Ac Browser Plus

Translating

So, you want to become the ACB's Translator? Or you already are?

Note: Please first contact me to find out if the translation to your language isn't already made. It happened a few times, that someone made the translation and then contacted me, and I'd have been sorry to say the translation is already done, so please - first ask me if the translation to certain language is already done or not. If not - you'll receive registration key for Ac Browser Plus.

Translating ACB doesn't require any special computer skills -  no resource editing is necessary, it's about editing a text file.

If you are interested in translating ACB, then please contact me - acbplus@konradp.com (with subject "translating"), and I'll tell you if I have or don't have a translator for your language, if I don't have, and you'll translate ACB, you'll receive the ACB's registration key. Currently, ACB has translators for these languages: German, Polish, Italian, Hungarian, Swedish, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, French.

Translators list.

Download Ac Browser Plus.

Translating ACB - Let's ride...

First of all, thank you very much for interest in translating Ac Browser Plus. This is rather testing now, but I think everything's fine.

Now, how do we do that?

First go to the "international" folder, which you'll find in the main ACB's folder. Create there a folder with a name of the language you want ACB translate to (in your language). Now, copy the contents of "English" folder into your newly created folder.

So now you have a new folder, having a name of the language, and there two files - translation.ini and tips.txt.

Translation.ini 

This is the main translation file. It's an ini file - so you have sections and values. You translate everything after the = character. You can open this file in any editor (e.g. notepad), but it would be much better to turn off the Word Wrapping. Let's take a look at a few examples from this file:

[GENERAL]
;these are file' and folder's attributes.
@title=Title
@extension=Extension
@name=Name
@path=Path

The first line ("[GENERAL]") is a section. Precisely, in this section are phrases and words used widely by ACB in many places. The second line is a comment. Everything which starts with a semicolon - ; is a comment - they are simply omitted. Next lines are translations - the @ character means something only for the ACB's translation module - in most cases, this means that this is not a dialog's or menu's element. But you don't have to care about it - however, if there is a @ character, then let it be there! Most of these values beginning with a @ are phrases and words used to dynamically create another, bigger phrase.  Like "@moving=Moving", this will be used to create a sentence like "Moving: X to Y", for example in the "Output window" (View->Output window menu command).

Now, below, you'll find something like this:

@object_exists_overwrite=%s already exists. Overwrite?

A new thing here are "%s" characters. This will be simply replaced with something - in this case with a file's names which is to be overwritten. So it will be for example "notepad.exe already exists. Overwrite?". Of course, the %s doesn't have to be at the beginning, if, in your language it's much better to place it in the middle or something, then do that.

[MAINFRAME_MENU]
 ;POPUP"&File"
@&File=&File
... a few lines omitted
ID_FILE_OPEN_IN_NEW_WINDOW=Open in new window\tCtrl+Enter
 

This section (MAINFRAME_MENU) is about the main menu. First line in this section is a comment. Next, there is something like "@&File=&File". The @ character, as mentioned, means something for the ACB's translation module. But, what about the  & character? Well, this is an accelerator, specifying the Alt+.... keyboard shortcut. In this case (&File), the accelerator will be "F" - so Alt+F will execute the "File" command (actually, in this case, this will show a popup menu - that is - a sub menu). And of course - it's your decision about an accelerator to use - just use accelerators commonly used in your language. Of course - don't change anything on the left of the = character.

Next you see "ID_FILE_OPEN_IN_NEW_WINDOW=Open in new window\tCtrl+Enter". The first part - "ID_FILE..." is a resource ID. Next a string to translate. The \t characters mean a tabulator, typically used in menus to separate the keyboard shortcut from the command string itself. Don't change that of course.
 

And next :

ID_FILE_EDIT_COMMENT=&Edit comment\tAlt+C

The same - but you can see a & character - as mentioned - this is a menu\dialog keyboard accelerator. In this case pressing Alt+E will execute this command.

Let's go on:

[IDD_GENERAL_OPTIONS]
DialogTitle=General options
1259=&Enclose directories in brackets

This time this is a dialog's translation - in this example - a General Options dialog (Tools->Options->General options menu command). The "DialogTitle" value is a... dialog title. Next, you see a resource ID (this time numerical ID), and a translation - again, the & character, specifying an accelerator, and again they don't have to be the same as in English of course.

I think that would be all. Probably, the biggest problem may be found when translating the dynamically used phrases, like "@minutes=minutes". It's because many languages, unlike English, have declensions. This words (like "minutes") are used in (currently) two situations, in list view ("date" column) in form e.g.: 10 minutes ago (which is to mean how long ago an object was modified), and also in a file operation dialog, in a form e.g.:  left: 10 minutes.  In case this causes a problem - think something out:) maybe the best idea is to use shortcuts, like "min." instead of "minutes".

tips.txt

That would be cool if you translated tips too, but you don't have translate all of them - and of course - you can use your own words. Actually, translating first 10 or 12 tips is absolutely enough.

Remarks

The modifications made to the above files take full effect actually after a reopening the program. However - you can also use the Tools->Options->Reread options to force ACB to reread also the translation files - however the MainFrame menu will not be retranslated.

Probably the biggest problem you'll have with fitting a given text in an area I planned for it in dialogs. For example in the File Finder, there is a little space for most of the phrases. Then please, do what you think is the best solution - either try an absolutely different phrase\word, or use shortcuts. For example, instead of "Archive" use "Arch." (of course in your language).

After successful translation, please compress the directory of your language to a zip archive (or any other archive), and send it to acbplus@konradp.com.

 

If you have any questions then please contact me - acbplus@konradp.com, putting "translating" in the subject would be cool.

Thank you once again!

 

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