[OA] Foreign Language Versions of OA

[Les Richardson]

Hi David,

> |Thus the install process would now include a 'build' stage to create the
> |.html files for your language version (and would require a mapping file
> |for your language).
>
> And that would be located where?

The language mapping files in the current 'locale' directory in a 
directory of lanaguage of choice... locale/en, locale/es, locale/fr.

The conversion scripts in 'utility' directory, perhaps in a 
'build' subdirectory.

The html templates could also be in the same area 'utility/templates'. The 
scripts would write directly into 'admin' and 'tadmin'.


> |2) The scripts - There are two approaches, as I see it:
> |
> |a) create a master language mapping file from which all scripts draw (or
> |subdivide this into a series of smaller mapping files based on directory
> |area/function).
> |
> |b) rewrite the scripts to contain the mappings they need to operate in
> |your language of choice. This would be analogous to the html generation
> |phase.
> |
> |I'm leaning toward B. (But you can certainly argue with me...)

> B is good, but what's wrong with both?  The smaller scripts could be
> combined.

As scripts are rewritten the 'two stage' scripts where one calls the 
second, are begin combined already (ie. studed0.pl and studed1.pl from 
1.90 are now a single student edit script... studed.pl in 1.95+). This is 
the only area where this has happened.

> Then, when the scripts are "compiled", just look at the
> mtime and use the most recent of either the combined (to create the
> others) or the others to create the combined.  The compile script
> should be run after every edit.

I'm not sure I follow this... I don't forsee the need to create a 'script 
template' to do the language conversion... the right side of the 'lex' 
hash is the only thing being changed. (or am I understanding you 
correctly)?


> |
> |
> |My goal is to release OA 2.00 initially in Spanish and French with support
> |in Demographics and Attendance, which I think is a reasonable goal.

> translations can be done by anyone whoe understands both languages if
> you're just using files with en => XX inside.

Exactly. This is my goal. Easy translation.

> Don't reinvent the wheel.  There are lots of good (GPL) works out there
> to copy from.

Agreed. Is this the method others have used? and... what are the pro's and 
con's of this approach? (I have looked at sql-ledger and also most of the 
language modules on CPAN).


Les