WSS 2.0 : Technical details about localizing webpart and .dwp file

Problem :

You are localizing the SharePoint web parts. You localiz display text and custom property names/descriptions using the ResourceManager and satellite
assemblies. However, the web part “dwp” files in the cab file contain a title and description for each web part. You want to localize these values as per the msdn article.
“Packaging and Deploying Web Part for Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services”
https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_sp2003_ta/html/sharepoint_deployingwebparts.asp

However, when you change the locale in SharePoint, it is not using the localized dwp files. It is using the localized display text and property names/descriptions.

Details :

- There are language templates used to create sites/webs. For example, 1033 folder is for English, 1031 is for German and etc. A site should be created by using anyone of this language template. SharePoint uses this language template and render the site based on the template. The site navigation, site data and Add Web Parts dialog all these settings uses the language template. Once we created the site by using the language template we cannot change these settings.
- The localized web parts can be created according to the language template we used.
- The wpcatalog folder is a place to install the *.dwp files. The files found in this directory will be used to display the details in the “Add Web Parts” window
- Any sub folder found in the wpcatalog folder with language name (en-US, de-DE, etc..) will be used to display the web part list in the “Add Web Parts” window according to the language template used to create the site. For example, if we create any site by using the German language template (1031), then the files under the de-DE folder will be displayed in the “Add Web Parts” window and the files under the en-US and other language will not be displayed. The files found in the wpcatalog root folder will be displayed for all the sites.
- If you want to localize the *.dwp files then in your particular scenario you have to create two sites one is by using the 1033 template and another one is by using the 1031 template. Obviously you will end up having two different sites and one is for English and another one is for German.
- The “regional settings” under the site settings option is used for setting the date format, and currency formats. Changing the regional settings wont affect the site settings such as “Site Navigation”, “Site data” and the “Add Web Parts dialog box”
- The .net code in the web parts and the web controls use the “regional settings” found in the site and renders accordingly