Useful tools for Slint contributors

Transifex

The Transifex platform eases cooperation between translators, being a place where each translation team can centralize its PO files and share information. It provides an on line editor, that can also be used to review translations.

To learn how to to use it visit the Transifex Help Desk.

You may use Transifex' on line editor as it comes handy, but:

don’t forget to make frequent local backups, just in case
text formatting of translations is easier to do and check locally, using a specialized PO editor like Lokalize or Poedit
preferably, set your browser to use a serif fixed width (mono spaced) font like Courier

To translate webpages in asciidoc format, usage of Transifex is mandatory (see below).

If you prefer to translate locally, be sure to check in Transifex Download for translation (not Download for use). This could avoid duplicating efforts… But two team members can share the same big PO file, as long as they first agree on who translates what.

Transifex doesn’t wrap lines of translated text. This can lead to very long lines, hard to read in a text editor and that can even make it crash eating all the CPU. To avoid that, after having downloaded the PO file, just type:

  msgcat file_downloaded_from_Transifex > file_renamed

then use Lokalize or Poedit to translate file_renamed. This file will have wrapped lines but will be otherwise identical to downloaded one, so that won’t hurt.

If you translate locally don’t forget to upload edited file on Transifex when you’re idle, not to let it locked uselessly.

Lokalize

Lokalize is included in Slackware. You can either read the Lokalize Handbook on line or access it from the Help menu of pressing [F1]. Recommended settings:

Settings ⇒ Configure Lokalize ⇒ Identity: Choose your language (set to target language).
Settings ⇒ Configure Lokalize ⇒ Appearance: Choose a serif fixed width (mono spaced) font like Courier. This will help you distinguish 0 (the digit) and O (the letter) or | (the pipe) from I (the letter) and check formatting, for instance first word’s alignment on consecutive lines.
Settings ⇒ Configure Lokalize ⇒ Appearance: Check LEDS to indicate Fuzzy and Untranslated status as well as cursor column number, very handy to check line’s length when that matters.

Poedit

Poedit is not shipped in Slackware but is available @ SlackBuilds.org.

It lacks a handy way to check line’s length, but this put aside its features are similar to those of Lokalize, so choosing one or the other is a matter of personal preference.

In Edit ⇒ Preferences ⇒ Editor, check Automatic spell checking and, as with Lokalize, choose a serif fixed width font.

Usage of scripts included in Slint’s tarball

This compressed archive includes all that is needed to build slint products as well as tools intended for slint contributors. It is named slint-[date].tar.xz and provided in directory pub/.

To unpack it, type:

  tar xf slint-[date].tar.xz

This will output a directory slint-[date]. See file CONTENT.TXT in it for details, and the README in the directories slint-[date]/build and slint-[date]/tools-for-translators if you want to use some of the scripts used to build slint products, and tools intended for translators. All paths indicated are relative to that directory.

The stuff in the directory slint-[date] is especially useful to check some of the translations (see below).

How-to check your translations of Slackware’s installer, administration scripts and man pages

Resource slint ⇒ installer, administration scripts

Resource pkgtools ⇒ man pages for the pkgtools package

Resource slackpkg ⇒ man pages for the slackpkg package

When you are done with the translation(s), just follow the instructions in slint-[date]/tools-for-translators/TESTING_HOW-TO

to check the man pages you will need to have installed the software po4a, for which build material is available @ SlackBuilds.org.