.res - files / multi-language-support

Sometimes I wonder if I'm smart enough for that job...

I added a .res - file (2 string-tables) to my project but I can't figure out how to specify the table to load the string from.

Does anyone know how to support different languages with vb?

Regards,
robert

[Iain17]

I have seen it done before. The way i saw it done was with a language file. A file with a list all the words and phrases used in your project.

When your project starts up, you need to load this table into memory. Then all of the label captions, menus etc need to be set when you load a form.

  Label1.Caption = phrase(1)
  MenuFile.Caption = phrase(3)
  'etc...

A lot of work, but damn impressive when it works.

[Sam Finch]

I think the best way is to use a database, my database skills are a bit rust encrusted though so I can't really help.

I still don't understand...

Which sense does it make to have multiple string-tables in a .res - file if I only can access one?

[Iain17]

Could you explain exactly what you intend on doing?

It's my task to convert a single-language-project into a multi...; my intention was to use a .res-file. Obviously it's no problem to add more than one string-table
to this resource-file but I can't figure out how to specify the string-table I want to load my strings from (dependent on the language I want to show).

[Judd]

The system will sort all this out for you!!!!

Just specify what the language of the string table is and that's it.


Say resource id 101 in the English (United Kingdom) was the string 'Hello!" and in the French (Standard) it was "Bonjour!"

Private Sub Form_Load()
    Dim cap As String
    
    cap = LoadResString(101)
    Form1.Caption = cap
End Sub

Change your regional settings to French (Standard) and the correct string is loaded automatically!



(I can send you an example if you like)!

[Edited by Judd on 05-03-2000 at 09:34 AM]

[Judd]

I don't know if its possible to bypass the system....

But if you want to be able to change languages on the fly, I'd sugest something like using one String Table with eg
ID 1000 - 1999 English Strings
ID 2000 - 2999 Spanish Strings (or whatever)

Then you can have a language 'root' ID_ROOT set as a global
to ID_ENGLISH = 1000, ID_SPANISH = 2000 then

LoadResString(ID_ROOT + WELCOME_STRING) where WELCOME_STRING is the 'Welcome String' increment value..



Dan

[Iain17]

Use a comma seperated file, or semi colons if there are commas in any of the word/phrases.

File; French; German; Dutch
Save; French; German; Dutch

When your program starts up get the user to choose a language. e.g German.

Now go though each line of the file and load the 3rd column into an array.

You could do this by reading in each line then. Using the split command with ";" as the seperator. Then setting the value in the array to the 3rd split string e.g.

Dim myPhrase(iNum) as String  'iNum = The number of phrases to load
Dim strInput As String
Dim strSplit() As String
Dim iLanguage As Integer
Dim iCount As Long

iLanguage = 2  'German
iCount = 0

'how ever you read the file
While Not myFile.EOF
  strInput = myFile.ReadLine
  strSplit = Split (strInput, ";")
  myPhrase(iCount) = strSplit(iLanguage)
  iCount = iCount + 1;
Wend

Now when you set a caption for a control you have to know which phrase number to use.

  MenuFile.Caption = phrase(1)
  cmdSave.Caption = phrase(2)

[Judd]

....but that seems an awfully long winded solution. Isn't that the kind of thing String Tables were designed to avoid??



Dan

Thanks a lot!

I did't know that vb detects the system language settings.

[David Laplante]

Seeing this thing working with regional settings is great. One more question persists, if the langage on the current computer is english, can the user choose french even if windows is in english. (Without changing the user's settings)