Using Culture Settings with ToString to Display Dates, Times, and Text

To see how you can go about preparing an application for the world, you'll build a simple application that announces a new product—in this case the latest release of Windows Phone. But first you will learn how to use the CultureInfo class to ensure that dates, numbers, and text appear in the right form regardless of the culture in which the announcement is made. Then you'll see how, by using resource (.resx) files, you can easily add translated content to your app to reach new markets.

Let's jump into the code that will set the stage for discussing internationalization of Windows Phone applications.

1. Start by creating a new project inside Visual Studio and naming it InternationalizationSample. By default, the MainPage.xaml file is created in the development environment, with the designer and XAML windows open and ready to program.