Installing Localizable Programs
This appendix discusses the system generation and installation considerations for systems or applications designed to be localizable, such as HP QDM/1000. Localized applications are programs for which messages and prompts can be translated into a local native language and for which the format for time, date, and other similar data can be customized. The main program code, usually written in a version of English called Native/1000, need not be translated. Such applications use RTEA's native language support capability whether they are localized or not.
Localized Programs
A program using RTE's native language support contains no hard coded language or custom dependent messages or formatting. A localized program must access messages and prompts located within external binary files or catalogs and use routines driven by formatting tables. These binary message catalog files and formatting files must be installed during system generation and installation.
A localized program can access binary message catalogs using three different methods. Each method requires different amounts of main memory and exhibits different access rates.
Linking the binary message catalogs to the executable image of the program permits the most rapid message access, but requires large amounts of memory. This method requires a separate program image file, or .RUN file, for each native language supported. Different .RUN files are created by modifying the program's LINK command file to call out a different relocatable binary message catalog. User defined search paths (UDSPs) enable selection of the different native language versions of the program.
The other two methods use diskbased message files. In one method, the program accesses the diskbased message catalog file directly. Access to the diskbased binary messages is slow, but the memory requirement is reduced. The other diskbased method uses the message monitor (MSG.M) system utility program to access the diskbased catalogs and pass them to the localized programs that actually report the messages. The message monitor uses the system resources EMA and SAM for string passing to reduce a program's main memory requirements and provide faster message access time than direct diskbased access. For each supported native language, there is a different diskbased message catalog in the /CATALOGS directory.
The custom formatting tables are included in the LANGDEF files, the diskbased catalogs located in the /CATALOGS/ directory. The message monitor uses these files to provide the language dependent table information to a calling program.
Installing Localizable Programs K 1