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I've got a lot of .resources files, that I need to open up and view. I downloaded Zeta Resource Editor but it only works with .Resx files. Is there a difference? Can I open .Resources files and extract its contents?

Robin Rodricks
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  • It is very unlikely that you can simply use the resources in a .resources file. They are protected by copyright, you'll need to obtain a license from the owner to use them in your own app. Who then won't hesitate to give you the original content. – Hans Passant Jan 21 '12 at 15:52
  • similar: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7653679/how-can-i-extract-images-from-the-resources-file-created-by-a-decompile-of-a-n – Robin Rodricks Jan 21 '12 at 16:17

2 Answers2

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You could always use the resgen.exe utility from visual studio to convert them into .resx files (the opposite of what happens during compilation):

resgen.exe /compile input.resources,output.resx

Resgen is often found at C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0\Bin\ResGen.exe, or directly accessible from the VS command prompt.

staafl
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I think resx file contains the non-compiled resources in XML based format. These resx files are compiled into .resource file. So .resource file contains resx data in binary format.

According to MSDN

The .resx (XML-based resource format) files are converted in to common language runtime binary .resources files that can be embedded in a runtime binary executable or compiled into satellite assemblies.

Haris Hasan
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