Localisation and Standalone Stationery

Version

1.0

Date

2006-12-10

Changes

Initial version.

Author

John Pitt

Version

1.1

Date

2006-12-16

Changes

Minor edits.

Author

John Pitt

Abstract

The ePP Standalone Stationery (SS), used in conjunction with EPXpress, is excellent for keeping multiple projects up-to-date when only one language is involved. But, if those multiple projects have multiple language output, you still have to visit each of the language version projects to update some of the language output bits (e.g., buttons, xrefs, etc.). Having to update localised projects "manually" is a timewaster, and a barrier to using Automap in particular to its fullest capability.

This proposal suggests adding some way of extracting locale information that the SS can use automatically.

John Pitt, 10 December 2006

Enhancements to Standalone Stationery

What is needed is some way of incorporating the language code/locale so that a single Standalone Stationery file can be used to update ALL of the output languages which share the same project format/style. I've thought of three possible ways of doing this:

  1. A second SS file which contains all the language bits for all languages in use, and which would feed these to the normal SS as required.
  2. An uber-SS file which somehow senses the individual language needs of each project (from the o/s, perhaps?).
  3. A new marker type (Locale) which can be placed in each source file or book. This would be read by EPX/Automap during processing, and call the locale file containing the correct xref and other strings for insertion in the appropriate processing points (much like the file-whose-name-I-forget in wwp2003 which contains all the language strings for buttons, etc for WWH4).

The last seems to have the longest legs.

Comments and improvements, please?

JohnPitt/IdeasForDevelopment/StandaloneStationeryAndLocalisation (last edited 2008-02-13 06:18:22 by localhost)