Right-to-Left and Layout That Survives Translation

Localization in Wisej.NETModule 5The samples are ready before the course is: the module outline is on learnwisej.com, and the lessons, the knowledge checks and the hands-on labs follow when it launches — free, with an AI tutor in every lesson.

See the outline

Arabic in the picker with rightToLeft: auto, RightToLeftLayout on the dashboard and the editor with every child left on Inherit, one control deliberately pinned left-to-right, a pseudo-localized resource set for the long-string pass, and a contacts grid so the module can record what a DataGridView really does under RTL rather than assuming. This folder is the complete application at this point in the course, with its own solution and port.

The source of this sample

iceteagroup/LearnWisej-SamplesLocalization in Wisej.NET Course/Module 5

Browse this folder on GitHub

Or clone it: git clone https://github.com/iceteagroup/LearnWisej-Samples.git — then open GlobalDesk.slnx in Visual Studio and press F5.

Run it

cd "Localization in Wisej.NET Course/Module 5/GlobalDesk"
dotnet run -f net10.0 --urls http://localhost:6105

Open http://localhost:6105, or go straight to http://localhost:6105/?lang=ar-EG.

What to try

Action	Expected result
Pick ar-EG	The whole screen mirrors. The status line reports RightToLeft: True, set by rightToLeft: auto and not by any code.
Type a name and a customer code under Arabic	The name is right-aligned; AT0417 is left-aligned. That is the one pinned control.
Look at the contacts grid under Arabic	Columns run right to left and the row indicator moves - but the phone numbers align left, because their content decides.
Notice the editor under Arabic	Still English. There is no CustomerEditor.ar.resx; designer resources fell back. Silent, and the screen looks deliberate.
Pick qps-ploc	[Wëlcomë to GlobalDësk ~~~]. Every caption bracketed and ~40% longer. Anything not bracketed never went through a resource.
Drag the browser narrow	The action bar wraps onto a second row. Nothing goes off the edge.

Notes for anyone extending the RTL work

• Set the container, leave the children alone. RightToLeftLayout on the page plus rightToLeft: auto mirrors everything. A screen where each control carries its own setting is a screen where one gets missed.
• auto means the application never keeps a list of which languages are right-to-left.
• Pin identifiers to LTR. Customer codes, IBANs, part numbers, licence keys - anything a user transcribes. Latin letters and digits are neutral characters and an RTL paragraph is entitled to reorder them. Names and addresses are prose and must mirror.
• The DataGridView does mirror - column order and the row indicator - but cell contents align by content. Set a column's alignment explicitly if a number must read the same for everyone.
• Designer resources and shared resources are two separate translation jobs. Strings.ar.resx being complete does not translate CustomerEditor; the fallback is silent and the screen looks intentional. Pseudo-localization is what catches it.
• qps-ploc is a test tool, not a language. Nobody ships it, and it is the cheapest way to find both hard-coded strings and layouts that only just fit English.