C# in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Chapter 30. System.Globalization

The System.Globalization namespace provides classes that assist in localization of applications based on language and culture. The CultureInfo class is the primary container for a set of resources that is used for a specified language and culture implementation. It describes how strings are sorted, the specifics of calendars and date and time formats, as well as language and dialect code pages. An application obtains its culture information based on either the CultureInfo specified by the current thread or from the user or local machine’s preferences. Specific cultural information is contained in resource files deployed in satellite assemblies. System.Resources.ResourceManager marshals these resource files into System.Resources.ResourceSets that provide the objects and methods specific to a localization.

The System.Globalization namespace provides a base Calendar class, as well as specific calendar implementations for major cultures. CompareInfo defines how string comparison and sorting are handled. DateTimeFormatInfo defines how DateTime values are formatted, and NumberFormatInfo defines various formatting styles, such as currency symbols and decimal and grouping separators. Figure 30-1 shows the types in this namespace.

Figure 30-1. The System.Globalization namespace