Adobe Flex 3 introduces the ability to implement runtime localization via compiled resource modules. This opens up numerous possibilities for creating localized applications with Adobe Flex.

Flex Developers now have the ability to compile resources into resource modules rather than compiling the resources into the application directly. Resource modules can be preloaded for the appropriate locale when the application starts as well as loaded at runtime in order to allow switching of locales. Additionally, resources can be compiled for multiple locales into a single application or resource module.

Resources now must be accessed through the new ResourceManager (which is very similar to my original Flex 2 ResourceManager), which handles managing multiple resources for all locales.

Bindings which reference resources via the new ResourceManager automatically update if the locale changes so as to notify the components when the locale changes, allowing them to update themselves appropriately. You can also use images, sounds and so forth as resources.

Developers can programatically create resources at runtime and use them just as one would with resources which were compiled from properties files, thus allowing the ability to create resources at runtime from downloaded XML documents, service results, etc.

The ability to inspect ResourceBundles at runtime has been something which I have been specifically waiting for. This too is also available via the read-only content property on a ResourceBundle. This property can be used to retrieve the key / value pairs defined in a .properties file.

To help facilitate inspecting the contents of a ResourceBundle I have created a ResouceInspector API which provides a detailed view into a ResourceBundle. The ResouceInspector is an all static class which provides a very robust API for performing detailed inspection of the contents of a ResourceBundle.

ResouceInspector is protected under the MIT license. Check it out here.