12.2. Defining localized resources

Web applications present a rather different localization problem compared to desktop applications. The traditional Java view on localization is that you have a single per-locale bundle that contains all your application resources, and for desktop builds this often makes sense. But with web applications, this can become a little unwieldy, as it’s not uncommon for web applications to have a moderately complex structure with lots of nested folders and pages and even page fragments. Suddenly, the Java approach of using a single properties bundle can become rather restrictive.

Although Lift can still support the traditional Java resource bundles (covered in section 12.2.2), Lift avoids their shortcomings and provides a richer method of localization through UTF-8 XML resource files.