Multilingual user interface for an operating system

• US 6,252,589 B1
• Filed: 08/14/1998
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rettig, Bjorn C., Miller, Edward S., Wilson, Gregory, Xu, Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US09/134,559
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/333, 345/335, 345/339, 345/347, 345/348, 345/352, 709/203, 709/310, 709/328, 709/331, 704/8
• US Class Current: 715/703
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

In an operating system, a function to address resources in executable files is modified to redirect calls for resources to language-specific resources responsively to a user-setting defining a selected language. The language-specific resources are contained in alternate language modules through a dynamic addressing scheme that allows the alternate language file suite to be expanded without modification to any central routing facility. The invention provides resource-handling components the capability for handling multiple-language resources without requiring any specific directions from the processes requesting the resources This allows the operating system to provide multilingual support while using existing resource and executable binary files without modification. A user is enabled to select a language for the user interface and the resource loader will automatically redirect calls for resources to the appropriate resources.

Claims

1. In an operating system, a method for redirecting a call by a calling process for a first datum residing in a first binary file, said method comprising the steps of:

storing in a variable independently of said calling process, a language identifier;

when a second binary file, corresponding to said language identifier and also to an identifier of either said first datum or said first binary file, is found;

dynamically generating a path to said second binary file responsively to said language identifier and said either said first datum or said first binary file;

storing said path in a look-up table correlating a process module identifier identifying said first binary file and an alternate module identifier identifying said second binary file; and

making an alternate datum in said second binary file accessible to said calling process instead of said first datum.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of making includes mapping said alternate datum into an address space of said calling process.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein said calling process is defined in a code portion of said first binary file.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein said step of dynamically generating includes generating a path that includes a language-specific subdirectory.

5. A method as in claim 2, wherein said step of making includes generating a handle to said alternate datum for use by said calling process in accessing said alternate datum.

6. A method as in claim 2, wherein said second binary file includes both code and resource data, said alternate datum being at least a portion of said resource data.

7. A method as in claim 2, further comprising the step of, when a second binary file corresponding to said language identifier and also to either said first datum or said first binary file is not found, making said first datum accessible to said calling process.

8. A method as in claim 2, wherein said first datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of dynamically generating includes generating a path that includes a language-specific subdirectory.

10. A method as in claim 9, wherein said step of making includes generating a handle to said alternate datum for use by said calling process in accessing said alternate datum.

11. A method as in claim 9, wherein said second binary file includes both code and resource data, said alternate datum being at least a portion of said resource data.

12. A method as in claim 9, further comprising the step of, when a second binary file that corresponds to said language identifier and also to either said first datum or said first binary file is not found, making said first datum accessible to said calling process.

13. A method as in claim 9, wherein said first datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

14. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of making includes generating a handle to said alternate datum for use by said calling process in accessing said alternate datum.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein said second binary file includes both code and resource data, said alternate datum being at least a portion of said resource data.

16. A method as in claim 14, further comprising the step of, when a second binary file that corresponds to said language identifier and also to either said first datum or said first binary file is not found, making said first datum accessible to said calling process.

17. A method as in claim 14, wherein said first datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

18. A method as in claim 1, wherein said second binary file includes both code and resource data, said alternate datum being at least a portion of said resource data.

19. A method as in claim 18, further comprising the step of, when a second binary file that corresponds to said language identifier and also to either said first datum or said first binary file is not found, making said first datum accessible to said calling process.

20. A method as in claim 18, wherein said first datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

21. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of, when a second binary file that does not correspond to said language identifier and also to either said first datum or said first binary file, making said first datum accessible to said calling process.

22. A method as in claim 21, wherein said first datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

23. A method as in claim 1, wherein said first datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

24. A method as in claim 1, wherein said first datum is a resource datum.

25. A method as in claim 1, wherein said calling process is defined in a code portion of said first binary file.

26. In an operating system, a method for redirecting a call by a calling process for a first resource datum residing in a first binary file containing both executable code defining said calling process and resource data, said calling process being defined in said code, said method comprising the steps of:

storing in a variable independently of said calling process, a language identifier;

when a second binary file, corresponding to said language identifier and also to either said first resource datum or said first binary file, is found;

dynamically generating a path to said second binary file responsively to said language identifier and said either said first resource datum or said first binary file;

making an alternate resource datum in said second binary file accessible to said calling process instead of said first resource datum.

27. A method as in claim 26, wherein said step of making includes mapping said alternate resource datum into an address space of said calling process.

28. A method as in claim 27, wherein said step of dynamically generating includes generating a path that includes a language-specific subdirectory.

29. A method as in claim 27, wherein said step of making includes generating a handle to said alternate resource datum for use by said calling process in accessing said alternate resource datum.

30. A method as in claim 27, wherein said second binary file includes both code and resource data.

31. A method as in claim 27, further comprising the step of when a second binary file that corresponds to said language identifier and also to either said first resource datum or said first binary file is not found, making said first resource datum accessible to said calling process.

32. A method as in claim 27, wherein said first resource datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

33. A method as in claim 26, wherein said step of dynamically generating includes generating a path that includes a language-specific subdirectory.

34. A method as in claim 33, wherein said step of making includes generating a handle to said alternate resource datum for use by said calling process in accessing said alternate resource datum.

35. A method as in claim 33, wherein said second binary file includes both code and resource data.

36. A method as in claim 33, further comprising the step of, when a second binary file that corresponds to said language identifier and also to either said first resource datum or said first binary file is not found, making said first resource datum accessible to said calling process.

37. A method as in claim 33, wherein said first resource datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

38. A method as in claim 26, wherein said step of making includes generating a handle to said alternate resource datum for use by said calling process in accessing said alternate resource datum.

39. A method as in claim 38, wherein said second binary file includes both code and resource data.

40. A method as in claim 38, further comprising the step of, when a second binary file that corresponds to said language identifier and also to either said first resource datum or said first binary file is not found, making said first resource datum accessible to said calling process.

41. A method as in claim 38, wherein said first resource datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

42. A method as in claim 26, wherein said second binary file includes both code and resource data.

43. A method as in claim 42, further comprising the step of, when a second binary file that corresponds to said language identifier and also to either said first resource datum or said first binary file is not found, making said first resource datum accessible to said calling process.

44. A method as in claim 42, wherein said first resource datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

45. A method as in claim 26, further comprising the step of, when a second binary file that corresponds to said language identifier and also to either said first resource datum or said first binary file is not found, making said first resource datum accessible to said calling process.

46. A method as in claim 45, wherein said first resource datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

47. A method as in claim 26, wherein said first resource datum is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.

48. A method of adding multilingual capability to an operating system having functions to address first resource data in executable binary files, the method comprising the steps of:

adding a selectable user-setting for storing a selected language identifier;

adding at least one alternate language resource file containing resource data each corresponding to a respective one of said first resource data; and

modifying a resource loader to redirect calls for each of said first resource data to a respective one of said alternate language resource data responsively to a selected language stored in said selected language identifier.

49. In an operating system, a method of addressing data responsively to a call by a calling process for a first datum stored in a first binary file, comprising the steps of:

determining an existence of an alternate language file corresponding to said first datum;

when a result of said step of determining is an indication that said alternate language file exists

dynamically generating a path to said alternate language file based on a language identifier and said first datum and

returning to said calling process at least one datum from said alternate language file, rather than from said first binary file;

when a result of said step of determining is an indication that said alternate language file does not exist, returning said first datum to said calling process.

50. In an operating system, a method for redirecting a call by a calling process for a first datum residing in a first binary file, said method comprising the steps of:

storing in a variable independently of said calling process, a language identifier;

responsively to a detection of a second binary file, corresponding to said language identifier and also to an identifier of either said first datum or said first binary file;

dynamically generating a path to said second binary file responsively to said language identifier and said either said first datum or said first binary file;

storing said path in a look-up table correlating a process module identifier identifying said first binary file and an alternate module identifier identifying said second binary file; and

making an alternate datum in said second binary file accessible to said calling process instead of said first datum.

51. In a computer operating system, a method of dynamically redirecting a call by a calling process for a default resource stored in a default binary file to an alternate resource stored in an alternate binary file, the method comprising the steps of:

finding the alternate resource, wherein the alternate resource corresponds to both a previously stored user interface language identifier and an identifier of either the default resource or the default binary file;

dynamically generating a path to the alternate binary file based on the user interface language identifier and either the default resource or the default binary file;

dynamically redirecting the call for the default resource to the alternate resource by making the alternate resource, rather than the default resource, accessible to the calling process.

52. The method of claim 51 further comprising the steps of:

storing the dynamically generated path in a look-up table that correlates the default resource with the alternate resource to produce a stored dynamically generated path; and

using the stored dynamically generated path to redirect to the alternate resource a subsequent call for the default resource.

53. The method of claim 51 wherein the alternate resource binary file is stored in a subdirectory of a directory in which the default binary file is stored, the subdirectory corresponding to the user interface language identifier.

54. The method of claim 51, wherein the step of dynamically redirecting the call for the default resource to the alternate resource by making the alternate resource, rather than the default resource, accessible to the calling process further comprises the step of mapping the alternate resource into an address space of the calling process.

55. The method of claim 51, wherein the calling process is defined in a code portion of the default binary file.

56. The method of claim 51, wherein the step of dynamically redirecting the call for the default resource to the alternate resource by making the alternate resource, rather than the default resource, accessible to the calling process further comprises the step of generating a handle to the alternate resource for use by the calling process in accessing the alternate resource.

57. The method of claim 51, further comprising the step of, when an alternate binary file corresponding to the user interface language identifier and also to either the default resource or the default binary file is not found, making the default resource accessible to the calling process.

58. The method of claim 51, wherein the default resource is one of data defining an icon, a cursor, a menu, a dialog box, a bitmap, an enhanced metafile, a font, an accelerator table, a message-table entry, a string-table entry, or a version.