Eclipse Translator
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Eclipse uses a special dictionary file called htui_v3.mld to manage the language of labels and captions in Eclipse. This dictionary file is very much like a spreadsheet and has a master column it contains all the English labels and captions in Eclipse. The remaining columns are for foreign language translations. When Eclipse opens it checks you Windows Locale settings to set what language you machine is set at; it then looks up the htui_v3.mld file to see if there is a column for that language. If it finds one then if a translation exists for a label or caption, it will use it; if the translation cell is empty Eclipse will use the English from the master column.

Normally, the htui_v3.mld file is found in the Eclipse folder of each workstation; however, there is an option in the Eclipse Configuration Utility (Rules page) that allows you to keep the htui_v3.mld file in the Eclipse TEMPLATE folder on the file server that hosts all the Eclipse data. This means that whenever you edit the file you do not have to update all your Eclipse workstations with a new htui_v3.mld file.

Tips on the translation process

·Eclipse is a large programme with many forms and thus many labels and captions to translate; so the prospect of translating the entire programme can be a daunting task.  
It, therefore, makes sense to begin by just translating the parts of the programme that your non-English speaking staff will be using on a daily basis, for example parts of the Job Book, and the equipment list editor.  
After that, you might want to move on to the Address Book, or Invoice Editor. Don't translate more than you need to.  
This will allow you to get up and running with Eclipse with minimal work and will make the translation process a rolling one.  
Eventually, you might well find that that there are quite a few forms in the programme that you never use at all that can just be left untranslated.  
·Having a dedicated person doing the translation is advisable as you'll find that this provides continuity of style, particularly if some words and phrases need to be abbreviated.  
·All prints-outs (reports) in Eclipse are maintained completely independently of the main Eclipse programme (see THIS article for more details) .  
As such you need to edit these with Crystal Reports in order to translate the English text. To begin with, you should only tackle the key reports that you will be using, (Quotes, Invoices, etc)  
·Eclipse is constantly being developed and new forms and controls appear with each major version update. As a result, your htui_v3.mld can get out of date insofar as there will be missing entries for new labels and captions that have been introduced. This is not a problem as the Eclipse Translator allows you to add new entries.  
·Even English users can benefit from editing their htui_v3.mld file. For example, sometimes fields in Eclipse get used for alternative purposes and its nice to be able to re-label these appropriately.  



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General

First you need to search for your HTUI_V2.mld. It will load automatically when you find it using the file browser. NOTE: it is best to work on a copy of HTUI_V2.mld while you are translating it. That way you can still run Eclipse while working. A backup copy of the file can be found in the zip file which contains the translator programme. When you have finished the translation just copy the amended file over the one in the local Eclipse folder on each workstation.

The AddNew, Post, Delete and Cancel buttons work just like their equivalents in Eclipse. However, they only have an impact on the data that is displayed in the main grid, not on the MLD file itself. Once you have made your changes, if you want to really save your work to disk (i.e. update the MLD file) then you need to click the Save icon.

Adding new entries will be necessary if the string you wish to translate cannot be found in the MLD file; this will happen as new features are added to Eclipse because in order to preserve your translations the MLD file is not regularly updated and redistributed as new editions of Eclipse are released.
Finding Strings
The simplest way to find an entry is to type into the Search Box. This will search in the field selected by the Order By dropdown combobox. Normally you would search the Native field since this is what is stored in Eclipse.

You can also Filter Filters on an Eclipse Form (Window) and change all the text strings on that Form alone. For example, you may want to start your translation by doing the Equipment List. Alternatively you can search for specific Components (visual controls) to translate, just like Forms; however, this is an advanced feature that you are unlikely to need at all. The latest release of Eclipse has a Help | Component Info menu which will bring up a form inspector window. This will help you determine the name of any Form or Component that you are interested in.



Update Options

The default here is to translate just the current entry in the main grid. However, there may be many hundreds of entries in Eclipse of the same word that you have just translated, for example, "File". You can tell the programme to update all of these as well, according to the following special conditions :

1.Only update this occurrence  
 
Translates the current line only  
 
2.Update all occurrences where the Native and Local words matched  
 
Translates all entries where both the native and local words match the current native entry and the original local entry. You would probably only use this option if you want to re-translate an entry that you have done incorrectly.  
 
3.Update all occurrences where the Native word matches the current Native  
 
Translates all entries where only the Native word matches the current Native entry. You would probably use this option most of the time, although sometime the same Native word will mean something different when used in different contexts, so there could be cases where this option will make translations that will need doing again  
 
4.Update all occurrences where the Local word matches the current Local  
 
Translates all entries where only the Local word matches the current Local entry. You would probably only use this option if you decide a translation of a particular Native word you have done throughout the MLD file is wrong or inappropriate and needs updating throughout the file.  
 
 
Adding New Entries

When you add a new entry the grid at the bottom of the screen becomes enabled and takes the focus for you to enter your values there directly. Note that you need to supply the Native string as it currently appears in Eclipse. If you have a filter active on either a Form or Component then this information will be filled in automatically. It is not always necessary to fill in the Form or Component fields but if you only want the translation to apply to a string on a specific form then you need to specify the Form name or to a specific component, e.g column of a database grid, then you need to supply the form and component details. In particular, if you wish to translate the columns of database grid then you will need to supply the Component name and in Eclipse 2.3 (756) more information is made available from the Help | Component Info form inspector. When your mouse is moved over a database grid you are offered Ctrl + D for a field listing of the grid and there you can see all the information you need for the new translation entry:

·Native – maps to the Display Name for the grid column  
·Form – maps to the Window Name/Class shown in the Form Inspector  
·Component – maps to Component Name for the grid column  

Component_Inspector

Special Characters

There are a few special characters which you need to keep in your translations. Most commonly, the "&" character is used to "hotkey" menus with Alt + Letter, such that &File will hotkey the "File" menu on the Alt + F key combination. This is normally indicated by an underline for that character when displayed in Eclipse. When creating new entries in the MLD file it is essential that your NATIVE entry includes the "&" character in the correct place, otherwise the translation code in Eclipse will not find it and you translation will not work; however, the default for Window XP is to hide these until you hit the Alt key so you will not know if any "&" characters are required until you do this.

If you wish to change your Windows XP setting then it is located on the Effects tab of the Display properties dialog. The setting is called "Hide keyboard navigation
indications until I use the Alt key".