Internationalisation

[Rob Cozens]

>My question is: what is the procedure for 'loading' all the text 
>ONTO the interface?

G'Day Again, Igor.

What I related up to now comes from my Run Rev experience.  The 
HyperTalk version of OenoLog uses a more generalized approach where 
individual text messages (which can be multiple lines) are placed in 
separate fields and referred to by card & control ID instead of line 
number..

Here is the HT handler that extracts stack help text in the installed language:

on mouseUp  -- 4/21/01
   global cancelTranslated,gimmieTime,myLanguage,okTranslated,whatFileTranslated
   put the optionKey into optionState
   if the icon of me > 20000 then exit mouseUp
   speakup
   set the hilite of me to false
   allOff
   put card field "Language" into saveLanguage
   get myLanguage
   put myFolder()&"OeNotes"&&it&":OeHelp"&&it&".txt" into fileName
   delete the last char of it -- ")"
   delete the first char of it -- "("
   put it into card field "Language"
  if optionState is up then
     answer (field "Can't Quit Field Help") with cancelTranslated or 
okTranslated
     speakUp
   else get okTranslated
   if it is cancelTranslated then
     put saveLanguage into card field "Language"
     allOn
     exit mouseUp
   end if
   open file fileName
   if the result is not empty then
     answer the result
     ohOh
     answer the result
     answer (card field "Open Error Alert Help")&&fileName&"!"
     speakUp
     put saveLanguage into card field "Language"
     allOn
     exit mouseUp
   end if
   push card
   put return&numToChar(215) into theDelimiter
   put empty into backgroundList
   set the cantAbort of this stack to true
   lock screen
   lock messages
   go first
   repeat
     if "Image" is in the short name of this card then exit repeat
     put true into doShared
     put the short id of this card into cardId
     get the short id of this background
     if it is in backgroundList then
       repeat with x = 1 to number of lines of backgroundList
         if it = line x of backgroundList then put false into doShared
       end repeat
     end if
     if doShared then put it&return after backgroundList
     repeat with x = 1 to the number of background fields
       set cursor to busy
       put the short name of field x into fieldName
       if fieldName is "Help" or "Result" is in fieldName then next repeat
       if ("Help" is not in fieldName and "About" is not in fieldName 
and "Title" is not in fieldName) or "Page Title" is in fieldName then 
next repeat
       if fieldName is in "Title,Index Title" then put line 2 of field 
x into theMessage
       else put field x into theMessage
       if (theMessage <= " " and length(theMessage) < 2) then next repeat
       put the sharedText of field x into shareMe
       if doShared or not shareMe then
         put the short id of field x into itemID
         write 
cardId&&itemID&&"BF"&&fieldName&return&theMessage&theDelimiter to 
file fileName
       end if
     end repeat
     repeat with x = 1 to the number of card fields
       set cursor to busy
       put the short name of card field x into fieldName
       if "Help" is not in fieldName and "Title" is not in fieldName 
then next repeat
       put card field x into theMessage
       if (theMessage <= " " and length(theMessage) < 2) or "Result" 
is in fieldName then next repeat
       put the short id of card field x into itemID
       write 
cardId&&itemID&&"CF"&&fieldName&return&theMessage&theDelimiter to 
file fileName
     end repeat
     if cardId is 36080 then -- report format
       put the short id of button "Type" into itemId
       write cardId&&itemID&&"PB Type"&return&(button 
"Type")&theDelimiter to file fileName
     end if
     go next
   end repeat
   close file fileName
   pop card
   set the cantAbort of this stack to false
   put saveLanguage into card field "Language"
   allOn
   unlock screen
   unlock messages
end mouseUp

The handler builds a text file with one entry for each shared 
background field and one for each unshared bg and card field.  The 
text for each field begins with a header line listing the id of the 
card and the id of the field and ends with an end of record character 
(numToChar(215)).

The following handler updates stack-resident help fields from a text 
file in the above format:


on changeLanguage -- 04/25/01
   global 
alcoholTranslated,badDate,badDbError,barrelTranslated,bkgndAddError,bkgndIdError,bottleLotTranslated,calculatorHelp,cancelMessage
   global 
cancelTranslated,cardDeleteError,cardIdError,changeMessage,dbError,Documents,duplicateError,firstCardError,gimmieTime,homeHelp,lastCardError
   global 
lotTranslated,myLanguage,noColon,noRecordError,numbersOnly,noTranslated,okTranslated,pressTranslated,productTranslated
   global 
rackTranslated,requiredField,receivedGrapesTranslated,receivedWineTranslated,tankTranslated,tooLongError,yesTranslated
   put numToChar(215) into theDelimiter
   get stripBlanks(the selectedText of button "Language")
   put "("&it&")" into newLanguage
   put myFolder()&"Oenotes"&&newLanguage into folderName
   --put ":Oenotes"&&newLanguage into folderName
   put folderName&":OeHelp"&&newLanguage&".txt" into fileName
   if there is a folder folderName then
     put Documents into saveDocuments
     put folderName&":" into Documents -- overrides Hypercard's search
     if there is a file fileName then
       put it into card field "Language"
       put newLanguage into myLanguage
       open file fileName
       lock screen
       lock messages
       push card
       go first
       set the cantModify of this stack to false
       set the sharedText of field "Expired Shutdown Prompt Help" to true
       put field "Expired Shutdown Prompt Help" into encryption
       set the sharedText of field "Expired Shutdown Prompt Help" to false
       pop card
       push card
       repeat
         read from file fileName until theDelimiter
         if it is empty then exit repeat
         set cursor to busy
         put word 1 of it into cardId
         if cardId is not a number then answer cardIdError&&cardid
         put word 2 of it into partId
         put word 3 of it into partType
         put line 1 of it into partName
         delete line 1 of it
         delete the last char of it -- the delimiter
         delete the last char of it -- added return
         if the short id of this card is not cardId then go to card id cardId
         if partType is "BF" then
           delete word 1 to 3 of partName
           if partName is not in "Title,Index Title" then put it into 
field id partId
           else put it into line 2 of field id partId
         else if partType is "CF" then
           if cardId is 3978 and partId is 6 and encryption is not 
empty then put the last word of card field id partId into the last 
word of it
           put it into card field id partId
           if cardId is 4706 and partId is 56 then -- 56 = last help 
field on Main Menu
             put card field "Alcohol Translation Field Help" into 
alcoholTranslated
             put card field "Bad Date Field Help" into badDate
             put card field "Bad DB Field Help" into badDbError
             put card field "Barrel Translation Field Help" into 
barrelTranslated
             put card field "BG Add Field Help" into bkgndAddError
             put card field "Bottle Lot Translation Field Help" into 
bottleLotTranslated
             put card field "Calculator Field Help" into calculatorHelp
             put card field "Cancel Field Help" into cancelMessage
             put card field "Cancel Translation Field Help" into 
cancelTranslated
             put card field "Card Delete Field Help" into cardDeleteError
             put card field "Change Field Help" into changeMessage
             put card field "DbError Field Help" into dbError
             put card field "Duplicate Key Field Help" into duplicateError
             put card field "First Record Field Help" into firstCardError
             put card field "GimmieTime Field Help" into gimmieTime
             put card field "Home Field Help" into homeHelp
             put card field "Last Record Field Help" into lastCardError
             put card field "Wine Lot Translation Field Help" into lotTranslated
             put card field "No BG Field Help" into bkgndIdError
             put card field "No Card Field Help" into cardIdError
             put card field "No Colon Field Help" into noColon
             put card field "No Record Field Help" into noRecordError
             put card field "Numbers Only Field Help" into numbersOnly
             put card field "OK Translation Field Help" into okTranslated
             put card field "No Translation Field Help" into noTranslated
             put card field "Press Translation Field Help" into pressTranslated
             put card field "Product Translation Field Help" into 
productTranslated
             put card field "Rack Translation Field Help" into rackTranslated
             put card field "RequiredField Field Help" into requiredField
             put card field "Delivery (G) Translation Field Help" into 
receivedGrapesTranslated
             put card field "Delivery (W) Translation Field Help" into 
receivedWineTranslated
             put card field "Tank Translation Field Help" into tankTranslated
             put card field "Too Big Field Help" into tooLongError
             put card field "Yes Translation Field Help" into yesTranslated
           end if
         else put it into button "Type"
       end repeat
       set cursor to watch
       close file fileName
       pop card
       unlock messages
       unlock screen
       doMenu "Compact Stack"
       set the cantModify of this stack to true
     else
       put saveDocuments into Documents
       ohOh
       answer card field "Can't Find Help"&&fileName&"!"
     end if
   else
     ohOh
     answer card field "Can't Find Help"&&folderName&"!"
   end if
end changeLanguage

-- 

Rob Cozens
CCW, Serendipity Software Company
http://www.oenolog.com/who.htm

"And I, which was two fooles, do so grow three;
Who are a little wise, the best fooles bee."

from "The Triple Foole" by John Donne (1572-1631)