Localization Tutorial

Files that are needed for localization are in root of the directory i18n. They must be saved with the same names in a specified language directory:

bnhelp.conf
bnmotd.txt
chathelp-war3.txt
common.xml
newaccount.txt
termsofservice.txt
w3motd.txt

Supported languages are: English, Russian, German, Czech, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Chinese. Please let us know if you have a game client with other language.

All files are plain text, except common.xml — it contains hardcoded strings. Next tips related to this file.

• You can save original sequence of arguments:

 <original>hello {} world {}/{}/{}</original> <!-- hello my world one/two/three -->
 <translate>привет {} мир{}/{}/{}</translate> <!-- привет my мир one/two/three -->

• Or swap argument positions:

 <original>hello {} world {}/{}/{}</original> <!-- hello my world one/two/three -->
 <translate>привет {1} мир{3}/{2}/{0}</translate> <!-- привет one мир three/two/my -->

• refid="123" in <translate refid="123" /> means that translation refers to the duplicate string <string id="123">...</string>. Actually you can ignore these lines, or add your own references if your translations are duplicates.
• When you edit strings, you have to replace next symbols if they were added (update utility replaces it automatically for new strings): <→<, >→>, \"→"
• If you need to display braces then use double braces ({{}} will output {})
• If you are changed > 5% of the text in common.xml then you can add your author name in <authors> section. This is not used anywhere, just a hall of fame.
• If you edit any localized hardcoded string in *.cpp, *.h, *.lua, you have to edit that string in section of all common.xml files.
• If you add a new localized hardcoded string in *.cpp, *.h, *.lua, you have to run utility from scripts\localize\update.bat — it will correctly update all common.xml files, and new string will be added. Then find not-translated string in text-editor by <translate> </translate>
• Use pvpgn_localize_validator.exe to validate XML translation file (it needs installed Microsoft.NET Framework 4.0)
• Text identical in termsofservice.txt and newaccount.txt, so a translation can be duplicated. Text from termsofservice.txt relates to all games but newaccount.txt only displays in Warcraft 3 in additional screen when creating a new account.
• news.txt need not to be translated
• Developers must use double quotes in Lua scripts (not single quotes) in localize function:

a = localize(username, "hello \"{}\"", "world") -- correct
b = localize(username, 'hello "{}"', "world") -- incorrect