Modifying resx files in SharePoint Server 2007. If you administer a SharePoint environment, there will come a time when you need to make changes to the text in the SharePoint user interface. You might want to change the wording to something more appropriate for your users. You might also want to correct errors in the language packs provided by Microsoft for localization. (I understand, at least as far as the French is concerned, that they leave a lot to be desired.)

SharePoint stores most of the text strings it uses in its UI in resx files. (The implementation is actually a bit of a dog's breakfast, with text stored in a lot of other places as well; I'm going to focus on the resx files here.) These resx files are located in the 12 hive* under /Resources. To find out where exactly, search the 12 Hive for the string you want to modify, and you should find the resx file. Often, you'll find at least two files: the base resx file and the resx file associated with a particular language. For example

core.resx
core.en-US.resx

You should make your change in the language specific version (in this case, core.en-US.resx). One you have made your change, run IISRESET to force SharePoint to re-process the resx file, and you should be in business.

Note that these changes will be applied to all SharePoint sites running off that 12 hive.

* 12 hive refers to the SharePoint application and configuration files on your server. It is typically located at C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12.