Getting started with localization

This is an article on getting started with the TSW Localization editor and the complete localization process. Make sure that you have downloaded the latest version of the Localization editor, as well as the application that you wish to localize. Now start the Localization editor, and let's get going.

Welcome to the TSW Localization Editor, which will help you translate TSW applications into other languages. The localization process works by allowing the Localization editor to read a language basis file, which a given TSW application will generate for you, and then showing the various strings to you in a gridview. You specify an output file, and each time you translate a string, the information will be saved to the output file. This output file is the language file that the application can load, to use your localized strings. You may test right from the beginning - if a string is not represented in your language file, the application simply uses the default text, in English.

Let's get started. In the Localization Editor, click the "New project" button.

Click the button to the right of the first field, to select a place to save the localization project file. This file holds information about your localization project, and you need to load it each time you wish to work on this project. Save it somewhere you can find it again, and give it a name that identifies the application that you are localizing.

In the second field, you need to tell the editor where the input file is located. As described, the input file is the file with all the strings in their default language, English. The applications don't come with this, but they do come with the ability to generate it, which means that you always get a completely updated input file. Click on the little lightning button to generate the file. You will have to tell the editor where the application executable is located. For instance, the SiteSync executable is called "TSW SiteSync.exe" and is located in the same directory where you installed the application. Once you have selected it, the localization file will be generated and the input field will be populated with the path to the file.

Based on the input file, both the application name and version will be filled. This ensures that the language file matches the application version that it's based on.

From the dropdown list you should select the language that you wish to localize the application into.

In the last field, you need to specify your output file, which is the language file you will be generating when localizing things from the input file. You should normally place it in the "languages" folder of the application that you are localizing.

Once you have created your project, you are ready to start localizing. Select a form or a string resource from the tree to the left in the main window and change the text values to the corresponding text in the language you are localizing to. You can expand nodes by clicking the + sign to the left of them, or you can click the "Expand all" button to expand all nodes in the form.

If you click the top node, you will get a bit of status for your project, so that you can follow the progress.

The most useful options for doing the actual localization can be found by right clicking in a text field. Besides the usual cut/copy/paste options, you find the following possibilites:

Repeat last row: Will repeat the text from the row above it, for those situations where you need the exact same value as you just used.

Use original text: A row will only be considered as localized once you have entered a new string into it, but in some cases, the original, English string might make the most sense, even in your language. Use this option to force the Localization Editor to use the original string.

Editor: Click this to edit the row in a bigger editor, where you can see both the original and the new text string. You can accomplish the same by clicking on the button to the right in the row.