ResX Guard
Spreadsheet-style translation manager for .resx and nested JSON i18n in Visual Studio Code, and for .resx in Visual Studio 2022/2026.
Inspired by Visual Studio ResX Resource Manager — one grid for keys × languages, search, validation, Excel import/export, and (for C# .resx) automatic Resources.Designer.cs updates.
Install (VS Code): Visual Studio Marketplace · ID migueltavar3s.resx-guard
| Format |
Host |
Layout |
.resx |
VS Code + Visual Studio |
Classic satellites (Resources.resx + Resources.pt.resx) or folder cultures |
JSON / .i18n |
VS Code only |
Nested files under a locale folder, e.g. locales/en/translation.json |
In VS Code, the Activity Bar File Types filter can show all, .resx only, or JSON only — useful when a workspace mixes C# resources and web i18n.
Features
- Spreadsheet-style grid: keys × languages for every supported family
- File tree with checkboxes to scope which families appear
- Choose which language columns to show; Summary always lists every locale
- Fast in-memory search/filter with incremental file refresh
- Validation: naming from English, matching endings, placeholders, missing translations, duplicates
- Naming suggestions with Apply in the grid (
.resx → PascalCase; JSON → camelCase leaf, nested path kept)
- Warnings in the grid, Summary, and Problems / Error List
- Auto-update
*.Designer.cs when .resx keys change
- Import/export Excel (
.xlsx / .xls) for the selected families
- UI in English and Portuguese
JSON i18n details (VS Code)
- Files must sit directly in a locale-named folder (
locales/en/translation.json, locales/pt/translation.json, …). Extensions .json and .i18n are accepted.
- The filename stem is the family (
translation); nested objects become dot-keys in the grid (navigation.dashboard) and are written back as nested JSON.
- Config JSON (
package.json, tsconfig.json, …) is ignored even under locale-like folders (cs, ts, …).
- Comments are not stored (standard JSON has none).
- Naming: keep the dotted path; the leaf should be camelCase of the English value. Placeholder and missing-translation checks still apply.
Not every arbitrary i18n JSON layout is supported — only locale-folder nested catalogs like the ones above.
Usage
- Open a workspace with
.resx and/or locales/<locale>/*.json (VS Code), or a solution with .resx (Visual Studio)
- VS Code: ResX Guard: Open from the command palette, or the Activity Bar icon — optional File Types filter
- Visual Studio: View → Other Windows → ResX Guard
- Select families on the left, edit in the grid
- Export / Import for Excel round-trips; empty import cells leave existing values unchanged
Settings
- VS Code: ResX Guard in Settings — key naming, Designer.cs (
.resx), validation rules
- Visual Studio: Tools → Options → ResX Guard
Support
If ResX Guard saves you time, consider sponsoring on GitHub.
Issues: github.com/migueltavar3s/resx-guard/issues
See CHANGELOG.md for release notes.
