Working with Multi-Language Projects

CitectSCADA's language switching facility allows you to use one language to configure a project, and another for runtime text items such as alarm descriptions, button text, keyboard/alarm logs, graphic text, Cicode strings, and so on. You can also dynamically change languages during runtime.

Notes:

• There is no automatic translation, you need to arrange translation of native language strings into the desired local languages and insert these strings into the localized language database.
• After translation review the foreign language interface and verify that translated strings fit in their graphics elements correctly.

For example, if your native language is English, you could enter an English alarm description when configuring the project, but specify to display it in the French or German (or any other language) equivalent at runtime. You can specify the language you want before running the project, or change it dynamically at runtime (using the SetLanguage() function) without affecting any of the project's normal operations.

CitectSCADA distinguishes between the native language (that is, the language of the developer), and the local language (the language of the end user). Language changes are achieved by using a language databaseWhen a project is compiled, creates a language database (dBASE III format) consisting of two fields: native and local. Any text marked with a language change indicator is automatically entered in the native field. You can then open the database and enter the translated text in the local field., which has a field for native text, and a field for the translated local text. When the project is run, native text is replaced with the equivalent local text.

Alarm and keyboard logs can be processed in both the native and the local language, enabling native and local users to read historical logs. The data can be logged to the same device, or to separate devices.

See Also