Localization

Localization is the process of adapting a product to a specific cultural environment. This process usually involves the following tasks:

• Creating culture-specific resource files
• Translating message or resource files
• Setting date, time, and money formats
• Translating the product user interface

Localization might also include the translation and production of end-user documentation, packaging, and collateral materials.

To localize a database application, you create a database application for a specific language, territory, and code set. Localization involves the following tasks:

• Ensure that GLS locales exist for the desired language, territory, and code set.
• Translate the character strings in any external resource or message files that the application uses.

Choosing a GLS Locale

To localize your application, choose a locale that provides the culture-specific information for the language, territory, and code set that the application is to support. For information about locales, see Setting a GLS Locale.

An internationalized application makes no assumptions about how these locales are set at runtime. Once the application environment specifies the locales to use, the application can access the appropriate GLS locale files for locale-specific information. As long as a GLS locale is provided that supports a particular language, territory, and code set, the application can obtain the locale-specific information dynamically.

The current processing locale (sometimes called just the current locale) is the locale that is currently in effect for an application. It is based on one of the following environments:

• The client environment

  ESQL/C creates client applications. Therefore, the current processing locale for ESQL/C applications is the client locale.

• The database that the database server is currently accessing

Translating Messages

An internationalized application should not have any language-specific text within the application code. This language-specific text includes the following kinds of strings:

• Strings that the application displays or writes

  Examples include error messages, informational messages, menu items, and button labels.

• Strings that the application uses internally

  Examples include constants, filenames, and literal characters or strings.

• Strings that an end user is expected to enter

  Examples include yes and no responses.

In an internationalized application, these strings appear as references to external files, called resource files or message files. To localize these strings of the database application, you must perform the following tasks:

• Translate all strings within the external files.

  The new external files contain the translated versions of the strings that the application uses.

• Set the DBLANG environment variable to the subdirectory within INFORMIXDIR that contains the translated message files that the IBM Informix products use.

  The INFORMIXDIR environment variable indicates the location where the IBM Informix products are installed. You can use the rgetmsg( ) and rgetlmsg( ) functions to obtain IBM Informix product messages. For more information on these functions, see the IBM Informix: ESQL/C Programmer's Manual.