Are resx files necessary?

Question

Currently have a solution that was created in VS2003 went to VS2005 and now is in VS2008. Since the start, each aspx and ascx had an associated .resx file. The resx files were autocreated, even though localization is not needed. Is it okay to get rid of these resx files? Will they improve performance at all since they are not there?

Interesting note, initially, the resx files were created in the same directory as aspx/ascx files. Now, with VS2008, if I create a resx file, it creates an App_LocalResources directory and puts all resx files there...

Answer 1

Honestly, if you can say for sure that you are NEVER going to support localization, then the resx files are not really necessary. You can just set the properties on the server controls directly in the aspx and ascx files. But having them separated still gives you the option of letting some non-programmers modify the texts on your site. There are free resx editors that you can use.

Regarding the App_LocalResources directory, as long as I have worked with resx files (since VS 2005) they have been placed in App_LocalResources, so for me it's more odd that they weren't previously.

But when you say that the files are autocreated, I think that you must have enabled localization for your project in some project setting, because I have never received them automatically, I have always created them manually.

Answer 2

Yes, you can delete the .resx files, BUT make sure that your pages are already setup to work without the .resx files. By this I mean that your labels have a text value and it does not require the .resx file to supply it.

Furthermore, if the files are already there, they don't cause all that many problems, I'd leave them.