Localization tools

[Antoine Mercadal]

Hi guys,

I used to work a lot in Archipel to make it fully localizable. I start from Nick's CPBundle+Localization work to be able to use CPLocalizedString().
Then I made a script based on some code I saw over the web to be able to incrementally localize the xib files (i.e. you don't loose your translation work when you re-exctact or re-inject the strings file in the XIB. This is so stupid from Apple btw..).

The translation works almost like basic Cocoa localization system.

In your code you use [myTextField setStringValue:CPLocalizedString(@"Hello World", @"hello")].
In your Resources folder, you put the xibs in Resources/en.lproj Resources/fr.lproj etc.
You define the current language in Info.plist using the CPBundleLocale key (in Archipel user can also decide to change the locale, but it needs a reload)

Then you can run this script I made, "localize", that should do all the work for you

https://github.com/primalmotion/Archipel/blob/master/ArchipelClient/localize

You basically go to the root folder project (or in a CPBundle root) and run

./localize (or ./localize --routine CustomLocalizableFunction)

It will:

- Look for each locale you support by parsing all your Resources/*.lproj then for each one:
- extract a string file in Localizable.strings.tmp according to your usage of your localization routine (CPLocalizedString by default)
- merge eventual already existing Localizable.strings with Localizable.strings.tmp
- look for xibs files
- extract the texts in nameOfTheXib.strings.tmp
- merge eventual already existing nameOfTheXib.strings with nameOfTheXib.strings.tmp
- reinject the new merged .strings file in xib
- generate the associated .xstrings files

This basically allows to "synchronize" the localization in both ways with a single command.

The resulting workflow is:

create a xib, add some labels etc -> localize -> edit the strings file -> localize -> add eventual new labels in xib -> localize -> etc.

or :

There is a typo in your text, edit the strings files -> localize.

This tool working in addition with XcodeCapp works just great. I use it now for months without any problem, I've never loose any translations.

I think with some small adaptations, it could be included in Cappuccino, making it officially support localized app.

What do you think?

--
Antoine Mercadal

[Antoine Mercadal]

It can also be rewritten in objj instead of python and included in capp command.

--
Antoine Mercadal

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[Orlando M Quero]

That would be awesome!

[Aparajita Fishman]

> I think with some small adaptations, it could be included in Cappuccino, making it officially support localized app.

Sounds great, I agree it should be rewritten in objj and made part of capp. Do you have a sample project I could test it with?

Regards,

Aparajita
www.aparajitaworld.com

"If you dare to fail, you are bound to succeed."
- Sri Chinmoy | www.srichinmoy.org

[Antoine Mercadal]

Here is one.

If you want to change the locale, just change it in Info.plist

If you want to reset it, remove everything in Resources/**.lproj that are not the xib files, then run localize.
It will recreate the strings file, then edit them, and rerun localize.

Also, I forgot to add, but using this tool, you *always* only work on the en.lproj. Other language are computed according to english.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7451919/LocalizationSample.zip

Cheers
--
Antoine Mercadal

[Ignacio Cases]

+1

Awesome, Antoine. Thanks for this!