3. Using the Kit

Localization Checklist

1. Create your working directories
Copy the English directory (kitRoot\products\client\xp\en) to a new directory at the same level. Be sure to use the appropriate naming convention for your new directory. This is the ISO 639:1988 standard (Code for the representation of names of languages). A sub-set of these codes can be found in the accompanying table. You can go here for a complete listing of the standard.

2. Localize the nshi files
These files make up the NetHelp interface. Consult the localization notes for these files for details.

3. Localize the NetHelp content
The actual NetHelp content is contained in .html files. Consult the localization notes for these files for details.

4. Complete post-translation processing
After translation is complete, you need to test your work and deal with any problems:

• Verify that NetHelp content conforms to spec
• Create Index and Content data using NetHelp Builder
• Test the Localised Content, TOC and Index.
• Report core bugs to Netscape.
• Integrate the localised NetHelp into your build

• Return the necessary files to Netscape (if required).
• Inform us that the localized files have been returned (if required).

Product Branding Issues

How to Localize Different Resource Types

Note 1: If the language you're localising doesn't use the Latin-1 character set, change the HTTP-EQUIV character set meta-tag from iso-8859-1 to the appropriate one for the language localised. This change has to be done in every single HTML file included under the "products\client\xp\en\netHelp" directory.

Localising the nshi files

Note 2: If the language you're using has a non-Roman default system/application font, then add to all occurrences of "arial" in Cascading Style Sheet definitions for the font family to include the default system/application font. The files in question are:

nshi/IdxFill.htm
nshi/IdxKey.htm
nshi/IdxTopic.htm
nshi/ToolUI.htm
help/XXXX/netscape/shared/NetHelp1.css

For example, for Japanese Mac OS the change would be:
H1 { font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt }
changes to:
H1 { font-family: osaka, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt }


IdxFill.htm

This is a HTML document which is used to create a part of the "Find" panel in the NetHelp window. It contains the string "Look for:" and that is the only string requiring localisation here.

<FORM NAME = "MyForm" OnSubmit = "return false">
Look for:
<BR>

IdxKey.htm

This file contains the message for an unsuccessful search when using the "Find" tool.
The JavaScript constant to localise is:

NO_MATCH

Localise all text between the quotes.


IdxTool.htm & IdxTopic.htm

Change the character set meta-tag and Cascading Style Sheet font name, if necessary.


Local-1.js

This is a JavaScript source file which is included from System.htm (main NetHelp implementation document) and its main purpose is to facilitate localisable string externalisation for JavaScript. Note, however, that not all JavaScript strings live under here.

The JavaScript constants to localise are:

OK_BTN_LABEL
WRONG_NAV_VER_ERR_MSG
NO_JAVA_ERR_MSG
BAD_HREF_ERR_MSG

Additionally, the following error messages can be localised:

SYS_CONSTRUCT
CNT_CONSTRUCT
TOOLUI
TOOLNAME
BACK_STACK
FORWARD_STACK
SUBSYS_VALUE
URL_VALUE
TOPIC_CONSTRUCT
NAV_BAR
TOPIC_URL_VALUE
FRAG_SPEC
TOPIC_FILENAME

Localise all text between the quotes.


NavUI.htm

This HTML document contains strings which appear as tool tips in NetHelp's main content panel:




The JavaScript constants to localise are:

BACK_TOOL_TIP
FORWARD_TOOL_TIP
PRINT_TOOL_TIP
EXIT_TOOL_TIP

Localise all text between the quotes.


NoJSerr.htm

Localise the following message which is displayed when NetHelp cannot run JavaScript code.

<B>
Error: JavaScript must be enabled to use NetHelp.
You can enable JavaScript by selecting Edit | Preferences | Advanced.<BR>
</B>

ToolUI.htm

This HTML document contains strings which appear as tool tips in NetHelp's tool panel.
The JavaScript constants to localise are:

CONTENTS_LABEL
INDEX_LABEL
SEARCH_LABEL

Localise all text between the quotes.

Localising NetHelp Content Files

NetHelp content for Communicator consists of HTML documents for a particular "product" (Navigator, Conference, Messenger, ...) and each "product" is associated with two HTML files: <Topic>.htm and <Topic>Hdr.htm. The first file contains the actual help for a particular NetHelp area and <Topic>Hdr.htm is used mainly to create the icon bar at the top of the main content panel.

Note: there are two separate content directories in this kit; one for Communicator and one for Navigator.

Note: for optimal results, use a text editor to catch all the tags that are not necessarily visible in a WYSIWYG HTML editor, such as the table of contents and index strings.


<Topic>Hdr.htm

In the <Topic>hdr.htm file there are links for each icon appearing in the bar and for each icon there is an associated tool tip:




The tool tip is part of the HREF anchor tag in the header file:

<A HREF = "nethelp:netscape/navigatr:A1">
 <IMG SRC = ""../shared/navIcon.gif" BORDER = 0 ALT = "Navigator Help">
</A>

For all links appearing in the <Topic>hdr.htm file, localise the ALT tag text.


<Topic>.htm

The <Topic>.htm file is where the "meat" of NetHelp lives. Most of the content is pure, simple, self-explanatory HTML, the localisation process of which this document does not attempt to clarify. Except, of course, for the tags that are specifically used by (and invented for) NetHelp: INDEXSTRING and TOCSTRING.
The NetHelp Builder uses these tags to create the CntData.js and IdxData.js files which hold the Table of Contents and Index, respectively. Special care and attention is required for a swift and painless localisation.


INDEXSTRING

<H2><A NAME="A1"
 INDEXSTRING="World Wide Web^Web^pages^frames^Internet^Usenet^discussion groups^links" ...
<H2><A NAME="A2"
 INDEXSTRING="sites^Netscape^Help^Search^Places^links" ...

The main rule to deal with INDEXSTRING localisation is: always use the same translation for the same English term. Loosely translating index entries will cause superfluous index entries to be created where none were intended.
If additional index entries are needed (to include language-specific terminology, for example) this can be done by adding the term to all corresponding <H1> / <H2> entries.


TOCSTRING

Here's a snippet from Nav.htm (edited for clarity):

<H1><A NAME="A"
 INDEXSTRING="n/a"
 TOCSTRING="Introduction to Web Pages"
 >Introduction to Web Pages</A>
</H1>

<H2><A NAME="A1"
 INDEXSTRING="World Wide Web"
 TOCSTRING="Introduction to Web Pages"
 >Introduction to Web Pages</A>
</H2>
<P>
You're going to bring pages of the Internet to your computer screen. ...
<H2><A NAME="A2"
 INDEXSTRING="Web"
 TOCSTRING="Viewing a Web Page"
 >Viewing a Web Page</A>
</H2>
<H2><A NAME="A3"
 INDEXSTRING="Component Bar"
 TOCSTRING="Using the Component Bar"
 >Using the Component Bar</A>
</H2>

Using the above data creates the following NetHelp Contents table:



Depending on how the <H1> and <H2> TOCSTRINGs are used together, it may be necessary to re-word entries which in English make sense but when translated do not work in their context. Thus, when translating the TOCSTRING entries, remember the relationship between "level 1" and "level 2" terms.

NOTE: Make sure that the you follow the original English wrapping for the <H1> and <H2> entries!.



help.hpf

If needed, change the Window-Name and Window-Size variables. (note: the Window-Name value must be identical in every help.hpf file)


Contents.htm

This file is only used in Windows 16bit as the Table of Contents document. Localise the user-visible link names.


Nshifrm.htm

This file is only used in Windows 16bit to provides the initial window when Net Help launches, it contains one localisable word (contents).


document.write("<HTML><BODY BGCOLOR = 'lightblue'><CENTER><A HREF = 'javascript:top.loadTOC()'>Contents</A></CENTER></BODY></HTML>")

Verifying that NetHelp content conforms to spec

Make sure end anchor tags are positioned correctly. They should look like this:
<H1><A NAME="Seeing_the_Internet" INDEXSTRING="page^link^browse"
TOCSTRING="Seeing the Internet">Seeing the Internet</A></H1>
If the tags come out-of-sync (<H1><A> ... </H1><A>) or are in the wrong order (<A><H1>..</H1></A>) Bad Things happen as the NetHelp Builder Tool will not pick up the correct Index & TOC references.

The next step is to build your index and table of contents using the NetHelp Builder tool. Click on the Next link below to continue.