Create the Resource Files in Objective-C

Encode Data Matrix ECC200 in Objective-C Create the Resource Files

Following the steps given in the section Adding Multi-Language Support, create a new resource header file called MediaGrabber.rrh. Provide .rrc files for each language you would like to support. I have chosen to use _en , _en_US , _en_GB , and _cs , but you can include any other language you would like to see. Create keys for all visible strings in MediaGrabber and copy the existing string values into the default MediaGrabber.rrc file. You can either do this in the Eclipse grid editing window, or directly edit the .rrc file by hand if you prefer. If you edit the .rrc file outside of Eclipse, you might need to refresh or restart Eclipse for the changes to be recognized. A partial set of the English translations are shown in Listing 10-1, covering the main MediaGrabber class file as well as the initial UI from ChoicesScreen.

Listing 10-1. Initial Default Translations for MediaGrabber I18N_CHAPI_EMAIL_TEXT#0="Sent to you by CHAPI"; I18N_CHOICE_PLAY_MEDIA#0="Play Media"; I18N_CHOICE_RECORD_SOUND#0="Record Sound"; I18N_CHOICE_RECORD_VIDEO#0="Record Video"; I18N_CHOICE_TAKE_PICTURE#0="Take a Picture"; I18N_CONTACT_SHARED_MEDIA#0="You have shared media with them."; I18N_CONTACT_SHARE_MEDIA_PROMPT#0="No sharing yet. Would you like to send media ";

I18N_CONTACT_VERIFY_SHARED#0="Verify Media Shared"; I18N_INSTRUCTIONS#0="Please enter a location, then select a choice from the menu."; I18N_PLAY_MEDIA_TITLE#0="Playing {0}"; I18N_PROMPT_LOCATION#0="Location:";

Notice the {0} at the bottom. This indicates a place where we will want to dynamically construct the final displayable string based on other variables. Provide any translations you like at this point. The initial Czech translations are shown in Listing 10-2. Notice that Unicode characters are supported by simply entering "\uXXXX". You can also copy and paste Unicode characters directly into the Eclipse editing window. Unicode support allows you to port to any locale, including traditionally difficult ones like Chinese and Arabic.

Listing 10-2. Initial Czech Translations for MediaGrabber I18N_CHAPI_EMAIL_TEXT#0="Zasl no na V \u0161 CHAPI"; I18N_CHOICE_RECORD_SOUND#0="Z znam zvuku"; I18N_CHOICE_RECORD_VIDEO#0="Video z znam"; I18N_CHOICE_TAKE_PICTURE#0="Vyfotografovat"; I18N_CONTACT_SHARED_MEDIA#0="M te sd len m dia."; I18N_CONTACT_SHARE_MEDIA_PROMPT#0="Dosud \u017E dn sd len . Chcete poslat m dia "; I18N_CONTACT_VERIFY_SHARED#0="Ov\u011B\u0159te Media Sd len "; I18N_INSTRUCTIONS#0="Pros m, zadejte um st\u011Bn , vyberte volbu z menu."; I18N_PLAY_MEDIA_TITLE#0="Hra {0}"; I18N_PROMPT_LOCATION#0="Poloha:";

Tip: Most of the above translations come from Google Translate. However, translations by native speakers are always superior to those generated by a machine, which can have a difficult time capturing nuances or determining different parts of speech. If you are creating a commercial app, hire a professional translator. If you are releasing a free or open-source app, you can often find volunteers who will do a good job. When using volunteers, it s a good idea to get input from multiple sources so you can determine the best and most common translations.

For the most part, the changes to MediaGrabber are very straightforward. Simply follow the instructions in Adding Multi-Language Support to make each file implement MediaGrabberResource, obtain a ResourceBundle, and look up strings dynamically. One wrinkle occurs when it comes to building up strings that include variables. Here, you want to define a pattern in your translation file, with placeholders defined with a numbered sequence like {0}, {1}, and so on. Then, instead of manually concatenating strings, use the MessageFormat class to apply the variables to your translated pattern. Listing 10-3 contains the complete internationalized class for ChoicesScreen. Note the new code in LaunchPlayer near the bottom, which will create a string like "Playing file:///SDCard/BlackBerry/Music/captured.amr" that is localized for the user s language.

Listing 10-3. Localized Version of ChoicesScreen package com.apress.king.mediagrabber; import import import import net.rim.device.api.i18n.*; net.rim.device.api.ui.*; net.rim.device.api.ui.component.*; net.rim.device.api.ui.container.MainScreen;

public class ChoicesScreen extends MainScreen implements MediaGrabberResource { private static ResourceBundle r = ResourceBundle.getBundle(BUNDLE_ID, BUNDLE_NAME); private BasicEditField location = new BasicEditField(r .getString(I18N_PROMPT_LOCATION), "file:///SDCard/BlackBerry", 100, Field.FIELD_VCENTER | BasicEditField.FILTER_URL); private MenuItem audioItem = new MenuItem(r .getString(MediaGrabber.I18N_CHOICE_RECORD_SOUND), 0, 0) { public void run() { launchRecorder(RecordingScreen.RECORD_AUDIO); } }; private MenuItem pictureItem = new MenuItem(r .getString(MediaGrabber.I18N_CHOICE_TAKE_PICTURE), 0, 0) { public void run() { launchRecorder(RecordingScreen.RECORD_PICTURE); } }; private MenuItem videoItem = new MenuItem(r .getString(MediaGrabber.I18N_CHOICE_RECORD_VIDEO), 0, 0) { public void run() { launchRecorder(RecordingScreen.RECORD_VIDEO); } }; private MenuItem launchVideoItem = new MenuItem(r .getString(MediaGrabber.I18N_CHOICE_PLAY_MEDIA), 0, 0) { public void run() { launchPlayer(); } }; public ChoicesScreen() { setTitle("MediaGrabber"); add(new LabelField(r.getString(MediaGrabber.I18N_INSTRUCTIONS))); add(location);