Improvements for multilingual app

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cbrunet

Posts: 6

Improvements for multilingual app - Posted: April 24, 2008 - 9:46 AM

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Hi!

I've been using the new multilingual infrastructure for some weeks now, and I'd like to suggest some improvements.

== For global templates translations ==

I think there should be a translation set by template set. It would allow distributing template sets along with their translation files. Actually, there is one translation set for all global templates.

== For application translations ==

Actually, there is one translation set for each application. It is good because it allows to distribute an application along with its translations, and to load only translations needed for the loaded application. But it causes two drawbacks:
- The same string need to be translated for each application. It can be cause of inconsistency between applications if the same string is translated differently in two applications.
- Sometime, an application use things that come from another application. In that case, some strings aren't translated, because located in the index of the other application.

I think it would be better to use only one translation file for all applications. Here is how I suggest to implement it:

1- In the application section of multilingual app, provide a 'generate indexes' link, and link for each languages (instead of listing applications).
2- When clicking on 'generate indexes', generate a global index file 'inc/app/lang/index.php' as well as index files for each applications ('inc/app/*/lang/index.php')
3- For each available language, compile the list of provided translations (i.e. inc/app/*/lang/fr.php) into a global translation file (i.e. 'inc/app/lang/fr.php'). This allows to get strings provided by app. In case of duplicate strings, give priority to the global translation file (i.e. 'inc/app/lang/fr.php') over the application translation file.
4- When entering into the interface to translate strings from a specific language:
- Provide more flexibility for navigation (a-z index, search...) because the number of strings can be huge.
5- When saving changes:
- Put all strings into the global translation file
- For each application, build an app translation file with all needed strings for the app (that's why we built an index file for the app)
6- In Sitellite i18n infrastructure, use global translation file.

It would resolve the actual problems, while still allowing app to include their own translation files. When installing a new app, the only thing needed would be to regenerate translation indexes to add the app translations to the global translation files.

What do you think about that? Do you a better suggestions?

I think I could be able to implement it. Just let me know if you are interested in it.

Charles Brunet.

Improvements for multilingual app

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