XLIFF Editor User's Guide

User's Guide for the G11NToolKit XLIFF Editor.

Overview

The G11NToolKit XLIFF Editor allows the L10N engineer to modify the XLIFF file created by the tokenizers. This allows the engineer to manipulate the translation flag and add notes to the translator. The current version has minimum function which enables the engineer to edit only the Translate and Approved flags. Additional features will be added in later versions.

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Start the XLIFF Editor

To start the XLIFF editor, make sure the G11NToolKit executables directory is defined on your path. To do this in Windows use the Properties page of the My Computer ICON to set the PATH environment variable to include the G11NTOOLKIT_DIR\bin directory (replace G11NTOOLKIT_DIR with the actual value of that environment variable). Once the path is set simply use the following command on the command line to start the editor:

xlfEditor

The following screen will appear:

Start

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Process

There are two phases in the process: the pre-process phase and the post-process phase. These come before the files are translated and after the translated files are returned from the translator.

The pre-process phase is to get the files ready for translation. This includes merging several individual extracted string files from the G11NToolKit tokenizers into a single XLIFF file, setting the translate flag to no for any string that is known to be non-translatable, setting the translate flag to yes for any string that needs translation, and preparing the file for use in a translation tool. The XLIFF Editor will make sure this is done once by maintaining a history of the translate flag settings for the strings and applying this history to the file as needed. The steps in this phase are (see below for further details on each step):

Open the XLIFF File
Apply the Previous XLIFF File, if it exists
Edit the Translate Flag to change it to either yes or no
Split the File into an XL XLIFF file and an NXL XLIFF file
Prepare the Xliff File for Translation

The post-process phase is to get the files ready for the G11NToolKit detokenizers. This includes merging the XL XLIFF file returned from the translator with the NXL XLIFF file then making the individual extracted string files. The steps in this phase are (see below for further details on each step):

Merge NXL XLIFF File into translated XL XLIFF file
Export to each of the extracted string XLIFF files

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Open the XLIFF File

Here you can either open an existing XLIFF file or grab several files and merge them into a single XLIFF file.

Open a File

To open an XLIFF file, select the Open item from the File menu then select the XLIFF file to open. For example, if the XLIFF file you want to open currently resides in the project\workdir directory and is named test.xml then you would select the Open item from the File menu then select the project\workdir\test.xml file in the Open File dialog window. You may have to navigate in the Open File dialog window to find the file.

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Grab Files

To grab a set of XLIFF files, select the Grab single XLIFF files item on the File menu and select the directory that contains the files to grab. For example, if the files you want to grab reside in the project\workdir directory then you would select the Grab single XLIFF files item on the File menu to open the Open File dialog window then select the project\workdir directory. You may have to navigate in the Open File dialog window to find the directory.

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Apply the Previous XLIFF File

Applying a previous XLIFF file helps you take advantage of work done previously. The XLIFF Editor can use old XLIFF files to remember what was done before so you don't have to re-do all the work again. Primarily, once you have gone to effort of setting the Translate flags to show the extracted strings that should not be translated you want to remember it. These strings will generally not be translated in any language or for any iteration of the project. This is the same as using a Translation Memory to remember the translations from past work. To apply a previous XLIFF File, select the Apply old XLIFF item from Task menu then select the XLIFF file to apply. For example, if the work from the previous project iteration is stored in the project-1\workdir and the XLIFF file containing all the translation work is stored in the test.xml file, you would select the Apply old XLIFF item from Task menu then select the project-1\workdir\test.xml file in the Open File dialog window. You may have to navigate in the Open File dialog window to find the correct file.

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Edit the Translate Flag

Flags

Translate: If you want to tranlate the current Translation Unit, set the Translate flag to ON. If not, set it to OFF. Usually, if current Translation Unit is matched with a Translation Unit in a previous XLIFF file, the Translate flag is set the same as it was in the previous XLIFF file during the Apply old XLIFF process. You can change it as needed.
Approved: Usually, if current Translation Unit is matched with a Translation Unit in a previous XLIFF file, the Approved flag is set to ON during the Apply old XLIFF process. If current Translation Unit is new, the Approved flag is set to OFF.

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Command Buttons

<untr: Move to previous Translation Unit where the Translate flag is OFF
untr>: Move to next Translation Unit where the Translate flag is OFF
<unapp: Move to previous Translation Unit where the Approved flag is OFF
unapp>: Move to next Translation Unit where the Approved flag is OFF
<page: Move to the previous page
page>: Move to the next page
<file: Move to the previous original file
file>: Move to the next original file

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Keybindings On the Translation Unit Panel

Space: Toggle Translation
Enter: Toggle Translation and move to next line
Cursor Up: Move cursor up
Cursor Down: Move cursor down
Page Up: Move page up
Page Down: Move page down
F1: Next TU with attribute value
F2: Previous TU with attribute value
Home: Move cursor to top TU segment of current file
End: Move cursor to end TU segment of current file
CTRL+F: Open find dialog
F3: Find next
Shift+F3: Find previous
CTRL+R: Open replace dialog
CTRL+F3: Replace next

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Search/Replace Dialog Window

To open the Search/Replace dialog window, select the Search item or the Replace item from the Search menu. The Search Key is automatically set up if a string is selected before openning the Search/Replace dialog window.

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Colors Used On the Translation Units

On the Target strings:

none: New Translation Unit with the Translate flag set to OFF.
Green: New Translation Unit the Translate flag set to ON.
Red: Old Translation Unit with the Translate flag set to OFF by the Apply old XLIFF process.
Blue: Old Translation Unit with the Translate flag set to ON by the Apply old XLIFF process.

On the Alt strings:

Green: 100% string and x-key match.
Yellow: 100% string match with column mode x-key match.
Pink: 100% string match with file mode x-key match.
Red: 100% string match with string mode x-key match.

Read

Split the File

To split Translation Units into an XLIFF file containing only the translatable strings and an XLIFF file containing only the non-translatable strings, select the Split XL/NXL item from the Task menu then select a prefix string for the new XLIFF file. (The full file name will be generated automatically and look something like this: xxxx-XL.xml)

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Prepare the XLIFF File for Translation

Import only the XLIFF file that contains the translatable strings into a translation tool. Do not import the XLIFF file that contains the non-translatable strings. In this way you will prevent inadvertent translation of strings that you have decided should not be translated.

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Merge NXL XLIFF File

First open the translated XLIFF file using the Open item from the File menu. Then select the Merge NXL into XL item from Task menu. Next select XLIFF file that contains the do not translate strings that matches the translated file. Remember these files were created from a single file so you want to get back to the same file but with the translations added to it.

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Export

In order to complete the translation process you will need the individual extracted string files back again with the translations added to them. These files are used by the G11NToolKit detokenizers to make the target files. To create the individual extracted string XLIFF files select the Export to single XLIFF file item from File menu and select directry that will contain the exported files.

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