Getting localized NSPredicateEditor
-
Hello List,
is there a way to make NSPredicateEditor play nice with localized
versions of an application, meaning that it's rule operators and
criteria are translated to the language the rest of the application is
using?
Right now it appears that NSPredicateEditor uses English operator
names (and compound criteria descriptions), regardless of which
language is used.
Regards
Markus
-- -
On Oct 28, 2008, at 1:12 PM, Markus Spoettl wrote:
> Hello List,
>
> is there a way to make NSPredicateEditor play nice with localized
> versions of an application, meaning that it's rule operators and
> criteria are translated to the language the rest of the application
> is using?
>
> Right now it appears that NSPredicateEditor uses English operator
> names (and compound criteria descriptions), regardless of which
> language is used.
>
> Regards
> Markus
Hi Markus,
Apple does not provide any translations of the operator names or
criteria. This is because NSPredicateEditor is designed to be
localized with sentence granularity, not word by word. Translating
each word independently and piecing them together doesn't produce as
good a localization.
For example, in Finder, you can search for "[Last modified date] is
[within last] [5] [weeks]". That whole sentence is what gets
localized - it appears in a strings file in Finder's bundle - and
there can be a separate localization for each possible sentence.
There's an example of a NSRuleEditor localized into Spanish at http://homepage.mac.com/gershwin/NibBasedSpotlightSearcher.zip
(NSPredicateEditor's localization is identical). Also see
NSNavRuleEditor.strings inside AppKit.framework/*.lproj for how the
search in the Open panel gets localized.
Of course, you can localize each word independently if you prefer,
with the usual mechanism - set the title of each menu item in each
popup to the translation you want.
Let me know if you have any questions,
-Peter -
Hi Peter,
On Oct 28, 2008, at 2:10 PM, Peter Ammon wrote:
> Apple does not provide any translations of the operator names or
> criteria. This is because NSPredicateEditor is designed to be
> localized with sentence granularity, not word by word. Translating
> each word independently and piecing them together doesn't produce as
> good a localization.
>
> For example, in Finder, you can search for "[Last modified date] is
> [within last] [5] [weeks]". That whole sentence is what gets
> localized - it appears in a strings file in Finder's bundle - and
> there can be a separate localization for each possible sentence.
>
> There's an example of a NSRuleEditor localized into Spanish at http://homepage.mac.com/gershwin/NibBasedSpotlightSearcher.zip
> (NSPredicateEditor's localization is identical). Also see
> NSNavRuleEditor.strings inside AppKit.framework/*.lproj for how the
> search in the Open panel gets localized.
OK, thanks very much! That's very interesting, I would have never
figured that out from the documentation, and it appears my googling
skills are very bad.
> Of course, you can localize each word independently if you prefer,
> with the usual mechanism - set the title of each menu item in each
> popup to the translation you want.
In my case it might even work but I'd love to give this mechanism a
try but...
> Let me know if you have any questions,
I do! I tried to localize the All/Any/None sentence for the German
localization. When I do this I get an exception and the following
console log:
10/28/08 3:20:54 PM myApp[43721] Error parsing localization!
Key: %d %@
Value: %1$d %2$@
Error is: The maximum given order was 2, but nothing has order 1.
The localization part looks like this:
"%[Any]@ of the following are true" = "%[Eine]@ der folgenden
Bedingungen treffen zu";
"%[All]@ of the following are true" = "%[Alle]@ der folgenden
Bedingungen treffen zu";
"%[None]@ of the following are true" = "%[Keine]@ der folgenden
Bedingungen treffen zu";
I've set the predicate editor's formattingStringsFilename in -
awakeFromNib and implemented
- (NSDictionary *)ruleEditor:(NSPredicateEditor *)editor
predicatePartsForCriterion:(id)criterion withDisplayValue:(id)value
inRow:(NSInteger)row
{
NSMutableDictionary *result = [NSMutableDictionary dictionary];
if ([value isKindOfClass:[NSString class]]) {
if ([value isEqual:@"Any"]) [result setObject:[NSNumber
numberWithInt:NSOrPredicateType]
forKey:NSRuleEditorPredicateCompoundType];
else if ([value isEqual:@"All"]) [result setObject:[NSNumber
numberWithInt:NSAndPredicateType]
forKey:NSRuleEditorPredicateCompoundType];
else if ([value isEqual:@"None"]) [result setObject:[NSNumber
numberWithInt:NSNotPredicateType]
forKey:NSRuleEditorPredicateCompoundType];
}
return result;
}
which never gets called (probably because it's a NSPredicateEditor and
as such does not use delegate methods?). Any idea what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks very much for your help!
Regards
Markus
-- -
Hi Peter,
On Oct 28, 2008, at 3:33 PM, Markus Spoettl wrote:
> 10/28/08 3:20:54 PM myApp[43721] Error parsing localization!
> Key: %d %@
> Value: %1$d %2$@
> Error is: The maximum given order was 2, but nothing has order 1.
>
> The localization part looks like this:
Never mind the previous mail. I put the localization in its own file
and it works. I had it in Localizable.strings with tons of other stuff
in it and apparently the system does expect it to be on its own.
Time for some more experimenting, thanks very much for the quick help!
Regards
Markus
-- -
On Oct 28, 2008, at 3:33 PM, Markus Spoettl wrote:
> Hi Peter,
>
>> Let me know if you have any questions,
>
> I do! I tried to localize the All/Any/None sentence for the German
> localization. When I do this I get an exception and the following
> console log:
>
> 10/28/08 3:20:54 PM myApp[43721] Error parsing localization!
> Key: %d %@
> Value: %1$d %2$@
> Error is: The maximum given order was 2, but nothing has order 1.
My guess is that you're using the same strings file for this and other
uses. The %[...]@ syntax is unique to NSRuleEditor/NSPredicateEditor
and so it needs its own strings file. %d should never appear in one
of these strings.
Here's something that may help - there's a method on NSRuleEditor: -
(NSData *)_generateFormattingDictionaryStringsFile. It gives you a
strings file (as UTF16 data) appropriate for that control - write the
data to a .strings file and then you can start translating it.
That method should never be called in production code but it can be
useful for generating the strings file.
> The localization part looks like this:
>
> "%[Any]@ of the following are true" = "%[Eine]@ der folgenden
> Bedingungen treffen zu";
> "%[All]@ of the following are true" = "%[Alle]@ der folgenden
> Bedingungen treffen zu";
> "%[None]@ of the following are true" = "%[Keine]@ der folgenden
> Bedingungen treffen zu";
>
> I've set the predicate editor's formattingStringsFilename in -
> awakeFromNib and implemented
>
> - (NSDictionary *)ruleEditor:(NSPredicateEditor *)editor
> predicatePartsForCriterion:(id)criterion withDisplayValue:(id)value
> inRow:(NSInteger)row
> {
> NSMutableDictionary *result = [NSMutableDictionary dictionary];
> if ([value isKindOfClass:[NSString class]]) {
> if ([value isEqual:@"Any"]) [result setObject:[NSNumber
> numberWithInt:NSOrPredicateType]
> forKey:NSRuleEditorPredicateCompoundType];
> else if ([value isEqual:@"All"]) [result setObject:[NSNumber
> numberWithInt:NSAndPredicateType]
> forKey:NSRuleEditorPredicateCompoundType];
> else if ([value isEqual:@"None"]) [result setObject:[NSNumber
> numberWithInt:NSNotPredicateType]
> forKey:NSRuleEditorPredicateCompoundType];
> }
> return result;
> }
>
> which never gets called (probably because it's a NSPredicateEditor
> and as such does not use delegate methods?).
Right, those delegate methods are not used for NSPredicateEditor. All
that's necessary for localization is to set the strings file.
-Peter -
On Oct 28, 2008, at 3:57 PM, Peter Ammon wrote:
> Here's something that may help - there's a method on NSRuleEditor: -
> (NSData *)_generateFormattingDictionaryStringsFile. It gives you a
> strings file (as UTF16 data) appropriate for that control - write
> the data to a .strings file and then you can start translating it.
>
> That method should never be called in production code but it can be
> useful for generating the strings file.
Excellent, that saves a lot of error prone work - I have more than 180
such sentences. Thanks again!
Regards
Markus
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