----- Original Message ----- From: "van der Zwaag, Frank" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "RBG7-L Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 6:44 PM Subject: [RBG7-L] - RE: International Developer's meeting
> For once, I am not going to try to be a smarty-pants. Apple has dealt with > this problem since they developed their Macintosh operating system. One of > their design principles always was that you keep your program resources > (windows, dialogs, pictures, texts, menus) separate from the code resources. > > > In this way you could localise your resource by changing them to whatever > language you want it to be. > > For instance: All static text resources where grouped in separate blocks > within the application executable. You could perhaps achieve something > similar in Rbase by inserting your static texts in tables and have the form > objects setup with variables that are loaded from the table. This kind of stuff would be doable if some other data structures would be added to RBase language, specifically arrays so you could make one pass at the DB when the form loaded to pull a resource string based on Locale settings into an array. From there it would be childs play to map the array elements to the appropriate control (control array would be a wonderful accompanyment to array structure).. > Have a look at the apple website, the developers pages, all the developer > books and guidelines are online in PDF format. See attached link. I know, > Rbase doesn't run on Apple's Unix based OS/X (yet?), but you should be able > to pick up some design ideas. > > http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Internationalization/Internationali > zation.html > > > Cheers > > > Frank van der Zwaag > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sami Aaron > Sent: Tuesday, 2 November 2004 12:28 p.m. > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [RBG7-L] - International Developer's meeting > > During the Fall 2004 R:Base Developer's Conference, we had a lively open > forum discussion on the issues and problems that are addressed by developers > who are programming in various languages other than English. > > R:BASE version 7.5 now in beta will begin to address some of these issues > with a user-selected language, but there are still a number of problems to > be worked out. What follows is a list of the types of problems that > developers encounter - and this list is provided to R:BASE Technologies to > help them determine the best way to make the lives of international > developers a little easier in the context of what they determine to be > priorities in upcoming releases of R:BASE. > > I would suggest that you send comments and enhancement requests to RBTI via > the RDCC as usual, on this topic. It was an enjoyable session that really > asked more questions than it answered - but that's the beginning of change, > I guess! > > Sami > ------------------------------------------ > Sami Aaron, co-emcee > Software Management Specialists > 19312 W 63rd Terr > Shawnee KS 66218 > 913-915-1971 > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.softwaremgmt.com > > > Issues that were discussed: > > 1. Some developers write programs that may be used by people who speak many > different languages, and the ability to have their program be able to work > in this type of environment is important to their ability to market their > programs. > > 2. The biggest obstacle is the CURRENCY setting differences, especially > when users of different languages are accessing the same database at the > same time. When the settings for quotes and delimiter need to be changed in > order to properly display and reference currency values, it can be a real > problem. Additional concerns were with using SCONNECT/SATTACH on databases > with different quote and delimiter settings because of differences in the > CURRENCY settings. > > 3. Developers would like to see form design features that allow them to > type the text for all form objects, a static text label for example, in many > languages - so that the text "Customer Name" can also be typed in various > languages, and depending on the end-user's selected language, the > appropriate text would display on their form, along with all the underlying > properties. Developers would like to have these features extended to hints, > captions, pop-up lists, form titles and so on. > > 4. For reports, users would like similar features for text labels like on > forms with the ability to specify the text for multiple languages. However, > because of differences in spacing (the same phrase in French is much longer > than in English, for example) having this ability in Reports might not > always be the best solution. Developers would like to have the ability to > change the language on System variables like the Page Counter words or the > system dates. > > 5. Users trying to develop in Chinese are having problems as they have to > code the hexadecimal values of text and cannot preview it on screen. > > 6. The R:BASE 7.5 demo showed that portions of the R:BASE main menu system > will change according to the user's selected language and this received very > positive response. > > 7. Developers would like to see some or all of the help files in other > languages. > > 8. Developers would like the ability to assign multiple language text to > Dialog boxes > > 9. Developers would like to have standard R:BASE error messages in various > languages. > > 10. These language preferences need to be assigned per user, and not per > database. > > 11. One question was - what if a developer creates a program using the U.S. > version of R:BASE, and they sell their application to a user who has the > Japanese version of R:BASE, what issues or problems might be encountered? > > 12. One user suggested that the R:BASE program could be set up to read the > user's Windows settings for date, currency and language formats. > > ____________________________________________________________________ > CAUTION - This message may contain privileged and confidential > information intended only for the use of the addressee named above. > If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby > notified that any use, dissemination, distribution or reproduction > of this message is prohibited. If you have received this message in > error please notify Air New Zealand immediately. Any views expressed > in this message are those of the individual sender and may not > necessarily reflect the views of Air New Zealand. > _____________________________________________________________________ > For more information on the Air New Zealand Group, visit us online > at http://www.airnewzealand.com > _____________________________________________________________________ >
