DESCRIPTION

The i18n package is a library of Delphi components, classes, and procedures to fully and easily localize Delphi applications targeting the Windows platform, and to change the locale of the applications on the fly.

There are many software tools for localizing a Delphi application, but they mostly provide support for translation of the user interface strings only. However, the i18n package not only enables developers to select translatable properties and string constants/literals within the IDE but also takes care of plural forms, reading layout, formatting preferences, and the calendar system of the target language.

You may want your application to be ready for right-to-left languages, but you do not know which language is right-to-left or even how it works? Don’t worry, the i18n package handles right-to-left languages effortlessly. When the locale of the application changes, and whenever needed, the i18n package automatically mirrors the layout of the application’s forms according to the reading layout of the selected language. You do not need to write a single line of code or even revise it.

The Gregorian calendar is the most used calendar system in the world, but if your application supports only this calendar, it cannot be truly localized for all countries/regions. The i18n package knows which calendar system is used by which country/region, and automatically formats date-time values in the calendar system of the selected locale. You don't need to modify your code, because the application still gets all the date-time values in the Gregorian calendar as a standard TDateTime value.

The following major calendars are implemented in the i18n package:

• Gregorian Calendar
• Hebrew or Jewish Calendar (הלוח העברי)
• Hijri or Islamic Calendar (التقويم الهجري)
• Jalali or Persian Calendar (گاهشمار جلالی)
• Japanese Emperor Era Calendar
• Julian Calendar
• Korean Tangun Era Calendar
• Taiwan calendar
• Buddhist Calendar

I have tested the i18n package on Delphi 2009 and 2010 only, but it should work on the later versions of Delphi as well.

CONTENT

You will have the following components after installation of the package:

• TLocalizer:
  Provides the core functionality for localizing an application.

• TTranslator:
  Maintains list of translatable strings for a form, frame, data module, and so on. This component also translates the user interface strings and handles bi-directional mirroring of the controls.

• TGoogleTranslator:
  This is an interface to the online Google translation service for automatic text translation.

• TMessageDialog:
  Displays a localizable and customizable message dialog.

• TInputQueryDialog:
  Displays a localizable input dialog box that lets the user enter a string, double, or integer.

• TIntlDateTimeLabel:
  A label control that displays a fully localizable TDateTime value on a form.

• TIntlMonthCalendar:
  A month calendar control to display a fully localizable calendar on a form.

• TIntlDatePicker:
  A control that is designed specifically for entering localized dates.

• TFlagImageList:
  A special image list component that provides country flag icons.

• TImageLabel:
  A label control that can include an image on its face.

• TCultureLabel:
  A label control to display the name and country flag of a culture (locale) on a form.

• TCultureBox:
  A combo box control that represents a list of cultures (locales).

• TCultureListBox:
  A list box control that represents a list of cultures (locales).

• TCultureCheckListBox:
  A check list box control that represents a list of cultures (locales).

• TTerritoryLabel:
  A label control that displays the name and flag of a country/region on a form.

• TTerritoryBox:
  A combo box control that represents a list of countries/regions.

• TTerritoryListBox:
  A list box control that represents a list of countries/regions.

• TTerritoryCheckListBox:
  A check list box control that represents a list of countries/regions.

• TCurrencyLabel:
  A label control that displays the name and country flag of a currency on a form.

• TCurrencyBox:
  A combo box control that represents a list of currencies.

• TCurrencyListBox:
  A list box control that represents a list of currencies.

• TCurrencyCheckListBox:
  A check list box control that represents a list of currencies.

• TDBImageLabel:
  A data-aware label control that displays the value of a field plus a custom icon on a form.

• TDBCultureLabel:
  A data-aware label control that displays the value of a locale field.

• TDBCultureBox:
  A data-aware combo box control that enables users to select the value of a locale field from a list of cultures (locales).

• TDBCultureListBox:
  A data-aware list box control that enables users to select the value of a locale field from a list of cultures (locales).

• TDBTerritoryLabel:
  A data-aware label control that displays value of a country/region field.

• TDBTerritoryBox:
  A data-aware combo box control that enables users to select the value of a country/region field from a list of territories.

• TDBTerritoryListBox:
  A data-aware list box control that enables users to select the value of a country/region field from a list of territories.

• TDBCurrencyLabel:
  A data-aware label control that displays the value of a currency symbol field.

• TDBCurrencyBox:
  A data-aware combo box control that enables users to select the value of a currency symbol field from a list of currencies.

• TDBCurrencyListBox:
  A data-aware list box control that enables users to select the value of a currency symbol field from a list of currencies.

• TDBIntlDateTimeLabel:
  A data-aware label control to display the localized value of a date-time field.

• TDBIntlDatePicker:
  A data-aware control that enables users to enter a localized date in a date field.

In addition, the i18n package comes with some extra classes for:

• decoding/encoding JSON formatted strings
• setting formatted content of rich edit controls using BBCode styled tags
• parsing and evaluating mathematical expressions in C/C++ language syntax
• parsing Pascal code to extract string literals and string constants

The i18n package also contains the source code of a comprehensive Delphi application for editing/translating exported localizable strings.

INSTALLATION

To install the i18n package on Delphi:

1. Open i18nPackages.groupproj that is located in the Packages folder.
2. Build the i18n and i18nDB packages.
3. Install the i18nDesign package.

HOW TO USE

To localize an application using the i18n package, follow these steps:

1. Drop an instance of the TLocalizer component on a data module or your main form.

2. On each form, frame, data module, and report of your application drop a TTranslator component.

3. Double click on each instance of the TTranslator component and select the properties and string literals/constants that need to be translated. Then, export the selection into a file.

4. Assign the file name of the exported translatable items in step 3 to the URI property of the TLocalizer instance (step 1).

5. Drop an instance of the TCultureBox or TCultureListBox control on a form, where the user selects the UI language of the application. Set the Localizer property of the control to the TLocalizer instance in (step 1).

6. Wherever you need to display or input a date, use an appropriate control of the i18n package. Remember to set the Localizer property of the control
   to the TLocalizer instance (step 1).

7. Wherever you format a number or date-time value in your application, use an appropriate formatting method of the TLocalizer instance (step 1).

At this moment, your application is localized. You just need to translate the exported localizable strings (step 3) to the target languages of your application. For this task, use the i18nEditor application. You can find its source code in the Editor folder of this repository.