When we talk about presenting the user interface of an application in two or more languages, we are talking about localizing the application for use in each language. Basically, the process of localizing an application with Domino Global WorkBench is one of assigning a "tag" to each UI text element that appears in the application's source database (the original database from which "other language" versions ultimately will be generated). Tags are assigned to button names, field labels and help items, LotusScript, graphics, pass-thru HTML, and so forth -- in short, almost every object and design element the Notes object store supports. DGW then creates a system copy of the source database, called the tagged database. Tags are embedded in the design of the tagged database itself, next to the element they identify (and leaving the source database is unchanged). While creating the tagged database, DGW extracts the user-visible text strings associated with the application's UI elements and saves them in a Notes-based glossary for future translation.
After an application has been tagged using DGW, and the associated glossaries have been translated, DGW builds the localized database(s) by replacing tagged text with translations in a new copy of the tagged database. You can build a single database that contains all the translations, or you can build one localized database for each language version that you are making available. Note that DGW does not affect local time and date formats, which are set in users' operating systems and on the server. Currency signs and conversions are handled programmatically by developers.
This has been a brief review of the basics of localization with DGW. For an in-depth discussion of this process, consult the 'Recommended Process' document which is described in the DGW Help database. |
