METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR DYNAMIC LANGUAGE SWITCHING VIA MESSAGING

• US 20020054097A1
• Filed: 12/15/1998
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: KUMHYR, DAVID BRUCE, WILL, SCOTT A., HETHERINGTON, DAVID JAMES
• Granted Patent: US 6,469,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

Language, locale, and display change system messages are defined which contain language or locale codes for changing a display language in a user interface. An operating system language or locale property may be altered, or merely the language and/or locale property of a user interface for a specific application or dialog. When received, all subscribers registered as listeners for such language, locale, and display change system messages are notified. The system message may originate from a control dialog or from another application, and may be passed from one application to another or to dialogs associated with the receiving application. User interface dialogs or applications notified of the system message may reload the contents of displays, updating the user interface display to contain the contents of menu labels, help text, or dialog messages in the new human language or display text formatted in accordance with the new cultural convention. The system message thus permits a run-time change of the display language employed for a user interface. This in turn enables remote support by users employing different languages, setting user interface display languages based on user preference, and temporary transactional language switching.

Claims

10. A system for altering a display, comprising:

a host data processing system receiving a language, locale, or display change system message containing a code including a language code, a locale code, or both;

message handling logic within the host data processing system notifying all subscribers registered for language, locale, or display change system messages of the received system message; and

user interface control logic executing within the host data processing system, wherein the user interface control logic;

compares the code within the system message to a current code defining a language property or a locale property; and

responsive to determining that the code within the system message differs from the current code, dynamically alters a user interface, if necessary, to conform to a display property matching the language property or the locale property defined by the code within the system message.

1. A method of altering a display, comprising:

receiving a language, locale, or display change system message containing a code including a language code, a locale code, or both;

notifying all subscribers registered for language, locale, or display change system messages of the received system message;

comparing the code within the system message to a current code defining a language property or a locale property; and

responsive to determining that the code within the system message differs from the current code, dynamically altering a user interface, if necessary, to conform to a display property matching the language property or the locale property defined by the code within the system message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a language, locale, or display change system message containing a code including a language code, a locale code, or both further comprises:

receiving a language change system message containing a language code.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the language change system message, changing an operating system language property to match the received language code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a language, locale, or display change system message containing a code including a language code, a locale code, or both further comprises:

receiving a locale change system message containing a locale code.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the locale change system message, changing an operating system locale property to match the received locale code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a language, locale, or display change system message containing a code including a language code, a locale code, or both further comprises:

receiving a display change system message containing a language code and a locale code.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the display change system message;

changing a user interface display language property to match the received language property code without changing an operating system language property; and

changing a user interface display locale property to match the received locale property code without changing an operating system locale property.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of dynamically altering a user interface, if necessary, to conform to a display property matching the language property or the locale property defined by the code within the system message further comprises:

switching a user interface human language for text strings displayed within the user interface to a different human language specified by the received code within the system message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of dynamically altering a user interface, if necessary, to conform to a display property matching the language property or the locale property defined by the code within the system message further comprises:

switching a user interface format for character strings displayed within the user interface to a different cultural format specified by the received code within the system message.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an operating system language property within the host data processing system which is changed to match a language code within the received system message.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an operating system locale property within the host data processing system which is changed to match a locale code within the received system message.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

resources within the host data processing system containing different human language versions of user interface menu labels, help text, and dialog messages for each human language supported by the host data processing system, wherein the user interface control logic reloads the user interface with text selected from the resources based on a language code within the received system message.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions for receiving a language, locale, or display change system message containing a code including a language code, a locale code, or both further comprise:

instructions for receiving a language change system message containing a language code.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

instructions, responsive to receiving the language change system message, for changing an operating system language property to match the received language code.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions for receiving a language, locale, or display change system message containing a code including a language code, a locale code, or both further comprise:

instructions for receiving a locale change system message containing a locale code.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

instructions, responsive to receiving the locale change system message, for changing an operating system locale property to match the received locale code.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions for receiving a language, locale, or display change system message containing a code including a language code, a locale code, or both further comprise:

instructions for receiving a display change system message containing a language code and a locale code.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

instructions, responsive to receiving the display change system message, for;

changing a user interface display language property to match the received language property code without changing an operating system language property; and

changing a user interface display locale property to match the received locale property code without changing an operating system locale property.

21. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions for dynamically altering a user interface, if necessary, to conform to a display property matching the language property or the locale property defined by the code within the system message further comprise:

instructions for switching a user interface human language for text strings displayed within the user interface to a different human language specified by the received code within the system message.

22. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions for dynamically altering a user interface, if necessary, to conform to a display property matching the language property or the locale property defined by the code within the system message further comprise:

instructions for switching a user interface format for character strings displayed within the user interface to a different cultural format specified by the received code within the system message.

13-1. The system of claim 10, wherein the user interface control logic switches a user interface format for character strings displayed within the user interface to a different cultural format specified by the received code within the system message.

14. A computer program product within a computer usable medium for altering a display, comprising:

instructions for receiving a language, locale, or display change system message containing a code including a language code, a locale code, or both;

instructions for notifying all subscribers registered for language, locale, or display change system messages of the received system message;

instructions for comparing the code within the system message to a current code defining a language property or a locale property; and

instructions, responsive to determining that the code within the system message differs from the current code, for dynamically altering a user interface, if necessary, to conform to a display property matching the language property or the locale property defined by the code within the system message.