Using update-able FlowDocument XAML files as my WPF help system - wpf

I'm putting together a simple help system for my WPF app using XAML FlowDcouments (just .xaml files, no code-behind). I've simply added them to my project with Build Action = Resource, and I can load and display them as required.
Now, I'm trying to make it a bit more flexible, in that after the installation of the app, I want the user to be able to download additional (or newer versions of the existing) FlowDocument XAML help files. Given this, I'm now wondering where the best place to store these files is. A few questions/ideas:
Can I leave them as resource files, and overwrite or add new files as required? I can't find a example of how to add/edit resources at runtime on SO/Google. Is it even possible?
If not, is there a recommended location to store these files? They should be available to all users, so they can't go into the User's directory - they would have to go in the program directory. Does the program directory have write-access (I remember having issues with that before)?
Any other ideas?
Thanks.

The resource files are embedded into the executable and therefore you cannot change them.
As for a common place to put your downloaded help files, you cannot store them in "Program Files" since you would need admin privileges to write there.
I suggest you put them into SpecialFolder.CommonApplicationData (see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.environment.specialfolder(v=vs.80).aspx), which is defined as "The directory that serves as a common repository for application-specific data that is used by all users."

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Indesign real-time package for collaboration

I manage a team of designers working on Indesign.
When we work on a project, it often happens that a designer has to work on the project of another. We work with Dropbox for Business.
But when we take the work of another designer, there is often missing links and fonts.
Is there a plugin or a way to develop a plugin that would allow, when we create a new indd file (or for the protection of the same file):
Automatically create a "Links" folder and another "Document fonts" at side of the indd file
Systematically add a new link or new typography in the corresponding folder?
To simplify: each action on font or on a link, make a kind of "Indesign Package" in real time?
If this is not a solution, do you have any solutions to meet this need?
I don't know of a specific script or plugin that does this.
However, it should be possible to write a script with an eventhandler with a beforeClose event that runs certain script commands every time a user closes a document (or even every time a user adds, changes or deletes a link). At this point the script could run some copyLink commands on all the images and fonts (?) placing them all in the folders next to the document.
The whole script could be made a startup script, so it becomes active anytime any user runs InDesign.
(I'm actually not sure, if fonts can be copied so easily. Worst case scenario would be that the script would need to run some packaging command to gather the fonts somewhere, copy them over to where you need them and then delete the rest of the temporary package.)
Did you consider Creative Cloud Libraries ? They are meant to allow sharing assets within a team. Apart form that, you users would need to have a same access to the file system (a common drive letter for the network path for example).
Another solution would be to use a DAM solution so users would link files from the DAM.
Eventually, you could sure think of a script as mdomino offered.

Dart: Accessing a resource out side the project|web/ directory

I have a web-app(browser based) which needs to access a folder full of icons that resides outside the web folder.
This folder MUST be outside the web folder, and would ideally exist outside the project folder all together
however, when specifying the path to the folder neither "../" or making use of a symlink will work
when the page attempts to load the image I always get
"[web] GET /Project|web/icons/img.png => Could not find asset Project|web/icons/img.png."
however I set the image source to "../icons/img.png"
how can i get dart to access this file properly
PS: I attempted a symlink to another part of the filesystem (where the images would be kept ideally) however this did not work either.
The web server integrated into DartEditor or pub serve only serves directories that are added as folders to the files view. When you add the folder to DartEditor you should be able to access the files. This is just for development.
You have also to find a solution for when you deploy your server app. It would be a hazardous security issue when you could access files outside the project directory. Where should the server draw the line? If this would be possible your entire server would be accessible to the world.
Like #Robert asked, I also have a hard time imaging why the files must not be in the project folder.
If you want to reuse the icons/images between different projects you could create a resource package that contains only those images and add them as a dependency to your project.
If you want a better answer you need to provide more information about your requirements.
If you wrote your own server (by using the HttpServer class) it may be possible to use the VirtualDirectory to server your external files.
Looking at look the dartiverse_search example may give you some ideas.
You could put them in the lib directory and refer to them via /packages/Project/...
Or in another package, in which case they would be in a different place in the file system. But as other people have said, your requirement seems odd.

How to populate Isolated Storage for Windows Phone application

Is there a recommended way to initialize the data in Isolated Storage for Windows Phone 7 application before it is run for the first time? Right now the best solution I can think of is putting a flag in IsolatedStorageSettings and checking for its presence on in the application Launching event. If the flag is not present I initialize several objects in code and save them to Isolated Storage and set the flag so they are not set the next time the application is run. Is there a better way to do this? Should I add the objects in serialized state as some kind of resource or it is acceptable to initialize them in code? I expect that they would require like a thousand lines of code.
Well if you can create your files and add them to the project. And if you are sure that you will not be editing your files than just keep them like that. The files will go into your installation folder.
Or if you think that you are going to edit them and want to keep the changes saved, than copy them from the installation folder to the application storage folder.
Here is a link in which a database which was added as a reference to the project is copied from installation folder to storage folder of the app.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh286411(v=vs.92).aspx
Do the same for your files and everything will be fine.
The second part of your question. Well after this just check for one file/folder in the app storage folder and if it says yes it is there than do not copy your files from installation folder to application storage folder.
And if you are trying to make the files when the application launches than just add a check before the creation code is run. Where you will search for a file/folder existence. And if it exists do not run the file creation code.

Change resource file on the fly

I woulld like to localize my WPF application with resource files. It good technics. But I have requirement to give ability to end user to change some localization information (for example some word traslation). It means change information in the resourse files on the fly (in run time). Is it possible ?
This would involve recompiling the resources on the fly; and reloading them will be quite difficult (as DLLs cannot be unloaded without unloading an AppDomain).
In such a configuration, you're better off using the database to store your translations.

Which files under Service References belong in source control. (Visual Studio)

I am new to both WPF and WCF, and have a WPF app that has a service reference to a WCF one. I have all sorts of files created under Service References/MyService. I am not so sure which need to go into source control and which don't.
I have a .disco, a .datasource, a .wsdl, 3 .xsds, 2 configuration.svcinfos, a Reference.cs,
and a Reference.svcmap.
I assume most are generated, yet I don't know which belong to source control and which do not.
Put all of them under source control, why not?
It's part of your code and it's needed to compile the project. If you use an automated build system, then you don't want that script to generate this code again, right?
As a bonus you'll get a history of changes to your service interface, could be useful too.
All of those files are source files, so they all belong under source control.
How about adding all of them to the source control in the first instance and then remove those that never change later?

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