i18n package is coming soon

[Kambiz]

Today I finished writing a localization/internationalization package, that soon will be available to you for free.

The i18n package is only for Delphi 2009 and 2010. Unicode is a must!

Here is the list of components in this package:

• TTranslator
  This is the core component and each application needs only one instance of it. This component can loads the repository (from resource, file, or directory) and translates the entire application on the fly, just by setting a single property. The translation includes automatic translation of format settings and possibly applying BiDi mode changes and flipping content for the bi-directional languages.
• TTranslatable
  This component determines which properties on a form, frame, or data module should be translated (the attached images show the component editor of this component).
• TFlagList
  An ImageList that contains flags of countries.
• TLanguageBox
  A combo box of languages.
• TLanguageListBox
  A list box of languages.
• TLanguageCheckListBox
  A checklist box of languages.
• TCountryBox
  A combo box of countries.
• TCountryListBox
  A list box of countries.
• TCountryCheckListBox
  A checklist box of countries.
• TMessageDialog
  A nice looking message dialog that allows localizing of the dialog's caption and buttons.
• TInputDialog
  An input query for prompting single line or multi-line text, which allows localizing of the dialog's buttons.

The only thing left is writing the helper application for translating texts. And, of course, this application should be available in different languages.

Please let me know if you are interested in contributing in this project by translating the helper application.

Thank you!

[kokkoras]

Hello,

I had the impression that localization was a matter of reading "strings" of the proper locale from a resource file, based on the lang selected.

Can you describe a usage senario of this package?

Fotis K.

[Kambiz]

Localization is not just text translation, although most of applications do just that. Besides text translation, the localized application should properly handle right-to-left languages and supports local format settings and calendar system.

The i18n package automatically handles right-to-left languages and changes the application format settings to the local one. It also supports Gregorian, Persian, Islamic, and Jewish calendar systems.

The other difference of the i18n package with other tools is that the i18n package collects translatable strings (properties and literals) at design time. It doesn't need to manually modify the source code or run an external application for making string literals translatable.

In addition to the components listed in the first post, I've added some more components to the package. And, still there are some components in my mind that should be added.

[kokkoras]

It seems that my understanding of the problem was very limited.

thanks

[Lolo]

Whaouououououou... I dreamed about it and Kambiz made it.
Thank you for this good news. I've worked with some commercial VCL components but I'm tired to retype my translations systematically in proprietary file structure. I think that your choice on the i18n standard is a good choice, very clever !

What I could suggest you would be to add dictionary features to your i18n package. The first to implement can be Country, Language, Color Name lists... By this way, it woulb be much easier to support specific translations, and more than everything to share them.
I program in multi-languages for several years now and I shall like to share with you, some already translated lists if I find the time to export them in right file format. Do you intend to add exportation/importation features in CSV format ?

Thank you very much for your great work. I really appreciate your contribution.
Best wishes.

Laurent

[Kambiz]

Thank you Laurent for your interest.

Dictionary is not defined in the way you mean, but because each text domain can be in separate file, the goal is already achieved.

The translator application (i18n Helper) learns the translations. For example, if you translate a phrase from English to French and German, after that it can automatically translate that phrase from one of those languages to other one.

I didn't provide import/export for external formats, and I am not going to work on that in the first release of the package. First I want to see how the Delphi community show interest on this package before I spend more time on that.

It is more than six months that I'm working on this package, and still need to write some data-aware components. Writing documentation is another time consuming tasks that I think needs at least one more month before releasing the package. It's getting boring indeed.

[Jens01]

Dear Kambiz,
in some weeks I have to integrate a "translation-system" in my project.
What do you think when do you public your i18n ?

Best greetings from Germany
Jens

[Kambiz]

Here is the current situation of the package:

• I was missed to support plural forms in the beginning. The feature is added to the core functionality now. I just need to revise the two editors, which is not a big deal. (today will be done hopefully)
  


• The package has lot of classes and much more components than what is listed in this topic. It was a nightmare for me to document it. But now only three units left to document. (needs 2 days maximum)
  


• The package still requires some demo program. (needs 4 or 5 days)
  


• Icons of the components are not ready yet. This is the difficult part because I need 34 different icons! (no time estimation)

I don't know it's good or not, but I currently have no job or project for the living. I am working on this package only.

Anyway, if you need the package before than I release it, just drop me a line.

[Jens01]

First I think it is not good when you have no job!

I want not push you, I have enough time. When I begin with my translation, I send a message.

Can anybody here help you with the icons?

[Kambiz]

That thing is not good but sometimes the bad things happen.

I wish there was someone here in this forum to help me with the icons. But we are just programmers.

[Kambiz]

I am glad to tell you that finally the i18n package is available to download.
http://www.delphiarea.com/products/delphi-packages/i18n/

What a relief! It took more than a year to finish it.