBundles for the specified locale
from the ResourceManager so that their resources
can no longer be accessed by ResourceManager methods
such as getString()
.
Parameters
| locale:String — A locale string such as "en_US" .
|
See also
public function unloadResourceModule(url:String, update:Boolean = true):void
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Begins unloading a loaded resource module.
When the module is unloaded, its resource bundles
are removed from the ResourceManager, but the localeChain
is left unchanged.
If the update
parameter is true
,
the update()
method will be called.
Parameters
| url:String — The URL that was used to load the resource module.
|
|
| update:Boolean (default = true ) — Whether to call
the update() method when the module finishes unloading.
|
public function update():void
Language Version: | ActionScript 3.0 |
Runtime Versions: | Flash Player 9, AIR 1.1 |
Dispatches a change
event from the
ResourceManager.
This causes binding expressions to re-evaluate
if they involve the ResourceManager methods
getObject()
, getString()
,
getStringArray()
, getNumber()
,
getInt()
, getUint()
,
getBoolean()
, or getClass()
.
This also causes the resourcesChanged()
method
of a UIComponent, Formatter, or Validator to execute.
Many components implement this method to update
their state based on the latest resources.