Discuss Adium translations in the the Adium Localizations forum.

Localization

Current translation efforts are towards the 1.2 series of releases. If there is a current beta, you should use that for localization. If not, get the current Adium debug build to be able to make localization changes.

Requirements

• A translator must have the Apple developer tools installed (available for download with a free account from Apple). This is necessary for the Interface Builder program which is used to modify the .nib files, which define both layout and content.
  • Translators need Xcode 2.5 if they are on Mac OS X 10.5 (it's okay if Xcode 3.0 is also installed at the same time, but it is not required).
• Translation is done with Arizona Software's excellent iLocalize program. iLocalize is shareware but has a free license for use on open source projects like Adium. If you need a license, email evands and request a serial number.
• You need to install a plugin to be able to edit the General Preferences nib.
  • Download the ShortcutRecorder palette and double click it to install. This provides support in Interface Builder 2 which comes with Xcode 2.5.
  • If you will be using Interface Builder 3 on Mac OS X 10.5 to edit nibs, download the ShortuctRecorder plugin and double click it to install.

After the 'Using iLocalize' section, each item to be translated is described.

Using iLocalize

The iLocalize workflow is as follows:

1. Set up the iLocalize project
   • First time you've localized Adium: you'll create a New Project from the File menu for the Adium application, choosing it as the 'Bundle to Localize'.
     • Always use the most recent beta version of Adium for localization so that the nibs will not be 'optimized' and therefore uneditable. Contact the Adium team if there is no beta version and you want to work on a localization. Note: The last beta in a beta series is like a release and will not have editable nib files!
     • If this is an existing localization you are updating for the first time, check the LocalizationNibChanges page to learn what nibs need to be updated (if any); for each of these nibs, you should select it and then choose "Rebuild Selected Files from 'en'" from the Project menu to reset the layout of the nib to the new English one. You can then translate it. Feel free to ask if anything is unclear!
     • Just ignore warnings about nib files outside of .lproj folders; you won't need to localize these, as they will be handled by Adium based on the strings files.
   • Existing iLocalize project:
     1. Select "Update from Bundle" from the Project menu.
     2. Make sure that "Update the project from a new version of the bundle" and click Choose to select the new version you're updating.
     3. Check the LocalizationNibChanges page to learn what nibs need to be updated (if any); for each of these nibs, you should select it and then choose "Rebuild Selected Files from 'en'" from the Project menu to reset the layout of the nib to the new English one. You can then translate it. Feel free to ask if anything is unclear!
2. Translate!
   • Click on each item shown in the rightmost list and check the translations. There are filters on the left side which can help you see what strings have been changed since the last version or have not yet been translated.
   • Double-click on "nib" files to open them in Interface Builder. Interface Builder is a developer's tool and can be a little confusing. When you open a nib, you will see one or more Views and Windows in the document window which opens. Double click each of these to show the interface for translation. Double click an item to change its text; after clicking on it, it shows resize indicators that let you change its size, and you can drag it around. Do not use cut-and-paste to move interface controls around; this breaks their connections to the code.
     • Some views have multiple sections which can't be immediately seen. To translate such sections:
     1. Tools menu -> Show Inspector
     2. There, select the Attributes tab
     3. Click in the blank area under where the tabs (or an area you know has hidden tabs) are shown. This selects the NSTabView which contains the tabs.
     4. The Inspector window reads "Displaying Tab Item: 1"
     5. Click on the arrow in the Inspector window to change tabs to "2"
3. Send the localization
   • In iLocalize, select Export Localization from the Project menu. Pick your language and check 'Compress'. If you use Apple's Mail program, you can also go ahead and have iLocalize put it in a new email message.
   • Send the exported localization to the Adium Localizations mailing list. Be sure to state the version of Adium you translated and the language in the subject line, such as "Adium 1.2b2 Japanese".

Contact

If you are a translator and are not on the Adium Translators mailing list, please contact evands.