Microsoft KB Archive/190193

= How To Use a Satellite DLL to Localize an Add-In =

Article ID: 190193

Article Last Modified on 7/13/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Enterprise Edition

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This article was previously published under Q190193



SUMMARY
When developing an Add-In, it is possible to localize its Display Name and Description using a Satellite DLL. This article describes how to accomplish this task.



MORE INFORMATION
Microsoft Visual Basic features a Connect designer for Add-Ins. Under the "Advanced" tab of this designer, there is an option to specify a Satellite DLL. The Satellite DLL will contain resource information for localizing an Add-In.

Create a Satellite DLL
The sample below demonstrates how to create a Satellite DLL containing string resources necessary for localizing the Display Name and Description of an Add-In. It requires the Resource Editor to create the string resources. If the Resource Editor is not already installed within the Visual Basic IDE, select Add-In Manager under the Add-Ins menu and double-click on "VB 6 Resource Editor" so that the Load Behavior is Loaded.


 * 1) Create a new ActiveX DLL project in Microsoft Visual Basic.
 * 2) From the Tools menu, select Resource Editor.
 * 3) In the Visual Basic Resource Editor dialog box, click the Edit String Tables button on the toolbar.
 * 4) In the Edit String Tables dialog box, type This is My Add-In for resource Id 101.
 * 5) Click the Insert New Row button on the Toolbar to create a new resource item 102, then type This is a description of My Add-In for resource Id 102.
 * 6) Close the Edit String Tables dialog box.
 * 7) In the Visual Basic Resource Editor dialog box, right-click the Resource File entry and click Save. Save the file as SatTest.res.
 * 8) Close the Visual Basic Resource Editor.
 * 9) On the Project menu, click Project1 Properties, and then click the General tab.
 * 10) In the Project Name box, enter SatTest and click OK.
 * 11) On the File menu, click Make SatTest.DLL.
 * 12) On the File menu, click Save Project to save the SatTest.DLL project.

Using the Satellite Resource DLL with an Add-In
In the satellite DLL (SatTest.DLL) created above, two string resources were created:


 * String resource #101, "This is My Add-In"
 * String resource #102, "This is a description of My Add-In"

The sample below shows how to bind SatTest.DLL to an Add-In, and use the string resources to determine the Display Name and Description of the Add-In.


 * 1) On the File menu, click New and create a new Add-In project.
 * 2) In the Project Explorer, expand the Designer folder and double-click the Connect designer.
 * 3) In the Connect Designer dialog box, enter #101 in the Add-In Display Name box and enter #102 in the Add-In Description box.

NOTE: These values correspond to the resource IDs of the strings contained within SatTest.DLL.
 * 1) Click the Advanced tab, and enter SatTest.DLL in the Satellite DLL Name box. This field binds the Add-In to the satellite DLL and will look in it for any requested resources.
 * 2) Close the Connect Designer dialog box.
 * 3) On the File menu, click Make MyAddin.dll.
 * 4) On the File menu, click Save Project to save the MyAddin.dll project.

NOTE : Make sure the Satellite DLL (SatTest.DLL) and the compiled Add-In (MyAddin.DLL) reside within the same directory.

Test the Add-In

 * 1) On the File menu, click New and create a Standard EXE project.
 * 2) On the Add-Ins menu, click Add-In Manager.
 * 3) In the Add-In Manager Dialog Box, "This is My Add-In" is listed under "Available Add-Ins."
 * 4) Click on "This is My Add-In." The Description field displays "This is a description of My Add-In."

