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Genealogica Grafica: user interface language

 9 Feb 2006
 
Covered in this document: Covered in related documents:  

Elements of the UI

There are five elements to the UI of Genealogica Grafica:
  1. the fixed captions, hints and lists of the various windows
  2. messages and variable elements in lists and menu's
  3. the instructions that can be called up in the Help menu
  4. the phrases used in tableaus and reports, although strictly speaking not part of the UI but of the program output
  5. this very text you are reading now: the web help files
 The program offers facilities (see below) for the adaptation of fixed and variable parts of the UI (numbers 1 and 2 in the list). The focus is on translation into another language.

The Help instructions are bound together into one html file, which can be edited with an editor.

The phrasings are under user command, via the Layout and Options menu.

There are no facilities to link to another web site for help.

Files used by the UI

The files for a particular language are brought together in a directory with the name of that language. All these language directories reside in the "Languages" sub-directory of the programs directory (where the EXE file is found). The files involved are (xx stands for a language abbreviation):
  1. UIS.xx with the fixed parts
  2. UID.xx with the dynamic parts (messages, etc.)
  3. Instructions.htm with the Help instructions
  4. GGdefaults.txt with default phrases

Translating UIS.xx and UID.xx

When you instruct Genealogica Grafica to create a new language interface, the program will create a new sub-directory in the Languages directory and copy files to it from the English sub-directory. UIS.EN will be changed to UIS.xx; Instructions.htm and GGdefaults.txt will be copied without change and UID.xx is created anew (as an empty file).

You can then select this new language and start editing the static and dynamic parts via menu menu Edit - Modify UI of the Select UI language form.

You will be presented with a form that lists all dynamic elements under the *Messages label and  all the fixed elements under the labels of their owning forms. The labels open up when selected and show the hierarchy of ownership.

 Translating the messages is tricky, since you may not know in what context they are used. If left with doubts, make a note in the Notes field and send the files to me - I will then comment. They will get a green indicator when there is a text for them and the note field is blank. Otherwise they remain red.

Translating the static elements is straightforward: selct one and press Show. The relevant form will be shown and the control bearing the label will be highlighted for a short while. The text will be replaced as soon as you move on to the next one or press Show. This will allow you to verify that it fits in the available space.

While translating, a repository of texts is built and if a phrase has been translated before, you will get the option of selecting that text.

Translating the phrases

You can prepare GGdefaults.txt for output in a different language without translating the UI. Swedes for instance may well want to work with an English program as long as it produces tableaus and reports in Swedish.

Our suggestion is to follow above steps and create the interface for a new language and then leave the UIS.xx, UID.xx and Instructions.htm files untouched.

 The phrases can all be entered in the program. But you will have to go through the various Display and Options forms in turn:
  • Layout - date/place formats
  • Layout - privacy rules
  • Layout - Report layout (General textx and NOTE/SOURCE)
  • Options - Gedcom translation
  • Options - report phrases
  • Options - language rules

For most some rudimentary guideance is offered in related pages of thsi site.