Replace complicated keys with longer, simpler keys. When writing in one language, it is possible to create clever code to make correct text. In English, for example, you can put an
ifcommand at the end of a word which adds "s" if a count is anything but 1. This pluralizes nouns correctly based on the data. However, it is confusing to read and, when internationalized, may result in message keys that are both confusing and impossible to set correctly in some languages. While internationalizing, watch out that the automate converter does not create such keys. Also, refactor compound text as you encounter it.The automated system can easily get confused by tags within message texts, so that it tries to create two or three message keys for one long string with a tag in the middle. In these cases, uncheck those keys during the conversion and then edit the files directly. For example, this code:
<p class="form-help-text"><b>Invitations</b> are sent, +
Replace complicated keys with longer, simpler keys. When writing in one language, it is possible to create clever code to make correct text. In English, for example, you can put an
ifcommand at the end of a word which adds "s" if a count is anything but 1. This pluralizes nouns correctly based on the data. However, it is confusing to read and, when internationalized, may result in message keys that are both confusing and impossible to set correctly in some languages. While internationalizing, watch out that the automate converter does not create such keys. Also, refactor compound text as you encounter it.The automated system can easily get confused by tags within message texts, so that it tries to create two or three message keys for one long string with a tag in the middle. In these cases, uncheck those keys during the conversion and then edit the files directly. For example, this code:
<p class="form-help-text"><b>Invitations</b> are sent, when this wizard is completed and casting begins.</p>has a bold tag which confuses the converter into thinking there are two message keys for the text beginning "Invitations ..." where there should be one:
Instead, we cancel those keys, edit the file manually, and put in a single temporary message tag:
<p class="form-help-text"> <#Invitations_are_sent <b>Invitations</b> are sent, when this wizard is completed and casting begins.#> </p>
Complex if statements may produce convoluted message keys that are very hard to localize. Rewrite these if statements. For example:
Select which case <if @simulation.casting_type@ eq "open">and @@ -155,8 +155,8 @@ and users with write permission on the Bug Tracker project (package instance) may do so.</msg>
These would be more useful if they were, "you_can_filter", "you_do_not_have_permission_to_map_this_patch", and "you_do_not_have_permission_to_edit_this_patch". Don't worry about exactly matching the english text, because that might change; instead try to capture the meaning of the phrase. Ask yourself, if I was a translator and didn't know how this application worked, would this key and text make translation easy for me?
Sometimes the automatic converter creates keys that don't semantically match their text. Fix these:
<msg key="Fix">for version</msg> <msg key="Fix_1">for</msg> -<msg key="Fix_2">for Bugs</msg>
Another example:
Bug-tracker component maintainer"was converted to"[_ bug-tracker.Bug-tracker]". Instead, it should bebug_tracker_component_maintainer.Translations in Avoid "clever" message reuse. Translations may need to differ depending on the context in which +<msg key="Fix_2">for Bugs</msg>
Another example:
Bug-tracker component maintainerwas converted to[_ bug-tracker.Bug-tracker]. Instead, it should bebug_tracker_component_maintainer.Translations in Avoid "clever" message reuse. Translations may need to differ depending on the context in which the message appears.
Avoid plurals. Different languages create plurals differently. Try to avoid keys which will change based on the value of a number. OpenACS does not currently support internationalization of plurals. If you use two different keys, a plural and a singular form, your application will not localize properly for locales which use different rules or have more than two forms of plurals.
Quoting in the message catalog for tcl. Watch out for quoting and escaping when editing text that is also code. For example, the original string
set title "Patch \"$patch_summary\" is nice."
breaks if the message text retains all of the escaping that was in the tcl command:
<msg>Patch \"$patch_summary\" is nice.</msg>
When it becomes a key, it should be:
<msg>Patch "$patch_summary" is nice.</msg>
Also, some keys had %var;noquote%, which is not needed since those variables are not quoted (and in fact the variable won't even be - recognized so you get the literal %var;noquote% in the output).
Be careful with curly brackets. Code within curly brackets isn't evaluated. Tcl uses curly brackets as an alternative way to build lists. But Tcl also uses curly brackets as an alternative to quotation marks for quoting text. So this original code
array set names { key "Pretty" ...}... if converted to
array set names { key "[_bug-tracker.Pretty]" ...}... won't work since the _ func will not be called. Instead, it should be
array set names [list key [_bug-tracker.Pretty] ...]