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.

Supported calendar systems:

• Julian Calendar
• Gregorian Calendar
• Hebrew or Jewish Calendar (הלוח העברי)
• Hijri or Islamic Calendar (التقويم الهجري)
• Jalali or Persian Calendar (گاهشمار جلالی)
• Japanese Emperor Era Calendar (和暦)
• Korean Tangun Era Calendar (단기)
• Taiwan Calendar (民國紀年)
• Buddhist Calendar (พุทธศักราช)

COMPONENTS

The package includes the following components:

• 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:
  An interface to the Google Translation API for automatic text translation.

• TMessageDialog:
  Displays a localized message dialog.

• TInputQueryDialog:
  Displays a localized input dialog for entering string, double, or integer values.

• TIntlDateTimeLabel:
  A label control for displaying localized TDateTime values.

• TIntlMonthCalendar:
  A month calendar control for displaying localized calendars.

• TIntlDatePicker:
  A control for entering localized dates.

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

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

• TCultureLabel:
  A label control for displaying culture (locale) name and country flag.

• 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 for displaying country/region name and flag.

• 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 for displaying currency name and country flag.

• 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 for displaying field values with a custom icon.

• TDBCultureLabel:
  A data-aware label control for displaying locale field values.

• TDBCultureBox:
  A data-aware combo box control for selecting locale field values from a list of cultures (locales).

• TDBCultureListBox:
  A data-aware list box control for selecting locale field values from a list of cultures (locales).

• TDBTerritoryLabel:
  A data-aware label control for displaying country/region field values.

• TDBTerritoryBox:
  A data-aware combo box control for selecting country/region field values from a list of territories.

• TDBTerritoryListBox:
  A data-aware list box control for selecting country/region field values from a list of territories.

• TDBCurrencyLabel:
  A data-aware label control for displaying currency symbol field values.

• TDBCurrencyBox:
  A data-aware combo box control for selecting currency symbol field values from a list of currencies.

• TDBCurrencyListBox:
  A data-aware list box control for selecting currency symbol field values from a list of currencies.

• TDBIntlDateTimeLabel:
  A data-aware label control for displaying localized date-time field values.

• TDBIntlDatePicker:
  A data-aware control for entering localized dates in date fields.

Additional classes are included for:

• JSON encoding and decoding
• Rich edit content formatting using BBCode tags
• C/C++ expression parsing and evaluation
• Pascal code parsing to extract string literals and constants

The package includes source code for an editor application (i18nEditor) for managing and translating 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.

USAGE

To localize an application:

1. Add a TLocalizer component to a data module or the main form.

2. Add a TTranslator component to each form, frame, data module, and report.

3. Double-click each TTranslator instance and select properties and string literals/constants to be translated. Export the selection to a file.

4. Assign the exported file name to the URI property of the TLocalizer instance (from step 1).

5. Add a TCultureBox or TCultureListBox control where users will select the UI language. Set its Localizer property to the TLocalizer instance.

6. For date display or input, use the appropriate i18n controls and set their Localizer property to the TLocalizer instance.

7. Use the TLocalizer formatting methods for number and date-time formatting.

Translate the exported strings (step 3) using the i18nEditor application. Source code is available in the Editor folder.