Resx Translation Skill

Golden Rule: Use helpers, NEVER read the full file

Do NOT use read/glob/grep to discover files, check encoding, or audit translations. Use the helper scripts — they return structured data in <10 lines, saving hundreds of tokens.

Never read an entire .resx file. Files can exceed 100k tokens. Use (filename:line) annotations from helpers to read only the relevant lines:

# resx_audit shows: [-] AppTitle  (default:L42 #3)  = 'OptimizerDuck'
read Translations.vi-VN.resx offset=42 limit=5

Only read 1-5 lines around each flagged key — never the whole file.

Helper Scripts Reference

All scripts are in <skill>\helpers\. Replace <skill> with the skill base path.

resx_core.py — Core library (do not run directly)

Shared data structures and operations used by all other scripts:

• ResxEntry / ResxFile — parsed .resx with index, line numbers, encoding
• parse_resx(path) — parse a .resx file
• auto_detect(directory) — detect base file and locale pattern
• diff_files(default, locale) — compare two files, returns KeyDiff list
• write_translations(path, dict, mode) — batch add/update keys
• add_keys(path, dict) — add new keys before </root>
• update_values(path, dict) — update existing key values
• parse_batch_input(raw) — parse KEY=VALUE pairs from text
• format_entries_table(entries) — compact aligned table output
• format_diffs_compact(diffs) — compact diff output with status markers

resx_audit.py — Audit translations (missing, empty, untranslated, warnings)

What it does: Compares all locale files against the default. Reports issues with line numbers, indices, and warnings (mixed encodings, key count mismatch, duplicate keys, Designer.cs sync).

Usage:

python <skill>\helpers\resx_audit.py Resources\Languages
python <skill>\helpers\resx_audit.py Resources\Languages --lang vi-VN
python <skill>\helpers\resx_audit.py Resources\Languages --json

Flags:

Output:

============================================================
resx manager — audit
============================================================
  default   : Translations.resx (45 keys)
  locales   : 13

  [vi-VN] — Translations.vi-VN.resx
    missing=15 | untranslated=5

    missing (15):
      [-] AppTitle  (default:L42 #3)  = 'OptimizerDuck'
      [-] ButtonCancel  (default:L55 #12)  = 'Cancel'

    untranslated (5):
      [U] LabelStatus  (Translations.vi-VN.resx:L120 #45)

  warnings (1):
    ! mixed encodings: UTF-8 with BOM, UTF-8 (no BOM)

============================================================
summary
============================================================
  keys        : 45
  locales     : 13
  missing     : 15
  untranslated: 5
  warnings    : 1

resx_list.py — List all translations with index and line numbers

What it does: Lists every translation entry with index, key, line number, and value. Supports locale filtering and key search.

Usage:

# List all files and entries
python <skill>\helpers\resx_list.py Resources\Languages

# Filter by locale
python <skill>\helpers\resx_list.py Resources\Languages --lang vi-VN

# Search keys
python <skill>\helpers\resx_list.py Resources\Languages --key Dashboard

# Keys only (no values)
python <skill>\helpers\resx_list.py Resources\Languages --keys-only

# JSON output
python <skill>\helpers\resx_list.py Resources\Languages --json

Flags:

Output:

============================================================
resx manager — file listing
============================================================
  directory : Resources\Languages
  default   : Translations.resx (45 keys, UTF-8 with BOM)
  locales   : 13

--- Translations.resx (default) ---
  [#0  ] Sidebar.Dashboard              = 'Dashboard'        (Translations.resx:L125)
  [#1  ] Sidebar.Settings               = 'Settings'         (Translations.resx:L127)
  [#2  ] Button.Close                   = 'Close'            (Translations.resx:L133)
  [#3  ] Dashboard.SystemInfo.Cpu.Cores = '{0} Cores'        (Translations.resx:L136)

resx_create.py — Create a new locale file

What it does: Copies the source .resx to create a new locale file. Preserves encoding, BOM, XML structure.

Usage:

python <skill>\helpers\resx_create.py Resources\Languages --locale vi-VN
python <skill>\helpers\resx_create.py Resources\Languages --locale ja-JP --dry-run

Flags:

resx_sync.py — Sync missing keys from source to locales

What it does: Copies keys that exist in source but are missing from locale files.

Usage:

# Sync with English fallback values
python <skill>\helpers\resx_sync.py Resources\Languages --fill-source

# Sync with TODO markers
python <skill>\helpers\resx_sync.py Resources\Languages --fill-marker "TODO"

# Sync specific locale only
python <skill>\helpers\resx_sync.py Resources\Languages --locale vi-VN --fill-source

Flags:

resx_write.py — Batch write translations to multiple locales

What it does: Write/update translation keys across multiple locale files. Supports --key/--value, --file, or --stdin input. Modes: auto (add+update), update (existing only), add (new only).

Usage:

# Single key to all locales
python <skill>\helpers\resx_write.py Resources\Languages --key AppTitle --value "OptimizerDuck" --locale all

# Single key to specific locale
python <skill>\helpers\resx_write.py Resources\Languages --key Button.Close --value "Đóng" --locale vi-VN

# Write from file (KEY=VALUE or JSON)
python <skill>\helpers\resx_write.py Resources\Languages --file translations.txt --locale vi-VN

# Write from stdin
echo "Button.Close=Đóng" | python <skill>\helpers\resx_write.py Resources\Languages --stdin --locale vi-VN

# Dry run
python <skill>\helpers\resx_write.py Resources\Languages --key Button.Close --value "Đóng" --locale vi-VN --dry-run

KEY=VALUE file format:

# Comments and blank lines are ignored
Button.Close=Đóng
Button.Save=Lưu
Sidebar.Dashboard=Bảng điều khiển

Flags:

Task Dispatch

Workflow

0. Always ask before translating

Before any translation work, use the question tool to:

1. If multiple locales have issues: Ask which locale(s) to work on
2. Confirm the approach: Describe what resx_audit found and what you plan to do
3. Domain context: If the app has specialized terminology, ask about preferred translations

A. Fill Missing Translations

1. Run resx_audit.py to find issues
2. Ask user: which locale, confirm scope
3. Use resx_write.py to write translations:

   python <skill>\helpers\resx_write.py Resources\Languages --key Button.Close --value "Đóng" --locale vi-VN
   

   Or batch from file:

   python <skill>\helpers\resx_write.py Resources\Languages --file translations.txt --locale vi-VN
   

4. Verify: run resx_audit.py again

B. Add New Language

1. Run resx_list.py to see existing files
2. Ask user: confirm language code
3. Run resx_create.py --locale <code>
4. Run resx_sync.py --fill-source to fill with English fallback
5. Run resx_audit.py --lang <code> to find untranslated
6. Use resx_write.py to translate all untranslated keys

C. Batch Translate from File

1. Create a KEY=VALUE file:

   Button.Close=Đóng
   Button.Save=Lưu
   Sidebar.Dashboard=Bảng điều khiển
   

2. Run resx_write.py --file translations.txt --locale vi-VN
3. Verify: resx_audit.py --lang vi-VN

Translation Rules

• Translate only user-facing text. Never change keys, node names, attributes, or XML structure.
• Preserve exactly: {0}, {1}, %s placeholders; HTML/XAML fragments; product names; error codes.
• Short strings (Open, Save, Apply, Reset) depend on context — inspect nearby code if unsure.
• Keep English terms that function as product language (Playlist, Profile, Driver, Theme, Preset).
• Preserve original encoding (UTF-8 with/without BOM).

Editing Behavior

• Use resx_write.py for all writes — never manually edit .resx files.
• The script preserves XML structure, encoding, and indentation.
• Report back briefly: which file was updated, language, key count.

Quick Reference