It is often necessary to change the values of keys or add new keys as you design a report. You can accomplish these tasks through the Localization properties page of Property Editor for a label or text element, but it is easier to edit the resource file directly.
When you edit the values of keys, the values in the report are updated automatically. If you change a key name or delete a key, report text that uses that key does not display a value because BIRT cannot find the key. It is best to limit your edits to adding new keys or editing the values of the existing keys.
When editing a resource file, to use spaces in the keys, precede the space with a backslash (\). For example:
order\ ID=Order Number
When you add a key through the Select Key dialog, and you type order ID as the key, BIRT adds the backslash, which you see when the resource file is open.
Be aware that when you edit a resource file after it has been translated into locale‑specific resource files, those locale-specific resource files must be updated also. Otherwise, the report does not display the intended text when it runs in other locales. For this reason, you should create localized resource files only after you have finalized the default resource file and finished creating and testing the report.
How to edit a resource file
Choose File➛Open File, navigate to the resource folder, then double‑click the resource (.properties) file. The file that opens in the report editor displays the list of keys and their values, as shown in Figure 30‑17.
Edit the file as needed, then save and close it.
Figure 30‑17 Resource file opened in the report editor
