Windows Installer Editor Reference
278
Translating an Installation
Translating Text Strings You Have Added or
Changed
When you add or change any user interface elements in an installation, you must
translate those changes if you want them to appear in another language. Examples:
error messages; disk prompts; text and controls on dialog boxes; descriptions or names
for launch conditions, features, or shortcuts; property values, file names, and directory
names.
You have several options for finding out which strings need to be translated and getting
the translated text into the installation:
z
If you change multiple strings and need to send them to a translator, export only the
changed strings to a file. Send the file to a translator, then import the translated
strings back into the installation.
See
Translating Text Strings by Exporting to a File
on page 278.
z
If you make just a few small changes and you know the translations, you can edit
the text directly.
See
Translating Text Directly Without Exporting It
on page 281.
z
If you are adding an entire new language, you can export all text strings in the
installation, have them translated, and then import the translated strings to the
installation.
See
Defining and Translating Into Additional Languages
on page 272.
The translated text might require more space than the default language. (Example:
Most languages require more space than English.) Therefore, you might need to resize
dialog box controls to accommodate text expansion.
See
Resizing Dialog Controls After Translation
on page 283.
Note
dialog box controls are shared across all languages, which means that a control you add
to one language is added to all other languages as well. Similarly, a control you delete in
one language is deleted in all other languages. However, you can add conditions to show
or hide certain controls in certain languages.
See
Conditions for controls on dialog boxes
on page 388. Also see UserLanguageID
Property in the Windows Installer SDK Help.
Translating Text Strings by Exporting to a File
When you add or change any user interface elements in an installation, you must
translate those changes if you want them to appear in another language. To do so, you
export the new or changed text strings to a file, have them translated, then import the
translated strings back into the installation.
See
Exporting Selected Text Strings to a File
on page 279 and
Importing Selected Text
Strings From a File
on page 280.
Example:
Suppose an installation is in English and Spanish. You decide to add a new dialog box to
the installation wizard. You add the dialog box in the default language (in this case,
English). That way, the dialog box is added to all languages in the installation (English
and Spanish). However, because the Spanish text for the new dialog box does not exist,
