.NET Internationalization: The Developers Guide to Building Global Windows and Web Applications

Windows Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Pack is a collection of resource files that can be added to the English version of Windows 2000, XP, and 2003. Windows MUI is installed after the installation of a regular English-language version of Windows. You can choose as many languages as you want from any of the localized languages (33 languages in Windows XP MUI). Once the languages are installed, you can switch between the languages using Regional and Language Options in the Control Panel. An additional "Language used in menus and dialogs" combo box on the Languages page is present only after Windows MUI has been installed (see Figure 2.3).

Figure 2.3. Enhanced Regional and Language Options in Windows MUI

Click OK, and then log off and log back in again to see the user interface in the new language. In Figure 2.4, you can see WordPad.exe running in Windows MUI using the Japanese language.

Figure 2.4. WordPad.exe in Windows MUI Using Japanese

The Japanese resources are loaded from a resource file with the same name as the executable, with a ".mui" suffix, in the %WINDOWS%\mui\FALLBACK\ <LCID> folder (see Figure 2.5). The LCID (locale ID) for "Japanese (Japan)" is 1041 (x0411).

Figure 2.5. Windows MUI User Interface Resource Files

A "locale" and a "culture" are the same. Both refer to a combination of a language in a specific country or region and, optionally, a scriptfor example, "French (Canada)." The difference is only in the context in which the words are used. A "locale" is used when referring to the operating system or to Win32 API functions. A "culture" is used when referring to the .NET Framework or .NET Framework classes and methods. As you shall see in Chapter 3, "An Introduction to Internationalization," the locale/culture is an identifier that determines issues such as date/time and number/currency formats, as well as the language of the user interface.

The resulting WordPad.exe is almost the same as running WordPad.exe in Japanese Windows XP (shown in Figure 2.6).

Figure 2.6. Wordpad.exe in Japanese Windows

However, some important differences exist. These are either advantageous or disadvantageous, depending on what you want to use Windows MUI for. First, the default fonts shown are the defaults for English Windows XP, not Japanese Windows XP. Second, the Input Method Editor (IME, software that allows the user to type ideo-graphic or phonetic characters on a keyboard that does not have such characters) is not enabled by default. Although you can easily add IME support (see Chapter 7, "Middle East and East Asian Cultures"), this isn't something that a developer who is unfamiliar with Japanese would think to do.

Windows MUI has pros and cons for international development. In terms of deployment and support, it can be a valuable asset. The infrastructure team can deploy an English version of Windows, install Windows MUI, and let users choose their language. The support team knows that, regardless of the interface, the underlying operating system is English; at the very least, the user interface can be switched back to English, changes can be made, and the user interface can be switched back to the user's language. In development terms, less effort is required to globalize the application because the underlying operating system is English. So not all locale-specific assumptions (such as the program files folder always being called "Program Files") get revealed as bugs. However, the converse can also be true; some globalization issues are more likely to occur on Windows MUI than on localized versions of Windows.

You might also argue that it is useful for testing purposes. Windows MUI certainly provides the developer with an easy route into viewing behavior in a target language. However, if you intend to deploy to a non-English version of Windows, globalization testing using Windows MUI can provide a false sense of security. The only legitimate test in such situations is to test using both Windows MUI and the localized version of Windows. Of course, limited resources might force you into choosing between the two.

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