Embedded Resources in .NET Core

[TonyValenti]

What is the "right" way to embed resources in a .NET core assembly without relying on RESX files and Windows Forms?

I think I'd like something similar to a source generator that generates a static class with the resources in it.
Does something like that exist?

[gfoidl]

RESX files and Windows Forms?

The resx-files aren't coupled to Windows Forms. They can be used in .NET Core / .NET 5+ just fine.

Does something like that exist?

😃 yes with resx files and the tooling included in VS. That's IMO the easiest way to go. Why do you want to re-invent the wheel here?

[GeraudFabien]

Why do you want to re-invent the wheel here?

It's a question not an issue. He doesn't ask for a new feature.

[kevincathcart-cas]

To be more specific, there are 2 supported ways to embed a file as a resource.

The first way is to use the <EmbededResource> MSBuild item type. When this is done, the file is included directly in the executable as a "manifest resource" without extra formatting or anything. You can access such resources via the GetManifestResourceStream(string) method on the Assembly class. This is pretty easy, and if you do not need the ability to have localized versions of each resource, I see little reason not to just use this.

The second way is using a RESX file. These actually get compiled into a structured file format called a .resource file, and then are included as an Embedded Resource. These resources are designed to be accessed via the ResourceManager class. Specified resources of Stream type (Represented as MemoryStream in the resx file) can accessed via the GetStream(string) method on that class. There exists a ResXFileRef feature to let the resx file reference another file on disk, which one would want to use with this approach.

Before compilation into a .resource file, .RESX is tied to certain Windows Forms Code, as that is where the code to read and write the uncompiled xml format lives. After compilation it does not depend on Windows Forms in any way. MSBuild contains a cross platform RESX compiler that does not use the Windows Form code, but parses the format itself.

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A source generator approach would end up with the resource stored an additional time. (Stored both as raw data in the executable, and in managed memory as a string or byte array, likely as a static field on the generated class, so this copy in managed memory will not get garbage collected.) With the Embeded Resources approach, you get a stream that reads the data directly from the executable.