Create Multilanguage Application

Created by . Last modified on 2003/08/07.

Make your Zope product available in a lot of languages.

All you need is to translate your messages in different languages.

Create two tiny tables and a python script:


Tiny table
Id: languages
Columns: name descr
Data:
"romanian", "Limba Romana"
"english", "English language"
"chineze", "Chineza"
"japoneza", "Limba Japoneza"



Tiny table
Id: messages
Columns: msgid romanian english
Data:
"1","something in romanian","something in english"
"2","ceva","something"
"3","casa","home"
"sav","Salvare date","Save data"


Script (Python)
Id: msg
Parameter List: msgid
Body:

ret='(unknown) ix='+str(msgid)
for i in context.messages(msgid=str(msgid)):
   try:
     ret=getattr(i,context.REQUEST.language)
   except: ret='(unknown) ('+i.english+')'
   break
return ret

How do you use this ?

Create a DTML Method or Document with body like:

<dtml-unless language><dtml-call "REQUEST.set('language','english')"></dtml-unless>

<form name="selectlanguage">
<select name="language" onchange="document.selectlanguage.submit();">
<dtml-in languages><option value="&dtml-name;" <dtml-if "language==name"> selected</dtml-if>>&dtml-descr;</option></dtml-in>
</select>
<input type="submit" value="!">
</form>

Then insert <dtml-var "msg(1)"> where you want to display message #1
or <dtml-var "msg('sav')"> where you display button 'save'.

If no language is selected, default will be 'english' because of
<dtml-unless language><dtml-call "REQUEST.set('language','english')"></dtml-unless>

After you select the language, the current page will be reloaded and you'll see it in other language.