multi-language user interface for an asp page

[=?Utf-8?B?YzY3NjIyOA==?=]

Hi all,
I have a good question for you. Our company would like to display
Chinese(either simplifiled or traditional version) for all field labels on
any asp page, but customers can enter text/data in English with any fields.
My question is: do I have to make another copy of the program and just change
the field label from English to Chinese (maintain two copies the programs) or
is there an easy way to do it dynamically in classical asp, so I just need
to maintain one program instead of two?
Betty

[Evertjan.]

Betty wrote on 27 jan 2007 in
microsoft.public.inetserver.asp.general:

I have a good question for you. Our company would like to display
Chinese(either simplifiled or traditional version) for all field
labels on any asp page, but customers can enter text/data in English
with any fields. My question is: do I have to make another copy of the
program and just change the field label from English to Chinese
(maintain two copies the programs) or is there an easy way to do it
dynamically in classical asp, so I just need to maintain one program

ASP file, not programme, methinks you mean?

instead of two?

<http://groups.google.nl/group/
microsoft.public.inetserver.asp.general/msg/c0cc1d2ebbe4dc9e>

shows how I did this in 2005:

<% =s("Bonjour","Goede morgen","Hi there")%Betty,<br>
<% =s("Voici mon example","Dit is mijn voorbeeld","Whatsay?")%>

--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)

[Anthony Jones]

"c676228" <be****@community.nospamwrote in message
news:F1**********************************@microsof t.com...

Hi all,
I have a good question for you. Our company would like to display
Chinese(either simplifiled or traditional version) for all field labels on
any asp page, but customers can enter text/data in English with any

fields.

My question is: do I have to make another copy of the program and just

change

the field label from English to Chinese (maintain two copies the programs)

or

is there an easy way to do it dynamically in classical asp, so I just

need

to maintain one program instead of two?
Betty

First step is to convert everything to use UTF-8 encoding.

Second step is to separate as much of the logic in your pages from the code
generating the actual output. Move as much logic into include files.

Third create a anothet set of the 'layout' pages (excluding the new logic
ones) translating the content to the appropriate language.

The problem with attempting to create a 'resource file' of label strings is
that layout often has to change to meet the needs of additional languages
not just the text. At times even graphics which are have obvious meanings
in one culture aren't as effective in another.

If you have managed to separate the layout from the logic then creating and
maintianing a different layout set is no harder than maintaining a set of
label resources.

Maintaining program logic should in the main result in having to make
changes to only one set of pages the logic holding ones.

Anthony.

[Steven Cheng[MSFT]]

Hello Betty,

As Anthony has suggested, if you do not want to use multiple copies of the
same application, you will need to use Unicode(such as UTF-8 charset) for
your ASP pages. Also, since ASP doesn't have built-in localization/resource
featrue as ASP.NET, if you want to display ASP pages which will display
text/literal dynamically based on client's culture/region, you can consider
store those text literal in database and render those text(retrieved from
database) at runtime.

In addition, here are some reference discussing on developing globalized
application(include web application) on microsoft's globaldev portal:

#Get World-Ready
http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/getWR/default.mspx

Sincerely,

Steven Cheng

Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead

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[=?Utf-8?B?YzY3NjIyOA==?=]

Anthony and Steven,
Very helpful messages. I think for any new development, we should seperate
logic from all label fields on each asp page if we want to have
multi-language capability.
with Response.CodePage=65001 and Reponse.Charset="utf-8" and store all
labels of different languages in database, then like Steve points out the
labels can be displayed dynamically based on the request.
--
Betty
"Steven Cheng[MSFT]" wrote:

Hello Betty,

As Anthony has suggested, if you do not want to use multiple copies of the
same application, you will need to use Unicode(such as UTF-8 charset) for
your ASP pages. Also, since ASP doesn't have built-in localization/resource
featrue as ASP.NET, if you want to display ASP pages which will display
text/literal dynamically based on client's culture/region, you can consider
store those text literal in database and render those text(retrieved from
database) at runtime.

In addition, here are some reference discussing on developing globalized
application(include web application) on microsoft's globaldev portal:

#Get World-Ready
http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/getWR/default.mspx

Sincerely,

Steven Cheng

Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead

==================================================

Get notification to my posts through email? Please refer to
http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscripti...ult.aspx#notif
ications.

Note: The MSDN Managed Newsgroup support offering is for non-urgent issues
where an initial response from the community or a Microsoft Support
Engineer within 1 business day is acceptable. Please note that each follow
up response may take approximately 2 business days as the support
professional working with you may need further investigation to reach the
most efficient resolution. The offering is not appropriate for situations
that require urgent, real-time or phone-based interactions or complex
project analysis and dump analysis issues. Issues of this nature are best
handled working with a dedicated Microsoft Support Engineer by contacting
Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscripti...t/default.aspx.

==================================================

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

[Anthony Jones]

"c676228" <be****@community.nospamwrote in message
news:76**********************************@microsof t.com...

Anthony and Steven,
Very helpful messages. I think for any new development, we should seperate
logic from all label fields on each asp page if we want to have
multi-language capability.
with Response.CodePage=65001 and Reponse.Charset="utf-8" and store all
labels of different languages in database, then like Steve points out the
labels can be displayed dynamically based on the request.

You need then to take care when designing the layout. What is a short word
in one language may be quite a bit longer in another.

[=?Utf-8?B?YzY3NjIyOA==?=]

Anthony,
You are right, maybe we need to have multiple versions of style sheet to
apply to different version of label fields. Thank you so much for your
instruction.
--
Betty
"Anthony Jones" wrote:

>
"c676228" <be****@community.nospamwrote in message
news:76**********************************@microsof t.com...

Anthony and Steven,
Very helpful messages. I think for any new development, we should seperate
logic from all label fields on each asp page if we want to have
multi-language capability.
with Response.CodePage=65001 and Reponse.Charset="utf-8" and store all
labels of different languages in database, then like Steve points out the
labels can be displayed dynamically based on the request.

You need then to take care when designing the layout. What is a short word
in one language may be quite a bit longer in another.