Question

Is there any app that I can use to edit .resx files on a Mac running OSX?

I just need to be able to edit string resources.

Edit. I know .resx files are XML files. However, I am looking for an app that can edit .resx files using a clean user interface, very much like Visual Studio does, hiding the complexity of the XML. I don’t want users to be able to accidentally modify the XML structure.

Answer 1

As far as I’m aware, not directly. However, .resx files are XML, so you if you’re comfortable with their syntax, open them in your favorite plain-text editor (XCode, BBEdit, whatever) and hack away.

Edit based on the update to the question

Nothing, as far as my Google-fu can find, currently exists to fill this need. However, .resx files are relatively straightforward XML, so if you have a Mac and XCode, you can probably whip up something with an NSTableView that operates similarly to Visual Studio’s in-box .resx editor for strings.

Now, it’s considerably less trivial to support other resource formats (particularly binary data), but strings at least shouldn’t be terribly complicated.

I wish I could give you a “proper” answer, but unfortunately, I simply cannot locate anything appropriate. I see many .resx editors out on the web, but all are for Windows. To get you started building something (I know this wasn’t your intent, but it’s likely your only answer), check these APIs:

• Mac XML APIs, courtesy of Apple’s Developer site.
• NSTableView class reference
• NSTableViewDataSource class reference

If building something is truly not viable, your other option is to either virtualize Windows (using VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop), or to use Boot Camp and create a Windows partition. Then you can install any of the zillion and one .resx editors for Windows — or even a Visual Studio Express instance, which will also contain .resx editing in-box.