Translation Manager in the IDE

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Translation Tools

RAD Studio includes a suite of Translation Tools to facilitate localization and development of Win32 applications for different locales.

The Translation Tools are available for Delphi and C++. They can be used with Windows VCL Applications, Win32 console applications, packages, and DLLs.

The Translation Tools are supplied in two versions:

• Integrated Translation Manager (ITM), which is a part of the IDE that helps localize your projects. ITM can create localized projects for existing projects. The Integrated Translation Manager includes the following features:
  • Resource DLL Wizard -- generates resource DLL projects for the languages you select. To open the Resource DLL Wizard, select File > New > Other > Delphi Projects (or C++Builder Projects) > Resource DLL Wizard, or select Project > Languages > Add.
  • Translation Editor -- provides a table showing the selected resources. Here you can view, edit, and translate resource strings. You can open it by choosing View > Translation Manager > Translation Editor.
  • Translation Repository -- provides a central database for translations of string resources that can be shared across projects and by different developers. You can open it by choosing View > Translation Manager > Translation Repository.
  • Translation Tools Options -- you can access the configuration options of the ITM by choosing Tools > Options > Translation Tools Options.

• External Translation Manager (ETM), which is a stand-alone application that you can set up and use for localizing your projects without the IDE. The ETM has the functionality similar to the Translation Editor, but with some additional menus and toolbars. ETM cannot create new projects, but it can import existing projects. It also provides tools necessary for translating string resources in imported projects, and it can export localized projects with translated resources. The ETM includes the following features:
  • External Translation Manager application -- is the stand-alone environment providing the tools for importing and exporting localized projects. The ETM works with DFM and other files handling string resources in existing localized projects. The ETM provides a table showing the selected resources. In this table you can view, edit, and translate resource strings.
  • Translation Repository -- is the same database with translations of string resources that is used by the ITM. You can open the Translation Repository from the ETM application.

Resource DLL Wizard

Before you can use the Translation Editor, you must add to your project the languages into which you will translate your resources. To add a language, open the Resource DLL Wizard. Choose File > New > Other > Delphi Projects (or C++Builder Projects) > Resource DLL Wizard. The Resource DLL Wizard creates a resource DLL project for each language you add. See also Creating Localized Resource DLLs.

Using the Resource DLL Wizard, you can add to your resource DLL projects extra resource files of which the IDE is unaware, but that you may need in order to do your translations. Such resource files are .dfm and .rc. You can add or remove new resource DLL projects (languages) to your projects at any time. If you have multiple projects opened in the IDE, you can process several at once.

Tip: You can also choose the Project > Languages > Add menu command to open the Add Languages dialog box. It provides functionality similar to the Resource DLL Wizard.

Tip: This documentation uses the term resource module to refer to a resource DLL project.

Translation Editor

After resource modules have been added to your project, you can use the Translation Editor to view and edit VCL forms and resource strings. After modifying your translations, you can update all of your application's resource modules.

Translation Repository

The Translation Repository provides a database for translations that can be shared across projects by several developers. While working in the Translation Editor, you can store translated strings in the Translation Repository and retrieve translated strings from the Translation Repository.

By default, each time your resource modules are updated, they will be populated with translations for any matching strings that exist in the Translation Repository's database. You can also access the Translation Repository's data directly, through its own interface, to find, edit, or delete strings stored in the translation database.

The Translation Repository stores data in XML format files with the .tmx extension.

By default, the Translation Repository's database file is default.tmx and it is located in the RAD Studio\bin directory. You can change this file in the Translation Repository Options dialog box (click Tools > Options > Translation Tools Options > Repository). You can also explicitly open other translation database files by clicking the Open toolbar icon in the Translation Repository.

Files Generated by Translation Tools

The files generated by the Translation Tools include the following:

File extension	Description
.dfm	The Translation Tools maintain a separate .dfm form file for resources of each form in your application and for each target language. These files contain the data (including translated strings) that you see in the Translation Editor.
.rc	The Resource DLL Wizard uses the compiler-generated .drc file to create an .rc file for each target language. These .rc files contain string resources declared as string constants in resourcestring sections in your code.
.tmx	The Translation Repository stores data in a .tmx file. You can maintain more than one repository by saving multiple .tmx files.
.bdsproj	The Translation Manager stores resource DLL projects for languages to be translated in a .bdsproj project file. When third-party translators translate resources in resource DLL projects, they take these .bdsproj project files (together with .dfm form, .rc resource, and other files in resource DLL projects' subdirectories) from the developers and return translated files to the developers.

Note: You should not edit any of these files manually.

Topics

• Adding Languages to a Project
• Editing Resource Files in the Translation Manager
• Setting the Active Language for a Project
• Updating Resource Modules
• Language Culture Names, Codes, and ISO Values

See Also

• Adding Languages to a Project
• Editing Resource Files in the Translation Manager
• Setting the Active Language for a Project
• Updating Resource Modules
• Setting Up the External Translation Manager
• Creating International Applications
  • Internationalizing Applications
  • Localizing Applications
  • Creating Localized Resource DLLs
  • Deploying Localized Applications