Java Tutorial

Externalizing Multiple Strings

In this lesson, you will use the Externalize Selected Strings feature (also called batch externalization) to externalize multiple strings at once.

Batch externalization is much faster than externalizing one string at a time. However, batch externalization is more error-prone than single-string externalization because it's easier to externalize a string that shouldn't be externalized if you don't examine each issue in the list very carefully.

Note: an online video guide is available for this section of the tutorial. To see this video, as well as other Globalyzer video tutorials, click here. The video guide relevant to this tutorial is titled Part Five: Externalizing String and Pseudo-Localization.

  1. Select all of the remaining Embedded Strings in the Scan Results table.

    To do this you can click on an issue in the Scan Results table and click on Select All. Alternatively, you can also select the first row in the table then hold down the Shift key and click on the last Embedded String row in the table. All of the Embedded String results should be selected.

  2. Right-click over the table and select Externalize Selected Scan Results.

  3. If you have made changes to any files, you will be asked to select files to save. After this step, the following externalization dialog appears:

    You should have added a Globalyzer directive in the code to ignore the unused string in a previous section. If that is not the case, please make sure to de-select the unused string from the @SuppressWarning Java directive.

    Note that the Externalize Strings dialog contains a multitude of different features:

    • Like in the Scan Results view, clicking on an issue in the Externalize Strings dialog will highlight the text of the file it is contained in.

    • The dialog also presents the options to Ignore specific issues via the Ignore button.

    • You can also choose to internationalize one of the listed strings. This removes the Ignore comment if the issue was previously ignored, and sets the status of the issue to Active. Otherwise, no action is performed.

    • Finally, you can Edit any of the strings that you are going to externalize. Clicking the Edit button will bring up an Edit Entry dialog. Within the dialog, the New key field allows you to change the key value for selected issue. You can also edit the string itself with the New value field.

  4. Within the Globalyzer Externalize Strings dialog, click Next.

    You will now see the Externalize Strings Messages section of the dialog. This dialogue will show you which source files are going to be modified.

  5. Click Next again

    You will now see the Externalize Strings Preview section of the dialog. This section presents a final idea of what will be changed during externalization. It also presents a final opportunity to reject any changes you do not wish to make. If you do not wish to externalize a selected issue, uncheck the checkbox to the issue's left. For this tutorial, leave all issues as they are.

  6. Click Finish.

    Globalyzer externalizes all of the remaining strings and performs the following actions:

    • Replaces all of the embedded string errors in the source files with the method call I18nUtils.getString(...)
    • Writes the automatically generated name/value pairs to the resource file: exampleResources.properties
    • Saves all of the affected source files.

The list of Embedded String issues should be empty now that Globalyzer has finished its automated scan.

At this stage, you should have filtered out Debug.log string parameters by modifying the rule set, ignored the unused string, and externalized all user visible strings.

  • There should be no more Active results in the Scan Results view.
  • The summary view should indicate 0 Embedded Strings
  • You should be able to re-run the application as in the verification step and see all the strings shown in English in the user interface.

Note. If the string to be externalized is too long (string length limit for string externalization is 255 characters), it is not externalized during multiple string externalization. You should use single string externalization (and make sure that the whole string is selected in the source file), to externalize long strings.

A French translation

Since the user visible strings are externalized, they can be localized. This usually involves a process with a Localization vendor who will translate files and send them back to be integrated into the software. In this example, let's provide a simple French translation for the text.

  • Copy the content of the exampleResources.properties into exampleResource_fr_FR.properties. You should find both .properties files by using Globalyzer's Project Explorer to navigate to example-source-java=>src=>com.lingoport.demo.java.resources. Right click on each file and select Open With=>Properties File Editor.

  • Change the value of the text to the following translation. The keys may be different in your string externalization, depending on many factors, including the order in which you externalized strings. Be sure to save your modifications.

    # SOURCE_FILE C:/tmp/example-source-java/src/com/lingoport/demo/java/ExampleMain.java
    EXAM_EXAMPLE_1=Carnet d'adresses --\

    # SOURCE_FILE C:/tmp/example-source-java/src/com/lingoport/demo/java/ExamplePanel.java
    EXAM_AFIELDI_20=Un champ est vide
    EXAM_ADD_21=Ajouter
    EXAM_ADDRESS_22=Information
    EXAM_APARTME_23=Apartment:\
    EXAM_CITY_24=Ville:\
    EXAM_DISPLAY_25=Montre les adresses dans le carnet.
    EXAM_DISPLAY_26=Montre la date et l'heure du jour
    EXAM_EMAIL_27=Email:\
    EXAM_EXIT_28=Fin
    EXAM_MISSING_29=Champ manquant
    EXAM_NAME_30=Nom:\
    EXAM_NEXT_31=Suivant
    EXAM_PHONE_32=Telephone:\
    EXAM_STREET_33=Rue:\
    EXAM_TIME_34=Heure:\
    EXAM_TODAYSD_35=La date du jour
    EXAM_TODAYSD_36=Date du jour:\
    EXAM_ZIPCODE_37=Code Postal:\

  • Re-run the application by passing in a different locale: to do so, right click on the top ExampleMain.java file and choose the Run As=>Run Configurations ...

  • A dialog box pops up. In the Arguments tabs, type in the string fr_FR.

  • Click Apply and Run. The translated strings appear.

If the text has been handled and can now be translated, the behavior of the application depends on the correct usage of locale-sensitive methods. For instance, the date and time formats are not correct for the chosen locale. In the next lesson, we will discuss how to fix the project's two locale-sensitive methods.