How do I specify an error message from a resource file for the VB data annotation <Required>?

Question

User-404502133 posted

Hi,

VS2013, VB, MVC 5

This is part of my Class code:

Public Class Order
...

  Private mFirstName As String
  <Required>
  Public Property FirstName() As String
    Get
      Return mFirstName
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As String)
      mFirstName = value
    End Set
  End Property
...

I want to setup a resource file to allow country changes for error messages and the first attribute I am working with is <Required>.  What would I write to have the error message pulled from a resource file named ErrorMessages.resx?

Broader guidance to find a location where I can understand the syntax for all of the VB data annotations would be helpful.

Thanks.

Best Regards,

Alan

Answer 1

User-404502133 posted

Adding to my post above, it seems to use a resource file I must set the following properties for the <Required> attribute:

    ErrorMessageResourceName (key to lookup the error message Name string in my resource file)

    ErrorMessageResourceType (type for the resource file, where Visual Studio automatically created Resources.ErrorMessages as seen below)

    I took the above from:  MSDN page

So I wrote the following line, but don't understand the syntax and what it does at the end where you can see '????':

<Required(ErrorMessageResourceName:="FirstNameRequired", ErrorMessageResourceType:=TypeOf (Resources.ErrorMessages) Is ????)>

The C# equivalent for this seems to be:

[Required(ErrorMessageResourceType=typeof(ErrorMessages),ErrorMessageResourceName="FirstNameRequired")]

Note:  The order of the properties were purposely reversed in this above.

Best Regards,

Alan

 

Answer 2

User-404502133 posted

So, I managed to find what needed to be written and I show it below:

<Required(ErrorMessageResourceName:="FirstNameRequired", ErrorMessageResourceType:=GetType(Resources.ErrorMessages))>

Figuring this out was brutal.  I really just stumbled onto an obscure web page from 2005 where someone was explaining the VB.NET equivalent of the C# typeof() operator.  None of the more recent explanations of VB's "TypeOf() IS <whatever>" seem even remotely close to the answer above.  Is it just the case I let the Visual Studio error messages push me in a wrong direction?

If anyone has any counsel or guidance regarding the specific syntax for <Required> it would surely be appreciated, but since I found the solution to this specific question...

I would like to also ask for counsel or guidance on how I might 'get more targeted' when searching for proper syntax for various VB.NET operators, especially as it relates to asp.net and MVC 5 programming.  The web page for the <Required> attribute (MSDN page) didn't seem to point me anywhere near the solution above, which leaves me wondering how I should actually go about finding answers for the more arcane solutions in VB.

Best Regards,

Alan