Page Created: 17th January, 1999

Last Update: 18th April, 1999

Now anyone can translate Clock5 into their own language!  You don't need any programming skills (honestly) - you don't need me to email you any special files (all the ones you will need are here on this page) - you don't even need to tell me that you're doing it (although if you do translate everything then I'd be very grateful if you send me a copy of the completed translation so that I can package it in a SIS file and post it here on the Pscience5 web site for others to download your efforts)...  Also, I'd ask you to respect the translations that are either already done or that are in progress - simply because the people involved have already put in a great deal of effort already (and why bother translating something that's already being done or has been done already?).  See the Clock5 Downloads page for details of the languages already translated.

The latest version of Clock5 uses something called a language resource file.  If you look at the installed directory on your Psion (\system\apps\Clock5\) on your c: or d: drive (depending upon which one you installed it into), you'll find a number of files.   Clock5.rsc is the language resource file.  It contains all the text, menus, options, etc. for any given language version of Clock5 (apart from the Help file - Clock5.hlp - which has to be written seperately) so that the program just looks up all the bits it needs from this file.  Simple!

So all the would-be translator has to do is generate their own version of Clock5.rsc and it's done!  Well, okay...  If you're going to do a full translation then I'd ask that you translate the Help file (Clock5.hlp - see my PS below) and the ReadMe.txt file too for completeness.  And if you're feeling really nice, you could re-record the voice files as well!  (Remember to use the ADPCM compression - and keep them as short as possible to save disk space...)   ;-)

Translation Notes/Instructions:

First of all, install any language version (v1.7 or above) of CLock5 on your machine.   As I mentioned above, the latest version of Clock5 (v1.7 onwards) uses a separate language resource file (Clock5.rsc) to store all the language-specific information in it.   It used to be quite complicated to generate these resource files but Guillaume Sabouraud (author of ChemTools for the S5 - visit his site at http://www.chez.com/chemtools/index.htm) has written a set of excellent freeware apps. that will generate this resource file automatically from an ordinary S5 Data file.  This means that the language translator can now compile and re-compile versions of Clock5.rsc and test it out with the main Clock5 program until they are entirely happy with their translation.

The German resource Data file...

Below is a copy of RSCtools21.zip which contains the latest version of these tools.  You'll also need a copy of the blank data file that you need to fill your translations in.  For the sake of argument, I've called it TranslateRsc...

Actually, you only really need one of the files in the zip file: RSCcompiler2.opo. Just copy this program to anywhere on your Psion and run it.

RSC Compiler running...

The first thing you will need to do is specify the path locations for the various files (Ctrl+P):-

• The data path is where you have put your Data file (i.e. TranslateRsc).  I'd suggest that this be a one-word directory name - RSC Compiler can have problems I believe with directory names that have spaces in them.
• The RSC path is where you want the resulting RSC (resource) file to appear and be called. I would suggest that it be d:\system\apps\clock5\Clock5.rsc. It can be on the c: drive if that's where you've got Clock5 installed. It must be called Clock5.rsc however for Clock5 to find it.
• The CST path is where the constants file should be generated. This can be anywhere and be called anything as the constants have already been generated for Clock5 and are incorporated in the program already.

The paths dialog in RSC Compiler

Next, you need to specify the Name Statement in Options (Ctrl+O):

• Change the languages order to (say) EN,FR (if your language is French, etc.)
• Un-tick the 'Add language name' option.
• Keep the '"\$n\"=>CHR$(n)' dialog un-ticked.
• Make the Name Statement 'CLOK'

RSC Compiler Options

Back in the main dialog screen, select your language option (it must be 2nd one in the list as it'll be the 2nd one in the Data file after English).

Finally, be sure and un-tick the 'Build constand definitions' option as we don't want it to generate a new set of constants for Clock5.

And that's it!  Once you've compiled your own version of Clock5.rsc (and put it into the Clock5 directory if it's not already there), just run Clock5 and test it out... :-)

Let me know if you have any problems and/or how you get on.

Best regards,

Martin

PS: If you want to translate the Help file (Clock5.hlp) just remove the .hlp extension on the end of the file and you'll be able to open - and edit - it as a normal Data file.  Be sure and put "Translated into <your language> by <your name>.  <your email address>" underneath the Copyright notice on the 1st page.  It's only fair that the translator gets a little bit of the glory too!  ;-)

The finished Italian Help file