Update:Remora Localization

Localizing 101

Note: Expressions are converted to tags according to the standards mentioned at the end of the page (error_blah and such) so that multiple occurances of the same expression only have to be localized once.

Note 2: I assume you have the GNU gettext tools installed, otherwise the scripts won't work and, more importantly, the wrath of the merciless babelfish[TM] will come upon you.

PHP and gettext

Use php's gettext functions to make localized strings, for example:

echo _('error_empty_glass');

To do string replacement, use sprintf like this:

echo sprintf(_('glass_refill'), $beer);

Localizers can then translate it similar to:

Some more %s was ordered.

and PHP will put in the value of $beer for %s.

Updating locales

extracting

After l10n strings have been added to the code files/views, they have to be extracted. There's a shell script that goes through the controllers, models and views (.php and .thtml files) and searches for gettext strings. The extracted strings are stored into ./messages.po .

Execute from the app dir:

./locale/extract-po.sh

merging

To bring the respective .po files of the individual locales up to date, execute from the app directory:

./locale/merge-po.sh messages.po ./locale

where messages.po is the file created by the extraction step and ./locale is the directory in which all the locales lie. The merge script will merge the new strings from messages.po into every *.po file underneath ./locale, then.

"compiling"

After translation, plain text .po files (PO = portable object) have to be translated into binary .mo files (MO = machine object). There's a third script you can run for that:

./locale/compile-mo.sh ./locale

This will make a .mo file in the same directory of every .po file.

L10n standards

• If the string is a "widget" as defined in the shavictionary: (labels, common navigational elements like "Home" or "Top" or "Next")
  • element_name_additional

• If the string is prose for explanations, error messages, instructions
  • type_name_additional

• If the string is structural text like headers, titles, breadcrumbs, etc.
  • If the string is not in a form:
    • namespace_pagename_name_additional
  • If the string is inside of a form:
    • namespace_pagename_formname_element_name_additional

Where:

• namespace is the location in cake of the view, so if it's under /views/developers/ the namespace is "developers"
• pagename is the name of the file, with underscores taken out
• formname is just what you think the form should be called with "form" appended, since cake is actually naming them... (should we make this more specific?)
• name is a unique name for the element (preferably its id)
• element is the closest tag or parameter, so for an images alt tag it would be "alt". For a label it would be "label"
• additional is anything else needed to make a string unique
• type is a global category, like "error"