FAQ

Short answers to common questions about using the Data Standardizer packages, with links to the pages that cover each topic in full.

Which package do I need?

Pick the package for the standard you want to work with. Each Data Standardizer package covers a specific set of internationally recognised standards — chronology, communication, files, geography, languages, language tags, and money.

See Standards coverage for the full standard-to-package mapping, then head to that package’s overview under Packages for install instructions and guides.

What platforms are supported?

Every package multi-targets modern .NET and .NET Standard, so it can be used in new applications as well as older codebases that are being upgraded gradually or must remain on older frameworks indefinitely.

The exact target frameworks per package — and the few framework-gated APIs — are listed on Platform support.

Why are some codes structs instead of enums?

Each standard is implemented as a strongly-typed code so that invalid values are caught at compile time rather than becoming runtime bugs. Where a standard’s codes map cleanly onto a C# enum, an enum is used; where they don’t (for example, alphabetic codes that aren’t valid C# identifiers), a struct-based IStringEnum pattern is used instead.

The design rationale is covered in Strongly-typed codes.

Do I need to reference DataStandardizer.Core?

No. DataStandardizer.Core provides common types used internally to implement the standards in the other packages. It is pulled in automatically as a dependency, so you should not need to reference it directly.

See the note on DataStandardizer.Core in Standards coverage.

How do I get the human-readable name or numeric code for a code?

The name, numeric code, and other attributes of a standard’s codes are attached to the code members and retrieved through lookup helpers and extension methods.

See Metadata and lookups for the general approach, and the relevant package’s how-to guides — for example Access currency metadata in Money.

Can I contribute?

No. Data Standardizer is open source so you can read, build, and adapt it for your own use, but the project does not currently accept third-party code contributions.

The build and test instructions on Build from source are provided purely as a convenience for working with your own copy or fork. If the project adds value for you, the best way to help is to support the project.