Why the runtime popup menu is not automatically translated?

[aleveque]

Hi,

I am working with a german version of LabVIEW 8.2 developper system. I am build executables that should be run under the english version of runtime engine. I have problems with the popup menus that are attached to frontpanel elements. I am using mixed menus with user defined item and application pre-defined items.

When I am build an executable, the application pre-defined items are not automatically translated in the runtime language when the executable is started on the target computer. I found out that the translation occurs only if the default popup menu is used, not for user defined one, even if pre-defined items are used. As I have no possibility to affect the pre-defined items, how can I solve this problem? Rewriting the pre-defined items is not really a solution as it implies some LV funtions that are difficult to program and difficult to access from external point of vue.

Thanks for any tip.

[Wolfgang_Z.]

Hello aleveque!


Which popup do you mean? Can you attach a screenshot or an example?


Thanks and regards,
WolfgangZ

[aleveque]

Hello Wolfgang,

Thank you for your interrest and sorry for the later response; I were out of office.

I guess the correct name is context menu of element. I attach the following files to this answer:

Picture 1: Application window with english context menu.

Picture 1b: Context menu definition in developper environnement. Default context menu is used.

Picture2: Application window with german context menu.

Picture 2b: Context menu definition in developper environnement. User context menu but with application pre-defined items is used.

I build the application with the option that only english language is supported by the runtime engine.

I will expect that both context menu definition will produce the same english context menu in the application, but it is not.

Have you any idea how to solve this problem?

Thanks,

Adelina

[aleveque]

Now the last two files...

Adelina

[rolfk]

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aleveque wrote:

Hi,

I am working with a german version of LabVIEW 8.2 developper system. I am build executables that should be run under the english version of runtime engine. I have problems with the popup menus that are attached to frontpanel elements. I am using mixed menus with user defined item and application pre-defined items.

When I am build an executable, the application pre-defined items are not automatically translated in the runtime language when the executable is started on the target computer. I found out that the translation occurs only if the default popup menu is used, not for user defined one, even if pre-defined items are used. As I have no possibility to affect the pre-defined items, how can I solve this problem? Rewriting the pre-defined items is not really a solution as it implies some LV funtions that are difficult to program and difficult to access from external point of vue.

Thanks for any tip.

---

Because you as developer define those context menus and they get stored together with the executable. LabVIEW has no automated translation service and never will have as translation is something very domain specific. So for one application a certain word has quite a different meaning than for another application and when translated accordingly has to be changed into a different word in the target language. LabVIEW simply can't do that for you.

If you want to have englisch popup-menus you will have to edit them accordingly before building your application. Alternatingly you can build the popup-menu at runtime in the activation event for that popu-up menu and in such a way define dynamically at runtime which language to display. But whatever, it's only you who knows what text you want to be shown in the target language.

If you mean the standard context menus of a control and not custom context menus, the language displayed will depend on the runtime system installed on the target system. When you build an installer you can usually select which language you want to have installed on a target system for the runtime engine, but if it is already installed that installer will be skipped, eventhough it may have been installed with another language than what you would like for your application.

Rolf Kalbermatter 

Message Edited by rolfk on 11-06-2007 12:16 PM

[aleveque]

Hi Rolf,

Thank you for your answer.

I agree that LabVIEW cannot translate text automatically for me, but why LabVIEW does not handle in the same way e.g. the menu item "APP_SC_CUT_DATA" placed in a standard context menu and the same menu item "APP_SC_CUT_DATA" placed in the user defined context menu. This item cannot be modified; I mean I cannot modify the item name (in german Daten ausschneiden, in englisch Cut Data). If I create a user defined item with let say "USER_SC_CUT_DATA" object tag, I will have some "problems" to program the function that already exists.

A work around would be to simulate the selection of APP_SC_CUT_DATA and fire this special function. I do not know how to do that. The event loop only wait for an event, and with dynamically defined events it is also the same.

What do you mean?

Thanks,

Adelina

[rolfk]

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aleveque wrote:

Hi Rolf,

Thank you for your answer.

I agree that LabVIEW cannot translate text automatically for me, but why LabVIEW does not handle in the same way e.g. the menu item "APP_SC_CUT_DATA" placed in a standard context menu and the same menu item "APP_SC_CUT_DATA" placed in the user defined context menu. This item cannot be modified; I mean I cannot modify the item name (in german Daten ausschneiden, in englisch Cut Data). If I create a user defined item with let say "USER_SC_CUT_DATA" object tag, I will have some "problems" to program the function that already exists.

A work around would be to simulate the selection of APP_SC_CUT_DATA and fire this special function. I do not know how to do that. The event loop only wait for an event, and with dynamically defined events it is also the same.

What do you mean?

---

I see what you mean. Adding application menu items in a custom context menu indeed should use the text language from the current runtime system. I guess the way this is handled currently is however that the custom menu is stored with the control and takes the text as it was at edit time. This would be in fact a shortcoming that was overlooked when custom context menus were added.

But when this would get changed you end up with another problem. If you mix app menu entries and user menu entries in the same context menu the app entries would change language based on the current runtime system, while the user menus will stay the same. I think this would be even less friendly.

Rolf Kalbermatter

Message Edited by rolfk on 11-06-2007 01:44 PM

[aleveque]

Hi Rolf,

Ok, a mix can be a problem. But then how to customize item name of application defined items? Or how fire the event without selecting it?

I have up to now no ideas.

Thanks,

Adelina