Process for changing the language of a GUI application without exiting and re-entering the application

• US 20040158451A1
• Filed: 06/19/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Mussini, Marco
• Application Number:
  US10/464,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158451A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

The present invention provides for a process for changing the language of a GUI application without exiting and reentering the application, which:

Uses Metastrings rather than regular strings. Metastrings contain a language-independent description of the message, and they are able to make and return a localized version of the message in the current language.

Replace normal widgets with internationalization-aware widgets.

When a language switch is requested:

Inform Metastrings that the current language has changed;

Visit all widgets and require them to refresh their GUI. This will produce the localized version of the messages.

Claims

1. A process for changing the language of a GUI application without exiting and re-entering the application, comprising the following steps:

all literal text data strings in the GUI application is replaced with language-dependent text data generators Metastrings;

all widget classes are replaced by dynamic-Internationalization-Aware widgets operating with said metastrings;

when a language change is requested, said Metastrings are informed that the current language has changed;

all the dynamic-Internationalization-Aware widgets are required to refresh their GUI, so that the visible caption of the the dynamic-Internationalization-Aware widgets will be language dependent.

2. A process as in claim 1, wherein said Metastrings contain a language-independent description of the message, and they are able to make and return a localized version of the message in the current language, and in that data for doing this is kept in a message catalog file.

3. A process as in claim 2, wherein there is one message catalog file for each supported language and the language name is composed by a base name plus a suffix containing the language and region to which that message catalog file applies.

4. A process as in claim 3, wherein a centralized class holds a reference to the message catalog file for the current language;

the centralized class has a method for changing language;

when this method is called by the application, it;

closes the current message catalog file;

opens new message catalog;

visits the dynamic-Internationalization-Aware widget hierarchy and notify all of them that the language has changed, with the consequence that the dynamic-Internationalization-Aware widgets will repaint themselves.

5. A process as in claim 4, wherein the internationalization-aware widgets use I18NString objects as the data value for their caption, and in that when a language switch is requested, the I18NString objects are informed that the current language has changed, and all widgets are required to refresh their GUI, namely to call a toString( ) method of the I18NString objects, specifying their caption;

this will return a string in the new language, and ultimately update the language of the whole GUIthus producing the localized version of the messages.