使用非常量字符串作为CategoryAttribute名称

Question

All, I am localising my C# application and I have come to my settings control. As I am using a PropertyGrid I am using properties to provide the options. I have a CategoryAttribute for "Server Access" I need to show in different languages - I had:

[CategoryAttribute("ServerAccess"),
 ReadOnlyAttribute(false),
 XmlElement,
 DescriptionAttribute("Message about the Server Access Option.")]
public bool ShowSystemDatabases 
{
    get { return this.showSystemDatabases; }
    set { this.showSystemDatabases = value; }
}

and I attempted to change this to:

[CategoryAttribute(ObjectStrings.SettingsServerAccess),
 ReadOnlyAttribute(false),
 XmlElement,
 DescriptionAttribute(MessageStrings.SettingsShowSystemDatabaseInfo)]
public bool ShowSystemDatabases 
{
    get { return this.showSystemDatabases; }
    set { this.showSystemDatabases = value; }
}

Where ObjectStrings is my resource file ('ObjectStrings.resx' et al.). This is throwing a compile-time error

An attribute argument must be a constant expression, typeof expression or array 
creation expression of an attribute parameter type...

clearly I can't use a string when the constructor is expecting a const string . I have tried casting from string to const string using various round-the-houses method but all have failed. it is a simple enough issue, but...

What is the easiest way around this problem?

Thanks for your time.

Answer 1

I don't know how you could handle this especially in the case of control's attributes, but a general way to achieve this is to make Resources resolved at runtime, using parameters like these on your attribute :

MessageResourceType = typeof (MyResource), MessageResourceName = "MyResourceKey")

instead of directy passing the pointer to resource key.

I don't know if there is an equivalent way for CategoryAttribute, DescriptionAttribute and others Controls' properties attributes, or if there is a way to overload them.