Dynamic Localization
Volume Number: 11
Issue Number: 3
Column Tag: Think Globally, Act Locally
Prepare your software for going global
By Brian Sutter, MindVision Software
Note: Source code files accompanying article are located on MacTech CD-ROM orsource code disks.
Recently, while working on our installer program, one of our developers needed a
feature to dynamically localize the installer to the language in use on the destination
computer. That is, when the installer runs, make sure it uses the language that the
user expects to see. After throwing around ideas for a couple of days, we agreed on a
way to do it (sometimes you just have to let the boss win the arguments just so you
don’t ruin your chance of getting a pay raise).
Breaking Things Down
While thinking about how to do dynamic localization, it occurred to us there are two
groups of resources that our application needs to use. One group of resources don’t need
to be localized. For example, CODE, ICN#, CURS, LDEF, etc. These are the resources
users will never see, or are the same in every language. The other group of resources
Referenced by (2):