.NET / C#

.NET / C#

You can integrate intl-ai into a .NET project by adding an MSBuild target that runs the CLI before the build. All translations happen at build time, so there is zero runtime overhead.

Project layout

MyApp/
├── MyApp.csproj
├── intl-ai.toml
└── Resources/
    ├── en.json
    └── es.json

Store source locale files in Resources/, run intl-ai fill as an MSBuild target, and embed or copy them into the output directory.

Add an MSBuild target

Add the following target to your .csproj file:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">

  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <None Update="Resources\*.json">
      <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
    </None>
  </ItemGroup>

  <Target Name="IntlAiFill" BeforeTargets="BeforeBuild">
    <Exec Command="intl-ai fill --config $(MSBuildProjectDirectory)/intl-ai.toml" />
  </Target>

</Project>

The IntlAiFill target runs before every build, invoking the CLI to fill missing translations. Because the Resources\*.json items use CopyToOutputDirectory=PreserveNewest, the generated files are copied to the output folder automatically.

Load translations at runtime

Use System.Text.Json to load locale files from the output directory:

using System.Text.Json;

public record LocaleMessages(string Hello, string Goodbye);

public static class Translations
{
    public static LocaleMessages Load(string locale)
    {
        var path = Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "Resources", $"{locale}.json");
        var json = File.ReadAllText(path);
        return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<LocaleMessages>(json)!;
    }
}

Requirements

• intl-ai installed on your PATH (see Installation).
• intl-ai.toml next to your .csproj file. Adjust locale_dir to point to Resources.

Example

Use the project layout above and adapt it to your own WPF, WinUI, ASP.NET, or console app. intl-ai only writes translations; it does not impose a runtime API.