Notes in Source Files

Last update: December 2016

 

RC-WinTrans supports the assignment of a "note" to an item's source text as well as to its translated (target) text.  This is text input related to the item that supports the translation process with additional information for the user.

 

A note is usually entered/edited by an RC-WinTrans user in the Translation Edit bar which has two different Note fields, one for the source text and one for the translation text.

 

 

Source File Notes and Notes for the Translation (Target Text)

Adding a note to a translation unit (for either the source or the target text) in RC-WinTrans (Translation Edit bar Note fields) stores the information in the project database.  Notes can be exported with translation projects or (Excel/text) files sent to translators, and notes added by translators can be imported into a main project when such files are returned.

 

One important distinction between a note for a source text and a note for a target text is that a note added to the source text can be displayed and edited regardless of the currently active target language- it belongs to the source.  When a note is entered for a translation text, however, it is displayed and modifiable only for the currently active target language.

 

A note can also originate from the source file to be translated, having been enabled for reading and display by RC-WinTrans.  There are a number of file types that support notes for text items.  Such a note is read by RC-WinTrans when the source file is added to a project and when the source file is read again during the update database process.  A description of these notes as they occur in file types supported by RC-WinTrans follows.

 

 

File Types with Notes/Comments

 

·

.NET RESX Files

Items in RESX files can have notes.  The note text is the value in the item's "<comment>" element. RC-WinTrans reads the "<comment>" value and carries it over into the project database where it appears as a note.

 

·

XML Files

A note for a text item is read by RC-WinTrans when an XML file supports a note for an item to be translated.  The XML file must have an element or attribute for the note text.  The specification for taking over notes is specified in the RC-WinTrans XML parser stylesheet created for the XML file.

 

·

XLIFF (XML) Files

XLIFF files supporting the assignment of one or more "<note>" elements to an item/element.  RC-WinTrans reads all of the "<note>" elements belonging to the item as one note.

XLIFF 2.0: The text of all "<note>" elements with the attribute "<note appliesTo="source">" are taken as notes for the source text.  A note defined for the target text ("<note appliesTo=target">) is taken as the note for the translation text.

 

·

Java Properties Files

A comment (comment line) before an item can be read by RC-WinTrans as a note.  All comment lines (comment line beginning with the "#" symbol) immediately preceding the line with the "key=value" pair can be used/taken over as notes for the source text in RC-WinTrans.

 

NOTE: The ability to read comment lines as notes is NOT enabled by default.  Use the steps described below to activate the reading of comment lines in Java properties files:

1.

In the Tools menu, select the Options command to open the Options dialog box.

2.

Activate the File Types & File Converters tab in the Options dialog; then select the "Java Properties Files" entry in the list of file types found there.

3.

Click the Options button to open another dialog where the option to read notes out of comment lines in Java Properties files is activated.

4.

Select the option "Read comment line before an item as a 'note'" (see figure below) and confirm by clicking the OK button.

 

 

Figure: The Options dialog for Java properties files where the feature for reading comment lines as notes is activated.