Re: [boost] [Locale] Preview of 3rd version

Subject: Re: [boost] [Locale] Preview of 3rd version
From: Artyom (artyomtnk_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-09-13 05:01:19

> >  >
> > > A.  Dictionary source :
> > >
> > >  Currently, if I my understanding is correct, the  boost::locale  library
> > will
> > > always assume that dictionary files are on  the  (standard?) filesystem.
> >
> >
> > I would be easy to  fix.
> >
> 
> Great!
> 

But as small note, you will have to install dictionaries manually
and not via generator interface.

But rather via this interface: 

<http://cppcms.sourceforge.net/boost_locale/html/gnu__gettext_8hpp-source.html>

I mean you'll need to initialize the messages info structure and provide
a callback (that would be member of messages_info)

    boost::function<bool(std::string file_name,std::vector<char> &file)> 
custom_fs_reader;

And then install the catalogs using:

  std::locale new_locale = 
std::locale(generated,create_messages_facet<char>(my_message_info));

I don't want to add this into boost::locale::generator, as I don't think this
is generally correct thing to do (as it would require to implement much more
complex path).

> Agreed, I'm already on this path.  (After having read your(?) answer on
> StackOverflow some months ago I banished  wide strings and made all UTF-8
> based)

Actually it was my question, but I fully agree with the answer :-)

In fact, I did not really want to implement wide strings support for 
Boost.Locale, but
I'm afraid that without it, Boost.Locale would not pass the review. Also for
windows development using UTF-16 might be quite justified to simplify the 
interaction
with Win32 API.

> > No! Human languages unlike programming  are context dependent and ambiguous,
> > same string may be translated into  two different strings depending on
> > context.
> >
> > Small but  clear example:
> >
> >
> >  
>http://cppcms.sourceforge.net/boost_locale/html/tutorial.html#1f0e3dad99908345f7439f8ffabdffc4
>
> >
> >
> I  was thinking about more cultural/language based example where there is  not
> only context that make the translation hard.
> For example some  expressions that exists in some languages don't exists in
> others and just  have equivalents that could be used in the given context.

Yes the example is not best.

> So if "domain" are module names,  how to differenciate two sentences that are
> the same in a language with two  different contextes, but are not the same in
> an other language with the same  different contextes?

I don't really understand the question. But maybe this would make it clear:

When you translate a message it is uniquely defined by 4 parameters:

- locale (for example "ru_RU")
- domain (for example "excel")
- context(for example "File Menu")
- id(for example "Open...")

So:

  cout << translate("File Menu","Open...") 
       << translate("Internet Connection","Open...")
       << translate("Open...")
       << translate("File Menu","Close") 
       << translate("Internet Connection","Close")
       << translate("Close")

Require 6 different entries in the dictionary

Artyom