Stack-based adaptive localization and internationalization of applications

• US 9,928,085 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Saleme, Lance, Lee, Benjamin Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sirjani, Fariba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kovacek, David
• Application Number:
  US14/073,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/00 Handling natural language data speech analysis or synthesis, speech recognition G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates use of an application. During operation, the system obtains a language stack containing an ordered set of preferred languages for a user of the application. Next, for each user-interface component from a set of user-interface components in the application, the system obtains content for the user-interface component based on an order of languages in the language stack. The system then includes the content in the user-interface component during use of the application on an electronic device by the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating use of an application executing on an electronic device, comprising:

detecting a change in a locale setting of the application;

upon detecting the change in the locale setting, identifying one or more languages associated with the locale setting;

obtaining a language stack comprising an ordered set of preferred languages for a user of the application;

adding the identified one or more languages to the language stack;

obtaining a business-logic stack that includes one or more sets of business rules corresponding to one or more tax codes associated with a specified globalization setting for the application, wherein the specified globalization setting comprises at least one of;

a city;

a state;

a country;

an organization; and

a category; and

for each user-interface component from a set of user-interface components in the application, wherein the set of user-interface components is created by a localization mechanism associated with a platform of the electronic device;

dynamically obtaining content for the user-interface component from a content-repository based on an order of languages in the language stack and on an order of the one or more sets of business rules in the business-logic stack, wherein the content-repository is a store of language-specific and tax-code-specific content for the user-interface components associated with the application; and

including, via the localization mechanism associated with the platform of the electronic device, the content in the user-interface component during use of the application on the electronic device by the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the set of user-interface components based on the globalization setting for the application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein dynamically obtaining content for the user-interface component from a content-repository based on an order of languages in the language stack and on an order of the one or more sets of business rules in the business-logic stack comprises:

attempting to obtain a first variant of the user-interface component associated with a first set of business rules in the business-logic stack;

if the first variant is available, including the first variant in the set of user-interface components; and

if the first variant is not available, attempting to obtain a second variant of the user-interface component associated with a second set of business rules following the first set of business rules in the business-logic stack.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the language stack comprises:

including a default language at a bottom of the language stack; and

adding one or more languages to the language stack based on at least one of a locale setting associated with the electronic device and the globalization setting.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining content for the user-interface component based on the order of languages in the language stack involves:

attempting to obtain content for the user-interface component in a first language in the ordered set;

if the content is available in the first language, using the content with the user-interface component; and

if the content is not available in the first language, attempting to obtain the content in a second language following the first language in the ordered set.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user-interface component comprises at least one of a string, a graphical object, a display setting, and a file.

7. A system for facilitating use of an application executing on an electronic device, comprising:

a language-management apparatus configured to;

detect a change in a locale setting of the application;

identify one or more languages associated with the locale setting upon detecting the change in the locale setting;

obtain a language stack comprising an ordered set of preferred languages for a user of the application; and

add the identified one or more languages to the language stack;

an internationalization apparatus configured to;

obtain a business-logic stack that includes one or more sets of business rules corresponding to one or more tax codes associated with a specified globalization setting for the application, wherein the specified globalization setting comprises at least one of;

a city;

a state;

a country;

an organization; and

a category; and

a localization apparatus configured to;

for each user-interface component from a set of user-interface components in the application, wherein the set of user-interface components is created by the localization apparatus;

dynamically obtain content for the user-interface component from a content-repository based on an order of languages in the language stack and on an order of the one or more sets of business rules in the business-logic stack, wherein the content-repository is a store of language-specific and tax-code-specific content for the user-interface components associated with the application; and

include the content in the user-interface component during use of the application on an electronic device by the user,

wherein the localization apparatus is associated with a platform of the electronic device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the internationalization apparatus is further configured to obtain the set of user-interface components based on the globalization setting for the application.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein obtaining the language stack comprises:

including a default language at a bottom of the language stack; and

adding one or more languages to the language stack based on at least one of a locale setting associated with the electronic device and the globalization setting.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein obtaining content for the user-interface component based on the order of languages in the language stack involves:

attempting to obtain content for the user-interface component in a first language in the ordered set;

if the content is available in the first language, using the content with the user-interface component; and

if the content is not available in the first language, attempting to obtain the content in a second language following the first language in the ordered set.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the user-interface component comprises at least one of a string, a graphical object, a display setting, and a file.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for facilitating use of an application executing on an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting a change in a locale setting of the application;

upon detecting the change in the locale setting, identifying one or more languages associated with the locale setting;

obtaining a language stack comprising an ordered set of preferred languages for a user of the application;

adding the identified one or more languages to the language stack;

obtaining a business-logic stack that includes one or more sets of business rules corresponding to one or more tax codes associated with a specified globalization setting for the application, wherein the specified globalization setting comprises at least one of;

a city;

a state;

a country;

an organization; and

a category; and

for each user-interface component from a set of user-interface components in the application, wherein the set of user-interface components is created by a localization mechanism associated with a platform of the electronic device;

dynamically obtaining content for the user-interface component from a content-repository based on an order of languages in the language stack and on an order of the one or more sets of business rules in the business-logic stack, wherein the content-repository is a store of language-specific and tax-code-specific content for the user-interface components associated with the application; and

including, via the localization mechanism associated with the platform of the electronic device, the content in the user-interface component during use of the application on the electronic device by the user.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, the method further comprising:

obtaining the set of user-interface components based on the globalization setting for the application.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein obtaining the language stack comprises:

including a default language at a bottom of the language stack; and

adding one or more languages to the language stack based on at least one of a locale setting associated with the electronic device and a globalization setting associated with the application.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein obtaining content for the user-interface component based on the order of languages in the language stack involves:

attempting to obtain content for the user-interface component in a first language in the ordered set;

if the content is available in the first language, using the content with the user-interface component; and

if the content is not available in the first language, attempting to obtain the content in a second language following the first language in the ordered set.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the user-interface component comprises at least one of a string, a graphical object, a display setting, and a file.